Chapter 1

Sylvie Morgan's pov

Riding in the backseat with my parents in the front I was still buzzing from going out for dinner to celebrate my twelfth birthday when we were t boned by a huge black SUV.

The crunching metal and shattered glass covered me as I watched my parents get crushed before me.

Staring at their lifeless eyes I screamed out in agony.

In an instant, my happy life had changed, and I had become an orphan.

Once I was released from the hospital I became a ward of the state. I was withdrawn and didn't want to speak with anyone. I was assigned to a therapist to discuss my innermost thoughts and feelings. I was young and had turned off my emotions completely.

Soon after, I was adopted by a kind elderly man named Marcus Sanford, who seemed familiar to me, but I just couldn't place him. He was a huge gray-haired, bearded, burly man with a cheerful deposition and a great smile.

Marcus brought me to a small town where he lived in a cabin tucked in a lush forest. It was within walking distance of the town.

There, I attended school and eventually got an after-school job at the town's tiny grocery store.

I'm seventeen now and have a limited social life because I am an introvert and very selective with the people I spend time with.

I prefer to be left alone with the trees. Nature is my solace, and I love living in the cabin with Marcus.

I do have acquaintances; one is Winnie, and she stays in another cabin near Marcus; she is also his daughter and helped me get my part-time job. Winnie is in her late twenties and we get along well. The other is Ethan Harris and he's my best friend and happens to be a classmate. We both lost parents at a young age so he understands my emotional turmoil.

Tonight, I have just gotten off my shift at the tiny grocery store and am heading home. The Moon was bright in the night sky, and I swear, causing my skin to hum. Rubbing my exposed arms, I scowl and quicken my steps, feeling like something within me wanted to break free.

I have felt like this since I turned sixteen, and my online therapist said I was experiencing a dissociative disorder, which was hogwash. I didn't hate myself, I just felt different from my classmates. I didn't fit in with their clicks and none of their hobbies interested me. I would just rather sit in the forest and listen to the natural sounds of my surroundings or listen to Marcus as he taught me about the Moon phases.

As I continued down the gravel path I heard footsteps like I was being followed and stopped abruptly to tilt my head toward the sound.

Narrowing my hazel eyes out toward the darkness I thought I heard a breathy huff and shouted out, “Leave me alone! I don't have any qualms about defending myself against man or beast!”

Laughing internally at myself about my courage I listened. Not hearing anything except for my racing heartbeat, I continued to my home a few yards away.

Taking out my keys, I quickly unlocked the door and hurried inside of the comfortable abode.

Closing the door and locking it behind me, I leaned against the wooden door and exhaled deeply.

“What is getting my hackles all bunched up?” I questioned myself unsure about this new feeling I was experiencing. Pulling out my cell phone, I called Winnie, to see if she experienced the same thing.

“Hello, Sylvie?” Her sleepy voice answered and I apologized for waking her.

“Hey did you hear anything outside when you got home from work? Like an animal,” I asked her and realized I sounded insane.

“No, no, Sylvie, I didn't hear anything, but the wolves are on the prowl so it's probably just them,” she said softly, then yawned.

“Hey, it's okay, go back to sleep, and I will see you tomorrow at work,” I mumbled, and she told me goodnight before ending the call.

Not seeing Marcus’s bedroom light on underneath his closed door I shrugged and went to my room.

Hearing a wolf howling in the distance I felt my skin ripple and scowled.

“What in the world is going on?” I huffed in irritation.

Shrugging off my unease I readied myself for bed.

Laying there I could hear sniffing outside of my window. Tempted to go check it out I heard the front door being unlocked a few moments later and Marcus’s heavy boots hitting the wooden floor toward my closed bedroom door.

“You home Sylvie?” He asked softly and I told him yeah.

“Okay, see you in the morning for breakfast,” he said firmly and I told him goodnight.

His bedroom door opened then closed and I exhaled deeply as I closed my eyes to sleep.

That night I was caught up in several strange dreams of running through the forest and someone speaking with me named Opal. She was telling me that I was unique and very important. I would discover my potential on my eighteenth birthday during the full moon and meet her fully. Not believing that for a minute I disregarded her as I tossed and turned throughout the entire night.

Little did I know that I was in for a startling revelation that Marcus, Winnie, and the entire town were all huge parts of…