The quiet has returned, but quiet in Moonhaven is rarely empty.
I straighten a stack of reports that doesn’t need straightening. A habit. Control in small gestures when the larger ones aren’t mine to command yet.
The radio crackles once, then settles. I leave it on anyway.
“Caleb?”
And you thought the office was empty. Great wolf instincts, Alpha.
The voice of Mary floats in from the front desk, gentle but perceptive in the way only someone who’s known you too long can manage.
“Yeah?”
“You’re pacing.”
I glance down. She’s right. I hadn’t noticed my own movement, the slow circuit from desk to window and back again.
“Just thinking,” I say.
She hums, unconvinced. “About the journalist?”
“About timing.”
Mary steps into the doorway, arms crossed loosely. “Timing’s a funny thing. Shows up whether we invite it or not.”
“Not in this town,” I reply. “We’ve always been careful.”
She studies me several seconds.
“Careful keeps people safe,” she agrees. Then, softly, “It doesn’t always keep them hidden.”
The words land heavier than they should.
“Let me know if you want coffee,” she adds, retreating before I can answer.
I return to the window. Somewhere beyond the tree line, something new has slotted itself into place, like a wrong note finally resolved into harmony — or dissonance.
Either way, I can feel it now.
And I don’t like how clearly I’m sure it knows where I am.
I step outside and let the cold bite. The town hums softly around me, unaware of the hairline fracture threading beneath its surface.
Then it happens again.
That pull. Stronger this time. Directional in a way I don’t bother pretending to misunderstand.
Something has arrived in Moonhaven that doesn’t know our rules yet.
And I don’t like how aware I am of it.
3
ELLIE
Stepping into Moonhaven feels like entering a curated exhibit in an artist's gallery. Autumn's brush paints Moonhaven in hues that seem borrowed from dreams—a realm of rust and flame.
Crisp air dances around me, leaving whispers along my skin. Each step feels unreal, as if I've wandered into the gentler pages of a forgotten tale.