The Wolf's Crimson Kiss

w in the sky, its pale glow seeping through the dense canopy of the Crimson Woods. Raven Steele wrapped her cardigan tighter around her as she crossed t

in ancient books and forgotten tomes, and lock the doors long after the sun h

er. No one was there, yet she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The

d the Crimson Woods at night. Rule two: never stray too far from the light. Raven had always obeyed those rules, even if she didn

growl echoed fain

wo

ere in decades, or so the stories went. Yet, something p

ocus. "You're imagining things," she whispe

ry was her sanctuary, a place where she could lose herself in worlds far removed from the unease of

he stillness. She drew in a deep breath, trying to shak

sending her heart racing. She spun a

lled out, her v

ans

ched toward the source of the noise. A window had been shattere

the woods loomed, thei

ng eyes, amber and wild, stari

and unlike any she'd ever imagined. Its fur was black as midnight, blending seamlessly with the

teeth, and Raven stumbled backwar

uted, though her voi

olf l

harp pain of fangs. Instead, a blur of motion knocked the

nts were fluid, almost inhuman. He turned his head slightly, and Raven caught a glimpse of his

vering quickly, and th

owled, his voice l

. It snarled once more, then slunk back int

is expression softening as he took

" he said, his vo

he floor, her back pressed against the w

arching hers. "You need to leave this

" she asked, her v

fully. "My name is Kael Duskbane," he said

hitched. "Wha

nd. "The beginning of everyth

hing them both in crimson. For Raven, this was the start of