Night – Edge of La Push Forest
Jacob stood stiffly, arms folded as the mist curled around the trees behind him. Desmond met his guarded gaze without flinching, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness. The scent of damp pine and something older, more primal, hung thick in the air.
"I don't trust outsiders," Jacob finally said, his voice low.
Desmond didn't blink. "I'm not here to be trusted. I'm here for answers."
Jacob's jaw clenched. Behind him, two more figures appeared—Paul and Embry, their expressions unreadable but their muscles tense. The pack.
Desmond stepped forward, slowly. "You saved me once. I want to know why."
Paul growled. "Because you were getting torn apart by a leech."
"That's not what I mean," Desmond said. "You could've let me die. But you didn't. Why?"
Jacob was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, he spoke.
"Because we've seen your kind before."
That made Desmond pause. "My kind?"
"You're not a vampire. Not a shifter. You're something else—something old. Something that shouldn't exist," Jacob said, his voice wary. "The spirits warned us. Said you're a threat to the natural balance."
"And yet you saved me," Desmond replied.
Jacob's eyes darkened. "Maybe we regret it."
Desmond smirked faintly. "I've heard worse."
Before another word could be exchanged, a pulse rippled through the trees—an invisible pressure that made every wolf freeze.
"What the hell was that?" Paul muttered.
Desmond's fingers twitched. He felt it too. That whisper in his blood. That ancient voice—no longer just echoing… now it was speaking.
He's watching.
Desmond's breath caught. The others couldn't hear it—but he could. Clearer than ever before.
A sudden memory hit him—one he hadn't written down. A figure cloaked in moonlight, standing before a pack of beasts with silver eyes and bone armor.
"He will come again when the moon breaks its chains."
Desmond stumbled back slightly, gripping his head.
Jacob stepped forward. "What is it?"
Desmond's voice was rough. "A memory. Not mine. But… from whoever or whatever I used to be."
He looked up, determination burning behind his eyes. "I think I was created. Forged—between two bloodlines. Something went wrong. Or maybe… too right."
Elsewhere – Deep Underground, Unknown Location
An ancient chamber carved from obsidian rock. Candles flickered as robed figures stood in a circle, their chants echoing.
"He's waking faster than expected," one said.
"The wolves have made contact," another whispered.
A third stepped forward—hood removed, revealing a pale face, cracked with dark lines like dried earth. A witch.
"Then the balance must be broken before he remembers who he is."
Back in Forks – Later That Night
Desmond returned to Elias and Leona, his face pale but calm.
"I know now," he said quietly. "I'm not just a threat. I'm a key. A bridge between monsters. The vampires fear me. The wolves fear me. And something worse… wants me."
Elias stared, grim. "Then we better get ready."
Desmond looked out the window, toward the darkening forest.
"Let them come."