👇 Daniel knew they had not been taken into the forest by accident the moment his stepmother refused to look him in the eyes.
CHAPTER 1: THE MAN IN THE SNOW
Daniel did not move.
His father stood in the glow of the headlights like a ghost carved out of winter. Snow fell steadily between them, melting against the heat of the engine, vanishing into the silence.
“Son…” his father said again, softer this time. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
Daniel’s grip tightened on Emma’s coat.
“Safe?” Daniel’s voice cracked. “You left us here.”
Pain flickered across his father’s face, but he did not deny it.
“I didn’t leave you,” he said. “I tried to get here before she did.”
Before Daniel could respond, another sound cut through the forest.
A distant howl.
Then another.
Closer than before.
The wolves were no longer waiting.
Emma turned in confusion. “Daddy… I’m cold.”
Her knees wobbled. The moment she stepped fully into the light, Daniel saw how badly she was shaking—her lips blue, her fingers stiff around the teddy bear.
Their father moved fast. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her without hesitation.
“We need to go,” he said urgently.
Daniel stepped back.
“Where?” Daniel demanded. “You put us here!”
“I didn’t,” his father said sharply. Then quieter: “But I know who did.”
That silence hit harder than the cold.
From deep in the forest, branches snapped.
Something large moved between the trees.
May you like
Not one wolf this time.
Many.
