SILVER RISING

The woods felt different. Amanda noticed it first when she slipped away one morning for air, her feet carrying her down a narrow path, away from the noise of the estate. The forest had always unsettled her, so vast, so alive with sounds that weren’t meant for humans, but today it was… stranger. A rustling in the underbrush made her pause. She expected a rabbit or a squirrel to dart off at the sight of her. Instead, a sleek fox crept out, its eyes glinting amber in the morning light. It didn’t run. It sat and then, impossibly, it lowered its head, like a bow. Amanda’s breath caught. The fox lingered for a heartbeat longer before darting off, vanishing into the trees. Her pulse thundered as she pressed a hand to her chest.

"What… was that?"

But it wasn’t a one-time occurrence. That afternoon, a stray dog at the edge of town stopped and sat at her feet until Cassian shooed it off. The next day, a crow perched above her window and refused to leave for hours, croaking softly as though watching her. And each time, Amanda felt an invisible thread, tugging, connecting her to them. It was absolutely ridiculous.

By the third night, sleep was impossible. The dreams returned, more vivid, more relentless. The silver wolf, the blood-red moon, the way her body seemed to twist and stretch until she wasn’t human anymore. Sometimes she saw Skylar’s wolf standing alongside her; sometimes she saw only his golden eyes in the dark. Always, she woke with her heart hammering, her skin damp with sweat, and an ache in her bones that lingered long after morning came. Cassian noticed, of course.

"You look like death", he said bluntly one morning as they walked toward school. His grin softened the words, but his eyes, usually filled with mischief, were shadowed with concern.

"Seriously, Amanda, what’s going on? You’re pale, you’re tired, you look like you’re about to collapse."

Amanda forced a weak smile.

"I’m fine", she answered dismissively.

Cassian arched a brow.

"You’re lying."

"I’m fine", she repeated, firmer this time, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

Cassian studied her for a moment longer but let it go, kicking a stone down the road with a frustrated sigh.

"You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met, you know that?"

Amanda tried to laugh, but it came out hollow.

---

At lunch, Stacie cornered her.

"You’ve been off for days", her friend whispered, leaning close across the cafeteria table. "You can barely keep your eyes open, and don’t think I didn’t see that stray dog practically attached to you in town. Weird stuff is happening, Amanda and you’re not telling me."

Amanda swallowed.

"Because I don’t know how to explain it."

"Then try me", Stacie sat down.

Amanda hesitated. Then, in a low voice, she told her about the fox, the dog, the crow. About the way she felt them, about the dreams that left her shaking, and the way her body sometimes ached like she wasn’t her own anymore. Stacie’s eyes widened.

"Okay. That’s… a lot", she admitted.

"I know it sounds crazy", Amanda whispered.

"But what if I’m not just–", She broke off, her throat tightening.

"What if I’m not human? Well completely human?", she asked in a whisper. 

Stacie tapped her nails on the table, thinking.

"If you’re not human, then what are you?"

Amanda gave a strangled laugh.

"That’s the problem. I don’t know", she admitted.

Stacie leaned in, lowering her voice further. "Amanda… what if you’re a witch?"

Amanda’s breath hitched.

"A witch?", she echoed.

"Think about it", Stacie said quickly. "The animals, the dreams, the glowing necklace. Witches haven’t been seen in decades, but that doesn’t mean they’re gone. People say they could command animals, twist the natural world. Maybe that’s what’s happening to you."

Amanda’s hands trembled under the table.

"No. No, that can’t be it", she shook her head. 

"It makes sense, more than anything else", Stacie insisted.

"But witches were hunted, you told me so yourself. The pack despises them. You saw the way everyone treated me when Tessa joked about it. If anyone even suspected that I might really be–", Amanda whispered, panic rising in her chest.

"Then no one can know. Well not yet at least, not until you're sure", Stacie cut in firmly.

Amanda’s stomach dropped.

"If you’re right…", she shook her head, her vision blurring. "If you’re right, I’m dead." 

The thought clung to her for the rest of the day. She tried to laugh it off, to tell herself Stacie was wrong, that witches were stories told to scare children. But when she caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror; her tired eyes, her pale skin, she couldn’t escape the truth. Something was happening to her, something beyond her control. By evening, panic had lodged itself deep in her chest and she couldn't help but begin to think that maybe Stacie was right. Maybe she was a witch and if that was true, then her entire life, the safety of her mother’s marriage, the fragile acceptance she’d been trying to build in Moonridge, was in jeopardy. 

---

Amanda resolved to ask her mother. She had to know if it was possible, if there was something Celeste had hidden from her all these years but when she entered the estate that night, the sight of Celeste stopped her cold. Her mother stood in the dining hall, a clipboard in hand, her face drawn tight with exhaustion. Servants bustled around her with trays and fabrics, and Samuel’s advisors debated loudly at the far end of the room. Celeste was at the center of it all, her lips pressed thin, her voice calm but strained as she directed preparations for the Moon Festival. The pressure on her was immense. As a human married to the Alpha, she bore the weight of centuries of tradition on her shoulders, every eye watching for a mistake. Amanda’s heart clenched. She couldn’t burden her now not with this. So Amanda forced a smile when her mother looked up.

"Amanda", she called. 

"Do you need help with anything?", Amanda asked softly.

Celeste’s tired expression softened.

"Later, sweetheart. Go get some rest, you look exhausted."

Amanda nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Yeah. Rest."

She turned away before her mother could see the fear in her eyes.