CHAPTER 1

ELARA

My feet slammed hard against the soaked forest ground as I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. The rain had only just stopped, leaving the earth muddy and covered with shallow puddles, but I did not slow down or try to avoid them. Water splashed around my ankles each time my foot struck the ground, yet I kept moving forward without caring about the mess.

My breathing had already become uneven and rough, each breath scraping painfully through my throat as I struggled to pull enough air into my lungs. Behind me, somewhere deep in the forest, a low growl echoed through the trees.

The sound made my heart pound harder.

It did not sound like wolves. It did not sound like any animal I had ever heard before.

The growl was deeper… rougher… almost wild in a way that made the hair on the back of my neck rise.

That sound alone pushed me to run faster.

I forced my legs to move quicker, pouring every last bit of strength into each step. My muscles burned, and my chest felt tight, but fear kept driving me forward.

Yet no matter how fast I ran, something felt wrong.

It was as if the forest itself refused to let me escape.

The trees around me seemed endless, and worst of all, the creature behind me kept getting closer.

I could hear it now.

Heavy steps.

Branches snapping.

That low growl vibrating through the dark woods.

I turned my head slightly, trying to see how close the creature had gotten.

That small moment of distraction was all it took.

Because when I looked forward again, I finally noticed what stood directly in my path.

A large ditch.

Deep. Dark. And very wide.

But by then, it was already too late to avoid falling into it.

A gasp escaped my mouth as I stumbled forward, my arms flying wildly into the air while my body tipped toward the empty space.

I braced myself for the fall.

But before I could plunge into the darkness below, something suddenly grabbed my waist.

A strong hand with long nails.

In one swift movement, I was lifted away from the ditch as if I weighed nothing at all. The grip around my waist was tight but careful, almost gentle, as if whoever held me was afraid of hurting me.

Moments later, my feet touched solid ground again.

The creature placed me safely on the level forest floor.

My legs trembled violently beneath me. For a moment, I could barely stand, but strangely, I was not shaking because I had almost fallen into the ditch.

I was shaking because of the deep growl that came from directly behind me.

The creature had caught up.

It had pulled me away from the ditch, not to save me but perhaps because it preferred its prey alive.

My heartbeat thundered loudly in my ears as I slowly turned around.

The moment I faced the creature, my entire body froze.

Two bright golden eyes stared back at me from the darkness.

They glowed softly in the dim forest light.

But it wasn’t just the color of the eyes that shocked me.

It was the creature itself.

It was enormous.

Far bigger than any animal I had ever seen. Its presence alone filled the space between the trees. Yet those golden eyes held something strangely intelligent… something aware.

As if it knows me… as if it recognizes me.

A low growl rolled from its chest as it slowly lowered itself to my level.

I staggered backward, my heel slipping slightly against the wet ground as I struggled to keep my balance.

But before I could fall, the creature quickly reached out and steadied me again, its movement careful and protective

That was when a strange thought crossed my mind.

It was not trying to hurt me.

It was… helping me.

Confused, I blinked several times and glanced toward the left. A short distance away, I saw a cliff and an idea formed in my mind.

If this creature truly meant me no harm, then it would stop me.

Without giving myself time to reconsider, I suddenly sprinted toward the cliff with every ounce of strength I had left.

Closer.

Closer.

Just as I reached the edge and prepared to throw myself over, something slammed into me from behind.

The creature grabbed me and yanked me away from the cliff with incredible force.

But the momentum was too strong.

Both of us lost balance.

Instead of stopping, we tumbled forward together.

Down the cliff.

The world spun around me as we rolled through the air.

I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the painful crash that would surely come.

But when we finally hit the ground…

The impact never reached me.

The creature had twisted its body round mine, covering my entire frame.

It took the full force of the fall on its own back before quickly rolling over and pinning me safely against the ground.

For a moment, I was too stunned to move.

Above me, those same golden eyes stared down into mine.

Still glowing.

Still watching.

Then something warm and sticky landed on my cheek.

It smelled metallic which told me it was blood.

The creature was bleeding, yet it showed no sign of pain.

Instead, it leaned closer, its nose brushing lightly against my neck as it sniffed me.

Then it released a deep, powerful growl that sounded almost like a word.

“Mine.”

~~~

My eyes flew open.

The small sound of the timer’s alarm pulling me from my sleep.

Standing near the door was Janet, her arms folded across her chest as she looked at me with concern.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You’ve been falling asleep everywhere lately.”

I pushed myself upright, rubbing my face as I tried to shake off the lingering feeling of the dream.

“I’m fine,” I said, reaching for the sterilized container of DNA samples I was supposed to catalog. “I’ve just been having trouble sleeping at night.”

Mostly because every night that creature appeared in my dreams… and I still could not see its face clearly.

Janet tilted her head slightly.

“Maybe you should visit the doctor in the infirmary,” she suggested. “We’re already short-staffed, so we can’t really give anyone time off from the lab.”

“I understand.”

She gave me a small smile before turning and walking out of the DNA room.

Once the door closed, I took a deep breath and leaned back in my chair, allowing myself a moment to think.

Maybe these strange dreams were simply the result of my job.

After all, I worked as a biological researcher in one of the most secret underground facilities in the world. Our entire department focused on genetic recovery and the reconstruction of species that had been extinct for thousands, sometimes millions of years.

That kind of work could easily mess with someone’s mind.

“Get yourself together, Elara,” I muttered quietly.

“Your job is to monitor regenerative enzymes and study fragments of ancient DNA,” I continued under my breath. “Maybe you should stop imagining what those creatures might look like if they actually existed.”

That had to be the reason.

Still, I couldn’t focus.

The dream refused to leave my thoughts.

Finally, I decided it would be best to stop working for the day and visit the infirmary.

But just as I was about to log out of my system, a notification suddenly appeared on my screen.

Frowning, I leaned closer to the laptop and clicked on the new file.

The moment it opened, rows of genetic samples filled the screen.

My brows slowly pulled together.

Something about the data looked strange.

Very strange.

The genetic pattern did not match anything I had studied in this lab before.

And that made no sense.

I was a senior biological researcher here. There was no way a specimen could exist in this facility without my knowledge.

“What the hell…?” I whispered, staring at the notes attached to the sample.

Scrolling quickly through the file, I found the name of the specimen.

Project FENRIR-01.

I immediately typed in my passcode, trying to access the database that would show the physical location of the specimen.

But instead of the information I expected, a red message flashed across the screen.

ACCESS DENIED.