The Miracle Luna

PRISCILLA The motel room was quiet. Too quiet. I set my duffle bag on the creaky mattress and sighed, the springs groaning in protest beneath its weight. Everything about this place screamed "forgotten"—from the peeling wallpaper to the flickering fluorescent bulb dangling like a noose from the ceiling. It wasn’t exactly a five-star getaway, but it had been the closest thing to civilization after landing in Oregon’s nowhere-ville. Pulling the blinds apart just a fraction, I peered out. My window overlooked nothing but endless pine trees, their silhouettes dark against the dimming grey sky. The wind outside made them sway, their branches scratching one another like whispers in the gloom. I shivered despite myself and let the blinds snap shut. I didn’t know what I had expected—Oregon was forests and mountains, but there was something off about this particular town. The air felt heavier here, thick with the scent of pine needles and damp earth, but there was something else too—so

PRISCILLA My foot hovered over the gas pedal, indecision knotting in my chest like a vice. The man was gone, swallowed by the mist like he’d never been there at all. The road ahead stretched into darkness, the headlights cutting through only a few feet before being devoured by the night. What the hell just happened? My hands trembled against the steering wheel. I glanced at the rearview mirror, half-expecting to see him standing right behind the car, but it was empty—just the faint red glow of my tail lights against the fog. Every rational part of me screamed to keep driving. To get the hell out of this creepy, clearly haunted town and not look back. But that primal instinct—the one that had pulled me into journalism and kept me chasing stories I had no business chasing—itched beneath my skin. Who was he? What was he doing out here? And why did his eyes… glow? I shook my head, exhaling hard. “Okay, Priscilla. This is how horror movies start.” My voice sounded hollow i

GABRIEL’S POV The forest was alive with the scent of blood and rain. My feet pounded against the wet earth as I sprinted, my breaths sharp and even. I could still feel the rogue’s presence lingering ahead of me—faint, erratic like it was teasing me into chasing it deeper. “Come on,” I growled under my breath, muscles flexing as I pushed faster. My body hummed with energy, the beast inside itching to take over and run on all fours. But I didn’t have the luxury of shifting now. Not so close to the main road. Not when eyes could be watching. I broke through the last stretch of trees, and that’s when I saw it—light. Headlights. The moment I burst into the clearing, the car came into view, speeding down the slick, empty road. Its blinding beams caught me dead in the centre, turning me into a silhouette on the pavement. “Shit,” I hissed, throwing up the detachable hood over my head to shield my face as the headlights glared brighter. The mist, thick and rolling from the earlier

GABRIEL The forest grew eerily quiet after she disappeared, the sound of her frantic steps fading into the distance. My wolf stirred uneasily in the back of my mind, pacing, restless. “She shouldn’t have gotten away,” he growled, his voice rough with irritation. I ignored him, staring at the spot where the woman had vanished. The faint scent of vanilla candy lingered in the air, curling around me like a whisper I couldn’t shake. It was maddening, the way it lingered, refusing to let me forget her. “This is a mistake,” my wolf pressed. “She’s seen too much. She knows about us.” “And yet,” I muttered aloud, “she didn’t scream. Didn’t panic.” “She’ll tell someone.” “No, she won’t.” My voice was firm, though doubt crawled beneath my skin. “If she was going to, she wouldn’t have run like that. She’s not ready to risk exposing what she knows—not yet.” My wolf let out a low rumble but didn’t argue further. I turned, shifting back into my wolf form. The moment my paws hit the

PRISCILLAThe stench hit me before my eyes fully opened—a suffocating, putrid scent that made my stomach churn. My lashes fluttered against my cheeks as I blinked awake, my senses sluggish yet screaming all at once.And then I saw it.A guttural, shuddering scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it. Looming above me was… something not human, not animal, but some twisted, monstrous in-between. Its skin looked like it was decaying and alive all at once, black veins snaking over it in chaotic patterns, pulsing like they had a heartbeat of their own.Its eyes… glowing, hollow pits of malice, were fixed on me.I scrambled back, pressing myself hard against the wall as if I could disappear into it. My breath hitched, every inhale catching in my throat as I stared, wide-eyed, at the creature before me. Its growl resonated through the air, low and menacing, vibrating deep into my bones.This couldn’t be real.The creature’s head tilted slightly, almost curiously, as if it were study