SWNOVELXO Chapter 12: SHADOWFALL
**CHAPTER TWELVE: SHADOWFALL**
The wind howled outside the packhouse like a warning whisper.
Koda leaned against the kitchen counter, watching the rain streak down the windowpanes. It had been nearly a week since the shift scare in the hospital, and things were returning to a semblance of routine. At least on the surface.
He'd returned to school with the rest of the Raven Blood pack—though none of them called themselves that openly. They sat together now. Walked home together. Trained together in secret. And though Koda hadn't shifted again, the pull in his bones remained, a gentle thrum in his chest he couldn't shake.
He hadn't told anyone about the book left at his door, or the chapter on Wolves of Human Birth. Something told him he needed to wait.
Nova bounded into the room, soaked from training in the rain. "You gonna mope all day or come get wrecked by Zara and me again?"
Koda smirked. "Pretty sure I wrecked *you* last time."
"In your dreams."
From the hallway, Zara poked her head in. "He's too chicken to come back out. Don't let him fool you."
Tristian appeared behind her, a towel slung around his neck. His presence always changed the atmosphere. To Koda, it felt like his skin buzzed every time the alpha entered the room.
"I'm game if you are," Tristian said with a sly look.
Koda rolled his eyes but grabbed his jacket. "Fine. Let's go."
---
Out in the clearing, the rain was a curtain of silver mist. The others were already running drills—Eliah tracking scent trails, Tala barking orders, and Orion casually flipping a grown man over his shoulder during combat exercises.
Koda joined Zara and Nova for agility sparring, the mud making every movement a slippery gamble. They laughed more than they fought.
From the shadows of the surrounding trees, a figure watched. His eyes never blinked as they tracked each movement. Every motion Koda made. Every flicker of energy exchanged between the pack. Hidden by thick brush and rain, he remained unseen, silent.
It wasn't until the group finished training that Tristian's eyes darted briefly toward the tree line—his alpha instincts pricking. But whatever he sensed vanished, and he said nothing.
Later that night, Reed wandered casually into the packhouse common room, joking with the others as if he'd been there the whole time.
---
That night, the power in the packhouse flickered, then cut.
A few candles were lit, and most took it as a sign to chill. Tristian pulled Koda aside, whispering something about running diagnostics at the perimeter. Orion volunteered to go with him.
Koda wandered upstairs to his room. A strange metallic scent tingled his senses—like rust and smoke. He paused outside his door.
The handle was warm.
Inside, nothing looked disturbed, but something *felt* wrong. A feeling deep in his chest, like being watched. Like his wolf stirred beneath his skin.
He closed the door and locked it.
---
The next morning, Tala found one of the training dummies burnt and partially melted. No explanation.
"There's magic involved," she muttered.
"We don't deal with witches," Kairo said grimly.
"Maybe someone wants us to *think* it's a witch," Orion suggested.
Tristian's gaze lingered on the charred remains. "We'll increase patrols. Don't talk about this outside the house."
Everyone nodded. Koda said nothing, but that metallic scent still clung faintly to his memory.
---
Throughout the week, more strange occurrences piled up. A locked weapons cabinet found open. Training gear tampered with. One of the guards reported hearing howls that didn't belong to any of their pack.
And Reed kept slipping away.
Once, Koda caught him sneaking out late at night.
"Bathroom," Reed said too quickly.
Koda stared at him. "That's the front door."
Reed forced a laugh. "Right. Just—air. Needed some."
Koda didn't believe him, but he let it go. Reed never talked about where he'd been all those years away. Now, he was back and acted like nothing had changed.
---
By Friday, the tension was sharp enough to taste.
Koda sat with Tristian and the others at lunch, trying to shake the unease in his stomach. Orion made a joke that got everyone laughing. Even Zara blushed when Nova threw popcorn in her hair.
But Koda kept glancing at Reed.
Who wasn't laughing.
---
That night, in the woods behind the school, a shadow knelt before a carved sigil in the dirt. Smoke curled from an old, blackened candle.
A voice echoed low in the wind. "Have they suspected?"
Reed's voice answered quietly.
"No. Not yet."
The smoke hissed like a snake.
"Soon, then. You know what must be done."
Reed nodded, his face unreadable in the moonlight. "I'll make sure he never fulfills his shift."
The candle flickered—and extinguished.
And the night grew colder.
---
**TO BE CONTINUED.**