Woodsmoke wafted around Silas as they walked below flurries that veiled the town of Caverott in a thick, icy blanket of misery.

Few folks traversed the snowy sidewalks, and Silas's gaze hopped from one darkened window to the next of businesses closed from the cold. Though the people had retreated for warmth, the decorations remained in a festive display that calmed his heart as much as possible with his situation. Winter fairies danced on strings of lights, and snowmen statues waved at closed doors. Silas thought of waving back, but clenched his hands in his pockets as he remembered the fur on his fingers.

Delightful scents of winterberry mingled with pumpkin pie made him salivate, quite literally. He quickly wiped his mouth before Seraphina noticed. Probably an effect from all the drugs that the vampire doctor pumped him with. Surely that was all it was. Every sense heightened around him, especially the myriad of sweets and delicious meats. Even the blustering snow sounded and smelled different.

Seraphina suddenly reached out to yank his hood over his head. She offered an apologetic smile and said, "Your ears were very red. Don't want them to freeze off."

Silas blushed, nodding. "Thanks."

If only they could be wandering through Caverott under different circumstances. Silas had always fancied her when they were kids, and if he were honest with himself, those feelings had only grown stronger with their friendship over the years.

Seraphina matched her pace with him. Pink curls poked out from underneath her wool-lined hood and the wind gave her cheeks a rosy shade. Being so close, Silas could actually hear the steady beat of her heart. Even her sweet scent, a mix of strawberry and frosted bergamot, captivated him.

"Isn't that thing creepy?" Seraphina bristled, pointing ahead.

A scarecrow with a pumpkin head nailed down to the pavement caught his eye. Despite the tumultuous winds and snow, flames coiled inside its carved mouth. Silas heard the old tales of Jack, who was sent to Caverott many years ago to protect their land. Some suspected it was an angel disguised as something wicked while others deemed it a demon.

Whatever it was, the flames never went out. Not even the most powerful water wizards could snuff out the fire nor could the snow storms. Silas suspected it was enchanted with magical flames to never burn out.

"Almost like he's watching us." Silas brushed his fingers along his wand in his pocket as they crossed by the scarecrow. After the wolf walker, he wasn't taking any chances.

It had been a while since Silas had visited Caverott, but he'd witnessed the scarecrow countless times over the years. What he hadn't noticed as a mere wizard was the tepid beat of a heart within. Hopefully, it was just a tool to mimic a heartbeat and not some hidden sentience of a creature that already creeped him out.

"How about there?" Seraphina's mood was merrier as she pointed to a diner ahead.

Silas nodded. "Sounds good to me."

A mouthwatering medley of meats, cheeses, and baked sweets greeted them upon entering Dark Moon Delights. Amber lights cast a delicate glow across the booths. All along the walls, painted stars glowed amid the inky night sky. Overhead, a handcrafted mirage of a blood moon suspended mid-air, nearly touching the ceiling.

Chatter filled the restaurant as they were seated in a cozy booth in the back. Silas struggled to tune it all out, still assaulted by his newfound heightened senses. Perhaps he'd eventually get used to it. The revelation of being a wolf walker had only just settled in, and he was trying his damndest not to acknowledge it. It was the only way he wouldn't drive himself insane.

As a waiter brought a table of men a succulent roasted turkey, hunger pangs gnawed at his stomach. Silas resisted the urge to sneak over and sample some for himself. It had to be the wolf walker curse wreaking havoc on his appetite. Surely once he ate those feelings would fade.

Silas took one of the menus and skimmed over the selections of meats. He settled on a barbecue wing platter while Seraphina ordered a heaping plate of stroganoff. Soon enough, their server brought their entries over and Silas ate as if he were starving. One bite of the saucy wing felt like heaven blessed his taste buds. He nibbled it down to the bone, wasting no time with the others.

Barbeque sauce coated his fingers and clung to the corners of his lips. Silas continued eating, unbothered by the slight slurping as he ate with ravenous hunger. Only when he finished his platter and still wasn't full in the slightest did he look up to meet Seraphina's gaze.

"Sorry." Warmth crept through his face as he piled the wing bones together on the plate, then dabbed his saucy fingers with a napkin.

"Don't apologize, it's okay." Seraphina sipped her cola. "If you're still hungry, feel free to order more. It's on me." She winked.

"I couldn't ask you to do that for me." Silas stared at his plate in shame for chowing down like such a beast in front of her, but he couldn't help himself. He was just so hungry.

"Nonsense, I don't mind." Seraphina waved a dismissive hand. "Eat until your heart's content."

When their server returned, Silas ordered another serving of barbeque wings, and Seraphina added an extra basket of waffle fries despite his protests. Although his stomach screamed for more, he slowed his eating with shaky hands and clenched his teeth. Even if this was the curse's doing, he hated how it made him look like a glutton to Seraphina.

Upon meeting Seraphina's gaze, traces of sorrow glistened in her eyes. Silas realized she looked down on him with pity. She probably saw him fully turn while unconscious at that vampire clinic, knowing full well his life was over. Despite how he'd accompanied Seraphina into town as if everything was as dandy as daffodils, the harsh reality settled in his heart.

He was a monster.

Perhaps Seraphina feared he'd harm her once he turned. Or eat her. Silas cringed deep within his soul at such a thought, but he couldn't hide from the truth forever. He'd turn again. It would keep happening until someone ended his misery.

Silas left the tavern with a full stomach and heavy heart. Despite how Seraphina promised to keep him safe in Nevermourn, Silas wanted to run. An itch in his palms insisted he flee to Briarwood, back to his home. But then what? His father couldn't save him. Even worse, what if he hurt his dad? Silas doubted he'd have any control or awareness if he turned and it made him sick to think about accidentally harming his loved ones.

They'd just lost his mother during Harvest Fest. Silas couldn't tell his father that he was losing him to a beastly curse now.

Instead of running away like a coward, Silas trudged behind Seraphina. Snow flurries pelted his head and the icy wind stung his cheeks. He tucked his arms around himself, shivering.

Only a few folks traveled on foot that cold, unforgiving afternoon, and upon reaching Pumpkin Lane, Silas halted at the eerie scarecrow. Flames crackled within its lopsided grin and carved sockets for the eyes. It smelled sweet, like a burning candle.

Something in the pumpkin's head shifted. That lopsided smile tilted ever so slightly into a frown, barely noticeable to Silas had he not witnessed it himself. It whispered into the wind, "Run, boy."

Seraphina had already walked ahead of him, so she hadn't heard it speak like he did. Dumbfounded, Silas could only glare at the otherworldly creature as if expecting it to unroot itself from the ground and come at him. Instead, it lifted a willowy arm as if tugged merely by the wind, to point down the snowy road.

Amid the fog, a dark silhouette caught his eye. They walked with an unsteady gait and their head hung low. Over the roaring winds, Silas faintly heard the sound of their shoes dragging along the icy pavement. But he detected no other heartbeat.

The creature snapped its head up upon approach, yet Silas could make out no identifiable features in the thickening mist. Without warning, it lurched then charged toward him with rapid speed. Silas yelped out in shock and raised a defensive barrier just as it pounced.

It tore through his magical barrier effortlessly. Embers of radiant green burned the bastard's skin to a blistering red, yet it snapped at him as if it did no harm. The altercation drew Seraphina's attention, who hurried back to him with her wand drawn. Her curses and spells were drowned out over the thunderous pounding of his heart in his ears.

Haunting memories flashed through Silas's mind from when the rotters attacked. He remembered their snarling, bloodied jowls all too well. The stench of decay that filled the air resembled the rot of the creature struggling to pin him down. Although his magic harmed the wicked creature, noticeable bruises and burn marks indicated he wasn't the only one who'd fought it off.

Rage coursed through his veins. Everything came rushing to him in a blur, from the nightmarish day he found his mother to the night the cursed wolf bit him. Enough magic surged around him to rumble the town's foundation as Silas sank his teeth into the creature's neck, but he only tore off skin.

Silas spit the disgusting chunk of flesh out on the ground, holding his wand higher like a shield and chanted, "Vesperictum!"

Ghostly snakes entangled the rotter, and it fought against the restraints, snapping and clawing at opaque tendrils to no avail. The more it writhed, the more the snakes tightened around their prey.

With it trapped, Silas commanded vines to sprout from the ground and tangle around its ankles. Snow melted away around them to make room for his vines. It had the nerve to snarl at him. Silas wasn't sure what made him growl back, but it made the rotter tremble and go silent as his magic pulled the undead creature down into the damp soil where it belonged.

"Silas, are you alright?" Seraphina's voice was soft but laced with worry as her fingers brushed against his shoulder, grounding him in the chaos of the moment.

Silas blinked, as if waking from a fog, his chest rising and falling with shallow, erratic breaths. "I think so," he whispered. His eyes darted around, like he expected more of them to emerge from the fog. "It... it came out of nowhere."

Voices rang in his ears like the bells on the Night of Frost. They all insisted on one thing. Run.