The Night Bound Pact

The sun was beginning its slow descent over the distant hills as Mina Sullivan pulled her car into the driveway of her new home. She turned off the engine, listening to the sudden silence as the hum of the road faded away. The house, a small but charming cottage surrounded by dense woods, sat on the edge of the town of Dunford, nestled deep in an evergreen valley.

It wasn't what she had imagined her life would look like at twenty-seven-alone, with only her paintbrushes and a few boxes of belongings, in a house she'd impulsively rented in a town she'd never heard of before last month. But that's exactly why she'd chosen it: the obscurity, the quiet, and the fresh start.

Her break-up had been brutal. She had always imagined her art would be her refuge, but somehow her studio in the city had felt too crowded with memories. She'd found herself avoiding her easel, the paint dried in her brushes. It was an unsettling feeling, one that had pushed her to pack her life into boxes, say goodbye to the city, and drive here. Dunford, she'd thought, could be a place to clear her head, to rekindle her creativity and find herself again.

Mina stepped out of her car, stretching her arms and taking in the scent of pine and earth that filled the crisp evening air. The wind rustled through the trees, whispering like an old secret.

As she grabbed her bags from the car, she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw a man standing on the porch of the house next door, his figure half-shadowed by the twilight. He was tall, with broad shoulders and tousled dark hair. He seemed to be watching her.

Mina raised a hand in an awkward wave. "Hello!" she called, trying to keep her tone light.

The man didn't respond right away, just kept looking at her with an unreadable expression. His gaze felt intense, almost invasive, and she resisted the urge to look away. But then, as if snapping out of a trance, he nodded, gave her a brief wave, and turned back toward his door.

"Friendly neighborhood, I guess," she murmured to herself with a wry smile. She knew she hadn't come here to make friends, but that didn't mean she was immune to a bit of good old-fashioned curiosity.

The house was modest and furnished simply, but the large windows overlooking the forest and the rustic charm were enough to make Mina feel at home. She placed her bags on the floor and wandered through each room, imagining how she could set up her studio in the corner by the window.

After she'd unpacked some basics, she opened a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. Her mind wandered back to her mysterious neighbor. She'd been too far away to make out many details, but something about his stillness had felt... off. Like he didn't entirely belong to this world. Mina dismissed the thought, chalking it up to nerves and the strangeness of a new place.

Outside, the twilight darkened into night, casting deep shadows over the trees.

---

The next morning, she woke with the sun streaming through the window, painting the room in golden hues. She stretched, feeling the stiffness in her muscles from the long drive, and wandered to the kitchen to make herself some coffee.

With a steaming mug in hand, she stepped outside onto the porch, breathing in the fresh morning air. Birds chirped somewhere in the trees, and a light breeze brushed her cheeks. She felt a bit of the tension ease from her shoulders, as if the calm of this place was already working its magic on her.

"Good morning," a deep voice said from her left, making her jump slightly.

She turned to see the man from yesterday standing at the edge of his porch, holding his own mug of coffee. Now that she could see him in the daylight, she realized he was younger than she'd initially thought-maybe in his early thirties-with a rugged, almost haunted look to him. His jaw was strong, shadowed with a hint of stubble, and his eyes, a piercing shade of gray, were fixed on her with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

"Morning," Mina replied, offering a tentative smile.

"Settling in okay?" he asked, taking a sip from his mug.

"Yeah, just starting to," she said. "It's nice here. Peaceful."

He nodded, his gaze flicking to the trees behind her house. "It is. But you should be careful."

Mina raised an eyebrow. "Careful? Why?"

His eyes seemed to darken slightly. "There's a lot of wildlife around here. It's not always safe to be out alone at night."

Something about his tone made her shiver, and she clutched her coffee a little tighter. "Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind."

He gave her a curt nod and turned, disappearing back into his house without another word. Mina watched him go, feeling a strange mix of unease and fascination.

---

Over the next few days, Mina tried to settle into a routine. She spent her mornings painting, her afternoons exploring the surrounding woods, and her evenings reading or sketching on the porch. Yet every so often, she'd catch a glimpse of her neighbor, Alec-she'd learned his name from the mail in his box-lurking in the shadows of his porch or moving swiftly along the edge of the forest.

On her third night in Dunford, she was woken by the sound of howling. It was distant but haunting, and it seemed to echo through the night, carried by the wind. Mina lay in bed, listening to the sound with a strange sense of dread.

The next morning, she went into town to pick up some supplies. The people of Dunford were friendly, though a bit cautious around her, as small towns often were with new faces. She made small talk with the cashier at the local grocery store, a woman named Sarah who looked like she'd lived in Dunford her whole life.

"Strange, isn't it?" Sarah said as she bagged Mina's groceries.

Mina blinked, realizing she hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry, what is?"

"The attacks," Sarah said, lowering her voice. "They're saying it's wolves, but I don't know... It doesn't seem natural."

Mina frowned. "What kind of attacks?"

Sarah glanced around as if checking to see if anyone was listening. "Two nights ago, some campers were found torn apart near the edge of the forest. And just last night, a farmer's livestock was slaughtered. They're saying it's wolves, but no one's ever seen wolves like these."

A chill ran down Mina's spine, and she thought of Alec's warning about not going out alone at night. "Do you think it's safe?"

Sarah shook her head, looking grim. "I'd keep your doors locked and stay inside after dark. You never know what's out there."

---

That night, Mina found herself unable to sleep. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the strange attacks and her odd neighbor. She sat at her easel, hoping that painting would help calm her nerves, but as she worked, she felt her hand moving almost of its own accord.

When she finally stepped back, her stomach clenched. The painting was dark, a blend of shadowy trees and a moonlit figure-vaguely human, but with eyes that glowed an unnatural yellow. She'd never painted something so haunting before.

Mina went to bed with an uneasy feeling, her mind swirling with half-formed fears.

---

The next morning, she noticed something odd. The forest felt different, as if it were holding its breath, watching her. And there, in the dirt just beyond her porch, she saw tracks-deep paw prints that led toward the woods.

Heart pounding, she knelt to examine them. They were too large to belong to any ordinary animal she knew of, and they had an unsettling shape, almost as if they were halfway between human and beast.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she looked up, her gaze instinctively drawn to Alec's house. The windows were dark, and there was no sign of movement, but she felt certain he was watching.

"Who are you?" she whispered, half to herself, feeling the weight of the forest's silence around her.

As the days wore on, the howling grew louder, more frequent, and the townsfolk spoke in hushed voices of something prowling the woods. Mina couldn't shake the feeling that Alec was somehow involved, that he knew more than he was letting on. And deep down, a part of her felt drawn to that mystery, even as every instinct told her to stay away.

But she hadn't come here to hide from life. She'd come here to find herself, even if it meant facing the darkness head-on. And whatever secrets Dunford held, she was determined to uncover them-even if it meant facing the creatures that howled in the night.