Silver Crest

Prologue

Cole's POV

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Have you ever felt like the world would be better off without you? Like no matter how hard you try, you're just not enough? It's a suffocating feeling, one that's wrapped around my heart like a vice for as long as I can remember. I've fought it, resisted it, tried to push it away, but it always comes back, gnawing at the edges of my sanity, whispering that maybe—just maybe—everyone would be better off if I wasn't here.

Right now, those whispers have turned into a deafening roar. I'm on my way to what I've decided will be my own self-imposed death sentence. It's not like anyone would miss me. I've been a lone wolf for so long that even I've forgotten what it's like to be part of something bigger. A pack, a family, a life that matters—I've had none of those things in years.

"Geeze, how depressing are you?" Alex, my wolf, grumbles in the back of my mind, his voice filled with a mix of irritation and concern. He's always been the stronger one between us, the one who believes that there's still something worth fighting for, but even he's starting to wear thin.

"We're 28 years old, Alex, and we still don't have a mate. No pack, no purpose. What's the point?" I growl back at him, my voice sharp, filled with bitterness that I can't seem to shake. He doesn't have an answer for me, and I can feel his frustration bubbling beneath the surface. He's always been the optimist, the one who believes that things will get better, but even his unwavering positivity is starting to crack under the weight of my despair.

The curse of being a werewolf means that even if I wanted to die, I couldn't. This damned curse keeps me tethered to a life I no longer want, a life that feels more like a prison than anything else. I've tried to fight it, to find something—anything—that would make this existence worthwhile, but every time I think I've found a glimmer of hope, it slips through my fingers like sand.

But tonight, I'm going to try something different. Tonight, I'm going to put my fate in the hands of something bigger than me. If fate wants me to live, let it prove it. Otherwise, let the darkness take me. I'm done fighting, done pretending that things will get better. I keep walking, my footsteps heavy on the wet pavement as I make my way to the highway.

The rain is coming down in sheets now, a relentless downpour that soaks through my clothes and chills me to the bone. The mist hangs thick in the air, blurring the edges of everything around me, turning the world into a hazy, indistinct mess. It feels fitting somehow, like the world is mirroring the chaos in my mind. Cars speed by, their headlights slicing through the gloom, their engines roaring as they splash through the puddles that have formed on the road. It's summer break, and the highway is packed with students heading home, laughing and talking, oblivious to the fact that I'm about to step into their path.

"Seriously, stop!" Alex's voice is more urgent now, tinged with a desperation that I've never heard from him before. He's trying to take control, trying to pull me back from the brink, but I shut him out. I've made up my mind, and nothing he says is going to change it. I reach the highway, and for a moment, I just stand there, watching the cars rush by. The rain stings my face, the wind whipping my hair into my eyes, but I don't move. I don't even blink. This is it. This is the moment that will decide everything.

The mist is so thick that I can barely see the other side of the road, but that doesn't matter. I'm not planning on making it to the other side. I take a deep breath, letting the cold, wet air fill my lungs, and close my eyes. The sounds of the highway—the roar of engines, the splash of tires, the distant honking of horns—all fade into the background as I step off the curb and into the road.

The first few steps feel like I'm walking through a dream, my movements slow and deliberate, each step echoing in my mind like a drumbeat. The rain is coming down harder now, drenching me completely, but I don't care. I keep walking, eyes closed, trusting the darkness to guide me. Just as I reach the middle of the road, something compels me to open my eyes. I glance to my right, and through the blur of rain, I see a pair of headlights hurtling toward me, closer than I expected. My heart skips a beat, and for a split second, I think about turning back, about running to safety, but then the moment passes. There's no time to react, no time to think. The impact is sudden, a force that hits me like a freight train, and everything goes black.

Finally, I think as the darkness swallows me whole. Finally, it's over.

But even as the last traces of consciousness fade, I can't shake the feeling that this isn't the end. There's something pulling me back, something that won't let me go. It's a faint sensation at first, like a distant echo in the back of my mind, but it's growing stronger, more insistent. I try to ignore it, to let myself sink deeper into the void, but it's no use. The darkness isn't as comforting as I thought it would be; it's cold and empty, devoid of the peace I was seeking.

And then I feel it—a warmth, faint at first but growing steadily stronger. It's not the warmth of life, but something different, something deeper. It's like a fire that's been burning inside me all along, hidden beneath the layers of despair and hopelessness. It's Alex, I realize, fighting to pull me back, to bring me back from the brink. He's always been the stronger one, the one who refuses to give up, even when I've lost all hope.

"Come on, Cole," his voice echoes in the darkness, strong and determined. "We're not done yet."I want to argue, to tell him that I am done, that I've had enough, but the words won't come. Instead, I feel myself being drawn toward the warmth, the light, the life that I tried so hard to escape. It's not a choice anymore; it's instinct, the primal urge to survive, to live.

The darkness begins to recede, replaced by a blinding light that burns my eyes, my lungs, my heart. It's painful, like being dragged across hot coals, but I don't fight it. I let it take me, let it pull me back to the world I tried to leave behind.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, the pain stops. I'm lying on something hard and cold, the rain still pouring down around me. My body aches, every muscle screaming in protest, but I'm alive. I can feel the wetness of the road beneath me, the sting of the rain on my skin, the steady thud of my heart in my chest.

I take a shuddering breath, my lungs burning with the effort, and open my eyes. The world is blurry, the rain and mist turning everything into a hazy mess, but I can make out the headlights of the car that hit me, stopped just a few feet away. The driver's door is open, and someone is running toward me, shouting something I can't quite make out.

I close my eyes again, too exhausted to care. The darkness is still there, lurking at the edges of my vision, but it's different now. It's not the all-consuming void I was expecting, but something more like a shadow, a reminder of what almost happened.

"We're not done yet," Alex whispers in my mind, his voice a gentle reassurance.

And for the first time in a long time, I believe him.