_Kieran’s POV_
(Twenty Years Ago)
I was five years old, curled up in bed, my small body trembling. I squeezed my stuffed wolf tightly against my chest, but it didn’t make the fear go away.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I sobbed into my pillow.
My mother sat beside me, stroking my hair. “Kieran, sweetheart, you have to calm down,” she whispered, her voice full of worry. “You’ll wake the others up.”
But I couldn’t stop crying. I was terrified.
“The big black wolf,” I hiccupped between sobs. “He’s coming for me.”
She sighed, pulling me into her arms. “It was just a dream, my love. Just a nightmare.”
I shook my head violently. “No! It wasn’t a dream! He’s real, Mama! Ever since Daddy died, we’re not safe. He’s watching us!”
Pain flickered in her blue eyes, but she forced a smile. “
