Selene stood frozen in the cold air, the wind wrapping around her like an invisible hand as Luca Thorne's gaze bore into her.
"You?" she echoed.
He stepped closer, each stride smooth and silent, like he was stalking prey. His aura was overwhelming—commanding, wild, and… familiar in a way that made no sense.
"Yes," he said. "You felt it too, didn't you?"
"I don't even know what 'it' is," she said, swallowing hard. "I came here for my aunt's funeral. I didn't come looking for—whatever this is."
Luca's head tilted, a half-smile forming at the corner of his lips. "You've been away from this place too long. Your blood doesn't know it yet, but your soul does. The wolf inside you has begun to stir."
"I'm not—no," she snapped, shaking her head. "That's not real. That's just folklore. Crazy, backwoods stories. I'm not a—"
"Werewolf?" he finished for her. "You are. Half-blood, maybe. But no less fated."
Selene stumbled back. "Fated to what?"
Luca's eyes flashed silver again. "To me."
Her breath caught.
"No," she whispered.
"Yes," he said softly, voice like velvet and fire. "The Moon marked you, Selene. And I felt it the second you stepped past the ridge."
She opened her mouth to argue, but her skin suddenly prickled, like it was reacting to the air itself. She looked up.
The Blood Moon hung high now, larger, redder—unreal.
Luca closed the distance between them. His hand hovered near her cheek, not quite touching, but she felt the heat of him. His scent—pine and leather and something electric—made her dizzy.
"You don't have to understand it tonight," he said. "But you can't deny it."
She backed away, heart hammering.
"This is insane," she murmured. "I'm going inside."
She turned and fled.
Later that night, sleep wouldn't come.
Selene tossed and turned in the massive bed her aunt once slept in, sheets tangled like vines around her legs. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Luca—those silver eyes glowing like twin moons, his voice echoing inside her.
You are mine.
She jolted awake in a cold sweat. The room was silent—but she felt like someone was watching.
She got up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face.
Her reflection flickered.
For the briefest second, she saw golden eyes staring back instead of her usual hazel ones.
"Nope," she muttered. "No, no, no."
She stumbled back into bed and finally drifted off sometime before dawn—just in time for the dreams to begin.
In the dream, she was running—barefoot through the forest, moonlight on her skin, her breath misting the air. Not out of fear, but exhilaration. Something wild beat inside her chest.
A howl pierced the sky.
She stopped.
He was there—Luca—bare-chested, his body inked with tribal markings glowing faintly under the moonlight. His eyes locked on hers, and she felt a pulse between them, a tether of invisible light pulling her closer.
"You know me," he said.
She didn't answer, but she knew.
When she reached for him, the dream shattered like glass
Morning came with gray clouds and a deep ache in her bones. Aunt Miren's funeral was short and strange—held at dawn under an ancient oak tree with carved runes on the bark.
Elder Rowan placed a silver pendant around Selene's neck during the ceremony. It felt cold, but comforting.
"She wanted you to have this," Rowan said. "It belonged to your mother. It's your link to the past—and the path forward."
"What path?" Selene asked.
"The one you were always meant to walk."
After the service, Rowan took her aside.
"I imagine Luca found you last night."
Selene folded her arms. "Is this normal here? Strange men claiming people under the moon?"
Rowan smiled faintly. "It's rare. But not unheard of. You're his mate, Selene."
"I didn't agree to that," she snapped.
"No one agrees," Rowan said. "The moon chooses. The bond is sacred, older than this land. Stronger than any human vow."
"But I'm not even full werewolf," Selene argued.
"You're more than enough to be claimed," Rowan said gently. "The Alpha wouldn't risk the wrath of the Elders unless he was certain."
Selene's stomach twisted.
"Claimed," she muttered. "That sounds like I'm property."
"It's not about ownership," Rowan said. "It's about fate. And survival. Our kind are strongest when our bonds are honored."
"What if I don't want it?" she asked.
"Then you have a choice to make," Rowan said. "But rejecting a fated bond comes with consequences. Not just for you, but for the pack."
Selene stared at the pendant in her hand.
"I don't want to belong to anyone," she said quietly.
"You don't," Rowan said. "You belong to the moon. And it has plans for you."
That night, Luca didn't come.
But the dreams did.
More vivid. More… real.
This time, she wasn't just running. She was shifting.
Her bones cracked and realigned, fur sprouted from her skin, and power exploded through her veins.
When she woke, the sheets were torn.
And her hands were bleeding.