I woke before dawn. The forest was still, painted silver by the moon's fading light. The ache in my chest had dulled overnight, replaced by something strange, an energy humming quietly beneath my skin.
The healer's herbs had soothed my body, but this was different. It wasn't pain. It was… awareness. My senses felt sharper. Every heartbeat in the woods, every rustle of a leaf, I could feel it all.
When I stepped outside the hut, the air smelled of rain and pine. And him.
Ronan stood by the clearing's edge, speaking softly with a few of his wolves. His posture was relaxed but powerful, every movement precise. He turned when he sensed me watching.
"You're awake early," he said.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Nightmares?"
"Memories," I corrected.
He nodded, understanding. "They fade slower than wounds."
I joined him, the cold ground damp beneath my feet. "Why is everyone staring at me?"
"They're not used to outsiders," he said. "Especially not ones who survive rejection."
I frowned. "Is that so rare?"
"Most wolves lose themselves," he replied quietly. "Their wolves vanish, their minds fracture. You're still standing. That makes them curious."
I didn't know whether to feel proud or scared.
We walked together along a narrow trail that wound deeper into the forest. Sunlight broke through the branches, soft and gold.
Ronan moved silently beside me. The air between us carried tension, not hostile, not gentle either. My wolf stirred again, restless. It was confusing; she hadn't responded to anyone since Kael.
"Your wolf," he said suddenly, "she's trying to reach me."
I froze. "What?"
He half-smiled. "I can feel her energy. She's testing my aura. It happens sometimes, when two wolves' spirits recognize each other before the humans do."
I swallowed hard. "That's impossible."
"Maybe," he said. "Or maybe the Moon's rewriting what was broken."
His words hung between us, heavy with meaning I didn't dare unpack.
His gaze held mine, steady and unreadable. For a moment, the world shrank until it was only the sound of wind moving through the trees and the space between us that felt suddenly, impossibly alive.
I should have looked away. I didn't. Something in his eyes, wild and knowing, pulled at me. The flicker of gold there made my wolf shift restlessly under my skin, caught between warning and wanting.
Ronan took another step. The distance thinned, barely a breath left between us. His hand lifted as if on instinct, fingers brushing the back of mine. It was nothing, a touch light as air, but it sent a tremor through me that my human heart refused to name.
My wolf surged forward, pressing against my ribs, desperate to close the gap. She knew this energy; not as comfort, but as recognition.
I drew in a shaky breath. "Don't," I whispered, though I wasn't sure whether I meant touch me or stop.
He stopped moving, but his eyes stayed on mine. "I wasn't going to hurt you."
"That's what makes it worse," I said softly.
The silence stretched, full of things we couldn't say. My wolf paced in the back of my mind, her pulse matching mine, her voice a low hum of confusion and longing. For the first time since Kael, she wasn't broken, she was awake.
I took a step back, breaking the line of connection. The air rushed cold between us again, and I told myself it was better that way. But even as I turned away, I could still feel the echo of his warmth where our hands had met, like a promise the Moon hadn't yet decided to keep.
His gaze held mine, steady and unreadable. For a moment, the world shrank until it was only the sound of wind moving through the trees and the space between us that felt suddenly, impossibly alive.
I should have looked away. I didn't. Something in his eyes, wild and knowing, pulled at me. The flicker of gold there made my wolf shift restlessly under my skin, caught between warning and wanting.
Ronan took another step. The distance thinned, barely a breath left between us. His hand lifted as if on instinct, fingers brushing the back of mine. It was nothing, a touch light as air, but it sent a tremor through me that my human heart refused to name.
My wolf surged forward, pressing against my ribs, desperate to close the gap. She knew this energy; not as comfort, but as recognition.
I drew in a shaky breath. "Don't," I whispered, though I wasn't sure whether I meant touch me or stop.
He stopped moving, but his eyes stayed on mine. "I wasn't going to hurt you."
"That's what makes it worse," I said softly.
The silence stretched, full of things we couldn't say. My wolf paced in the back of my mind, her pulse matching mine, her voice a low hum of confusion and longing. For the first time since Kael, she wasn't broken, she was awake.
I took a step back, breaking the line of connection. The air rushed cold between us again, and I told myself it was better that way. But even as I turned away, I could still feel the echo of his warmth where our hands had met, like a promise the Moon hadn't yet decided to keep.
We reached a ridge overlooking the valley below. From here, the Bloodmoon lands stretched endlessly, wild rivers, dark forests, distant mountains. It was beautiful in a fierce, untamed way.
"This is your territory?" I asked softly.
"Part of it," he said. "We guard what others call cursed land. Too dangerous for most packs."
"Yet you live here."
He glanced at me. "Because danger teaches respect."
Something about his tone made me think he wasn't just talking about land.
As we stood there, a sharp pain flashed through my chest. My wolf howled inside me, not in sorrow, but in awakening. The mark at my collarbone glowed faintly, a soft shimmer that made Ronan step closer.
"Aria," he said carefully, "your bond mark"
"I know," I breathed. "It shouldn't be doing that."
"It means your soul is repairing itself." His gaze locked with mine. "But that kind of healing usually needs… a trigger."
The air grew thick between us.
I looked away, heart pounding. "Whatever it is, I'm not ready."
He nodded once. "Then I'll wait."
Something about the way he said it, steady, patient, certain, unraveled me more than any rejection ever had.
That night, as I lay in the healer's hut, I couldn't sleep again. The glow at my collarbone pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat that wasn't mine. When I closed my eyes, I saw Ronan's eyes, amber, fierce, and familiar in a way that terrified me.
My wolf whispered a word I didn't want to hear.
Mate.
I sat upright, breath catching. "No," I whispered into the dark. "I can't go through that again."
But deep inside, I knew the truth. The Moon didn't break bonds without reason. If she was weaving a new thread between me and the Alpha who had found me in the forest… then destiny was already moving.