Aria was not crazy.
She repeated it like a mantra the next morning while brushing her hair.
"I'm not crazy. I'm just…I don't know maybe sleep-deprived. Maybe mildly cursed. But definitely not crazy."
Her reflection didn't look convinced.
There was still a faint silvery mark on her wrist, half hidden by her bracelets — a perfect crescent moon that shimmered faintly whenever the light hit it.
She rubbed it, hard.
"Please be a rash," she muttered.
It wasn't.
Her mind replayed yesterday's chaos — the sexy strange man with amber eyes, the flickering lights, the way the air had hummed like she'd swallowed thunder.
And that voice in her dream — "You can't hide from what you are, My Luna."
Luna.
What did that even mean?
"Maybe I should start journaling," she said aloud, nodding to her reflection. "Crazy people do that, right? Keep track of the symptoms?"
Her reflection didn't laugh.
---
By the time she reached school, she had convinced herself it was all just stress.
Until she saw him.
Leaning against the school gate like he owned the whole building, wearing black again, sunglasses even though it was cloudy — Kael.
Her stomach dropped she started having those strange feeling.
"Oh no. Nope. Not today." She spun on her heel and started walking the other way.
"Aria." His voice was low, commanding, the kind that somehow reached her even over the noise of traffic.
She kept walking.
"Aria."
There it was again. That weird pull in her chest — like a magnetic thread tugging her back toward him. Her feet froze before her brain could decide.
She groaned. "What are you, some kind of hypnotist?"
When she turned, he was already standing closer than physics should've allowed.
"How—" she gasped, stumbling back. "You were all the way—"
"I move fast," he said simply. His expression didn't change.
"Yeah, I bet. You're giving serious 'mysterious stalker with pretty eyes' energy, you know that?"
One corner of his mouth twitched — not quite a smile.
"I'm not stalking you."
"Oh no, of course not," she said sarcastically. "You just happen to hang out at my school, appear in my dreams, and make the lights explode. Totally normal."
Kael's gaze softened, just barely. "I told you — you're not what you think you are."
She crossed her arms. "And you still sound like a fortune cookie."
---
For a second, silence stretched between them. The wind caught her hair, the scent of pine and rain swirling faintly around him again.
Then Kael said quietly, "You felt it last night, didn't you?"
Aria hesitated. "Felt what?"
"The awakening," he said. "Your wolf. She's starting to stir."
Her mouth fell open. "My what?"
"Your wolf," he repeated, as if it were obvious. "You're not human, Aria. Not completely."
She blinked, then burst out laughing. "Oh, okay! So what's next? You gonna tell me I sparkle in sunlight too?"
Kael didn't laugh.
He just watched her — calm, serious, unbothered by her sarcasm — which somehow made her even more annoyed like who the fuck is he "asshole".
"You expect me to believe I'm some… furry moon creature?" she asked, half hysterical.
"Not a creature," he said softly. "A Luna."
That word again. It made her heart jump — not in fear this time, but something deeper.
"I don't know what that means," she whispered.
Kael's golden eyes glowed faintly. "It means you're mine."
She froze.
"What did you just say?"
He took one slow step closer. "You are my mate, Aria."
"Mate?" she repeated, voice rising. "Oh no. Nope. Nope! You do not walk up to someone and say that like you're claiming a parking spot!"
He tilted his head slightly. "It's not a claim. It's a bond."
"Well, you can un-bond it or whatever. Because I'm not—" She gestured between them. "—this!"
Something in his expression flickered — frustration, maybe even hurt — but his voice stayed steady. "You can deny it all you want, but fate doesn't care about your disbelief."
"Fate can please send me a refund!"
---
That was when the air around them shifted.
A low growl echoed from somewhere behind Kael. His body stiffened instantly. In a blink, his calm demeanor turned predatory, protective.
He stepped in front of her, muscles tense. "Stay behind me."
"What? Why?" Aria asked, but her voice trembled — because she could hear it too now. A snarl, closer this time.
The smell of wet fur and metal filled the air.
And then, from the shadows of the trees bordering the school, two massive wolves emerged — bigger than any normal animal should be. Their eyes burned red.
"Okay," Aria whispered, backing up. "This is officially not a prank."
Kael's voice was ice. "Rogues."
Before she could process what that meant, he moved.
One moment he was human — the next, his body twisted mid-leap, bones reshaping, black fur bursting through skin. A massive wolf landed in front of her, sleek and terrifyingly beautiful, golden eyes glowing like molten light.
Aria stumbled back, speechless.
"WHAT. THE. HELL."
The rogue wolves lunged. Kael's growl tore through the air like thunder. He hit one mid-charge, slamming it into the ground with a brutal snap. The other lunged for him, but he was faster — a blur of claws and fury.
It was over in seconds.
The rogues fled, limping into the woods, their howls fading. Kael turned, breathing hard, his eyes meeting hers.
And in that moment, Aria's world shattered.
Because his golden eyes weren't just glowing — they were calling to something deep inside her. Something that wanted to answer.
Her heart pounded. Her hands shook. And for a terrifying moment, her vision blurred — everything around her shimmering in silver light again.
Then pain.
A flash of heat tore through her veins, sharp and wild. She cried out, falling to her knees.
Kael shifted back instantly, rushing to her side. "Aria! Breathe!"
"What's happening?!" she gasped. Her veins glowed faintly beneath her skin, like liquid moonlight.
"Your wolf is fighting to wake up."
"I don't— I can't—"
He caught her before she fell, his voice low, urgent. "You have to let her in. Don't fight it."
She gritted her teeth, shaking her head. "I'm not— I'm not a monster!"
"You're not," he said firmly, meeting her eyes. "You're mine."
And then, like someone flipped a switch, the pain stopped.
Aria collapsed against him, trembling. The light faded. The mark on her wrist glowed once more, brighter now — full instead of crescent.
Kael looked at it and exhaled, awe and fear mixing in his gaze. "The Moon has chosen."
Aria lifted her head weakly, still half dazed. "Great. Can she unchoose?"
Even Kael couldn't hide the small smirk that tugged at his lips. "You're going to be trouble."
"I've been told that," she mumbled, then passed out in his arms.
---
Later that night…
Kael carried her through the dark forest, her head resting against his shoulder. She was lighter than she looked — all wild spirit and stubbornness in a fragile human shell.
Loren met him halfway up the trail. "You found her."
Kael nodded, eyes forward. "And the rogues found her too. She's awakening faster than expected."
Loren frowned. "If the rogues know, the others will too. The prophecy—"
"I know," Kael cut in. His jaw clenched. "But I won't let them touch her."
He looked down at the girl in his arms — her hair tangled, her wrist still glowing faintly.
"She's the opposite of everything I am," he said quietly. "Loud. Reckless. Impossible."
"And yet?" Loren asked, smirking.
Kael's voice softened, almost like a confession. "And yet, my wolf bows for her."
---
Aria woke up in a bed that wasn't hers.
Soft sheets. A faint smell of pine and smoke. A roaring fireplace across the room.
She sat up slowly, groaning. "Oh no. Kidnapped. Again."
A deep voice answered from the shadows. "Technically, rescued."
Kael stepped forward, arms crossed, looking impossibly composed for someone who had fought wolves an hour ago.
"Where am I?" she demanded.
"My territory," he said simply.
She groaned. "You have territory now? What are you, a mafia boss?"
He tilted his head slightly. "Alpha of the Silverclaw Pack."
"Cool," she said. "But still sounds like a mafia boss."
Despite himself, Kael's lips twitched again — the faintest ghost of a smile.
Aria slumped back against the pillows. "Okay, fine. Let's say, hypothetically, I am your… whatever you called it. Luna. What happens now?"
Kael met her eyes, expression serious. "Now, you learn what you are."
"And if I say no?"
He paused, then said softly, "Then you'll still become it. Whether you want to or not."
She swallowed hard. "And you'll be there?"
He didn't hesitate. "Always."
The silence between them stretched — tense, fragile, but somehow… comforting.
Finally, Aria exhaled and muttered, "This is so not how I imagined my Friday."
Kael looked at her, the faintest smile tugging at his lips again.
"Get used to it, Luna. Your life just got interesting."