Emma reflected that six full -moons had already passed since she first met the young he-wolf called Oliver, yet his true identity still remained hidden from her. She had spoken to him about every part of her own life, but the mysterious he-wolf had always refused to reveal his pack surname or the territory where his den stood. Her greatest regret was that she had not pressed harder for the truth. She believed the passing of time would eventually open his heart. It was the first time her spirit had ever felt emotionally bound to wolf outside of her mother and her moonally Brooklyn, and because of that, she trusted him deeply.
Emma's fourteenth birth-moon celebration was drawing closer, and her heart trembled every time she remembered the cruel plan her father's sister had prepared for her. Oliver had often promised that he would never allow any strange he-wolf to lay a hand on her, but he was still young and powerless against the authority of Mrs. Nazar Because of that, Emma doubted his promise again and again, even while wanting to believe him.
Emma had never realized that life could feel beautiful until the young he-wolf named Oliver stepped into her path. Somehow he always seemed to have the right words for every mood that overtook her spirit. His attentive gazes and warm smiles lifted her heart again and again. Before long, she began to notice unfamiliar emotions growing inside her chest. Each night her thoughts wandered back to him. She caught herself imagining a peaceful world where only the two of them existed together beneath the watching moon.
Those feelings deepened as the moons passed. Emma had never known that such emotions existed in the world. What she felt was pure, selfless affection, innocent and unplanned. It had not been something she expected or prepared for; it had simply appeared suddenly like moonlight breaking through the clouds. Oliver and Emma watched their strange bond grow naturally between them.
Emma began pushing herself harder in her learning den studies, hoping to present strong results to her closest moonally, who happened to be one of the brightest young minds in his own learning den. Every sixth day of the week, she completed all her tasks carefully so no guardian or elder would stop her from visiting the forest park and spending the entire day wandering the territory with him.
"I asked if you would become my mate one day," Oliver once said softly during an awkward afternoon after finishing a sketch of her.
Emma frowned slightly, uncertain if her ears had truly heard him correctly.
"What did you say?"
"Become my mate," he repeated, gazing straight into her eyes.
Emma quickly lowered her gaze.
"Are you planning to grow into a pack Soulcrafter when you reach Wolf Awakening?" she asked, staring down at the beautiful sketch he had drawn in the dirt. She hoped to change the subject.
"Yes, but my Alpha father wishes something different for my future."
"What does he want?"
"He leads six healing-alchemist guilds that craft medicines for the alpha Realm, and he plans to claim even more territories for that trade. He wants me to train in the highest alchemist scholarship path so I can help create powerful healing elixirs."
"Are you going to follow that path for him?"
"Absolutely not. I want to follow my dream of becoming a scent-memory soulcrafter. Emma, before I turn twenty winters, I will be a High Realm Alpha in the human world and powerful in the wolf world. I will claim you as my mate and raise you as the most powerful High Luna in my Royal Alpha Realm," he said, narrowing one eye playfully.
"I will only be eighteen then," Emma replied with laughter hidden in her voice.
"I do not care. I want us to stay together forever," he answered while leaning closer to her face.
"What makes you think I would agree to that?" Emma asked, pushing him away playfully.
"You will agree to it," Oliver replied confidently while catching her hand to stop her escape.
"Why… why…?"
"Because you are my Moon-Fated Mate, your scent led me to you."
"I have seen my destined mate several times in my dreams. He is tall and slim like Taylor Momsen. But you are round and heavy, and I am even taller than you," Emma teased.
"I am sixteen winters old and my growth bones are still open. My father stands at six-two and my mother is five-nine. Father once worried about my height, so he brought me to a healer's den to check if my body would still grow. After the healer examined my bone age, they discovered my growth plates were still open."
"What is bone age?"
"It is a healer's method that shows whether a young wolf is still growing. According to them, I may reach six-four," he said proudly.
Emma burst into laughter.
Oliver tightened his grip to pull her closer, but she quickly slapped his hand away and ran.
Soon they were racing across the forest park territory. Emma could truly run faster than him.
Oliver quickly invented a clever trick to draw her closer again.
He suddenly collapsed onto the grass.
Emma screamed and ran toward him. Fear filled her eyes as she shook his shoulders desperately.
When she began shouting for help, Oliver suddenly opened his eyes, pulled her face closer to his mouth, and clumsily licked her lips.
It was his first attempt to kiss a she-wolf, and he clearly had no idea how such things were done. His clumsy attempt left her mouth wet with drool.
Emma burst into laughter.
"I will claim you as my mate one day and give you many proper kisses," he declared proudly.
"Lose some of that weight before speaking about claiming mates. You cannot even run," Emma teased.
They both burst into laughter together.
"If I lose some weight, will you truly become my mate?" Oliver asked with innocent hope in his voice.
"Why not," Emma replied with a small shrug.
She loved him deeply, though she doubted he would ever lose that much weight. The young he-wolf had a large stomach and a heavy frame, yet his appearance never mattered to her. She simply loved him.
"I am sorry," Emma suddenly murmured when she noticed his cheerful mood fade.
"For what?" he asked while slowly lifting his head.
"For mocking your body."
"You did not mock me. I truly want to lose this young-wolf fat, but I needed motivation. You just gave me the strongest motivation of all," he replied while staring quietly at the grass as though speaking to it.
Emma knelt behind him, wrapped her arms gently around his stomach, and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"My fourteenth birth-moon celebration will arrive in a few moons. Will you come to my learning den and celebrate with me?" she asked softly.
"No," Oliver replied absentmindedly.
Emma felt a quiet sting of disappointment and moved away.
Oliver quickly leaned closer and whispered near her ear.
"I already prepared a gift for you, and I will send it to you."
Emma's face brightened slightly.
"What gift are you giving me? A story scroll?" she asked excitedly.
"No."
"A beautiful painting?"
"Stop guessing. It is beyond anything you can imagine. Even if you guessed from now until next winter, you would never guess it," he said while narrowing his eye again.
"Alright," Emma replied with a small smile and shrug.
"I will start passing through your pack more often," Oliver added.
"Why?"
"My parents are leaving for a two-moon vacation journey. I will not need to sneak away from my den anymore."
"You do not want to travel with them?"
"No."
"Why?"
"My father is famous across the High Royal Realm, and I do not want the world to know I am his he-wolf."
"Why?"
"I do not want to live as a famous wolf."
"Oh my moon goddess, why?"
"My little she-wolf is the daughter of a Realm Alpha,a singer and a dancer known across the Realm. I warned her about becoming famous, but she ignored me. Now she cannot live freely anymore. At first she loved the attention. Her face appeared on pack magazines and television screens everywhere. But after three winters ,she realized she had lost her privacy. She cannot visit places like this forest park and play freely without gathering half the Realm pack around her. She travels with armed guardians everywhere. She cannot socialize with she-wolves her own age without making them nervous. That is why I dropped my pack surname and use only my first and second names. I just want to live a normal life, and I truly enjoy it."
"Now I understand why you never tell me anything about your pack-kins. But you can trust me."
"Would you stop hitting me if I told you everything," he said with a grin.
"You are handsome," Emma replied after studying him carefully, even trying to narrow one eye playfully the same way he always did.
"Thank you," he answered with another grin.
"What is your second name?"
"Oliver."
"What is your first name?"
Oliver smiled and made a playful face at her.
Emma immediately pounced on him, sitting across his waist while wrestling playfully. She needed the answer to her next question and the only way to achieve that was by taking him unaware.
"What is your little she-wolf's name?" Emma asked, tilting her head slightly.
Oliver chuckled softly, shaking his head.
Emma licked her lower lip nervously and looked at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth despite her nerves. Then Oliver reached for her hand, his fingers brushing hers lightly. " Her name is....,"
"What?"