The moon hovered low over Grey Ridge, pale and unblinking, as if it had been waiting all along.
Maureen Kyle noticed it the moment she stepped onto her bedroom balcony. She didn't know why she'd come outside—only that sleep had refused to take her, her body restless in a way she couldn't explain. The night air brushed against her skin, cool and sharp, yet it did nothing to calm the strange heat pulsing beneath her ribs.
She leaned against the railing and stared up at the sky.
Full moon.
Her stomach twisted.
Maureen had never liked nights like this. There was something about the way the moonlight spilled over the pine-covered mountains, turning shadows into long, stretching shapes, that made her feel exposed. Watched. Like the darkness was holding its breath.
She checked her phone.
12:01 a.m.
Her birthday.
"Great," she muttered. "Happy eighteenth to me."
Inside the house, everything was quiet. Her aunt had gone to bed hours ago after their small, awkward celebration—store-bought cake, a single candle, and a reminder to be careful now that Maureen was "officially an adult." It had been said lightly, but Maureen had felt the weight behind it. Grey Ridge was not the kind of town where people drifted freely. It held onto you. Watch you grow. Remember your mistakes.
She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly aware of how loud the forest sounded tonight. Crickets chirped in uneven rhythm. Leaves rustled though there was no wind. Somewhere far off, a branch snapped.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"Get a grip," she whispered, forcing out a breath.
Then it hit her.
Pain—sharp and sudden—flared beneath her skin, like something hot and electric racing through her veins. Maureen gasped, fingers digging into the railing as her knees weakened.
"What—" Her voice broke.
The pain surged again, stronger this time, spreading across her chest and down her spine. Her senses tilted sharply, the world snapping into unbearable clarity. She could smell the pine trees more distinctly, the damp earth, the faint metallic tang of something unfamiliar. Every sound sharpened until it pressed against her skull.
Her heart slammed violently in her chest.
This wasn't anxiety. This wasn't a panic attack.
This was something else.
Maureen staggered back into her room, barely managing to shut the balcony door behind her. Her reflection caught in the mirror across the room, and she froze.
Her eyes looked darker.
Not in color—but in depth. Like shadows had pooled behind them.
"No," she breathed, shaking her head. "No, no, no…"
Another wave of pain tore through her, forcing her to her knees. She clutched at her arms as heat rippled beneath her skin, muscles tightening, bones aching as if they were being pulled in two directions at once.
She bit down on a scream.
Her aunt was just down the hall.
The pain built, relentless, until it felt like her body was rebelling against itself. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as sweat beaded along her hairline. She crawled toward her bed, nails scraping against the floor as a deep, instinctive fear took hold.
Something inside her was waking up.
Outside, the forest answered.
A howl cut through the night—low, powerful, and impossibly close.
Maureen froze.
Every nerve in her body flared in response. The sound wasn't just heard; it was felt, vibrating deep in her chest, pulling at something she didn't know she had.
Another howl followed. Then another.
Her breath caught. Tears burned her eyes, not from pain this time, but from a strange, overwhelming sense of recognition.
"They're calling me," she whispered, the realization terrifying and undeniable.
Miles away, deep within the dense woods that bordered Grey Ridge, Alpha Kaden Blackwood came to an abrupt stop.
His patrol halted behind him as his wolf surged violently to the surface, slamming into his control with a force that nearly dropped him to his knees. His breath left him in a sharp exhale as something ancient and powerful snapped into place inside his chest.
The bond ignited.
Kaden's jaw tightened as he lifted his gaze to the moonlit sky. The forest around him fell silent, his pack instinctively backing away, sensing the shift in him without understanding it.
"No," he muttered, the word heavy with disbelief.
It couldn't be.
Not now. Not here.
But his wolf was already straining, pulling him north—toward the town. Toward her.
Moon-born.
The word echoed through his mind like a curse and a promise intertwined. The last Moon-born had nearly torn the packs apart decades ago. Laws had been written in blood because of it. Warnings passed down from alpha to alpha.
Never let the Moon-born live unguarded.
Never let her choose.
Never let her love.
Kaden clenched his fists, fighting the instinct roaring through his veins. "Stay back," he ordered his pack without turning. His voice was iron, final.
"Alpha?" one of them started.
"Now."
They obeyed.
Alone beneath the moon, Kaden took a steadying breath, though it did nothing to slow his racing heart. Somewhere in Grey Ridge, a girl was changing—awakening to a power that would draw enemies like blood in water.
And she was his mate.
Back in her bedroom, Maureen cried out as the pain crested, her body arching as the world seemed to fracture around her. The moonlight spilled through her window, bathing her in silver, and for a brief, terrifying moment, she felt seen.
Chosen.
When the pain finally eased, she collapsed against the floor, trembling, lungs burning as she dragged in air.
Outside, the forest stirred.
And the moon continued to watch.