Chapter One: Dreams Ànd Whispers

“Tell me you feel this too.”

His voice was rough in the darkness as we sat on the forest floor, our backs resting against an oak tree. The full moon hung heavy above us, painting everything below silver.

“I feel it,” I breathed. “Every night, I feel it.”

His hand found mine in the darkness, fingers threading through my own. The touch sent heat racing up my arm, making my breath come out slightly heavier.

“Look at it,” he murmured, his other hand gesturing to the moon. “It's beautiful, isn’t it?”

I turned to look at him instead, but his hand caught my chin, gentle but firm, keeping my gaze forward. Away from his face that stayed frustratingly hidden in shadow and towards the moon.

“Don’t,” he said softly. “Not yet.”

“When?” The word came out desperate.

His lips brushed my temple, then my cheek, then that spot where my neck met my shoulder that made me gasp. “Soon.”

His hands slid up my sides, slow and possessive, like he was memorizing every curve in my body. I shivered against him as his mouth found my pulse point.

“I’m coming for you,” he whispered against my skin. “I promise, love.”

I tangled my fingers in his dark hair, pulling him closer for a kiss. His masculine scent filled my senses as his kiss turned hungry, claiming, setting every nerve in my body alight. His touch grew bolder, leaving phantom brands that made me arch into him.

“Please,” I gasped between kisses. “I need to see you.”

“Soon,” he breathed. “I swear it.”

The whole scene then warped and shifted.

I slowly opened my eyes to sunlight streaming through my window. My heart raced like I’d been running, skin flushed and the sheets twisted around my legs. The ache in my chest hit immediately with a crushing feeling.

One year of this. Every single night, the same man. The same touches. The same promise that never came true.

I pressed a hand against my racing heart. He had to be my destined mate. Nothing else made sense. He was the only comfort I had left in a life that felt increasingly hollow.

A soft knock at the door. “Miss Chloe? Your sister wants to show you her ceremony dress.”

The real world crashed back in, cold and harsh.

“Coming, Roslyn.”

I forced myself to stand and face the mirror. The girl staring back looked like a stranger. Thin cheeks where healthy curves used to be. Hollow emerald eyes that had lost their fire. Red hair hanging limp instead of catching light like it used to.

I hunched forward without meaning to, making myself smaller when I used to stand tall enough to command warriors twice my age. When I used to be the future Alpha of Night Pack.

Now I was just….nothing.

My fingers found the small scar on my temple. The only visible mark from that terrible night when someone stole my wolf, my future, my life.

“Miss Chloe?”

“Coming.” I smoothed my plain brown dress and opened the door to find Roslyn waiting, her face carrying that expression I’d grown to hate. Gentle concern mixed with barely hidden pity.

“Fiona is very excited,” Roslyn said carefully as we walked through stone corridors.

Pack members nodded politely as we passed, but I caught their whispers like I always did.

“Poor girl.”

“Such a shame.”

“Can’t believe she still can’t shift.”

The words washed over me like background noise now because dwelling on them brought me down again.

We reached Fiona’s room to find her talking animatedly with a guard. He was telling her something about guests when I caught a single word that made everything inside me go still.

“Shadow.”

Fiona’s face went instantly pale. The moment she spotted me approaching, she rushed out and slammed the door behind her.

“Chloe!” Her voice was too bright, forcing cheerfulness. “You shouldn’t be here right now.”

I frowned. “But you wanted to show me your dress?”

“Later, yes, later.” She grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise. “There are strangers coming to the castle. I don’t want them to see you because you’re not your….. usual self now.”

The words stung even though I knew she meant well. Fiona just wanted to protect me from more pain.

“Alright,” I said quietly. “I’ll go back to my room and just relax there.”

Relief flooded her face. “Stay there until I come get you. I love you, Chloe.”

I nodded and started walking away, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. But as I turned the corner, I heard the guard’s voice carrying down the hall.

“The Alpha of Shadow Pack has arrived with his men.”

Shadow Pack.

My heart started racing for no reason I could understand. The name sent electricity through my veins like lightning, making my hands shake. I pressed them against cold stone, trying to steady myself as my pulse thundered in my ears.

My feet turned toward the main hall instead of my room. They moved on their own, drawn by something primal I couldn’t explain. The closer I got, the faster my heart beat until I thought it might burst from my chest.

Some instinct I didn’t understand was screaming at me to keep walking. To find whoever had just arrived.

I reached the banquet hall entrance and stopped.

There, standing with his back to me, was the man from my dreams.

Every detail matched perfectly. The broad shoulders. The dark hair that seemed to absorb light. The way he held himself like he owned everything in his sight.

My breath caught in my throat. It was impossible. Dreams weren’t supposed to walk into reality.

But there he was.

I took a step forward, my body acting on pure instinct. Then another. My heart hammered so violently I was sure everyone could hear it echoing off the stone walls.

This was him. This was my mate. After a year of wondering, of hoping, of dreaming about a man whose face stayed hidden in shadow, here he was standing right in front of me.

His shoulders tensed like he sensed me watching. Then he began to turn around.

I held my breath. After all these months, I was finally about to see the face that had been hidden from me. Finally about to meet the man the Moon Goddess chose for me.

He turned completely, and our eyes met.

Sharp grey eyes in a face even more handsome than I’d imagined. Strong jaw covered in dark stubble. Sharp cheekbones that could cut glass. Lips curving into a smile that made my stomach flip.

He was perfect. He was actually….mine?

Then he spoke.

“Well, well,” he said, his voice smooth and mocking. “Looks like I found my… mate early.”

Hope bloomed in my chest like a spring flower, fragile and desperate. This was it. He recognized me too. He felt the bond.

Then his smile turned cruel, cold as winter frost.

“Your wolf can’t tell who her partner is, can she?” His grey eyes raked over me with obvious disgust. “Otherwise how could she be so fucking cruel to do this?"

The words hit like a physical blow. Pack members around us started noticing, turning to stare. Whispers spread through the hall like wildfire as they realized what was happening.

I stood frozen, watching my dream turn into a nightmare before my eyes. My mystery man, my only comfort for an entire year, was looking at me like I was dirt he’d found on his shoe.

The panic clawing at my throat had nothing to do with his words and everything to do with the terrible realization sinking in like ice water.

I’d finally found him.

But he was about to reject me?