Chapter 1 The Forest Encounter

The wind whispered through the trees that night, carrying with it a sound I had never heard before a low, haunting howl that made the hairs on my arms rise.

It wasn’t the usual cry of a lost dog or the echo of coyotes in the distance. It was deeper. Sadder. Almost human.

The forest behind my grandmother’s cabin had always been my quiet place a place where I could think without the noise of the town or the pitying eyes that followed me since my parents’ death. I often came here to sit by the creek and sketch the wildflowers. But tonight, I wasn’t drawing. Tonight, I was listening.

Another howl cut through the silence closer this time.

I hesitated at the edge of the path, clutching the flashlight tighter. “Probably just a wolf,” I whispered to myself. But that did nothing to calm the fluttering in my chest.

It was ridiculous. Wolves hadn’t been seen around this area in decades.

Still, my feet moved forward, crunching softly against the fallen leaves. The deeper I went, the stranger the air felt heavy, charged, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. My flashlight flickered, and I tapped it, frowning. “Not now,” I muttered.

When it came back on, I saw them.

Eyes.

Two glowing, golden eyes staring straight at me from between the trees.

I froze. Every story I’d ever heard about predators and night creatures flooded my mind. I should have run. But something about those eyes rooted me to the spot not out of fear, but something else. Something I couldn’t explain.

The figure stepped out of the shadows.

He wasn’t what I expected. Not a beast. Not a monster.

A man.

Tall, broad-shouldered, his presence filling the forest like a storm. His black hair gleamed under the moonlight, and those golden eyes they were still there, burning with an intensity that made my breath hitch.

He looked at me as if I were the first sunrise after years of darkness.

I took a shaky step back. “Who are you?”

His voice was low, rough, and carried power even when he whispered. “You shouldn’t be here.”

I blinked. “I live nearby.”

He tilted his head, studying me, and for a heartbeat, I thought he looked… surprised. “You’re human,” he murmured, almost to himself.

My heart raced. “Last time I checked, yes.”

Something flickered in his eyes pain, relief, longing I couldn’t tell which. Then, he took a step forward, and my flashlight dimmed again. The closer he came, the more the world seemed to fade the sounds, the wind, everything but him.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said quietly.

My pulse stumbled. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t be afraid, Clara.”

My name. He said my name.

“How do you”

He reached out suddenly, catching my arm just as my knees wobbled. His touch burned not painfully, but with heat that traveled up my skin, straight to my chest. My vision blurred, and a strange rush of energy pulsed through me.

“What what’s happening?”

His eyes softened. “It’s the bond. You can feel it too.”

I yanked my arm free, stumbling back. “Bond? What are you talking about?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as if fighting himself. “You won’t understand yet. But you will.”

“Try me.”

He stared at me, long and hard. “My name is Donald. I’m the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. And you” his voice deepened, reverent, like he was speaking to the moon itself “you are my mate.”

I blinked at him, waiting for the punchline.

“Right,” I said slowly. “And I’m the queen of England.”

But he didn’t laugh. He didn’t even smile. He just looked at me, his expression filled with such raw certainty that my throat went dry.

“I know this sounds impossible,” he said, stepping closer again. “But I’ve felt your presence for months. Every full moon, your scent pulls me here. Tonight, the bond called me stronger than ever.”

I shook my head. “You’re insane. I don’t know you.”

“You will,” he murmured.

Something about the way he said it calm, unshakable sent a shiver through me. I wanted to deny it, to turn and run back to the safety of my cabin, but my body wouldn’t obey.

The forest grew silent again. No crickets. No rustling leaves. Only the faint thump of my heartbeat and his deep, steady breathing.

Then I saw it a faint silver mark glowing faintly on his wrist. And, to my horror, something warm tingled on mine. I looked down and gasped.

A crescent-shaped mark shimmering, just like his.

I rubbed at it frantically. “What is this?”

“It’s the Moon’s mark,” he said softly. “Proof that we’re bonded.”

“I’m not bonded to anyone!” I snapped, even as the glow faded slowly into my skin.

He looked pained. “You can deny it all you want, Clara, but your soul already knows.”

“Stop saying my name like that!”

“Like what?”

“Like it means something to you!”

He hesitated, then whispered, “Because it does.”

That broke whatever fragile control I had left. I turned and ran.

Branches whipped my arms, twigs snapped underfoot, and my lungs burned as I tore through the darkness. Behind me, I thought I heard him call my name again, but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.

By the time I reached the edge of the forest, I collapsed onto the grass, gasping. The cabin lights glowed faintly in the distance, a small reminder that reality still existed.

I pressed a trembling hand to my chest. My heart was racing, but not from fear from something deeper. Something I couldn’t explain.

His words echoed in my mind.

You are my mate.

I laughed shakily. “Yeah, sure. My mate’s probably a serial killer.”

Still, when I looked at my wrist, the faint outline of the crescent mark shimmered again soft and silver under the moonlight.

And for the first time in my life, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be right… or wrong.