Chapter One – Whispers of the Moon
The night was too quiet.
Aria Daniels sat by her bedroom window, staring at the endless stretch of forest that bordered her small town. The moon hung low and swollen, a pale lantern against a velvet sky. Its light brushed over the trees, turning their shadows into restless figures that seemed to move when she wasn't looking.
She should have been studying for her final exams, or at least sleeping, but sleep never came easily these days. Not with the dreams.
Her pulse quickened just thinking about them—the wolves that stalked her mind every night, their yellow eyes flashing in the dark, their howls echoing like grief across the mountains. Sometimes she dreamed of running with them, the earth flying beneath her feet, wind tangling her hair. Other nights, the dreams turned violent, and she woke up with her sheets twisted around her and her heart pounding like she'd been hunted.
"Get it together, Aria," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "They're just dreams."
But even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true.
Because lately, strange things were happening when she was awake.
She noticed the sound of footsteps on the street two blocks away. She could read the faded print on a flyer taped across the road. Once, when a car skidded too close while she was crossing, she'd leapt backward with a strength that didn't feel human.
And tonight, on the eve of her twentieth birthday, the strangeness was sharper than ever. Her skin tingled with electricity. Her bones ached as though something inside her wanted out.
A chill swept through the room, though the window was closed. She tugged her cardigan tighter around her shoulders. That was when she heard it—low and haunting, threading through the night.
A howl.
Her breath hitched. It wasn't the bark of a stray dog or the cry of a coyote. It was deeper, older, vibrating through her chest as though it was meant for her alone.
She leaned out the window. The trees swayed. The forest seemed to whisper her name.
"Aria…"
The sound wasn't real. Couldn't be real. And yet her feet carried her to the door before her mind caught up. She slipped into her sneakers, grabbed her phone, and crept down the hall. Her foster mother would kill her if she caught her sneaking out at midnight, but something pulled her onward, a magnetic tug she couldn't fight.
By the time she reached the edge of the forest, the howl came again. Louder this time. Closer.
Her heart pounded. Logic told her to turn back. Wolves didn't belong here. But the ache in her body was unbearable now, as if her blood itself had caught fire.
She stepped into the trees.
The forest was alive in a way it had never been before. She could hear the rustle of beetles in the soil, the whisper of owl wings overhead. Every scent was sharp—the musk of damp earth, the sweetness of crushed pine needles underfoot.
Her vision blurred. No—changed. The moonlight flared, too bright. Her skin burned, her spine twisting as a scream tore from her throat. She fell to her knees, clutching at the ground, nails digging deep furrows in the dirt.
"Not… normal," she gasped, but her voice was breaking, shifting into something that wasn't human at all.
Bones cracked. Muscles tore and reknit. Her scream turned into a howl that split the night.
When it was over, she was no longer on two legs.
Aria staggered forward, panting, staring at her reflection in a pool of moonlight on the river's surface. Silver fur gleamed back at her, eyes glowing like molten amber.
She was a wolf.
Her whole body shook, both in terror and in a strange, thrilling exhilaration. The world felt different—more alive, more dangerous, more hers. The scents, the sounds, the raw strength pulsing through her veins…it was like stepping into a skin she'd been born to wear.
But before she could process the wonder or the horror of it, she felt another presence.
The hairs along her neck bristled. She wasn't alone.
From the shadows between the trees, a massive wolf emerged. Black as midnight, its eyes burned with a cold, intelligent fire. It wasn't like the creatures from her dreams. This one was real, solid, terrifying.
And yet, when it looked at her, she didn't feel prey. She felt… seen.
The wolf shifted. Muscles rippled, bones reshaped, and before her stood a man. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His dark hair was damp with sweat, his jaw sharp beneath the moonlight. He wore only black jeans, as though he'd been waiting for this moment.
Aria's breath hitched, though it came out more like a growl.
The man's voice was low, steady, and filled with something she couldn't name.
"You found me," he said. "At last."
Aria staggered back, her paws sinking into the earth. Found him? She didn't even know who he was.
The man stepped closer, his gaze fixed on her as though she was a miracle.
"You don't know what you are, do you?" he asked softly.
Aria bared her teeth, unsure if it was fear or instinct driving her.
He didn't flinch. Instead, he lowered his head, as though showing respect.
"Aria Daniels," he said. "Daughter of the Moonblood Pack. The heir we thought lost forever."
The forest seemed to go still, holding its breath around them.
Aria's heart hammered. He knew her name. He knew what she was. And if he was right…
Everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie.
The man's eyes softened, though there was steel beneath them.
"My name is Damien Blackthorn," he said. "And from this night forward, your life will never be the same."