Jane did not return home calmly.
She walked fast, boots crunching against the snow, heart pounding like it wanted to break free from her chest. Alex's words replayed in her head on a cruel loop.
You belong with me.
The bond is starting.
Luna blood.
Her hands trembled as she pushed open Granny's door.
The warmth inside the house felt strange now. Too quiet. Too normal for a world that suddenly felt unreal.
Granny was sitting by the fire, knitting slowly, as if she had been waiting.
Jane stopped in the middle of the room.
"You knew," Jane said.
Granny looked up calmly. "Yes."
The single word hit harder than any lie.
"You knew all of this," Jane said, her voice shaking. "About wolves. About Alex. About me."
Granny placed the knitting aside and stood up carefully.
"I knew what you were," she said softly. "I hoped time would delay it. I prayed distance would weaken the pull. But blood always finds blood."
Jane laughed bitterly.
"My whole life you told me I was normal."
"You were safe," Granny corrected. "There is a difference."
Jane turned away, pacing the room.
"So what am I really?" she asked. "Some magical creature waiting to wake up? Some walking target?"
Granny stepped closer.
"You are Luna-born," she said. "Not a wolf. Not human. Something rare. You carry balance. Power. Leadership energy. When a Luna awakens, packs listen. Alphas feel it."
Jane felt dizzy.
"And Alex?" she whispered.
Granny hesitated.
"He is your destined Alpha," she said carefully. "Your bond was written long before you were born."
Jane pressed her hands against her face.
"This is insane. I don't even like him. He's arrogant and controlling and rude."
Granny smiled faintly.
"And yet you walked into the forest for him."
Jane froze.
Granny touched her arm gently.
"The pull is not romance alone," she said. "It is recognition. Soul alignment. Instinct."
Jane lowered her hands slowly.
"What happens now?" she asked.
Granny's expression turned serious.
"The bond will grow stronger each day. Your senses will sharpen. Your emotions will deepen. Other packs will feel your awakening."
Jane's stomach tightened.
"Is that dangerous?"
"Yes," Granny said honestly. "If you remain unclaimed Luna blood, rival Alphas may try to take you by force."
Fear shot through Jane's chest.
"And Alex?"
"He is trying to protect you by resisting the bond," Granny said. "But Alphas are not built to resist their mate."
Jane sat down heavily on the couch.
"So I'm a problem," she whispered.
"You are power," Granny corrected.
That night, Jane's body burned with restless energy.
Her dreams were intense. Forests. Firelight. Wolves howling under the moon. Alex's voice calling her name in a tone that made her chest ache.
She woke up sweating.
The pull was stronger now.
She didn't fight it this time.
She dressed quietly and stepped outside.
The moon hung full and bright in the sky.
Her feet carried her toward the forest again.
This time, Alex was already there.
Standing near the tree line. Waiting.
"You came," he said quietly.
Jane crossed her arms, trying to protect herself emotionally.
"You said people might try to take me," she said. "Is that true?"
Alex's jaw tightened.
"Yes."
"Then why are you pushing me away?"
"Because if I claim you," he said, "you will belong to my pack publicly. That paints a target on both of us."
Jane stepped closer.
"And if you don't?"
"You remain vulnerable," he admitted.
Silence stretched between them.
Jane inhaled deeply.
"I don't want to be afraid anymore," she said. "I don't want to keep pretending I don't feel this."
Alex's eyes softened.
"You don't understand how hard it is for me to stand this close to you without taking what instinct demands," he said.
"Maybe I don't want you to resist," Jane whispered.
Alex froze.
His breathing changed.
"Jane," he warned.
She stepped closer until her chest brushed his.
"I feel it too," she said quietly. "The connection. The pull. The fire."
Alex's hands hovered near her waist, shaking slightly.
"If I touch you," he said, "this becomes real."
"It already is," she replied.
Alex finally placed his hands on her waist.
The connection exploded instantly.
Heat rushed through Jane's body. Her knees weakened. Her heart raced violently.
Alex pulled her closer and pressed his forehead against hers.
"You don't know what you're asking for," he whispered.
"Then teach me," she said.
Their lips met.
The kiss was slow at first. Careful. Heavy with emotion.
Then deeper.
Not rushed. Not wild. But intense. Honest. Loaded with everything they had been holding back.
Alex pulled away suddenly, breathing hard.
"I will not take you like this," he said. "Not in secret. Not in the shadows."
Jane stared at him.
"Then how?"
"You deserve to be claimed properly," he said. "As Luna. Not as a mistake."
Her heart swelled painfully.
"You would do that?" she asked softly.
Alex nodded once.
"I will prepare the ceremony," he said. "But once you step into that circle, there is no turning back."
Jane felt fear.
But stronger than fear was certainty.
"I'm tired of running," she said. "I choose this."
Alex's eyes darkened with emotion.
"Then I will protect you with my life."
The forest whispered around them.
The bond was no longer sleeping.
It was awake.