Sage's POV
Morning came too bright and too fast.
I'd managed maybe an hour of restless sleep before my alarm went off at seven. The black SUV was still parked across the street when I peeked through my curtains, a silent sentinel that made my skin crawl. I watched it for five minutes, looking for any sign of movement, but the tinted windows gave nothing away.
They were patient. I'd give them that.
My shower was quick and cold I didn't trust what might happen if I let hot water touch the Mark again. I dressed in my usual armor: jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt that covered my shoulder blade, my old leather jacket that had been my father's. Small armor against big threats, but it made me feel slightly less exposed.
The gold flecks in my eyes had faded overnight, leaving them their normal amber-brown. I stared at my reflection, searching for other signs of change, but saw only the same face I'd worn for twenty-six years: oval-shaped, high cheekbones courtesy of my mother, stubborn chin from my father. Ordinary, forgettable features that had helped me disappear into crowds when I needed to.
Except now, people were paying attention.
I grabbed my backpack, did a mental inventory of its contents: phone, wallet, keys, pepper spray I'd bought after binge-watching true crime documentaries. The pepper spray felt laughable now. What good would it do against people who commanded wolves?
The stairs down to the bookstore were my favorite part of this building creaky wood worn smooth by decades of feet, walls covered in framed book covers from Emma's collection. Usually, the descent felt like entering a sanctuary. This morning, it felt like walking toward an execution.
Emma was already at the counter, arranging a display of new arrivals. Tuesday morning meant fresh coffee from the café next door, which she'd already acquired two cups sat steaming by the register.
You look terrible, she said without preamble, pushing one of the cups toward me. Salted caramel latte. Extra shot.
I wrapped my hands around the cup, grateful for the warmth. You know how to sweet-talk a girl.
I also know when a girl is in trouble. Emma leaned against the counter, fixing me with that social worker stare that had probably made countless teenagers confess their secrets. The SUV left about twenty minutes ago.
My heart stuttered. It did?
Mm-hmm. But here's the thing I think it was just a shift change. She pulled out her phone, showed me a photo she'd taken from her apartment window. This van showed up right after. Different vehicle, same vibe.
The van was navy blue, equally nondescript, parked in almost the exact same spot.
They weren't hiding anymore. They wanted me to know I was being watched.
Sage. Emma's voice went soft, worried. What's going on? And please don't tell me it's work stress again, because we both know that's bullshit.
I wanted to tell her. God, I wanted to unload everything the glowing hands, the healing wolves, the mysterious phone call, the Mark burning on my shoulder like a brand. Emma was the only person in this town who'd shown me unconditional kindness. She deserved the truth.
But the memory of my father's last words stopped me: Hide what you are.
If I told Emma, I'd be putting her in danger. The people watching me, the ones with their dying Alpha and their patient surveillance they wouldn't hesitate to use her against me.
I can't, I said finally, the words tasting like ash. I'm sorry, Emma. I can't tell you.
Something flickered across her face hurt, maybe, or disappointment. But then she nodded slowly, reaching across the counter to squeeze my hand.
Okay. But promise me something.
What?
If you need to run, you run. Don't stay because of the apartment or the lease or any of that crap. Your safety matters more than money. Her grip tightened. And if you need help running, you call me. I've got connections from my social work days. People who can make you disappear if necessary.
The offer was so unexpected, so generous, that tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked them back hard.
Thank you, I managed.
That's what family does. Emma released my hand and busied herself with the display again, but I caught the sheen in her own eyes. Now get to work before Dr. Harrison thinks I'm corrupting his best employee.
I left the bookstore through the back entrance, checking for surveillance before stepping into the alley. The navy van had a clear line of sight to the front of the building, but from here, I might be able to
Good morning, Ms. Winters.
I spun around, hand already reaching for the pepper spray in my pocket.
A man leaned against the brick wall, partially hidden in shadow. He was maybe mid-thirties, wearing dark jeans and a fitted black jacket that screamed money. His hair was close-cropped, his face angular and sharp, and his eyes
His eyes were the color of new pennies. Bright, metallic, wrong.
Who are you? My voice came out steadier than I felt.
My name is Cole Harper. He pushed off the wall, moving with a fluid grace that set off every alarm bell in my head. We spoke on the phone last night.
The rough voice from the call. The one who'd said they'd come for me at midnight.
I pulled out the pepper spray, holding it between us like a talisman. Stay back.
Cole glanced at the canister and actually smiled not cruel, but amused in a way that made me furious. That won't work on me, Ms. Winters. But I appreciate the spirit.
I said stay back.
I'm not here to hurt you. He raised his hands in a gesture of peace, though something about the movement suggested he could drop them and attack faster than I could blink. I'm here to talk. To explain.
Explain what? How you've been stalking me? How you threatened to kidnap me?
I didn't threaten. I stated facts. Cole's expression remained calm, almost sympathetic. My Alpha is dying. You can save him. We need you. Those are facts, not threats.
I don't owe you anything.
No, you don't. He tilted his head, studying me with those too-bright eyes. But you owe those wolves you healed something, don't you? Three lives saved because you couldn't walk away from suffering.
My stomach clenched. How do you
We've been watching you for six weeks, Ms. Winters. Since the first wolf you healed the one with the broken leg. He was one of ours. So were the others. Cole took a small step forward, and I backed up an equal distance. You saved members of the Blackthorn Pack. That makes you family, whether you accept it or not.
I'm not part of any pack.
Aren't you? Another step, and this time I had nowhere to retreat my back hit the alley wall. The Mark on your shoulder says otherwise. You can hide it under long sleeves, but we know it's there. We know what it means.
Ice flooded my veins. You don't know anything about me.
I know you're a Lunar Healer. The words hit like a physical blow. I know your parents were Daniel and Maria Winters, and they died in a fire that wasn't an accident. I know you've been alone for ten years, hiding what you are, terrified someone would find out. And I know that despite all that fear, you still can't turn away when something is suffering.
He knew. Everything. My parents' names, the fire, the Mark details I'd never shared with anyone.
How? I whispered.
Because we've been protecting you. Cole's voice gentled. The Blackthorn Pack has had wolves watching over you since the night your parents died. We didn't approach because we knew you weren't ready. But now... He paused, something like regret crossing his features. Now my Alpha is dying, and we're out of time.
The world tilted. Protecting me from what?
From the people who killed your parents. From the hunters who want to wipe out every last Lunar Healer because of what you can do. He pulled a photograph from his jacket and held it out. This is Kael Thorne. My Alpha. Your mate.
I didn't want to take the photo. Taking it felt like accepting something I wasn't ready for.
But my hand moved anyway, fingers closing around the glossy paper.
The man in the photo was devastating. Not handsome in a conventional way his features were too sharp, too predatory for that. But there was a raw intensity to him that made it impossible to look away. Dark hair slightly too long, sharp cheekbones, a mouth that looked like it had forgotten how to smile. And his eyes
Silver. Not gray, not light blue, but metallic silver that seemed to glow even in a still photograph.
The same eyes as the wolf from last night.
No, I breathed.
Yes. Cole's voice held certainty. The wolf you healed last night was Kael. He dragged himself to you because his wolf knew what we've known for years that you're his fated mate. The one person who can save him.
I shook my head, trying to back away, but there was nowhere to go. Mates aren't real. That's just that's mythology.
Is healing with glowing hands mythology? Cole challenged. Is the Mark on your shoulder just a myth? Everything you thought was impossible is real, Ms. Winters. Including the bond between you and my Alpha.
I don't know him. I've never met him.
Your soul knows him. Your power knows him. Why do you think you were able to heal him when every other healer failed? He took another step closer, and I could see flecks of gold in those copper eyes. The bond chose you for him years ago. We've just been waiting for you to be ready.
Well, I'm not ready! The words came out louder than I intended, echoing off the alley walls. I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted to live quietly and help animals and not My voice cracked. Not be special. Not be hunted. Not lose anyone else.
I know. And somehow, Cole's rough voice carried genuine understanding. But special isn't something you choose, Ms. Winters. It's something you are. And being hunted isn't your fault it's the fault of people who fear what they can't control.
What do you want from me?
Come to Shadowpeak Lodge. Meet Kael. Let him explain what you are, what you mean to the pack, what we can offer you. Cole pulled out a business card actual embossed paper, like something from another century and held it out. You have until midnight to decide. But know this: whether you come willingly or we're forced to take you, you're leaving Millbrook tonight. The people who killed your parents are moving. They know you're here. And they're coming.
The card trembled in my hand as I took it. Shadowpeak Lodge. An address in the mountains. A phone number.
How do I know you're not lying? I asked. How do I know you're not the ones who want to hurt me?
You don't, Cole admitted. But ask yourself this: if we wanted to hurt you, why wait ten years? Why protect you from the shadows? Why send wolves to you for healing instead of hunters to take you by force? He backed toward the mouth of the alley. Midnight, Ms. Winters. Make the choice yourself, or we'll make it for you.
Then he was gone, moving with that inhuman speed that confirmed everything he'd said was true.
I stood in the alley, clutching a business card and a photograph of a man with silver eyes, while my entire world continued to crumble around me.
They were coming for me. All of them Cole's pack, the hunters who'd killed my parents, the mysterious forces that wanted Lunar Healers extinct.
Midnight was fourteen hours away.
And I had absolutely no idea what to do.
The Mark on my shoulder burned with gentle heat, like it was trying to tell me something. Like it had been trying to tell me something for ten years, and I'd been too afraid to listen.
I looked down at the photograph again. Kael Thorne. Alpha. Dying.
Mate.
My hands started to glow, just faintly, the golden light seeping through my skin like I was a lantern barely containing its flame.
What am I? I whispered to the empty alley.
The Mark pulsed once in response, and somewhere in the distant mountains, wolves began to howl.
They were calling me home.
And god help me, some buried part of my soul wanted to answer.