chapter 1 the girl who ran too fast
The whistle blew.
Sienna took off.
The ball was at her feet, her boots tearing across the wet grass as she pushed forward.
"COME ON, SIENNA!"
She heard Sophie's voice from the sideline, followed by her mam's familiar shout.
"Go on, sweetheart!"
Sienna grinned.
This was where she felt most alive.
Football wasn't just something she did.
It was everything.
The cold didn't bother her. The rain didn't bother her. Even the bruises she'd collected over the years barely registered anymore.
She was fast.
Really fast.
Her coach had told her that countless times.
But today, something felt different.
She reached the defender, shifted the ball from her right foot to her left and sprinted past.
The girl didn't even have time to react.
Sienna crossed the ball.
"YES!"
Her teammate connected with it.
Goal.
The sideline erupted.
Sienna laughed as her teammates ran towards her.
But then she stopped.
For just a second, she felt something strange.
A warmth spread through her chest.
Her heart started beating faster.
Not from running.
From something else.
She looked towards the crowd.
And that's when she saw him.
A boy she'd never seen before stood behind the barrier.
Tall.
Dark hair.
Broad shoulders.
Completely still.
He wasn't watching the game.
He was watching her.
Their eyes met.
Sienna felt a strange pull in her chest.
The boy's expression changed instantly.
His eyes widened.
For the briefest moment, Sienna could have sworn they flashed gold.
Then he looked away.
"Who is that?" Sophie asked beside her.
Sienna hadn't even noticed her sister had walked over.
"I don't know."
Sophie looked at him again.
"Well, he certainly knows you."
"What?"
Sophie pointed.
The stranger was still staring at Sienna.
And then he smiled.
Not a normal smile.
It was almost as though he'd just discovered something he'd been searching for his entire life.
Across the pitch, Jackson felt his wolf stir.
Mate.
The word thundered through his mind.
Jackson's fists clenched.
"No."
His wolf snarled.
Our Luna.
Jackson stared at the girl on the pitch.
Sienna.
He didn't know her name yet.
He didn't know where she lived.
He didn't know anything about her.
But his wolf knew.
And that was enough.
Because Jackson wasn't just any werewolf.
He was the Alpha of the Black Ridge Pack.
And the girl standing twenty metres away from him was supposed to be his Luna.
There was only one problem.
She had no idea that she was a werewolf.
And Jackson had absolutely no idea how he was going to tell her.