CHAPTER4
1184 Words
Riley didn’t go home.
She didn’t go back to the cabin, or the Hollow Brew, or even to the bookstore where she’d left Luna staring after her with eyes that knew far too much. Instead, she drove. Not toward any destination—just away. From Alec. From Silver Ridge. From herself.
But the forest seemed to follow her.
The trees grew thicker the farther she drove, like they were watching her, their branches clawing at the sky. No matter how many turns she took, no matter how fast she went, the shadows of Silver Ridge clung to her rearview mirror. The silence in her car felt oppressive, interrupted only by the erratic beat of her heart.
She couldn’t escape the pull of the trees, the hum beneath the earth, or the pounding in her chest that echoed with every breath: Mine.
By the time she pulled over at the overlook near Raven’s Peak, the sky had turned gold and violet, with dusk sliding in like a whispered secret. She climbed out of the car and stood at the edge of the ridge, wind teasing her hair. The air was thick with pine, frost, and something else—something electric, like static before a storm.
She closed her eyes and tried to breathe it away, but the scent of earth and magic clung to her skin.
Behind her, leaves rustled.
“I figured you’d come here,” said a voice.
She didn’t turn. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”
“I could,” Alec said, his voice low and steady. “But you’re not safe.”
Riley laughed bitterly, the sound cutting through the evening air like broken glass. “Safe? I was safe before I met you. Now I’m dreaming of forests and claws and men with golden eyes who say I belong to them.”
“I never said you belong to me,” he murmured. “I said the bond chose us.”
“What does that even mean, Alec?” she asked, finally spinning to face him. “That I’m fated to be your mate? That my life was decided by some magical wolf prophecy I never agreed to?”
Alec didn’t flinch.
“You were born into a legacy you were never told about. That doesn’t make it less real.”
“And what legacy is that, exactly?”
He hesitated—just long enough for her to notice.
“You’re not just a wolf, Riley. You’re descended from a line of Lunas. Alphas’ mates. Women of power and intuition. Leaders.”
She blinked, heart stumbling over his words. “That’s not possible. My mother was—she was just a woman. A teacher. She got sick and she died. There was nothing magical about her.”
Alec stepped closer, voice quiet. “Your mother was the Luna of the Moonshadow pack. She fled after a m******e. Changed her name. Hid you to protect you. I’ve seen the records.”
Riley’s breath caught in her throat, lungs refusing to cooperate.
“No,” she said softly. “You’re lying.”
“Ask yourself why your scent drives wolves crazy,” he said. “Why your dreams show things you’ve never seen. Why the moon makes you ache. You’re awakening, Riley. And when your first shift comes… you won’t be able to deny it anymore.”
Her knees gave slightly, and she sank onto the grass, fists digging into the earth as if it could ground her.
“Why me? Why now?”
“Because your blood called you home,” Alec said. “And because fate has a cruel sense of timing.”
She stared out at the forest below, at the wild tangle of trees bathed in fading sunlight. Everything inside her warred—reason against instinct, fear against truth.
“So what now? You expect me to just… what? Accept this? Run with the pack?”
“I expect nothing,” he said. “But if you stay, I’ll help you find the truth. About your mother. About yourself. You deserve to know.”
“And if I leave?”
Alec’s eyes darkened like thunderclouds. “Others will sense your power. Some won’t want you alive.”
Her blood went cold, spreading ice through her veins.
“So I’m trapped.”
“No,” he said, crouching beside her. “You’re awakening. You can fight it—or you can own it.”
She looked at him. Really looked. The sharp cheekbones, the scruff lining his jaw, the worry etched between his brows. But it was his eyes that held her—storm-dark, ancient, and warm with something too dangerous to name.
“I hate how you look at me,” she whispered.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because it makes me want to stay.”
Alec didn’t answer. He just reached out, gently brushing his fingers against hers. A spark flared between them—bright, hot, undeniable. It raced up her arm and straight to her chest, where something deep and feral stirred.
“You already belong to this world, Riley,” he said. “You’re just remembering.”
They sat in silence until the stars came out.
⸻
That night, Riley dreamed again.
This time, she stood in a clearing bathed in moonlight. Her mother was there—young, radiant, wearing a silver pendant Riley had never seen before. Her eyes glowed like moonstone, their light soft and ancient.
“You are the last of our line,” her mother said, voice like wind through leaves. “Our blood is ancient, our purpose sacred.”
“I don’t understand,” Riley said, reaching for her.
“You will,” her mother replied. “But beware the one with fire in his veins. Not all alphas want a Luna who remembers.”
A howl shattered the dream, so loud and mournful it echoed through the clearing like a warning.
Riley woke with a scream on her lips and the name of a man she’d never met burning in her mind: Lucian.
⸻
The next morning, she went back to The Hollow Brew.
The bell above the door chimed softly as she stepped inside. The familiar scent of cinnamon and herbs wrapped around her like a blanket. Luna was behind the counter, humming along to Fleetwood Mac. Her silver hair shimmered under the pendant lights, and she looked up as Riley entered.
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing.
“You look like someone who saw a ghost.”
“Not a ghost,” Riley said. “A legacy.”
Luna’s eyes gleamed with something like satisfaction. “So you’re ready.”
Riley nodded slowly, the weight of everything finally settling across her shoulders. She still felt raw, cracked open by dreams and truths she wasn’t sure how to hold. But for the first time in a long while, she wasn’t running.
“No more running,” she said.
Luna handed her a steaming cup of tea, fragrant with something floral and sharp. “Then drink up, Moonborn. You’ve got work to do.”
- Writer
