Her Human Mate

Chapter One: Marked by the moon

Nicole's POV



The Hunt

The forest pulsed with the rhythm of my footsteps, the cold wind slicing against my skin. My wolf, Celia, snarled inside me, muscles coiled tight, claws itching to tear through the thin veil of control.

Tonight was the night.

Eighteen. The age of the bond. The age where fate stopped being a myth and became law.

A scent hit me-wildfire and frost. It wasn't from my pack. It wasn't even from a wolf.

I wasn't alone.

I stopped dead in my tracks, heart pounding. My breath came fast, misting in the night air. And then-

I saw him.

A boy.

Tall, lean, standing at the edge of the treeline, bathed in silver moonlight.

Nathaniel Heth.

A human.

And the moment our eyes met, my world split in two.

Because my wolf only said one word.

Mate.

The Bond

The next morning, I found him at school.

Nate sat at his desk, twirling a pen between his fingers, completely unaware that his entire existence had changed.

And that I was his.

I slid into the seat next to him, feeling the mate bond hum between us like a live wire. He barely glanced up.

"Hi," I said.

He blinked at me. "Uh. Hey?"

Silence. No jolt. No recognition. Nothing but the awkward, confused frown of a boy who had no idea what was happening.

My stomach twisted. He doesn't feel it.

He doesn't know.

And that was a problem.

Because the bond had already started.

And if we didn't complete it, it would kill him.

The First Sign

By lunch, my nerves were shot. I sat alone, picking at my food, trying to figure out how the hell I was going to explain this to a human.

And then-

A sharp, agonized gasp.

My head snapped up.

Nate was across the cafeteria, doubled over, gripping the edge of the table like something was tearing him apart from the inside. His fingers trembled, breath ragged.

His scent shifted.

For a split second, I caught something beneath his usual human smell-wolf.

Oh, s**t.

I was out of my seat before I could think, closing the distance between us in seconds. I grabbed his wrist, the mate bond crackling through my skin.

He flinched, wild green eyes locking onto mine.

And for the first time, I saw it-gold.

Just for a second. A flicker of something deep inside him. A wolf trying to wake up.

His breathing hitched. "What-"

I tightened my grip. "You need to come with me. Now."

The Truth

I dragged Nate outside, into the woods behind the school. He stumbled, cursing under his breath.

"The hell is wrong with you?" he snapped. "Are you-are you stalking me or something?"

"You're my mate."

The words felt like iron in my mouth.

He stared. And then-he laughed.

"Okay," he said, dragging a hand through his hair. "Uh. Cool? That's... weird, but whatever. We can be friends, I guess?"

I clenched my fists. He didn't get it.

"You're not human, Nate," I said, stepping closer. "And if we don't finish the bond, your wolf is going to rip its way out of you. And you won't survive."

Silence.

He searched my face, looking for a joke. Looking for a lie.

Then he backed up.

"You're insane," he said.

I grabbed his wrist. Heat. Sparks. The bond snapping into place.

He sucked in a sharp breath, eyes wide. "What-what the hell is that?"

"It's the bond," I said softly. "And it's already started."

His pulse hammered against my fingers. He yanked his arm back, shaking his head.

"No. No, this is-this is crazy. I don't feel-"

But he did.

I could see it in the way his breathing quickened. In the way his hands clenched. In the way his body knew something was happening, even if his mind refused to believe it.

"You're going to shift soon, Nate," I whispered. "And if you don't let me help you, you're going to die."

He swallowed. Hard.

And for the first time, he looked afraid.

The Choice

That night, I stood at the edge of the packhouse, staring at the moon.

I could feel him through the bond now-uneasy, restless.

I had to make him understand.

Because if I didn't, he wouldn't survive the next full moon.

And neither would I.