The Wolf I Buried

PROLOGUE

Five Years Earlier

The full moon hung low over the forest, silver light spilling through the pines like liquid magic. Ronan Blackwood moved swiftly through the trees, careful to keep his footsteps silent and his movements hidden by the darkness. Tonight should have been routine, the borders quiet, and the territory secure. The borders remained quiet, undisturbed by any sign of trouble. Security enveloped the territory, nothing unusual disturbing the peace.

Nothing unusual—absolutely nothing at all disturbed the night.

Yet a knot of anxiety twisted in his gut, as if his wolf sensed an invisible threat.

For the last ten minutes, it had paced restlessly beneath his skin.

Alert.

Ronan slowed.

Despite the unease within him, the forest breathed peace all around. Crickets sang from the undergrowth. A cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead. So far, nothing felt wrong—at least, not yet.

That uneasy calm gnawed at his nerves, sharpening his dread.

“What is it?” he muttered.

His wolf answered with a growl.

Not aggressive. It wasn’t defensive, either, but felt expectant.

Expectant.

Then the wind changed. Everything stopped. A scent slipped through the darkness.

Sweet. Warm. Wild.

His wolf tensed, every muscle quivering with sudden anticipation. The world, for a heartbeat, narrowed to a single breath. A single scent. A single heartbeat. And then one word exploded through every part of him.

Mate.

Ronan staggered, his breath caught by a rush of fierce longing. The force of it almost dropped him to his knees. His pulse thundered. His wolf surged forward. Demanding. Desperate.

Find her. Now.

Mate.

Impossible.

For years, he’d told himself he didn’t need this. Not after everything he’d seen—the pain of broken bonds, the burden of being chosen instead of choosing. Some part of him feared what he might become if he let himself believe. Some part held back for duty, for loyalty, for the memory of promises he couldn’t quite forget. He was twenty-five years old. He’d spent years watching others find their mates.

Some became obsessed.

Some became idiots.

Most became unbearable.

He always figured it would happen eventually. Someday. Not tonight. Not like this.

Not like this.

The scent drifted through the trees again.

Closer.

His wolf pushed against his control.

Mine.

Ronan gritted his teeth, jaw tight with defiance and confusion.

“No.”

The response was immediate. Furious.

Mine.

“No.”

The wolf snarled. The argument lasted less than a second. Then instinct won.

Ronan took off running, muscles coiled and senses honed, feet pounding the earth as he tracked the scent without hesitation.

Not away.

Toward her. Toward the scent. Toward the person who had just rewritten his entire life.

The town square was crowded. Music drifted through the warm summer air. String lights glowed overhead. People laughed. Children chased one another between picnic tables.

Ronan stopped at the edge of the crowd. Here, the scent was stronger—almost overwhelming. His pulse quickened. His wolf became completely still.

Waiting. Watching. Searching.

And then he saw her. Everything else disappeared.

She stood beside a table covered in paper plates and birthday decorations. A slice of cake was balanced precariously in one hand. Her dark hair caught the glow of the lights.Her smile was bright enough to outshine the moon. Someone said something that made her laugh.

Real laughter.

The kind that came from deep inside.

Unfiltered. Honest. Beautiful.

Ronan’s breath stilled, heart pounding with impossible certainty. He focused on her and nothing else.

Mate.

The word echoed again. Not because of some magical force. Not because of some supernatural command. Because for the first time, the word had a face. A name. A heartbeat. She looked young.

Happy.

Completely unaware that the world had just shifted beneath his feet.

A smear of frosting decorated the tip of her nose. One of her friends pointed it out. She rolled her eyes and wiped it away. Ronan’s wolf was lost.

Captivated. Utterly. Hopelessly captivated.

Mate. Mine.

“No,” Ronan whispered again.

The wolf growled.

Mine.

“She’s human.”

The wolf didn’t care.

“She deserves a choice.”

The wolf cared even less. Ronan pressed the heel of his hand into his brow, trying to gather his swirling thoughts. He had expected many things from life. This wasn’t one of them.

He should approach her. Introduce himself. Say something. Anything.

Instead, he remained exactly where he was. Watching. Because she looked truly happy, he couldn’t bear the thought of shattering that happiness. And for reasons he couldn’t name, he couldn’t bear the thought of shattering that happiness.

Not yet.

Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe when he figured out how to speak without sounding like he’d lost his mind.

The wolf hated that plan.

Ronan ignored it. For once.

Miles away, deep within the Blackwood estate, Evelyn Blackwood froze. The teacup slid from her grasp, falling and crashing to the floor in sharp pieces. Porcelain shattered against the floor.

Her eyes widened.

“No…”

She felt it.

The shift. The change. The absence.

A protection, existing for eighteen years, had kept someone hidden from every search, every hostile gaze, cloaking her existence from those who might wish them harm—but now, that fragile safety was gone.

Far away, in a small cottage hidden beyond the reach of ordinary maps, Seraphina Ashbourne looked up from the ancient text resting before her. The candle flames flickered. A chill swept through the room. The witch closed her eyes. For one terrible moment, she hoped she was mistaken.

She wasn’t. The seal was gone. After eighteen years. The child was hidden no longer. And Sophia Hart was not here to see it. The woman who had sacrificed everything to protect her child had been dead for twelve years.

Seraphina lowered her head.

“May the moon help us all.”

Back in town, Elena reached for another slice of cake. Someone called her name. She turned. And her eyes found him. Just for a second. A stranger standing near the edge of the crowd.

Tall. Dark-haired. Watching. Curious.

Their gazes met. Neither moved. Then one of her friends pulled her attention away. The moment broke.

When she glanced back over her shoulder, he remained at the edge of the crowd. Still watching. Not in a frightening way. Just…Interested.

She frowned slightly. Then shrugged it off.

A second later, she was laughing again. Ronan found himself smiling. Because somehow he already knew.

Not that she was his mate. His wolf knew that.

What Ronan knew was something else entirely. She was going to change everything. He felt it in his bones. He left before the party ended. The scent followed him all the way to the forest. His wolf prowled in his mind, desperate and relentless, hunger mixing with hope.

Still determined. Still convinced it had already won.

Maybe it had. Maybe it hadn’t.

Only time would tell.

As Ronan disappeared into the trees, another figure stepped from the shadows.

Silent. Hidden. Watching.

Not a wolf. Not a friend. Not family.

A messenger.

The figure lingered only long enough to confirm what had happened. Then vanished into the darkness. Carrying news that had not existed for eighteen years. News powerful enough to alter destinies. Powerful enough to awaken old fears. Powerful enough to ignite fear, stir old wounds, and threaten peace itself.

Somewhere beyond the forest, beyond the town, beyond the lives of two people who had not yet met—

The last Moonkeeper had awakened.

Old stories whispered that Moonkeepers held the balance between worlds, their power tied to the rise and fall of fate itself. Now, with their awakening, the order of things could never remain the same.