Chapter 5: The Moon Goddess's Secret
1500 Words
"You're my mate."
The words echoed through Tiana's mind long after Timothy spoke them.
Everything else seemed to disappear.
The wolves.
The forest.
The cold night air.
Even the strange voice she had heard moments ago.
Nothing mattered except those three words.
Mate.
The term sounded important.
Life-changing.
Yet she had absolutely no idea what it meant.
Tiana stared at Timothy.
His silver eyes never left hers.
There was no doubt.
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
He believed every word he had said.
"What does that mean?" she finally asked.
Timothy opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
For the first time since meeting him, he looked uncertain.
As though he wasn't sure where to begin.
Rachel stepped forward.
"Tiana—"
"No."
Tiana shook her head.
Her eyes remained locked on Timothy.
"I want him to explain."
The Alpha's jaw tightened.
A hundred emotions seemed to pass across his face.
Relief.
Fear.
Hope.
Protectiveness.
Then he nodded.
"Okay."
The surrounding wolves began moving away.
Giving them space.
Only Lyra remained nearby.
The blonde woman crossed her arms and glared openly at Tiana.
The hostility was impossible to miss.
Tiana was beginning to dislike her.
A lot.
Timothy noticed the exchange immediately.
"Lyra."
The warning in his voice was unmistakable.
The blonde woman rolled her eyes.
But stepped back.
Only a little.
Timothy turned his attention back to Tiana.
"In our world, everyone is born with a destined partner."
Tiana blinked.
"Our world?"
"The werewolf world."
The statement sounded ridiculous.
Except she had literally watched him transform from a wolf into a man.
So arguing about reality seemed pointless.
Timothy continued.
"The Moon Goddess chooses mates."
"The Moon Goddess?"
Another ridiculous concept.
Another thing that somehow sounded completely serious.
Timothy nodded.
"She chooses two souls and binds them together."
Tiana frowned.
"Like soulmates?"
His expression softened.
"Something much stronger."
The answer made her nervous.
How much stronger could a soulmate possibly be?
The strange warmth in her chest pulsed again.
Almost as if it wanted her attention.
Timothy noticed immediately.
His eyes darkened with concern.
"You can feel it, can't you?"
Tiana hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Something is happening to me."
The confession felt dangerous.
Vulnerable.
Yet she couldn't deny it.
Not anymore.
The feeling had become impossible to ignore.
Timothy exhaled slowly.
"The bond is forming."
The words sent a shiver through her.
Bond.
Mate.
Moon Goddess.
Her life had become absurdly complicated in less than twenty-four hours.
Rachel suddenly looked toward the forest.
Her face paled.
"What is it?" Tiana asked.
Rachel didn't answer.
Timothy had already noticed.
Every muscle in his body became tense.
The wolves surrounding them immediately reacted.
Growls echoed through the darkness.
Tiana's stomach dropped.
Something was wrong.
Again.
A distant howl shattered the silence.
Then another.
And another.
The sound seemed to come from every direction.
Timothy's eyes narrowed.
"They're gathering."
The statement made several wolves nervous.
Including Lyra.
"What does that mean?" Tiana asked.
Nobody answered immediately.
That silence frightened her.
Because she was beginning to understand something.
Every time these people stayed silent, it meant the truth was bad.
Very bad.
Timothy stepped closer.
Instinctively positioning himself between her and the forest.
The protective gesture didn't go unnoticed.
Neither by Tiana.
Nor by Lyra.
The blonde woman's expression darkened instantly.
Jealousy flashed openly across her face.
Raw.
Painful.
Unhidden.
Tiana finally understood.
Lyra wasn't just angry.
She was heartbroken.
The realization made her feel unexpectedly guilty.
Even though she hadn't done anything wrong.
Timothy looked toward the trees again.
Then back at her.
"We need to leave."
"Leave where?"
"The pack territory."
The answer created even more questions.
Pack territory?
How large was it?
How many wolves were there?
How long had they been watching her?
The last question struck hardest.
A memory suddenly surfaced.
The footprints beneath her bedroom window.
The feeling of being watched throughout her childhood.
The figure she had occasionally glimpsed among the trees.
Her eyes widened.
"You've been following me."
Timothy froze.
The reaction alone confirmed it.
Anger immediately flared.
"You have."
"Tiana—"
"For how long?"
Silence.
A very guilty silence.
"For how long, Timothy?"
His expression became almost apologetic.
"Eighteen years."
The world stopped.
Tiana stared at him.
Certain she had heard wrong.
"Eighteen years?"
His silence confirmed it.
Her jaw dropped.
"Eighteen years?"
"I was protecting you."
The explanation did not help.
Not even a little.
"Protecting me?"
She threw her hands into the air.
"Do you have any idea how creepy that sounds?"
Timothy rubbed the back of his neck.
For the first time since meeting him, he looked genuinely uncomfortable.
"I know how it sounds."
Tiana stared at him.
"No, I don't think you do."
A few wolves nearby shifted awkwardly.
Even Rachel looked like she was trying not to smile.
Tiana pointed toward the forest.
"You watched me for eighteen years."
Timothy opened his mouth.
She pointed toward her house.
"You stood outside my window."
His expression became even more guilty.
"You followed me everywhere."
"I kept my distance."
"That doesn't make it better!"
Several wolves quickly looked away.
One actually coughed.
Lyra snorted.
The sound almost resembled a laugh.
Tiana threw her hands into the air.
"I can't believe this."
Timothy's silver eyes softened.
"You were never in danger while I was there."
The statement silenced her.
Not because she accepted it.
Because he believed it completely.
There wasn't even a hint of dishonesty in his voice.
He truly thought protecting her justified everything.
The realization made her frustration fade slightly.
Only slightly.
"Eighteen years," she muttered.
A small smile appeared on Timothy's face.
"I counted every one."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Something warm stirred inside her chest.
The bond.
It reacted whenever he looked at her.
Whenever he spoke.
Whenever he stood close.
And that frightened her.
Because part of her liked it.
Part of her liked knowing someone had cared enough to watch over her.
Even if it was completely insane.
Tiana immediately pushed the thought away.
No.
She wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.
Timothy noticed the conflict in her expression.
His smile widened slightly.
That only irritated her more.
"Don't smile."
"I wasn't smiling."
"You absolutely were."
For the first time all night, genuine amusement flashed through his silver eyes.
And despite everything happening around them, despite the danger and the confusion and the impossible truths, Tiana felt her heart skip unexpectedly.
That scared her more than anything else.
Tiana folded her arms tightly across her chest.
The strange warmth inside her hadn't faded.
If anything, it had become stronger.
Every time Timothy looked at her, the sensation intensified.
She hated not understanding it.
"Tell me something."
Timothy nodded.
"What?"
"Did you know?"
His brow furrowed slightly.
"Know what?"
"That I was your mate."
The question silenced everyone nearby.
Even the wolves seemed interested in the answer.
For a moment, Timothy didn't respond.
Then he sighed.
"Yes."
Tiana's eyes widened.
"Since when?"
His silver eyes softened.
"Since the day you were born."
The answer hit her like a physical blow.
"What?"
Rachel looked away.
Clearly, she already knew.
A fresh wave of frustration washed over Tiana.
"So everybody knew except me?"
"No," Timothy said quietly. "Not everybody."
"That's not the point."
His jaw tightened.
"I wasn't allowed to tell you."
"Allowed by who?"
For the first time, uncertainty crossed his face.
"The elders. The Moon Goddess's laws. My father before he died."
Tiana blinked.
There were laws about this?
Rules?
Entire systems she knew nothing about?
The realization made her feel even more disconnected from the world around her.
Lyra suddenly laughed.
A sharp, bitter sound.
Everyone looked at her.
The blonde woman crossed her arms.
"Must be nice."
Timothy's expression immediately darkened.
"Lyra."
"No."
Pain flashed across her face.
Years of pain.
Years of disappointment.
"I think she deserves to know."
The tension in the air became unbearable.
Tiana looked between them.
"Know what?"
Lyra's blue eyes locked onto hers.
"I spent seven years believing I would become Luna."
The statement stunned her.
Luna?
Another unfamiliar term.
But she understood enough.
Lyra had expected a future with Timothy.
A future that vanished the moment Tiana turned eighteen.
The realization made her chest tighten.
Not because she felt guilty.
Because she suddenly understood the depth of Lyra's hatred.
Timothy stepped forward.
"That's enough."
"No, it isn't."
Lyra's voice cracked.
For a second, her anger disappeared.
Revealing heartbreak beneath it.
Raw.
Painful.
Real.
"I gave everything to this pack."
Nobody spoke.
"I fought beside you."
Silence.
"I nearly died for you."
The hurt in her voice was impossible to ignore.
Tiana found herself looking away.
Because for the first time, she didn't see a jealous rival.
She saw a woman whose heart had been broken.
And somehow, that made everything far more complicated.
Everything changed after that.
Another howl echoed through the night.
Closer than before.
Timothy's expression were finally coming.
But she wasn't sure she was ready to hear them.
- Writer
