THE LUNA'S MEN

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER THREE

THE FIRST SHIFT

By the time I reached the eastern courtyard the following morning, I had already decided that agreeing to accompany Kael Draven had been a mistake. I had spent most of the night thinking about the journey, and although I was irritated by the early hour, I had comforted myself with one thing: I knew how to ride. My grandfather had owned a ranch in my old life, and horses had always been familiar to me. If I had to spend an entire day in unfamiliar territory with a man who already suspected that something about me was wrong, I would much rather do it from the back of a horse.

That plan lasted exactly three seconds.

I stopped at the edge of the courtyard and looked around. Several Black Fang warriors waited near the gates, along with two Red Moon guards, but there wasn't a single horse in sight.

I glanced toward the stables, then back at Kael.

“Where are the horses?”

One of the warriors looked toward his Alpha.

Kael turned, his golden eyes briefly moving over the riding boots I had deliberately chosen that morning.

“We aren't taking horses.”

I stared at him.

“Then where are they?”

“We don't need them.”

“That wasn't my question.”

“We'll shift.”

For a moment, I simply looked at him.

Of course.

Werewolves shifted.

I knew that. I had spent an entire n***********g about wolves running through forests and transforming into their animal forms, but knowing something existed in fiction and actually having to do it were two very different things.

I had never shifted.

Nora had certainly never shifted.

And Cecilia's memories weren't some convenient instruction manual I could open whenever I needed them. They existed in fragments—sensations, habits, flashes of places and people. I knew Cecilia had shifted countless times, but knowing she had done something didn't mean I knew how to make her body do it.

“I'd rather ride.”

Kael's brow lifted.

“Why?”

“Because I know how.”

“You know how to shift too.”

The certainty in his voice made my stomach tighten.

I crossed my arms, allowing the irritation that came naturally to Cecilia to settle over my face.

“I don't recall asking for your opinion.”

One of the warriors suddenly found the ground fascinating.

Kael merely studied me.

“You've shifted since you were a child.”

There was no accusation in his voice, which somehow made it worse.

“Perhaps I don't feel like doing it this morning.”

“You'll need to.”

“I can ride.”

“There are no horses.”

“I noticed.”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Something amusing?”

“No.”

“You're smiling.”

“I wasn't aware that was forbidden.”

“It should be.”

His expression changed for barely a moment before he turned away.

I followed him several paces from the others, irritation crawling beneath my skin. I couldn't admit that I genuinely didn't know how to transform. The moment I did, questions would follow, and questions were dangerous.

When we were far enough from the others, Kael stopped.

“You're nervous.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

I gave him a cold look. “Perhaps you should concern yourself with the border instead of diagnosing my mood.”

He continued watching me, patient and annoyingly observant.

“Close your eyes.”

I frowned.

“Why?”

“Because you're going to shift.”

I almost laughed. “Excellent plan. I close my eyes, transform into a wolf, and hope for the best.”

His expression remained serious.

“Find your wolf.”

I went still.

The strange presence beneath my consciousness had been there since I woke in Cecilia's body. I had tried not to think about it too much because the idea of sharing my mind with another consciousness was unsettling enough, especially when I didn't even know what that consciousness was supposed to feel like.

I closed my eyes.

Nothing happened.

“You're thinking too much.”

My eyes opened.

“I wasn't aware you could hear my thoughts.”

“Not yet.”

“Then how do you know?”

“I can see it on your face.”

I scoffed and closed my eyes again.

“Just tell me what I'm supposed to do.”

His voice softened.

“Stop trying to force it.”

“How am I supposed to make something happen without forcing it?”

“You don't make it happen. You let her.”

I took a slow breath and pushed aside everything I thought I knew about shifting. Instead of commanding my body to transform, I focused on that unfamiliar presence beneath my thoughts.

At first, there was only silence.

Then something moved.

It wasn't like hearing another person's footsteps or sensing someone standing behind me. It was deeper, almost like discovering another heartbeat that had always existed beneath my own.

My breath caught.

There you are.

The thought wasn't entirely mine.

I opened my eyes.

Kael was watching me.

“You found her.”

I swallowed. “You knew I would.”

His gaze sharpened.

“Cecilia has never had trouble finding her wolf.”

I forced a small, arrogant smile.

“Perhaps I simply wanted to see how long it would take you to notice.”

“You're strange today.”

“And you're observant today.”

“I've always been observant.”

“I noticed.”

He held my gaze before his voice suddenly entered my mind.

Close your eyes.

I stiffened.

Kael hadn't moved.

Don't panic.

I'm not panicking.

Your heartbeat says otherwise.

I glared at him.

Get out of my head.

I can't.

Why?

We're fated mates.

I grimaced.

I was beginning to hate that explanation.

Then temporarily forget we're fated mates and help me.

A faint trace of amusement brushed against my mind.

Find her.

I closed my eyes again.

This time, I didn't fight the presence. I reached toward it, and warmth spread through my chest, followed by a surge of energy that made my fingers curl against the ground.

Let her forward.

I released my control.

Pain ripped through my body.

A cry escaped me as my bones shifted beneath my skin and my muscles twisted violently. Every instinct screamed that something was wrong, and for one panicked second, I tried to resist.

Don't.

Kael's voice was firm inside my head.

It will hurt more.

You could have mentioned that.

You wouldn't have believed me.

Another wave of pain tore through me.

I already dislike you.

You've said that before.

The pain intensified until I could barely think. Then, with one final violent shift, everything stopped.

Silence surrounded me.

I opened my eyes.

The world had changed.

The ground was closer, but that wasn't what caught my attention. Every scent seemed sharper, every sound clearer. I could hear leaves moving above me, distant footsteps, and even the steady beating of Kael's heart.

I looked down.

Fur covered my body.

I slowly lifted one paw.

It was red.

Not the bright red of blood, but a deep crimson that darkened toward my legs and along my spine until parts of my coat appeared almost black beneath the shadows.

I stared.

I'm red.

Kael's answer came calmly.

You're a Red Moon wolf.

I looked down at myself again, strangely fascinated by the rich crimson coat.

I didn't expect it to be this red.

Why wouldn't it be?

I didn't answer.

There was something beautiful about it, especially where the morning sunlight caught the darker strands along my back. For one brief moment, I forgot that this wasn't my body, my world, or even my life.

Then I tried to stand.

My legs tangled immediately.

I stumbled sideways and landed in the grass.

Kael turned his enormous black head away.

I narrowed my eyes.

If you're laughing, I'll bite you.

I wasn't laughing.

You were.

I was thinking.

About laughing.

A pause.

Perhaps.

I pushed myself upright.

Kael stood several feet away in his wolf form, his body considerably larger than mine, black fur covering him completely while his golden eyes remained fixed on me.

He moved slowly.

Watch my movement.

I watched his paws touch the earth with an ease that made the whole thing look embarrassingly simple.

Now you.

I tried again.

This time I managed several steps before stumbling, but I caught myself.

You're thinking about every movement.

Because I don't know what I'm doing.

Your body does.

I took another step.

Then another.

Something gradually clicked. My paws began moving without conscious instruction, my balance correcting itself before I could think about falling. The wolf beneath my thoughts seemed to settle as though she had been waiting for me to stop interfering.

My body remembered what my mind didn't.

Kael started toward the gates, and I followed.

The moment we left the courtyard, he accelerated into a run. My instincts took over before I could object, lowering my body naturally as my paws struck the earth.

The forest blurred around us.

Wind rushed through my crimson fur while scents flooded my senses—the damp earth, moss, wild animals, and traces of wolves who had passed through the territory hours earlier. My paws found a steady rhythm, and for the first time since waking in Cecilia's body, I wasn't thinking about my death, the novel, or the three men waiting somewhere along the path of the original story.

I was simply running.

And I hated how much I enjoyed it.

Kael slowed suddenly.

I followed his gaze toward the trees ahead. The forest had grown thicker around a narrow stream, and the warriors behind us gradually came to a halt.

Kael lowered his head.

His entire body became still.

I inhaled.

At first, I smelled only water and damp earth.

Then something metallic reached my senses.

Blood.

Fresh blood.

My wolf reacted before I could think. My body lowered instinctively, ears forward, muscles tightening as I stared into the trees.

Kael glanced at me.

Something almost approving flickered in his eyes.

Good.

I kept my attention on the forest.

What?

Your instincts.

I lifted my head.

Don't sound surprised.

He studied me for a long moment.

I'm not surprised.

A pause followed.

I'm wondering why you weren't like this yesterday.

My stomach tightened.

Even in wolf form, I could feel the tension spreading through my body.

He was noticing.

Not the impossible truth that Nora had replaced Cecilia, but the inconsistencies: my hesitation, my unfamiliarity with shifting, and the subtle differences in reactions that Cecilia herself would never have shown.

I turned my attention toward the blood and allowed Cecilia's instincts to shape my response.

Perhaps yesterday I was distracted.

Kael's gaze remained on me.

He didn't answer for several seconds.

Then his thoughts brushed against mine.

Perhaps.

He didn't believe me.

I knew it.

But he didn't press further. Instead, he moved toward the stream, following the scent of blood deeper into the trees, and I fell into step beside him.

Whatever had attacked those Black Fang patrols had left a trail.

And judging by the blood staining the earth ahead of us, we were about to find out exactly what it was.