CHAPTER 1 The Night Something Found Her

Lena had always hated full moons.

Not in a dramatic, horror-movie way. Nothing that obvious. It was quieter than that. A restless hum under her skin. Nights where sleep never came easy and every sound outside her window felt personal, like the dark was aware of her.

Tonight, the moon wasn’t silver.

It was red.

She stood barefoot on the back porch of her rental house at the edge of town, arms folded tight against the chill. The woods behind her stretched deep and black, the treetops glowing faintly under the strange crimson light.

“This is fine,” she muttered. “Totally normal. Just… spooky sky nonsense.”

But her heart wouldn’t slow down.

Wind moved through the trees in long sighs. Leaves scraped. Branches clicked.

Then everything went still.

No crickets. No distant highway hum.

Nothing.

A chill traced slowly down her spine.

And then—

A howl split the night.

Low. Layered. Close.

Lena froze, fingers digging into her arms. “Okay. That’s a wolf. That’s definitely a wolf. Why is there a wolf in Texas?”

Another howl answered, closer.

Her body reacted before her brain did. She turned toward the door—

—and slammed straight into someone solid.

A gasp tore out of her as strong hands caught her shoulders, steadying her before she fell.

“Easy,” a deep voice said.

She looked up.

And forgot how to breathe.

He was tall, dark hair falling messily across his forehead, jaw rough with stubble. His clothes were simple — jeans, boots, a dark henley — but he carried himself like the woods belonged to him.

It was his eyes that held her.

Golden-brown. Intense. Locked on her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“I— what? Who are you? How did you get on my porch?!”

Another howl cut through the air, so loud the porch boards vibrated.

His head turned sharply toward the trees, nostrils flaring slightly like he was scenting the wind. A low sound rumbled in his chest — not quite a growl, not quite human.

Her pulse stumbled.

“That’s not normal,” she whispered.

“No,” he agreed grimly. Then his gaze snapped back to hers. “You need to get inside. Now.”

Movement burst from the tree line.

Huge shapes. Fast. Too big.

Lena barely had time to scream before he shoved her behind him. His body shielded hers completely, heat radiating through the thin fabric of her shirt. Her back hit the porch railing, but she didn’t notice.

Because something inside her had gone very, very still.

The shapes hit the yard — massive wolves, fur dark as night, eyes reflecting red moonlight.

“This isn’t real,” she breathed.

The man in front of her rolled his shoulders once, like bracing for impact.

Then he stepped forward—

—and changed.

It wasn’t a blur. It wasn’t instant.

It was bone and muscle shifting under skin, clothes tearing as something larger forced its way free. Lena couldn’t even scream. Her brain simply shut down under the impossible sight.

Where the man had stood, a wolf now towered. Enormous. Gray fur streaked with silver. Eyes the same molten gold.

One of the dark wolves lunged.

The gray wolf met it midair.

The sound of their bodies colliding shook the night.

Lena stumbled backward, breath coming in sharp, broken pulls. Her mind tried to reject what she was seeing, but her body—

Her body knew.

Knew the smell of fur and blood and earth.

Knew the rhythm of snarls and snapping jaws.

Knew him.

A smaller wolf broke from the fight, racing straight for her.

Terror locked her in place.

The wolf leapt—

Pain exploded in her chest.

Not from claws.

From inside.

Heat ripped through her veins like liquid fire. She collapsed to her knees, hands clawing at her shirt as if she could tear the sensation out. Her heart thundered so hard it hurt.

The world sharpened violently.

She could hear every movement in the yard. Every breath. Every heartbeat.

And over all of it—

Him.

The gray wolf turned at her cry. Their eyes met.

Gold. Fierce. Afraid.

For her.

A word slammed into her mind with the force of a falling star.

Mine.

Her breath hitched.

And deep inside her, something ancient opened its eyes.

The pain surged—

—and Lena screamed as the red moon burned her world into something new.