Neither Human Nor Wolf

Meanwhile, Hunter Bloodfang stood just outside the hospital’s sliding doors, the cold breeze doing little to cool the heat simmering in his veins. Ravena Bloodfang, his twin sister, scanned the paramedics wheeling the unconscious thugs inside.

“You smell that?” she asked, voice low, eyes narrowed. Hunter nodded. “Same strange scent as the alley. Faint, but... wild and unstable.” “It's not fully werewolf,” Ravena muttered. “But not human either.” They exchanged a look. Something about this case was spiraling beyond routine.

Slipping inside under the guise of detectives, they trailed the injured thugs to the ER. One of them, barely coherent, blinked up as Hunter leaned in close. “Where did you find the girl?” Hunter growled, his golden eyes flashing. The thug whimpered, “D-don’t know... she just... snapped. Like a monster...like a damn nightmare... Fleming Heights…”

Ravena, already scrolling through hospital records on a borrowed tablet, tapped her screen. “Got her emergency contact. Raul Diamante.” “Let’s pay Daddy a visit,” Hunter said grimly.

The stench of stale beer and despair hit them the moment they entered the rundown building. Paint peeled from the walls, and the door to apartment 4C was hanging off one hinge.

Inside, Raul Diamante was sprawled on a torn couch, a half-empty bottle clutched to his chest. His gray eyes opened, glassy and bloodshot. “Who the hell...hic...are you?” “Looking for Narla Diamante Lunaria,” Ravena said coolly. “We need answers.”

Raul’s lip curled. “She ran off. Ungrateful brat. Like her mother..always acting like she was better than me...” Hunter’s jaw tightened. “Has Narla ever shown signs of being... different? Faster healing? Heightened senses?”

Raul scoffed. “That girl? She’s not special. Doesn’t even know who she is. Always dreaming. Drawing. Talking about some moon queen and spirit wolves. Useless fantasies.” Ravena’s eyes sharpened. “Spirit wolves?”

Raul belched and waved them off. “Just like her mother... obsessed with that Lunaria crap. Moonlight this, destiny that... left me to raise a kid I never wanted.” Hunter stepped forward, fists clenched, but Ravena placed a calming hand on his arm.

“He’s useless like this, barely coherent,” she said. “We’ll come back tomorrow.” As they left the apartment, the siblings shared a tense silence. “She’s definitely not just human,” Ravena finally said. “But if she doesn’t know what she is…” “She’s vulnerable,” Hunter finished. “And someone else knows it.”

Elsewhere at the Redmoon pack, Jared Redmoon sat on the stone balcony of his tower chamber, his silver eyes gazing at the stars that once brought him comfort. Now, they only reminded him of her. Narla Diamante Lunaria.

It had been two years since that first day she stepped into Elite Fangs High School. Sixteen, shy, but her eyes... they held stardust. The moment their eyes met, his wolf surged. Mate.

He felt her wolf, faint, almost embryonic, but it was there. So he waited. Waited for her shift. Waited for the moment she’d awaken to what she truly was. But it never came. As months turned to years, Narla became more human, her scent dulled, her instincts faded. And his hope withered.

Still, she felt something, the pull of the mate bond was undeniable. He knew it. She looked at him with a mixture of longing, and confusion, a silent question she didn’t understand. But he did. And he didn’t act.

The Redmoon elders didn’t help. His father had said it plainly: “A wolfless human cannot be Luna. Not of Redmoon. Not under my watch.” They pushed Kate Wolfgang at him. Kate is powerful, beautiful, and politically perfect. But she was not his fated mate.

So, even though he did not downright refuse to be with Kate, Jared had waited. He had waited for Narla’s eighteenth birthday, praying she would shift. But that day came and went… and nothing happened.

He had not touched or claimed Kate because part of him still hoped. But now… with Narla being human, he had no choice but to accept Kate. Although it hurt to let go of his fated mate, Jared believed it was best to have a befitting Luna by his side.

"Jared Redmoon!" He was suddenly pulled out of his reverie by his father, Alpha Burke Redmoon. "Urgh, sorry Dad. I was lost in thought and didn't hear you calling." His father scoffed but his expression softened.

"It's the full ,on tomorrow and the Luna ceremony must be done. I need to hand over the reigns to you, boy. You should claim Kate because time is running out and the elders and the council are becoming suspicious. And by the way, did you settle things with that human mate of yours?"

Jared sighed but still nodded. "Yes dad. I dealt with it. I broke up with her in human terms. She will just be heartbroken for a while but will ultimately move on. I could not not face her, so I sent her a text message instead." His voice dropped at the end.

Burke's eyes nearly popped as he listened to his son's nonsense. "Now, you listen here, boy. There's nothing like breaking up over the phone. You said it yourself, she felt the pull of the mate bond. Which means you need to find her soon and reject her properly or you will regret it! Heh! Broke up with a text message, indeed."

With that, the angry alpha slammed the door, leaving Jared stupefied. His mind was a jumbled mess but his heart was steeled. For the glory of the pack, he had truly let go of his fated mate. There was no going back to that hotheaded human. Jared knew Narla's temper and he was not ready to deal with her tantrums.

Instead, he made up his mind to claim Kate, that very night. He had too much pent up rage, and what better way to vent than to get the much needed physical gratification? And that too, from a strong shewolf who can match his energy and stamina! Only if he knew how his seemingly nonchalant decision would almost send Narla to meet her maker!