The Wolf in the Moonlight

Tyler POV 

That howl wasn’t one of ours, and it’s got my blood running cold. I’m on my bike, the engine’s growl a poor match for the sound still echoing in my head—low, haunting, and wrong. It’s not a pack call, not a hunter’s trick. It’s something older, something that doesn’t belong in Westbridge, and it’s calling for her. Vivian Harper. My mate. The realization hits harder than it should, a pull in my chest I can’t ignore, even as I gun the throttle and tear down the empty streets toward her scent.

I’m Tyler Grayson, future alpha of the Crescent Pack, and I’m supposed to have this under control. Find the lost wolf, bring her back—that’s what the elders said. They didn’t mention she’d be a shy girl with hazel eyes that see too much, or that her scent would wake something in me I can’t tame. I didn’t plan on feeling this… protective. But that howl, the way it cut through the night like a blade—it’s not just a warning. It’s a hunt, and Vivian’s the prey.

I skid to a stop a block from her house, the modest two-story glowing under a single porch light. Her scent is stronger here, wild and sharp, edged with something new—fear, yes, but also power, raw and untamed. She’s changing, faster than I expected, and if that howl means what I think, she’s not safe. Not tonight.

I kill the engine and move on foot, sticking to the shadows. The woods bordering her backyard are too quiet, the kind of quiet that hides claws and teeth. My senses sharpen—every rustle, every shift in the wind, tells me I’m not alone. I’m halfway to her house when my phone buzzes. Cassian Holt, my pack’s second, again. I answer, keeping my voice low.

“Ty, where are you?” Cassian’s tone is tight, urgent. “Ethan’s stirring the pack, saying you’re off chasing a girl instead of leading. We need you back.”

“Ethan can wait,” I snap, my eyes on Vivian’s house. “Something’s here, Cass. That howl—it’s not one of ours. I think it’s after her.”

“Her? The lost wolf?” He pauses, then curses under his breath. “If you’re right, you’re out of time. Moon’s peaking tonight. If she shifts without us—”

“I know,” I cut him off, my jaw tight. If Vivian shifts uncontrolled, she could hurt herself—or worse, draw every hunter in a hundred miles. “I’ve got this. Just keep Ethan in check.”

“You better,” Cassian says, but there’s doubt in his voice. “Don’t screw this up, Ty. Alpha’s on the line.”

I hang up, pocketing the phone, but his words linger. Alpha’s on the line. My birthright, my future, all riding on a girl who doesn’t even know what she is. I should be focused on the pack, on Ethan Wolfe’s schemes, but all I can think about is Vivian—her trembling voice when she asked what I meant, the way her scent calls to me like a moonlit path.

I’m at the edge of her backyard now, the old swing set creaking in the wind, her mother’s flowerbeds a tangle of shadows. Her scent is everywhere, a storm of fear and power, and it’s coming from the kitchen. I’m about to move closer when I hear it—a scream, raw and terrified, cutting through the night. Vivian.

My instincts take over, and I’m running before I can think, vaulting the low fence in one leap. The kitchen window’s lit, curtains yanked back, and I see her—on the floor, her hands clawing at the tile, her hazel eyes wide with panic. But that’s not what stops me. It’s the thing at the window. A creature, hunched and massive, its fur matted and dark, yellow eyes glowing with a hunger that makes my hackles rise. Not a wolf, not fully—something twisted, feral, a rogue that’s been hunting on the fringes of pack lands for years. And it’s found her.

“Vivian!” I shout, slamming my shoulder into the back door. It splinters under my strength, and I’m inside, the scent of her fear hitting me like a wave. She’s scrambling back, her nails—claws now—scraping the floor, leaving faint scratches in the tile.

“Tyler?” Her voice is a gasp, her eyes locking on mine, but there’s no time to explain. The creature snarls, its clawed hand shattering the window with a crash, glass raining across the counter. It’s coming for her, and I can’t let that happen.

“Stay back!” I yell, putting myself between her and the rogue. My pulse is a war drum, the moon’s pull stronger now, urging me to shift. I’ve held back too long, kept my wolf hidden to ease her into this, but there’s no choice now. She needs to see. She needs to know.

I turn to her, my voice low, urgent. “Don’t move, Vivian. Whatever you do, don’t run.”

Her breath hitches, but she nods, her hands trembling as she grips the edge of the counter. The rogue lunges, its claws raking the air where I stood a second ago, and I let the shift take me. It’s fast, a ripple of heat and power, my bones reshaping, fur spreading across my skin. In seconds, I’m not Tyler anymore—I’m a wolf, massive, with dark fur and green eyes that glow under the kitchen light. I snarl, baring my fangs, and the rogue hesitates, its yellow eyes narrowing.

“Tyler?” Vivian whispers, her voice breaking, but I can’t look at her. Not yet. The rogue lunges again, and I meet it head-on, our bodies colliding with a force that shakes the room. Its claws graze my shoulder, a sharp sting, but I’m stronger, faster. I snap my jaws, catching its arm, and throw it back, sending it crashing into the shattered window frame.

It scrambles up, snarling, but I’m already advancing, my growl a promise of what’s coming if it doesn’t run. The rogue takes the hint, retreating into the night with a final, hateful glare, its yellow eyes fading into the dark. I wait, every muscle tense, until I’m sure it’s gone.

I turn back to Vivian, shifting as I move, my wolf form melting away until I’m human again, kneeling in front of her. She’s staring at me, her face pale, her claws still glinting under the light. Her scent is a storm now—fear, confusion, and something else, something that matches the pull in my chest.

“Vivian,” I say, my voice rough from the shift, “we need to talk.”

Her lips part, but no words come. Then her eyes roll back, and she collapses, her body going limp as the moon’s power and the night’s terror finally take their toll.