Chapter 1: Home

Raven’s Point of View

The forest was just as I remembered it, calm, familiar, and alive with that quiet kind of magic only a werewolf could feel. I inhaled deeply as I crossed the border into Hallowed Pine, the scent of earth and pine wrapping around me like a warm blanket. It had been years since I walked this path. Three years to be exact, three years of agonizing pain of not being able to shift. 

The training was grueling. Medical school on its own was already a battlefield, but when you added combat drills, field healing in full shift, and the pressure of representing your pack at one of the top academies, it became something else entirely, but I made it through. I graduated, got certified and licensed. For three years, I endured so much and now I am finally home.

The clinic would be mine soon enough, just like I promised Dad. And just like Alpha River promised me. He was my mate and my future. 

He believed in me before anyone else did, and even though I hadn’t seen him yet, I knew he’d be waiting when the time was right.

The path opened into the main clearing. The buildings were just how I left them, some touched up, a few with fresh paint, but everything still held the bones of home. I passed the warrior post and caught a few curious glances. I guess word hadn’t spread yet.

A young male stepped out from the side of the pack house, pausing mid-step when he saw me. His eyes widened, and then he smiled, a bit too big for someone who was trying to play it cool.

“You’re Raven, right?” he called out.

I nodded. “That obvious?”

He laughed, jogging over. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen, all lanky limbs and teenage energy. His aura was faintly Alpha, just enough to make me pause.

“I’m Kellan,” he said. “I’m Alpha River’s cousin. He’s not here yet, but he told me to keep an eye out for you.”

Of course he did.

I raised an eyebrow. 

“Didn’t think the Alpha would send a kid for something this important.”

He straightened a little at that, puffing up with pride. “I’m not a kid. I’m his future beta in training.”

That made me smile. 

“Well then, Beta-in-training Kellan, I appreciate the welcome.”

He beamed, clearly pleased with himself. 

“We’re all really excited to have you back, you know. People still talk about your dad like he’s some kind of legend. They say you’ve got his hands.”

I blinked at that, more touched than I expected to be. 

“I hope I do.”

He gestured toward the pack house. 

“Come on, I’ll help you get settled. River said you could take the East wing until your place is ready. I can show you the clinic too, if you want.”

I glanced back toward the trees one last time, feeling my wolf stir with anticipation.

“No need,” I said, adjusting the strap of my bag. “I know my way, Kellan but thank you.”

My wolf was enthusiastic, both of us were excited because this wasn’t just my homecoming, it was the start of something bigger. I wasn’t here to rest. I was here to work, to serve, to take my place beside my mate,not just as Luna, but as the next pack doctor.

And I was ready.

Kellan meant well, but I knew River better than he did.

“He’s not here yet,” he said. 

Right. At seven in the morning, when River practically growled at the sun every time it dared to wake him early? Not a chance.

So instead of heading straight for the pack house, I veered off toward a smaller trail lined with smooth stones and overgrown grass. It led to River’s place, the Alpha’s personal residence. Private, quiet, tucked between thick pine trees that hid it from most of the village paths. Not many bothered him here.

I slowed as I reached the porch. The steps still creaked like they used to, but I avoided the loud one near the third plank. I knew every corner of this place. Every groove in the railing, every mark in the wood from when we were too reckless with training weapons or careless with late-night drinks.

The door was unlocked. Of course it was. River always said no one was stupid enough to rob an Alpha. I pushed it open, slow and careful, making sure it didn’t creak.

The house was dim, the curtains weren’t drawn yet, and the faint smell of pinewood and cedar lingered, his scent. Gods, I missed it more than I wanted to admit.

My boots barely made a sound as I stepped inside. The living room was exactly the same. Couch still slightly sunken in on the right side where River always sat, a half-finished book on the table, and an old training jacket tossed carelessly over a chair. Typical.

I was about to call out his name, maybe to tease him for sending his kid cousin to lie for him, when I heard it.

A sound. It was faint that a human wouldn’t catch it. I listened and then there it was a  giggle. Soft and it belongs to a female.

I froze.

My wolf tensed beneath my skin, ears perked and alert. I took another step, more cautious this time. The sound hadn’t come from the main floor. Upstairs, in his room.

A million things raced through my head, but I forced them down. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe someone came by to talk. Maybe Kellan had been right and River really wasn’t home and-

No. River’s scent was fresh, warm, alive in this house. He was here. And someone else was, too.

I moved without sound, climbing the stairs like a ghost. Each footstep was placed with precision. No creaks. No warning.

The door to his room was cracked open just slightly, light slipping through the gap. I stepped closer and paused, listening. Another giggle. Then a voice. It was too soft to make out, and then River’s. His voice, low, gruff, laced with something I couldn’t quite place. Not playful, not exactly… happy either, but intimate.

I stood there, my fingers brushing the doorframe, heart beating slower than normal but harder with each pulse. I didn’t move. I didn’t speak. I just listened.

Whatever was waiting behind that door… it wasn’t what I expected to find on the morning I finally came home.