3

AURORA

After Damon agreed to meet in the woods, the phone went straight into my pocket and I moved fast down the narrow path that wound between the trees. Dry leaves cracked under my shoes. Branches brushed my arms as I pushed past them.

Hands were tight at my sides. Nails dug into my palms. Thoughts would not settle. Desperation kept rising. Anger sat heavy in my chest. Dread followed close behind.

The woods felt wrong tonight. Too quiet. No wind in the branches. No animals moving through the brush. Only the steady удар of my feet against the dirt and the harsh sound of my breathing.

Every step brought me closer to Damon.

Every step also fed the storm building inside me.

It felt like something large was pressing against my ribs, trying to claw its way out. The urge to break something, to hurt something, flashed through my mind before I could stop it.

Nothing was going to block me from this conversation.

A glance up at the sky made my stomach drop. No moon. Just darkness stretching wide overhead.

New moon.

The strongest night of the month for my kind.

Of course it had to be tonight.

That explained the pressure behind my eyes. The way my skin felt too tight. The way control kept slipping through my fingers no matter how hard I tried to hold it.

By the time I reached the clearing, pacing had already started. Back and forth across the grass. Then again. And again.

My heart would not slow down.

Agreeing to Father’s arrangement had seemed like the only option when he demanded it. There had been no room to argue. No space to think. Survival had come first.

But standing here now, surrounded by trees and open sky, doubt crept in.

How could Damon understand any of this?

How could he look at me after tonight and still see the woman he loved?

Truth was necessary. He deserved that much.

Still, a small part of me hoped love would be stronger than fear. Hoped he would listen. Hoped he would stay.

A soft shift in the air made me freeze.

His scent reached me first. Familiar. Warm. Human.

Damon.

When he stepped into the clearing, his face was tight with concern. His eyes searched mine, already worried. That almost made me falter.

He had no idea what was coming.

He was territorial. Protective. Even compared to other human men. Learning that I was not human would shake him. Learning that fate demanded I mate with someone else would crush him.

Muscles locked in place. Braced for anger. For disbelief. For loss.

“What’s going on?” he asked, stepping closer. “Why did we have to meet out here?”

The words had barely left his mouth when the new moon magic struck.

It was sudden. Violent.

Energy ripped through my body like a live wire.

The wolf surged forward, reacting before I could think. It was instinct. Protection. Survival.

My body folded inward. Knees buckled. A sharp cry tore from my throat as my spine arched back at an unnatural angle.

Bones cracked. Shifted. Popped into new positions. The sound echoed in the clearing.

Damon shouted my name, but his voice sounded distant, like it came from underwater.

Pain flooded every nerve. Skin stretched tight. Heat poured through me.

The smell of something like burning ash filled the air as teeth pushed longer in my mouth and ears sharpened beneath spreading fur.

Breathing turned rough and animal.

Then the wolf fully took control.

Sight snapped into focus. Every blade of grass stood out clear. Every sound carried through the trees.

But the pain did not stop.

It moved lower. Concentrated in my core. In my pelvis. A burning, twisting ache that made my legs tremble.

The first wave of true mating heat.

A howl tore free before I could hold it back.

“Aurora, what the fuck is happening?” Damon’s voice cracked with fear.

Looking at him through wolf eyes, I saw it clearly. Terror. Confusion. Revulsion starting to form.

He staggered back.

He began shouting for help.

That could not happen.

The wolf resisted, but I forced myself to focus. Forced the magic to turn inward again.

Changing back hurt just as much.

Muscles twisted. Bones shrank. Fur receded. Skin burned.

When it ended, I lay naked on the cool grass, shaking from head to toe. The night air chilled my overheated skin.

Damon stood a few steps away, breathing hard.

“What the hell are you?” he demanded. “What is happening?”

“A wolf shifter,” I managed, voice rough and thin.

The heat inside my body flared again, stronger than before. It felt like fire pooling low in my belly, spreading through my veins.

“You’re a monster.”

The word hit harder than the transformation.

Tears slipped down my temples into the grass.

“It’s still me,” I said. “I’m the same woman you love.”

“Are you serious?” His face twisted. “You were all teeth and claws and hair. I don’t even know what to call you.”

Disgust sharpened his tone. His shoulders pulled back like he needed distance.

Each word dug in deep.

The heat inside me pulsed harder, mixing with humiliation and hurt.

“It’s me,” I tried again. “Aurora. I’m just”

“Don’t. I knew you were different, but this? This is beyond messed up.”

“It’s not a big deal. I can control it”

A violent wave of pain cut me off. It ripped through my abdomen and forced me forward with a broken sound.

The mating heat intensified. My body demanded something it could not have.

I pushed myself upright, unsteady on my feet.

“Please,” I said, reaching for him. “You’re my mate. I need you.”

He shoved me away without hesitation.

Balance failed. I hit the ground hard, air leaving my lungs.

“Your what?” he yelled. “You’re insane. I’m not some animal. Stay away from me. Stay away from everyone. We don’t need monsters here.”

“A monster?” The word came out low, almost a growl. “That’s rich. I thought you were stronger than this.”

“Fuck you,” he snapped, turning his back.

Watching him walk away cracked something open inside my chest.

Rejection settled deep. Heavy. Final.

Rage followed quickly. Hot and sharp.

The wolf inside me stirred, wounded and furious.

Before I could think, I lunged.

Teeth lengthened midair. They sank into his shoulder through thin fabric, breaking skin. The taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit down near the tendons of his neck.

He shouted in pain and threw me off with force.

My body hit the leaves and rolled. The world spun.

By the time I pushed up onto my hands, he was already running. Not looking back.

Gone.

He had seen what I truly was.

And he chose fear.

Slowly, I forced myself to stand. Limbs felt weak. Heat still burned low and constant, refusing to fade.

Fate could not be this cruel. Damon could not be my mate. Not after this.

Another surge of pain bent me forward against the nearest tree. Forehead pressed into rough bark. Fingers dug into the trunk for support.

Breathing came in shallow pulls.

One man offering an arranged mating.

One man I wanted but could not touch.

And the one I believed would stand beside me had called me a monster.

Head lifted toward the empty sky.

A long, broken howl rose from deep in my chest and carried through the trees.

The world could hear. It no longer mattered.

A wolf shifter stood alone in the forest, body burning in her first true mating heat, heart split open under a moonless sky.

Let them all turn away.