Chapter 11: The Calm Before The Storm

Ember’s POV

Liam’s arms wrapped around me like armor, and for a little while, I let myself pretend that everything was going to be okay.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t.

Not yet.

Because Aurora was on the edge of something massive, and she didn’t even know it. She was still smiling through her confusion, still trusting the world she’d grown up in.

I tilted my head back to look up at Liam. His face was the calm to my storm, always was. His deep brown eyes, the faint scar by his left brow from a rogue attack two summers ago.

The way his hand instinctively found mine when I was spiraling—all of it reminded me that he was real. That love like ours was possible.

“She’s going to find out soon,” I said, voice low. “I can feel it.”

“She might not.”

“She will,” I insisted. “You saw how she reacted to Zander and Rowan tonight. Her senses are sharpening. She’s feeling things she can’t explain.

You think it’s just a coincidence that both of them clocked her at the exact same moment?”

Liam sighed. “No. That was fate. Or chaos. Sometimes the two blur. The moon goddess can be confusing sometimes.”

“Rowan’s already emotionally tied to her. It’s written all over his face.”

“And Zander?”

I hesitated. That was harder.

“Zander.. is Zander. Stupid, reckless, emotionally constipated Zander,” I muttered.

“He’s been tormenting her for years. And now that he is learning the truth and her birthday is tomorrow night not to mention—he’s spiraling.

He doesn't know what to think. But I have a feeling he will understand better tomorrow night. You saw the way he played tonight. It wasn’t about the game. He was fighting himself.”

Liam nodded. “He was barely holding it together. That last touchdown? Pure aggression.”

“He’s terrified.”

“And jealous.”

“And a complete idiot.”

Liam smirked. “Maybe. But he’s your idiot.”

I groaned and leaned into him. “He’s going to screw it up, Liam. I know it.”

He didn’t argue.

Zander was my older brother. My best friend growing up. My pain-in-the-ass protector.

But when it came to feelings—especially where Aurora was concerned—he was like a wolf with two left paws, tripping over his own fear.

He didn’t just bully her out of cruelty.

He bullied her out of panic.

Because even before either of them could shift, something in Zander knew she was important.

And now, it was coming to a head.

“She’s going to find out everything soon,” I whispered. “And when she does.

I don’t know what’s going to hurt her more: the fact that we lied to her, or the fact that her fated mates treated her like she was nothing.”

“She’s stronger than you think,” Liam said again.

“I know she is,” I replied. “But strength doesn’t mean she won’t break.”

We stood in silence for a few moments, just breathing. His fingers found mine and laced them together.

Then I said something I hadn’t said out loud yet.

“I don’t think it’s just Zander.”

Liam tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean.. I don’t think Zander and Rowan are just rivals or territorial. I think they’re both her mates.”

Liam blinked. “Two Alphas?”

I nodded.

“Has that ever happened before?”

“Only once. Maybe twice. There are legends. One was Luna who had twin mates—two brothers from rival packs. It ended in blood and fire.”

“And the other?”

“Ended in peace. But only because Luna chose both.”

Liam’s brows drew together. “You think Aurora will have to choose?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “She might not get to. The bond chooses. The Moon Goddess chooses.”

“And what if it’s both?”

“Then they’ll both have to fight for her. Not against each other, but for her trust. For her heart.”

He was quiet for a while, just stroking my hand gently.

Then he whispered, “She’ll never be the same.”

“No,” I said, closing my eyes. “None of us will.”

Later that night, I sat in my room, curled up in the window seat, watching the moon rise. It was almost full, glowing like a warning bell in the dark sky.

I could feel it calling.

Even though I wasn’t shifting tonight, the pull of it still hummed through my bones like electricity. And I wondered if Aurora felt it too.

Was she lying in bed right now, staring at her ceiling, heart pounding for reasons she didn’t understand?

Was she thinking of Rowan? Zander? The heat in their eyes?

Was she scared?

I’d never seen her so quiet. Usually she’d be complaining about the noise or the smell or how jocks were overrated.

But tonight.. She looked like someone trying to remember a dream before it slipped away.

Tomorrow was her birthday.

Her sixteenth.

The age of awakening.

If she was mated to Zander and Rowen then they wouldn’t be able to stay away from her.

And when that happens. the entire world would tilt.

AURORA’S POV

The wind howled louder than usual. It slipped through the cracks in my windows and rattled the trees outside like a warning. Like something was stirring.

I sat on the edge of my bed, the soft hum of my lamp casting long shadows across the walls.

I should’ve been finishing my English paper or scrolling mindlessly through my phone like any other almost-sixteen-year-old, but I couldn’t shake the feeling crawling up my spine.

Like I was being watched.

I glanced toward the window for the third time in ten minutes.

Nothing.

Just the dense woods swaying in the dark beyond the glass. The same woods that bordered our backyard.

The same ones I’d climbed through as a kid, pretending I was on some quest or searching for buried treasure.

But tonight, they looked.. different.

Deeper.

Darker.

Alive.

I pushed to my feet and drew the curtains shut, then turned on my music—low and familiar. Something mellow. Something safe. Still, it didn’t soothe me. Not tonight.

Something in the air felt off.

My skin prickled like I was standing too close to a static charge. My pulse beat a little too hard against my wrist, and every breath felt shallow.

I shook it off, grabbed my hoodie from the floor, and padded down the stairs. The clock on the microwave read 11:17 PM.

My parents were already in bed, their room at the opposite end of the house. The only sounds were the soft tick of the kitchen clock and the wind outside pressing against the windows like it wanted to.

I needed air.

Or maybe I needed to prove to myself that there was nothing out there.

I slid the back door open and stepped onto the porch, pulling the hoodie tighter around me.

Cold bit at my skin.

The trees rustled.

Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted.

I leaned against the railing, taking deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out.

Until the hairs on the back of my neck lifted.

I turned my head slowly.

That’s when I saw it.

Eyes.

Not glowing red like in a horror movie. Not soft and brown like an animal.

But yellow.

Sharp. Bright. Intelligent.

Watching me.

They hovered just past the tree line—unmoving, unblinking.

I froze.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t breathe.

Whatever it was… it was staring directly at me.

My heart slammed against my ribs, thudding in my ears like a drumbeat. I stepped back, slowly, carefully, not taking my eyes off those two glowing orbs. My hand reached behind me, found the doorframe.

And then—

The eyes disappeared.

Just like that.

Gone.

I didn’t wait another second. I bolted inside, slammed the door, and locked it.

My breaths came in ragged gasps as I pressed my back against the wood.

What the hell was that?

I rushed upstairs, every step creaking too loud, like the house was scolding me. When I got back to my room, I yanked the curtains open again and stared out the window.

Nothing. But I knew what I’d seen. I wasn’t imagining it. Those eyes were real. And they had been staring right into my soul.

I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those eyes again yellow, silent, knowing.

The worst part wasn’t that they scared me. It was that they didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar. Like some part of me.. recognized them. And that part of me? Wasn’t scared at all.