Chapter 12: Is this a Date?

Rowan’s POV

The sun hadn’t even risen yet when I opened my eyes. Not because of the alarm. Because of her. Aurora Hayes. The girl who shouldn’t matter.

The girl who had no idea what kind of chaos lived just under the surface of this town. The one I left my pack for in order to warm her up and have her come back home with me as my Luna.

She mattered to me. Too much some people might say but they wouldn’t understand.

I had only been in Silver Creek for a few weeks, but every second near her felt like being rewired from the inside out. Like someone had taken my bones apart and built them around her.

She didn’t even know what she was. But I did. And so did my wolf.

The moment I stepped onto Pine Ridge High’s campus, my senses had zeroed in on her like a damn compass. Her scent is lavender and rain. Her voice is warm and unsure. Her laugh, rare but real.

And those eyes…

My wolf went silent the first time we locked eyes. Not from confusion. From recognition. And now? Now I couldn’t stay away from her, even if I tried. Which I had.

At least three times. But it never lasted more than a few hours before my thoughts drifted right back to her. The way she always seemed on the edge of something she couldn’t name.

The way she flinched when people got too close. The way she didn’t flinch when Zander Blake barked at her in the hallway like she was nothing.

She met his fire with stone. And now she was mine to protect. Maybe not officially. Not yet. But fate didn’t care about the official.

Fate knew. And today—today was important. Her sixteenth birthday.

I rolled over and grabbed my phone off the nightstand, heart already pounding harder than it should. My fingers hovered over the screen for a few seconds before I opened her contact.

I hadn’t messaged her since the day we were paired up for that English project—when she’d texted me about a book I hadn’t even read.

She was sarcastic.

Nervous.

Cute.

And it had taken everything in me not to type paragraphs in return. But now I stared at the blinking cursor, willing myself to be cool. Normal. Just a guy texting a girl on her birthday.

Not a future Alpha trying not to lose his mind over a girl whose blood hummed with ancient power. I typed and deleted three different openings. Then finally settled on:

Rowan:

Happy birthday. Feel like letting me buy you a coffee this morning?

I stared at it.

Simple.

Casual.

Just one line.

I hit send before I could chicken out. Then I immediately regretted it. What if it was too soon? What if she thought it was weird? What if she was with someone else today?

What if it was Zander?

My wolf growled low in my chest at the thought. Possessive. Hungry.

“No,” I muttered. “She’s not his. She’s not anyone’s.. yet.”

But if I was right—if she was like me—she wouldn’t stay unclaimed for long. And I wasn’t going to let someone like Zander Blake be the one to sink his claws into her first.

I wanted to earn her trust. Not steal it. I stood, stretching, trying to shake off the weight of the thoughts building in my chest.

Today wasn’t about fighting. Today was about her. And I’d take whatever time she was willing to give me. Even if it was just ten minutes over coffee.

30 Minutes Later

I kept my phone close while I showered. While I changed. While I made a pathetic attempt at fixing my hair.

Still no reply. My thumb hovered over the screen again, ready to send a follow-up. I didn’t. I wouldn’t pressure her. She didn’t owe me anything.

Then, just as I reached for my jacket—

Buzz.

My entire chest tightened as I read her name lighting up my phone.

Aurora:

You really remembered my birthday?

My heart cracked open a little.

I smiled.

Rowan:

Of course I did.

Is that a yes?

Three dots appeared.

Then vanished.

Then came back.

Finally:

Aurora:

Yeah… okay.

Pick me up in 20? But I have to be back by 10am because Ember is coming over.

I grabbed my keys, heart racing like I was gearing up for a battle. But this wasn’t a fight. It was the beginning of something hopefully good. Something fated. Today was her birthday.

And I was going to make sure she started it with someone who saw her. All of her. Even the parts she hadn’t discovered yet.

Aurora’s POV

I didn’t know why I said yes.

I mean, it was just coffee. A birthday coffee, technically. But something about Rowan’s text had sent my heart into a low, persistent flutter that hadn’t stopped since I read it.

Happy birthday.

Feel like letting me buy you a coffee this morning? The words were simple. But they felt like more. Everything about Rowan always felt like more.

He pulled up right on time—gray hoodie, black jeans, hair still damp from a shower. He didn’t say much when I got in the car, just offered a soft “Happy birthday” that somehow hit deeper than the big smiles and balloons my mom left in the kitchen.

And when our hands brushed as I buckled in, I felt it again. That spark. It wasn’t static. It wasn’t my imagination.

It was like a pulse of heat shot from my fingers up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

I jerked away slightly, heart stumbling in my chest. He didn’t flinch.

The coffee shop he took me to wasn’t a chain. It was quiet, old-school. Dark wood floors, hand-written chalkboard menu, warm cinnamon smells that wrapped around me the second we walked in.

The second time our hands brushed—when he passed me the warm cup—I felt it again.

Spark.

A warm, tingling jolt that made me shiver and drop my gaze like I’d just been caught staring.

What the hell was wrong with me? Or.. what the hell was happening to me? I feel like I’m going crazy? We sat near the back, away from the other early risers.

Rowan hadn’t said much on the drive over, but now he watched me carefully from across the table. Not in a creepy way. Not in a judgmental way.

In a way that made me feel seen. And maybe that was the scariest part. “Do you feel it too?” I asked before I could stop myself.

He tilted his head slightly. “Feel what?”

“That… thing. When we touch. The little jolt.”

His lips quirked, but not into a smirk. It was softer than that. Sad, maybe.

“You notice it?”

I nodded. “It’s not normal. Is it?”

“No,” he said. “It’s not.”

I swallowed, my fingers tightening around the cup.

“What is it?”

He was quiet for a long time. Too long. Then he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Have you ever felt like there was someone you were always supposed to find, even if you didn’t know why?” I stared at him.

“That feeling,” he continued, “that pull—that certainty that someone matters even before you understand them—that’s real, Aurora. And it doesn’t happen to just anyone.”

My throat went dry. “Are you saying you… feel that?” His eyes locked with mine.

“I’m saying I know what it means.”

“Rowan,” I whispered. “You’re not making sense.”

He looked away, his jaw working like he was fighting something inside himself.

“It’s not time yet,” he muttered.

“Time for what?”

His eyes flicked back to mine, intense. Vulnerable.

“Things are changing,” he said. “And once the change starts, it doesn’t stop. Your instincts—the way your body reacts, the things you notice—all of that? It’s part of who you are. Who you’ve always been.”

“I don’t understand,” I whispered.

“I know. And I want to explain, but…” He trailed off, breathing through his nose. “Telling you now might hurt you more than help.”

I shook my head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe not yet. But soon it will.”

A beat of silence stretched between us.

Then he added, softly, “Your soul recognizes me. Even if your mind doesn’t.” That stopped my heart.

“What?” I look at him like he’s a crazy person. Rowan looked down at the table, then slowly reached across it and brushed his fingers against mine.

Spark.

That same rush. That warmth. That hum that felt more alive than anything I’d ever known.

“You feel it too,” he said. I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. Because I did feel it. And for some reason, I wanted to chase it. Wrap myself in it. Let it swallow me whole.

“You and I,” Rowan said quietly, like he was confessing something sacred, “we’re connected. The Moon… she doesn’t make mistakes.”

“The moon?” Rowan sat back, clearly realizing he’d gone too far. But he didn’t take it back. He just gave me a look that sent chills down my spine—not because it was threatening, but because it was true.

“I know you don’t understand,” he said. “And that’s okay. I’ll wait.”

“For what?”

“For you,” he said, voice fierce and low. “For the moment when everything clicks. When you finally see yourself the way I already do.”

I stared at him, my pulse thudding loud in my ears. He stood then, slowly, like if he didn’t pull away he might do something reckless. Like grab my hand. Or kiss me. Or tell me more.

And I realized something terrifying. I wouldn’t have stopped him. Not because I understood. But because I wanted to. Rowan was walking me to the door when the bell above the shop rang again.

We both turned. And there he was. Zander. Backlit by sunlight and wearing that stormy, dangerous expression that always seemed to follow him.

He looked at Rowan’s hand brushing against mine. And his jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle twitch.

“Told you,” Rowan whispered, not taking his eyes off Zander. “It’s not just me who feels the bond.”

“What bond?”

But he was already stepping aside. Letting Zander get closer. Letting the fire meet the storm. And I stood there.. Between the two of them.. Caught in the middle of something I didn’t understand—

Until I hear Ember's voice break through my thoughts and I see her push not only Zander but Rowen out of the way. Hearing a low growl come from both of them but Ember just rolls her eyes and continues.

“Girl I was wondering where you weren't answering my calls and texts and it’s 10. We need to get going.” Ember grabs my hand and whisks me out of the little coffee shop and into Zander’s car.