After what might have been minutes or hours, we reached a small clearing bathed in moonlight. Caleb slowed to a stop, turning to watch me as I entered the open space.

"How do you feel?" he asked.


I took inventory of my body, surprised to find the pain and tension had subsided. "Better," I admitted. "More... balanced."

"Your wolf needed this," he explained. "Connection with the moon, with the forest. These are part of what we are."

"What we are," I repeated softly, testing the concept. "Werewolves."


"More than that," he said, moving closer. "We're protectors of the land, keepers of balance. The wolf is only part of our nature—the part that connects us to the wild, to instinct and freedom. But we're still human too, with all the complexity that entails."

I looked up at the moon, feeling its pull like a physical touch. "My mother rejected this part of herself. She chose to live entirely human."


"She was trying to protect you," Caleb said gently. "The hunters had targeted her family specifically because of their bloodline. She thought by hiding among humans, by raising you without knowledge of your heritage, she could keep you safe."

"But it didn't work," I said, the old grief mixing with new understanding. "They found her anyway."

"Yes." His expression darkened. "We believe someone betrayed her location to the hunters. Someone who knew about her research, about what she was documenting regarding bloodline abilities."

A terrible suspicion formed in my mind. "Someone from the werewolf community? One of your kind—our kind?"

He nodded grimly. "Not everyone believes in peaceful coexistence between packs. There are those who seek power at any cost, who would use the special abilities of bloodlines like yours to dominate others."

"Like Marcus?" I asked, remembering the cold calculation in his eyes when he spoke of my mother.

Caleb hesitated. "My uncle is... complicated. Power-hungry, yes, but I don't believe he would ally with hunters. They're a threat to all werewolves."

I wasn't entirely convinced, but I let it go for now. There were more pressing questions. "You said my first transformation will happen around my birthday. What should I expect? Will it be... painful?"

"It can be," he admitted. "The first shift is always the hardest because you don't know how to surrender to it. Fighting the change makes it worse."

"And afterward? Will I be... me? Will I remember who I am, or will I be dangerous?"

He moved closer, his expression softening. "You'll still be you, Eve. The wolf doesn't replace your human consciousness—it merges with it. With training, you'll maintain awareness and control even in wolf form."

"Training," I repeated. "From you?"

"If you'll allow it." He reached out slowly, giving me time to pull away, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I want to help you through this, Eve. Not because of your bloodline or pack politics, but because I care about you."

The simple touch sent warmth cascading through me, different from the moon-fever but no less powerful. Despite everything—the secrets, the manipulations, the upheaval of my entire identity—I believed him.

"I'm still angry," I warned him. "About the deception. About you knowing what was happening to me and not telling me sooner."

"I know," he acknowledged. "And you have every right to be. I should have been honest from the beginning."

"Why weren't you?"

He sighed, his hand dropping from my face. "Fear, partly. Fear that you'd run if you knew the truth too soon. That you'd reject your heritage completely, as your mother did. And selfishly..." He hesitated. "I enjoyed being with you as just Caleb, not as the Blackwood Alpha heir with all the expectations and politics that entails. When we were pretending, paradoxically, I could be more myself with you than I've been with anyone in years."

The admission struck a chord within me. Hadn't I felt the same? In playing the role of Caleb's girlfriend, I'd discovered parts of myself I'd kept hidden—strength, confidence, a capacity for connection I'd denied myself since my mother's death.

"So where does that leave us?" I asked quietly. "The contract, the arrangement—none of that matters anymore. The truth is out."

"That's up to you," he said, his eyes holding mine. "I won't force you into anything, Eve. If you want to walk away from all of this—from the pack, from me—I'll respect that choice. I'll still make sure you're protected during your transition, but after that, your life is your own."

The offer of freedom was tempting. I could run, as my mother had, try to deny this new reality and return to my simple human existence. But something in me—perhaps the awakening wolf, perhaps just my own evolving understanding—knew that wasn't possible. I couldn't un-know the truth. Couldn't un-feel the connection I had to this world, to the forest around us, to the man standing before me.

"I don't want to walk away," I admitted finally. "I'm scared and confused and still processing everything, but... I want to understand this part of myself. I want to know who—what—I really am."

Relief washed over his features. "Then I'll help you. We'll take it slowly, one day at a time."

"And us?" I asked, the question slipping out before I could reconsider. "What are we now? The fake relationship was built on lies, but..."

"But the feelings weren't fake," he finished, stepping closer. "At least, not for me."

My heart raced as he reached for me, his hands framing my face with exquisite gentleness. The heat of his touch sent electricity cascading down my spine, his scent—cedar and wild rain—intensifying with his desire, wrapping around me like an invisible caress.

"Not for me either," I whispered, my voice husky with need.

The kiss began softly, a question, before transforming into something primal and demanding. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, seeking entrance that I eagerly granted. The taste of him was intoxicating—wild honey and something untamed that called to my wolf. Our tongues danced, each stroke sending waves of pleasure through my body.

I pressed against him, feeling every hard plane of his chest against my softer curves. My fingers tangled in his dark hair, holding him to me as if afraid he might disappear. His hands weren't idle, tracing burning paths down my sides, thumbs brushing the sensitive skin just beneath my breasts, making me arch into his touch.

A low growl rumbled from deep in his chest when I nipped at his lower lip. The sound vibrated through me, awakening something equally wild in response. His hands slid lower, gripping my hips and pulling me firmly against him, leaving no doubt about his desire.

"I've wanted this—wanted you—from the moment I saw you," he murmured against my neck, his breath hot on my skin as he traced a path of kisses down to my collarbone. Each touch of his lips sent sparks of pleasure radiating outward.

When we finally broke apart, both trembling with restraint, his eyes were fully gold—his wolf close to the surface. I knew mine reflected the same hunger, the same need to claim and be claimed. The mate bond between us pulsed with shared desire, a living thing connecting us on levels beyond the physical.

"Eve," he breathed, resting his forehead against mine. "If we don't stop now…"

I understood his meaning perfectly. This wasn't the time or place, not with so much still unresolved between us. But the promise of what would come hung in the air between us, sweet and inevitable as the moon's pull on our wolves.

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly, stepping back though every cell in my body protested the distance. "But this conversation isn't over."

A smile tugged at his lips. "I should hope not."

We made our way back through the forest at a more leisurely pace, the urgency of the moon-fever having subsided to manageable levels. By the time we reached my house, I felt almost normal again—if my new reality could ever be considered normal.

At my back door, Caleb paused. "Will you come to the estate tomorrow? There's more you need to know, more preparation for what's coming."

I nodded. "I'll come. But I need to talk to my dad first. He deserves to know the truth about Mom, about me."

Concern flashed across Caleb's features. "Are you sure that's wise? Your father is human. Our laws about revealing ourselves—"

"He's my father," I said firmly. "And he loved my mother, werewolf or not. He deserves to know why she died, why I'm changing. I won't keep him in the dark."

Caleb studied me for a long moment before nodding. "You're right. Family should come first." He hesitated. "Would you like me to be there when you tell him? It might help to have someone who can answer his questions."

The offer touched me deeply. "Yes," I said. "I think that would help. He gets back tomorrow afternoon."

"Then I'll come tomorrow evening," he promised. "Just call when you're ready."

He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead—a gesture so tender it made my throat tight with emotion. "Try to rest," he murmured. "The moon's pull will ease as it begins to wane."

As I watched him disappear into the darkness, I realized how completely my life had transformed in just a few days. The world I thought I knew had been replaced by one filled with wolves and moonlight, ancient bloodlines and hidden dangers.

Yet somehow, despite the fear and uncertainty, I felt more alive than I had in years. More connected—to nature, to my own body, to the heritage my mother had tried to hide from me.

And to Caleb, whose secrets had upended my world but whose presence now felt like the only stable ground in a shifting landscape.

Whatever came next—my first transformation, the truth about my mother's death, the politics of the werewolf world I was reluctantly joining—at least I wouldn't face it alone.