Callista's breath came in short, uneven gasps.
One moment, there had been a wolf—huge, wild, and terrifying. The next, a man stood before her, his ocean blue eyes burning into hers like molten fire.
Her mind struggled to process what she had just witnessed. This wasn't possible. People didn't turn into wolves. Wolves didn't speak insideCallista's breath came in short, uneven gasps.
One moment, there had been a wolf—huge, wild, and terrifying. The next, a man stood before her, his ocean blue eyes burning into hers like molten fire.
Her mind struggled to process what she had just witnessed. This wasn't possible. People didn't turn into wolves. Wolves didn't speak inside your head.
And yet, here he was.
He took a slow step forward, and Callista scrambled back, her palms scraping against the forest floor. "Stay away from me!"
The stranger paused, his expression unreadable. The moonlight cast sharp shadows across his face, highlighting his strong jaw and the tousled black hair that framed his sharp features. He looked no older than eighteen, his body lean but powerful, like a predator who was always ready to strike.
"I won't hurt you," he said, his voice deep and smooth—no longer the eerie one that had echoed in her mind.
"Yeah? Well, forgive me if I don't believe the giant wolf who just turned into a guy in front of me," she snapped, her pulse still racing.
Something flickered in his eyes. Amusement? No. Something darker.
"You shouldn't have come here," he murmured.
Callista clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I didn't mean to! I just—" She hesitated. How could she explain the pull she had felt? The unshakable feeling that something was waiting for her in the woods?
The stranger studied her, his golden gaze unnervingly intense. "Who are you?"
The question made her stomach twist.
She opened her mouth to answer, but then something else struck her.
Why was he asking that?
Shouldn't he know who she was? Shouldn't everyone in town? Ravenshire wasn't that big, and even if she wasn't the most popular girl in school, she wasn't invisible either.
Callista frowned. "Who are you?" she shot back instead.
For a moment, he didn't answer. Then, with a quiet sigh, he ran a hand through his messy hair. "My name is Lucien"
Lucien.
The name sent a strange shiver through her. It sounded familiar, yet distant, like a memory just out of reach.
"Well, Lucien," she said, forcing strength into her voice, "I'd really appreciate it if you'd explain what the hell just happened, because I'm freaking out right now."
Lucien watched her for a long moment before finally speaking. "You stepped into our territory."
Callista's stomach twisted. "Our?"
"The Blue Moon Pack," he said. "You're standing in a place that belongs to us."
A pack. Like… wolves?
Panic flared in her chest. I walked into a pack of wolves? Of werewolves?!
Her mother's voice echoed in her head. Never go into the woods, Callista. Never.
Oh, God.
Lucien sighed, tilting his head slightly. "You really have no idea, do you?"
"No idea about what?" she snapped.
He hesitated. Then, after what felt like forever, he crouched in front of her, his piercing gaze locked onto hers.
"There's something different about you," he said quietly. "I can feel it."
Callista stiffened. The way he said it—like he could sense something in her—it made her skin crawl.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, shaking her head. "I'm just—"
The words died in her throat as Killian suddenly reached forward, his fingers brushing against her wrist.
A spark shot through her skin.
Not a normal spark. Not the kind that happened when you got static shock from touching a doorknob.
This was electric.
A burning heat that shot straight through her veins, curling in her stomach, making her breath hitch.
Lucien's eyes widened slightly. His lips parted as if he were about to say something, but then, as if realizing what had happened, he yanked his hand away like he had been burned.
For a moment, the world was silent.
Then he whispered a single word.
"…Mate."
Callista's heart stopped.
"What?" she breathed.
Lucien's jaw tightened, his expression unreadable. But there was something in his gaze now—something raw. Intense.
"You're mine," he murmured.
The words sent a violent shiver down her spine.
Because even though she had no idea what he meant, even though it made no sense…
A part of her already knew it was true.