The crescent moon hung high, casting pale silver light over the silent woods. Crickets sang their restless chorus in the underbrush, their chirps rising and falling with the breeze. Twigs cracked beneath Danny's boots as he walked deeper into the trees, stopping only when the air shifted, thickening with a presence.
He didn't need to turn to know who was behind him.
"Asher," Danny said coldly.
A few feet behind, the Alpha stood in the shadows. Asher's stance radiated power, his shoulders squared, expression unreadable, but his aura was dominant.
"Cousin," Asher replied, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips.
The word made Danny's blood simmer.
It was more than a title. It was a bitter reminder of blood spilled and loyalties broken. Asher's father had killed Danny's. His own brother to claim the Alpha throne. And Danny's mother? Banished. It was only Asher's intervention that spared Danny's life. But mercy came at a price: exile. Danny had been cast out, forced to grow up among humans, stripped of his pack, and his title as the next Alpha.
And now, despite everything, they were once again bound together by a girl, Alisha. Danny's girlfriend, the girl Asher kept circling like a hawk. And Danny wanted answers.
"What's going on between you and my girlfriend?" he demanded.
Asher cocked his head, eyes gleaming beneath the moonlight. "Alisha… is it? She's stunning. I'll give you that. Tell me, cousin...have you imprinted on her....yet?"
"I asked you a question," Danny snapped, his voice sharp.
Alpha or not, Danny didn't flinch. He knew Asher.....his training, his technique, his tactics. They'd fought side by side for twelve brutal years before his banishment. The only difference now? Asher had been given his Alpha's powers when his father died. But he...he was born into it through bloodshed and treachery. And one day, he would rise.
Asher raised a hand. "Relax. I'll answer. But with a story."
Danny scoffed, already irritated.
"When Adam saw that every living thing had a companion and he had none, he became lonely," Asher began. "So God took a rib and created his other half…"
"Oh, what does the Bible have to do with anything?" Danny cut in, with a glare.
But Asher went on calmly. "The tale mirrors our own, of Luna the moon goddess. We pray to her when we're ready, when we're lonely. And when she answers, she sends us a mate. A connection stronger than anything in the universe."
Danny narrowed his eyes. "Get to the point."
"I performed the ritual," Asher said, stepping closer. "And she answered. Not with a pack wolf… but with a human girl. Alisha."
Danny's breath caught in his throat.
"She is my mate," Asher said with finality. "I imprinted on her the night I saw her. And when the time is right, I will come to claim her."
The forest stilled. The trees seemed to hold their breath. Danny clenched his fists as his heart thundered. As a wolf, he knew Asher wasn't lying. He had suspected it for a while now....Asher's obsession, the way he sent Alan and Asher to watch her. The way he came to protect her in the woods the other night. But that didn't mean Danny would back down.
"Two wolves can't imprint on the same girl," he said. "And even if we did… Alisha's human. She can't feel the bond like we do. Which means she'll choose. And it won't be you."
Asher was in front of him in an instant. The air turned to ice.
"You think she's human?" Asher's voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You and I both know that's not true. I know exactly what she is. I know how powerful she'll become. She might look innocent now, but she's dangerous. She needs someone who can handle that...who can control it. Someone like me."
Danny didn't move or blink. He felt the pressure of Asher's dominance, but refused to yield.
"And let's be honest," Asher added, voice dripping with smugness, "you haven't imprinted. What you feel for her is a crush. Maybe something deeper, sure. But it's not the bond. You'll find yours. Eventually. But Alisha? She's mine."
He turned to walk away, his silhouette disappearing into the trees.
Danny's voice rang out. "Then tell me...what is she?"
Asher paused, his back still turned. He looked over his shoulder, a sly grin forming.
"It's better you don't know," he said. "And tell her to stop searching. When I claim her, I'll enlighten her myself."
Then he vanished....gone like a whisper in the wind, leaving Danny alone beneath the haunting silver light of the moon.
****
Days turned into weeks, and Alisha's absence became impossible to ignore. Her friends had started to feel the distance, like an invisible wall growing brick by brick between them. She'd been hanging around Selena more, along with a few other strange students no one really noticed before. People whispered. They stared. But the worst part? Alisha never offered an explanation.
Plans were cancelled. Calls went unanswered. She was hardly ever home, and when they asked, all they got was a vague "I went out." That used to be enough. Not anymore. The bond they'd built was cracking, and it was painfully obvious that Alisha didn't seem to care.
The school bell rang, a sharp echo that signaled the end of the day. But Alisha was already halfway out the door, bag slung over her shoulder, like a girl on a mission.
Danny moved faster.
He stepped in front of her, blocking her path with that usual quiet intensity. His height cast a long shadow over her, and even without speaking, his presence was enough to make her freeze.
"Where the hell are you rushing off to?" Danny asked, tone low but firm. "You didn't even let the bell finish ringing."
Alisha glanced away, her eyes flickering to the floor. Avoiding his gaze was easier. Easier to lie that way.
But Danny wasn't just anyone.
"You forget what I am, Alisha," he said calmly. "You can't lie to me. Your heartbeat's jumping, and you're not exactly a master of deception."
His voice wasn't angry, just disappointed. And that made it worse.
Alisha spotted Jake and Diana approaching from across the hallway. God....no! Not now. She didn't have the time or the energy for questions. Without a word or second glance, she brushed past Danny and disappeared down the corridor, just seconds before her friends reached him.
The three of them stood there, frozen with confusion.
"Should we... follow her?" Jake asked, hesitant.
"No," Diana said sharply, her arms folded tight. "I guess it's time we said bye-bye to that bitch once and for all."
She turned and stormed off without waiting for a response. It was obvious she was more hurt than angry. Her voice had cracked ever so slightly.
Jake and Danny exchanged a long look. No words were needed. They both understood what had to be done.
****
"So how does this tracking thing work?" Jake asked from the passenger seat. "You can just smell her? Like... everywhere?"
Danny's hands tightened slightly on the wheel. "Yes, Jake. I can smell her everywhere she goes."
There was no hiding the irritation in his tone. Jake had been talking nonstop, and with Danny's heightened senses, every syllable was like a megaphone in his ears.
"Is Alisha your... you know, your mate? Luna? Whatever you guys call it?"
Danny shot him a quick, startled glance. "Where the hell did you hear that?"
"I read. A lot. Turns out the school library has a whole archive on supernatural folklore. Weirdly specific stuff too," Jake replied.
Danny sighed. "Don't read that crap too much. If the Council catches wind of a human digging too deep, they'll come for you. You'll disappear."
Jake blinked. "The Council?"
"Don't ask questions."
They drove into a run-down neighborhood Danny had never seen before. Even Jake, born and raised in town looked unsettled.
"Where the hell is this place?" Jake muttered, peering through the window. The air smelled thick with garbage, rotting food, and rust. Cracked sidewalks, flickering streetlights, unmowed lawns, it looked like time itself had abandoned the area.
"The real question is," Danny said, cutting the engine, "how did Alisha know about this place? And what's with her and that blonde girl?"
"Selena?" Jake rubbed the back of his neck. "Alisha saw her brother's ghost after he died. Said he gave her a message to pass on before he crossed to... The other side. That's how we met her. Didn't know they'd become best friends overnight, though."
"Ghosts. Other sides." Danny exhaled through his nose. "Shit keeps getting crazier."
They stepped out of the car, and Danny paused, sniffing the air. But the trail was gone. Alisha's scent had vanished drowned by the stench of trash and sewage leaking from busted pipes and overflowing gutters. Even Jake, without supernatural senses, winced at the smell.
Danny nodded toward a rundown bar nearby, its neon sign flickering above the rusted door. "Come on. Let's check here."
And without waiting for a response, he led the way inside.