Hailey fell asleep almost instantly—her body exhausted from training, but her spirit restless.
She didn't drift into sleep.
She plunged.
Silver mist wrapped around her like a cocoon, warm but electrifying. The air shimmered with pale gold sparks that pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat.
Then she heard him.
A deep growl—soft, controlled, but powerful enough to make her wolf kneel inside her mind.
Her breath hitched as he stepped out of the mist.
The enormous black-and-gold wolf from before.
But tonight, he came closer.
Closer than he had ever dared.
Hailey's heart slammed against her ribs as she whispered, "Who are you?"
The wolf's eyes—molten silver—locked onto hers.
He circled her slowly, like a predator admiring the treasure it had claimed long ago.
Then his voice—ancient, deep, intoxicating—echoed inside her skull.
"Your mate."
Her knees weakened.
She tried to step back, but he blocked her path with his massive body, lowering his head until his snout brushed her cheek.
Heat shot through her.
She gasped.
His voice growled again:
"Soon."
Her wolf shivered, trembling as warmth spread from her chest outward—like a bond tugging her soul toward his.
Suddenly, his eyes darkened.
"You are not ready."
Guilt punched her chest.
He leaned closer, his breath warm on her neck.
"Find the hearts."
Hailey's eyes widened.
"What hearts?"
But the dream cracked around her like shattered glass.
The silver mist swirled violently.
The wolf roared—powerful, protective, furious.
"Find them—before the shadows find you!"
Hailey jolted awake, panting, heart racing.
And she felt it.
The bond pulling.
Calling.
Tugging her toward a wolf she'd never met…
But somehow always known.
Chapter: The Curse and the Sakura Hearts
Liam Black didn't sleep that night.
Something inside him kept dragging him back to the ancient Chronicle of Wolves. He reread the passages about Celestial Wolves, about destiny and power.
But then —
A page he hadn't noticed before began glowing faintly, as if reacting to Hailey's awakening.
His blood ran cold.
He turned the page.
Hailey's name wasn't written, but the description was unmistakable.
A cursed Celestial Wolf.
A destined mate lost through time.
A trial written in blood.
He called his family into the drawing room at dawn.
Hailey walked in last, still pale from her dream.
"Dad… what's going on?"
Liam didn't speak.
He opened the book, his voice shaking slightly as he read:
"The Celestial Wolf once chose the wrong mate—
turning from destiny,
breaking the bond the Moon Goddess created."
Della gasped softly.
Hailey froze.
Liam continued:
"Her mistake unleashed chaos.
So the Moon Goddess cursed her soul.
Each lifetime she will face heartbreak, betrayal, and danger."
Jason clenched his fists.
Claire whispered Hailey's name.
Hailey swallowed hard.
"That… that sounds like me."
Liam nodded, eyes softening.
"Yes. It does."
He turned the page.
A beautiful illustration appeared—three glowing blossoms floating beneath a full moon:
A red Sakura flower.
A white Sakura flower.
A violet Sakura flower.
"To break the curse,
she must retrieve the Three Sakura Hearts—
trials of Courage,
Truth,
and Devotion."
Hailey's breath trembled.
"And if I don't?"
Liam closed the book gently.
"Then fate will take you away from your mate again."
Hailey's eyes burned.
Her wolf whimpered.
Claire slid closer to her.
"You won't fail. You're Hailey Black."
Jason nodded fiercely.
"You have us. Always."
Liam wasn't done.
"There's more," he said quietly.
"About your mate."
Hailey's heart pounded.
Liam read:
"Her destined mate is one of a kind—
born from a pack thought extinct,
hidden from the world,
but stronger than any Alpha alive."
Hailey's pulse quickened.
"He will be Alpha among Alphas,
possessive to the core,
and love her with a fire unmatched by any soul."
Hailey felt her face burn and her wolf howl with recognition.
She whispered, "Dad… is this real?"
Liam placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes. And if your dreams are showing him… he's real. And he is coming."
Hailey looked down at her hands.
Three Sakura Hearts.
An ancient curse.
An extinct Alpha mate who loved her across lifetimes.
And a bond pulling her closer to him every second.
"I need to find the Hearts," she whispered.
Liam nodded proudly.
"And we will help you."
But none of them heard the faint whisper carried on the back of the wind.
A voice not human.
A voice hunting.
"She begins the trial…
Good."