Aria of The Moon Alpha

He wasn't supposed to find me. Not here. Not tonight.

The thought slammed through Aria's mind the moment she heard the first crunch of leaves behind her. She froze mid-step, heart lurching. The woods were supposed to be empty-just her, the moonlight, and the silence she craved.

But the silence was broken now.

Another snap. Closer this time. He was following her.

She spun around, eyes wide, but there was nothing. Only thick shadows weaving between the trees, and the uneasy rustle of wind moving through branches.

Run.

The instinct was so strong it didn't feel like her own thought. It felt... older. Deeper.

She bolted.

Her bare feet pounded over roots and stones, adrenaline shooting through her veins. Something was wrong. The air had shifted thicker, heavier, charged like the sky before a lightning strike.

She didn't scream. She couldn't. Screaming would make it real.

Branches clawed at her arms as she pushed forward, deeper into the trees. The moon was full, pouring silver across the forest floor, but it gave her no comfort.

Because he was back.

The same wolf. The one with blood-red eyes.

The one she saw the night her brother died.

She had never told anyone. Who would believe her? They blamed the animal attack on a bear. But Aria had seen the truth. She remembered the glowing eyes, the massive body, the way it had turned and looked at her like it knew her.

And now, three years later, he had returned. The same eyes. The same storm of fear inside her.

Only this time, he wasn't just watching.

He was hunting.

Her legs burned, but she didn't stop. The clearing was close just past the river. If she could make it there, maybe

Snap.

Right behind her.

She gasped and twisted her body to look-too late. A shape blurred out of the dark. Aria hit the ground with a cry, rolling through dirt and leaves. Pain shot up her side, but she scrambled up, breath ragged.

Then she saw him.

Tall. Muscled. Wild.

But he wasn't a wolf now.

He was a man.

Naked. Barefoot. Covered in blood and dirt.

And those same blood-red eyes.

"Aria," he said, voice low and rough, like gravel scraping against steel.

Her name. He knew her name.

She stumbled backward, heart slamming into her ribs. "Who what what are you?"

He didn't answer. His head tilted slightly, sniffing the air. "You changed."

"What are you talking about? I don't even know you!"

A low growl rumbled from his chest. "But I know you. I've always known you."

"No-no, stay away!"

She turned to run, but he was faster. Way faster. In the time it took her to blink, he was in front of her, blocking the path.

"Don't run," he said, softer now. "It's not safe."

"You're the one who's not safe!" she screamed, backing away again.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

"Then what do you want from me?!"

His red eyes locked on hers. "To protect you. Before the others find you."

"What others?"

Too late.

A howl ripped through the night. Then another. And another.

Dozens. Surrounding them.

He turned, his body tense, chest rising and falling like a wild animal. "They're coming."

Aria's blood ran cold. "Who's coming?"

He looked back at her, eyes now glowing brighter. "The ones who want to kill you."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because you're not just human anymore, Aria. Tonight is your Awakening."

"I don't know what that means!"

"You will."

The howls grew closer. The air felt like it was vibrating now, pulsing with unseen energy. Her skin prickled. Her bones ached.

And then-

Pain.

Blinding, white-hot pain exploded through her spine. She screamed, falling to her knees. Her vision blurred. Her heart raced faster than it should be able to.

"What-what's happening to me?" she gasped.

He was beside her in an instant, catching her before she hit the ground.

"You're turning."

"No-no, this isn't real-!"

"It is. And they can smell it. They'll come for you now. They won't stop."

She clutched his shirtless arm, shaking. "Make it stop. Please."

"I can't."

"But you said you'd protect me!"

"I will. But you need to fight it."

"I don't know how!"

Another wave of agony tore through her chest, forcing a cry from her throat. Her limbs spasmed. Her teeth clenched. It felt like her very soul was burning from the inside out.

"You have to shift!" he yelled over the wind, which had begun howling with the storm. "Your body knows what to do-let it happen!"

"I'm going to die..."

"You're not. You're becoming what you were always meant to be."

Then, suddenly, everything stopped.

The pain vanished.

So did the sound.

Even the wind.

Time held still.

She blinked, confused-and then gasped.

She was no longer on the ground.

She was floating.

Her hands-claws.

Her legs-covered in fur.

Her skin-glowing faintly silver.

She looked at the man with wide, golden eyes. "What... what am I?"

He smiled faintly. "Moonblooded."

And then-

BOOM.

The trees around them exploded as three massive wolves leapt into the clearing, eyes glowing green, teeth bared.

The red-eyed man growled and stepped in front of her, voice like thunder.

"Touch her, and you die."