4

The sun had barely begun to rise over Boston when Emily's alarm chimed.

5:00 a.m.

For a moment, she simply lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of the apartment she'd called home for the past two years.

Today was the day.

Six months in Montana.

Six months living in a town she'd never heard of until three weeks ago.

Six months surrounded by forests, mountains, and wildlife.

She smiled.

It sounded perfect.

Rolling out of bed, she padded barefoot to the kitchen and started the coffee maker before opening the curtains. The city skyline glowed soft pink beneath the early morning sky.

"I'll miss this," she whispered.

Not the traffic.

Not the crowded sidewalks.

But the familiarity.

The little coffee shop downstairs where the owner already knew her order.

Sunday dinners with her parents.

Movie nights with Jessica.

The church bells that echoed every Saturday evening before Mass.

It had always been home.

She wondered if Black Hollow would ever feel the same.

---

An hour later, Jessica appeared at her apartment carrying two oversized coffees and a bag of breakfast sandwiches.

"I figured you'd forget to eat."

Emily laughed.

"I was literally making breakfast."

Jess looked around at the mountain of luggage.

"No, you were panicking."

"I was organizing."

"You reorganized your socks three times."

Emily opened her mouth to argue.

Then sighed.

"Okay...maybe."

Jess grinned.

"I know you."

They ate breakfast sitting on the living room floor because the furniture had already been covered in sheets.

"So..." Jess asked between bites.

"Think you'll meet some rugged mountain man?"

Emily rolled her eyes.

"I am going there to work."

"Mhm."

"I'm serious."

"So you'll meet a rugged mountain man while working."

Emily laughed so hard she nearly spilled her coffee.

"I swear, you watch too many romance movies."

"And you don't watch enough."

---

By seven-thirty, Michael and Sarah arrived.

Her father immediately reached for the heaviest suitcase.

"I've got it."

Emily frowned.

"Dad, I can carry—"

"You'll let me carry it."

She smiled.

Some things never changed.

Her mother stepped inside carrying a small cooler.

"I packed snacks."

"Mom..."

"I know airplanes have food."

Sarah smiled.

"But mine's better."

Inside were homemade blueberry muffins, sliced fruit, turkey sandwiches, and chocolate chip cookies.

Jessica whispered, "Can your mom adopt me?"

Emily laughed.

"I've been asking that for twenty-four years."

---

The drive to Logan Airport was unusually quiet.

The radio played softly.

Michael focused on the road.

Sarah watched the passing scenery through the passenger window.

Emily couldn't shake the feeling that something was different.

Her parents weren't just sad.

They looked...

Afraid.

Halfway to the airport she finally asked.

"Are you guys okay?"

Michael nodded immediately.

"Of course."

Sarah smiled.

"We're just going to miss you."

Emily studied them.

She wasn't convinced.

---

At the airport, check-in was surprisingly quick.

Before long they were standing near the security entrance.

Jessica wrapped Emily in the first hug.

"You better call."

"I will."

"And text."

"I will."

"And send pictures."

Emily laughed.

"I promise."

Jessica squeezed tighter.

"And if you find a gorgeous cowboy..."

Emily groaned.

"I am not discussing this with you."

"You absolutely are."

They both laughed.

---

Then came her parents.

Michael hugged her first.

Longer than usual.

When he finally stepped back, his eyes were suspiciously red.

"I'm proud of you."

Emily smiled.

"I know."

"No..."

He shook his head.

"You've always been brave."

She frowned.

"Dad..."

"If something ever feels wrong..."

He hesitated.

"Leave."

Emily blinked.

"What?"

"If you ever feel unsafe..."

He looked her directly in the eyes.

"Trust your instincts."

She smiled gently.

"I will."

Sarah hugged her next.

Almost desperately.

Emily could feel her mother's hands trembling.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"No matter what happens..."

Emily pulled back slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Sarah brushed a strand of hair behind Emily's ear.

"No matter where life takes you..."

She swallowed hard.

"...you'll always be our daughter."

Emily smiled warmly.

"I know that."

Sarah kissed her forehead.

"Good."

---

After one final wave, Emily disappeared through airport security.

Michael and Sarah stood watching until she was completely out of sight.

Neither moved.

Finally Sarah whispered,

"I should have told her."

Michael stared toward the checkpoint.

"I know."

---

Thousands of miles away...

The forests surrounding Black Hollow stirred beneath a cool autumn breeze.

Sunlight filtered through towering pine trees that had stood for centuries.

The town itself was small.

Just under four thousand people.

One grocery store.

A diner.

A church.

A hardware store.

A bookstore.

One elementary school.

One high school.

A sheriff's office.

Everyone knew everyone.

At least...

That's what outsiders believed.

What they didn't know...

Was that nearly half the town wasn't entirely human.

---

On the outskirts of town stood an enormous log lodge built against the base of Granite Ridge.

From the outside, it looked like an expensive mountain resort.

Inside...

It served as the home of the Crescent Moon Pack.

The largest werewolf pack in North America.

In a spacious conference room, nearly twenty men and women sat around a massive oak table.

Every conversation stopped when Kael entered.

He stood over six-foot-four with broad shoulders and dark hair that brushed the collar of his flannel shirt. A faded scar crossed one side of his jaw, giving him a perpetually serious expression.

Despite his intimidating appearance, there was a quiet steadiness about him.

The room instinctively rose to its feet.

"Alpha."

Kael nodded once.

"Sit."

Everyone obeyed.

To his right sat Noah—the blond wolf from the mountain overlook—whose easy smile had vanished.

Across from them sat Lena, the pack's Beta, a sharp-eyed woman in her early thirties with auburn hair braided over one shoulder. Beside her was Ethan, head of the patrols, broad-shouldered and constantly alert.

Kael placed a map on the table.

"Our scouts confirmed it this morning."

The room leaned forward.

"Emily Carter boarded her flight."

Silence.

Noah finally spoke.

"So it's really happening."

Kael nodded.

"She'll arrive tomorrow afternoon."

Lena folded her arms.

"Do we tell her immediately?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because she's lived twenty-four years believing she's human."

Ethan frowned.

"She is human."

Kael looked toward the windows overlooking the forest.

"Part human."

The distinction settled heavily over the room.

Lena tapped the table thoughtfully.

"If Magnus reaches her first..."

"He won't."

"You can't guarantee that."

"No."

Kael's silver eyes hardened.

"But I can make sure she isn't alone."

---

Several hundred miles away, hidden deep within another stretch of wilderness, Magnus stood inside the ruins of an abandoned stone chapel.

The roof had collapsed decades ago.

Moonlight and sunlight alike poured through broken beams overhead.

His pack gathered around him.

Unlike Kael's wolves, they wore darker clothing and carried themselves with military precision.

Their loyalty came from fear.

Not love.

A younger wolf stepped forward.

"Our scouts have confirmed her flight."

Magnus smiled faintly.

"Excellent."

"Should we intercept her at the airport?"

"No."

The wolf looked confused.

"Why not?"

"Because frightened prey runs."

Magnus slowly walked to the shattered stained-glass window.

"I don't want her frightened."

"I want her curious."

He rested one hand against the cracked stone.

"When she arrives in Black Hollow..."

His crimson eyes gleamed.

"...she'll come to me willingly."

The younger wolf hesitated.

"And if Kael finds her first?"

Magnus chuckled softly.

"He already has."

The room fell silent.

"He just doesn't know it yet."

Magnus reached into his coat and withdrew a worn photograph.

The edges were faded with age.

It showed two young werewolves standing together beneath a full moon.

One was Kael.

The other...

A smiling woman with long silver hair and eyes that matched Emily's.

Magnus ran one thumb across the woman's face.

"You should have given her to me all those years ago."

His voice carried equal parts bitterness and regret.

"Now your daughter returns."

He folded the photograph carefully and slipped it back into his pocket.

"And this time..."

His smile faded into something cold.

"...I won't lose her."

Outside, thunder rolled over the mountains.

Far above the forests of Black Hollow, clouds slowly gathered around the coming full moon.

Neither Emily nor anyone waiting for her realized that her arrival would awaken secrets buried for a quarter of a century—and force every pack in the region to choose between war and peace.