Luna Everleigh's POV
***
The morning air was crisp, laced with the scent of pine and damp earth. I stood at the threshold of the lodge, the weight of last night still pressing against my chest like a vice.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't some fevered hallucination.
I was here. In a world that shouldn't exist.
Beyond the wooden steps, the village sprawled before me. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen—wooden structures woven into the landscape, their rooftops hidden beneath moss and thick canopies of trees. Wolves moved between the buildings, some in human form, others padding silently on four legs, their golden eyes flickering in the light.
There was an unspoken rhythm to the place, a structure that hummed beneath the surface. I wasn't just in a village.
I was in their domain.
A hand brushed my lower back, and I nearly flinched.
"Come," Rhydian murmured beside me, his voice low and steady. "You need to see this world for what it is."
As if I had a choice.
I followed him down the steps, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.
Eyes followed me the moment my boots hit the packed dirt path. Some were curious, others wary, and a few? A few burned with open hostility.
Rhydian didn't seem fazed. If anything, his presence alone was enough to keep them at bay. His strides were confident, his body language screaming possession—like he was making a silent declaration: She is mine.
It did nothing to ease the nerves coiling in my stomach.
As we moved deeper into the village, I caught glimpses of their way of life. Wolves sparring in an open training ground, their growls echoing in the air. A woman kneeling by a river, washing fabric, her nails still claw-like. A child—barefoot and wild-eyed—giggling as he shifted mid-step, his small frame flickering between human and wolf before disappearing behind a tree.
This wasn't just a pack.
This was a kingdom built on instinct and power.
And I? I was the intruder.
—
To be continued...