Maya couldn't stop thinking about the wolf she'd seen outside her window. Those golden eyes haunted her thoughts all morning. Could it really have been Liam?
"Earth to Maya!" Serena waved a hand in front of her face. "You've been staring at your cereal for ten minutes."
Maya blinked. "Sorry. Didn't sleep well."
"You look weird. Are you sick?" Serena touched Maya's forehead.
"I'm fine," Maya said, pushing her sister's hand away. "Just tired."
But she wasn't fine. Something was happening to her, something she couldn't explain.
As Maya walked to training, the memory of yesterday's confrontation with Liam played in her mind. The way his eyes had flashed gold. The strange flutter in her chest.
The training grounds were already busy when she arrived. Maya scanned the area and froze when she spotted Liam. He was shirtless, sweat glistening on his muscled back as he practiced fighting moves with Darren.
Suddenly, a scent hit Maya's nose – pine trees and mountain air with a hint of something wild. Her heart jumped in her chest.
"You okay?" Caleb appeared beside her. "You look flushed."
"I'm fine," Maya said automatically, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Liam.
As if sensing her gaze, Liam turned. Their eyes locked across the training grounds, and Maya's knees went weak. The world around her seemed to fade away until all she could see was him.
"Maya?" Caleb's voice sounded far away. "What's wrong?"
Maya broke the stare and turned to Caleb. "Nothing. Let's practice."
They moved to an empty spot and began sparring, but Maya's focus was shattered. Every time Liam moved, she knew it – like she could feel him across the field.
"You're distracted," Caleb said after easily blocking her third clumsy attack. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Maya admitted. "I feel strange today."
Coach Tanner's whistle cut through the air. "Gather up! We're doing paired combat today."
Maya's stomach dropped as Coach started calling out pairs.
"Liam and Maya."
The world tilted. Maya felt dozens of eyes turn to her.
"Problem?" Coach Tanner asked, raising an eyebrow.
Maya straightened her spine. "No, sir."
She walked to the center of the training ring where Liam waited, his face unreadable. As she got closer, his scent grew stronger, making her head spin.
"Ready to back up those brave words from yesterday?" Liam asked, his voice low enough that only she could hear.
Maya tried to respond with something fierce, but the words died in her throat. Standing this close to him made her skin tingle and her wolf stir inside her.
"Begin!" Coach Tanner called.
Liam moved first, feinting left before striking right. Maya blocked on instinct, her body responding even as her mind raced. Their arms connected, and a jolt of electricity shot through her.
Liam's eyes widened. He'd felt it too.
Maya jumped back, breathing hard. What was happening?
She attacked this time, aiming a kick at his side. Liam caught her leg and their eyes met again. The world slowed down. Maya could hear Liam's heartbeat, matching the frantic rhythm of her own.
He released her leg suddenly, as if her touch burned him.
For the next few minutes, they circled each other, attacking and defending. Each touch between them sent waves of heat through Maya's body. She couldn't understand why fighting Liam felt so different than sparring with anyone else.
Then, during one exchange, Liam grabbed her wrist. The moment his fingers closed around her skin, images flashed through Maya's mind – running through forests, hunting under moonlight, curling up beside a dark wolf with golden eyes.
Maya gasped and pulled away. Liam stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock.
"Had enough?" Coach Tanner called, mistaking their stillness for tiredness.
"Yes," Maya said quickly, backing away from Liam. "I mean, I need water."
She fled to the water station, her hands shaking as she filled a cup.
"What happened out there?" Caleb appeared beside her, concern written across his face.
"I don't know," Maya whispered. "When he touched me, I saw... things."
Caleb's eyes narrowed. "What kind of things?"
Before Maya could answer, a commotion broke out across the training grounds. Everyone was looking at the edge of the forest, where a stranger stood watching.
It was a woman Maya had never seen before. She had long silver hair despite looking only thirty, and wore strange clothes that marked her as not from their pack.
Alpha Marcus strode across the grounds toward the woman, his posture tense.
"Who is that?" Maya asked.
"I don't know," Caleb said. "But whoever she is, she's got the Alpha worried."
The silver-haired woman's eyes scanned the training grounds until they landed on Maya. A slow smile spread across her face.
Alpha Marcus reached the woman and spoke to her in low, angry tones. Maya couldn't hear the words, but the tension between them was clear.
"Everyone back to training!" Coach Tanner shouted, trying to restore order.
Maya turned away reluctantly, only to find Liam standing behind her.
"We need to talk," he said quietly.
"About what?" Maya tried to sound defiant, but her voice trembled.
"You know what." His eyes darkened. "Something's happening between us."
Maya opened her mouth to deny it, but at that moment, the moonstone necklace against her chest grew warm. Liam's eyes dropped to it, widening in recognition.
"Where did you get that?" he asked, reaching toward the necklace.
Maya stepped back. "It was a birthday gift. Why do you care?"
"Because I—" Liam cut himself off, looking conflicted. "Just stay away from that woman. She's dangerous."
"How do you know that?"
Instead of answering, Liam stalked away, leaving Maya confused and breathless.
After training, Maya waited for Caleb, but he was deep in conversation with Coach Tanner. Not wanting to interrupt, she decided to head home alone.
As she walked through the forest path, the hairs on her neck stood up. Someone was following her.
Maya quickened her pace, heart pounding. The presence behind her matched her speed.
She was about to break into a run when the silver-haired woman stepped out from behind a tree directly in her path.
"Hello, Maya," the woman said, her voice musical and strange. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you."
Maya froze. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"
The woman smiled. "I know many things about you. About your dreams of the silver wolf. About the moonstone that calls to you." Her eyes glinted. "About your mate."
"My what?" Maya's voice came out as a whisper.
"You've felt it, haven't you? The pull toward him. The way your heart races when he's near."
Maya's mind flashed to Liam, to the strange feelings she'd been having.
"No," she shook her head. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" The woman stepped closer. "I can help you understand what's happening. The mate bond is powerful, but it can be... managed."
"Stay away from her!" A deep voice snarled from behind Maya.
Liam emerged from the trees, his eyes blazing gold, his body trembling with barely contained rage.
The woman's smile only widened. "Ah, the young Alpha arrives to claim his mate. How predictable."
"I'm not his mate!" Maya protested, even as her body betrayed her by leaning toward Liam.
"Then why can you feel his emotions?" the woman asked softly. "Why do you dream of him? Why does your wolf call to his?"
Maya's world tilted as everything suddenly made horrible sense – the dreams, the connection, the way her body reacted to Liam.
"No," she whispered, backing away from both of them. "I reject it. I reject him."
The words left her mouth before she could think. Pain flashed across Liam's face, quickly replaced by anger.
The silver-haired woman looked delighted. "Well, this is unexpected. A rejected mate bond." She clapped her hands together. "How fascinating."
Maya turned and ran, tears blurring her vision. Behind her, she heard Liam's anguished howl – a sound that tore through her heart even as she fled from the truth it carried.
The mate she was destined for was the very person she'd spent years hating. And she had just rejected him.