Tyler.
A knot of unease tightened within me.
Staring up at me was Arya but not the human Arya. This Arya was an average-sized wolf, with silver-bluish streaks that lined her fur in stripes. I thought she said she didn’t have a wolf. How had this happened? Was it a result of starting the mating process?
No, I shook my head. That was not important. What was important was this new revelation, and how it affected everything. “What are you not telling me, Arya?” I asked her, my voice struck with awe. It couldn’t be. No. I didn’t even want to think about it.
Her wolf let out a low howl that hung in the air, a reminder that this was not a dream. Amber eyes stared back at me and I could see the questions that swirled in them. Then the moment passed, and her wolf disappeared. Standing in its place was her in her human form.
She fell to the ground in a heap and I rushed to her side, terrified that this sudden transformation had somehow drained her. I was right, because she could barely lift her head. A wolf’s first transformation was always the worst. Mine had been quite the experience.
“Little One,” I murmured, holding her head in my arms. “Open your eyes.”
Her eyelids fluttered and opened and tired ocean blue eyes stared back at me. “What happened, Tyler? Why did you look at me like that?”
How did I tell her this without scaring her? “Little One, you’re special.”
She exhaled, her brows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Did you notice the color of your fur?”
Eyes wide, she nodded. “A silver blue?”
I nodded. “That means you’re not like the rest of us.”
“Tyler, tell me what’s happening.”
I licked my lips, scooping her up to place her naked frame on the bed. My mind was reeling with different possibilities and I was trying my damned best to not show the turmoil swimming inside of me. This changed everything and I was powerless against it.
My heart was heavy with the weight of the revelation. I took a deep breath. “Years ago, a powerful seer spoke of rare silver-blue wolves—wolves she prophesied were daughters of the moon goddess. Arya, you are a silver-blue wolf. You carry within you a power that goes beyond our understanding.”
She stared at me like I’d just told her she’d suddenly grown purple horns and they were sticking out of her forehead. “A daughter of the moon goddess?”
I nodded, my voice low and measured. “Yes. The moon goddess herself has blessed you with a unique destiny. You hold the potential to bring great change, not just for our pack but for all wolves.”
She blinked, and I watched the gears in her head run like a treadmill. Then her attention shifted, a blend of awe and uncertainly. “This doesn’t make any sense. My mother…”
“I don’t know exactly how it works,” I told her. “Nobody really knows anything, Arya. But I do know that you’re very special. I wonder though, why you haven’t transformed all this time.”
“What does this mean for me, for us?”
I reached out, my hand gently cupping her cheek. “It means we need to be cautious,” I began, my voice carrying a weight I hadn't expected, “being a daughter of the moon goddess is no ordinary destiny. It's sacred, and with that comes a responsibility that transcends the bonds of our pack.”
She turned her lips into my palm, placing a kiss in the center. “What does it mean for us, Tyler? I’m scared.”
Me too, but I would not say that to her. I needed to find a solution, a loophole, something. The burden of understanding the implications lay solely on my shoulders. The moon goddess's daughters were considered sacred beings. Their destinies are intertwined with forces beyond comprehension.
“We can’t let anyone know of this, Arya. No one. Look at me.” She lifted her gaze to mine. “Not even Natalie.”
“Why?” she asked. “Why does my wolf color change things? I don’t care about anything else but you.”
I took a step back, struggling to find the right words. “It's not about the strength of our love, Arya. It's about the delicate balance of sacred destinies. The moon goddess's daughters are meant to follow a path that is often solitary and sacred. What we feel for each other may be strong, but it doesn't change the fact that your destiny might lead you to places I cannot go.”
“So, you're saying my destiny might break us apart?”
I nodded, my heart heavy with the realization. “I fear that the sacred nature of your destiny might demand sacrifices, Arya, and I might be one of them.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I didn’t ask for this, Tyler.”
“I know.” I reached out to hold her but she recoiled from me, the action like a knife plunged into my heart.
I hadn’t been entirely truthful with Arya. The prophecy did not just talk about silver-blue wolves, but how was I supposed to tell her that the fate of our relationship hung in the balance, especially now that she had already given herself to me?
No one else could know. I had to find a way out of this and fast because if Arya had transformed just now, then it meant she could do it again and something told me she didn’t have control over who was present.
****
Lauren.
Sneaking into Tyler’s mansion had not been a waste after all. I’d come here searching for something that would prove effective in making Arya disappear once and for all and had stumbled upon something even better.
I smiled, peering into the tense bedroom through the slight ajar door. Arya sure was relentless. And from the looks of it, they’d just mated. Seemed like my plan hadn’t worked. I’d expected her to be gone by now after what she’d seen last night but here she was, naked.
Daughter of the moon goddess, huh? The realization had hit me like a bolt of lightning—this was no ordinary secret. Arya's destiny held a weight that could break the very fabric of their love. A twisted smile played on my lips; this was something I could use to my advantage.
I tucked my evidence safely in my coat, satisfied. Throwing myself naked at Tyler hadn’t worked but I’d be damned if this didn't.