The moon burned red that night.

Not silver. Not soft.

Blood red.

The sign.

I stood on the edge of the wild woods, where the trees twisted like ancient bones, and watched it rise. My chest ached not with fear but with something heavier. Like a string pulled too tight inside my ribs.

This was it.

The bond.

Not between me and Alpha Ryan. Not even me and Henry.

But something older. Deeper. The final piece of whatever destiny the Moon Goddess etched into my bones.

And I was walking ...