Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Revelations

I drive away slowly, watching the house shrink in my rearview mirror. Once I'm around the corner, I pull over and text Hawk: On my way to the northern trailhead. Where are you?

Two minutes out. Don't get out of your truck until I arrive.

I wait, engine running, every shadow suddenly suspicious. True to his word, Hawk appears from the tree line exactly two minutes later, moving with that fluid grace that marks him as other. Even in human form, he's clearly a predator.

I roll down my window. "How bad is it?"

"Four rogues circling your parents' neighborhood. They didn't approach the house, just marked territory, left scent markers. Sending a message." His expression is grim. "Viktor knows where your family lives. He can reach them whenever he wants."

"This is my fault. I led him here—"

"This is Viktor's fault. Don't take ownership of his cruelty." Hawk reaches through the window, taking my hand. "But Luna, this changes things. Viktor's not just targeting the pack anymore. He's targeting you specifically. Your human life, your family—it's all leverage now."

"Then we end this. Soon. Before he can use them against me."

"Agreed. I've stationed pack members around the perimeter. Your family won't be approached without us knowing." His thumb traces patterns on my palm—a soothing gesture that should be romantic but feels desperate. "But there's something else. You said your father's been having symptoms?"

I explain what Jason told me. Hawk's face darkens with each detail.

"That's not stress. Those are dormant werewolf genes activating." He runs his free hand through his hair. "It's rare, but it happens. Usually triggered by proximity to active werewolves, or extreme stress, or—"

"Or having a daughter bond with a werewolf alpha?" My voice is hollow.

"Possibly. The mate bond is powerful, Luna. It doesn't just affect us—it affects everyone connected to us. Your father might have latent werewolf DNA, something recessive that's waking up because you're pack now."

"How is that possible? He's human. His parents were human."

"Were they?" Hawk's eyes hold mine. "Luna, werewolves have lived among humans for millennia. Some left their packs, had human families, and tried to live normal lives. Their children would carry dormant genes—werewolf DNA that might never activate. But three generations later, four generations later, something triggers it."

My mind races. "You think my father has werewolf ancestry? That I do?"

"It would explain why the mate bond locked into place so strongly. Why are you adapting to pack dynamics faster than any human should? Why your body's already starting to heal differently." He pulls me closer through the window. "We need to tell Sage. She's the pack historian. If there's werewolf lineage in your family tree, she'll know how to trace it."

"My dad's having headaches and improved senses. What happens next?"

"Depends. If the genes fully activate, he'll start shifting. Probably triggered by the full moon or extreme emotion. If they stay dormant, he'll just have enhanced abilities—better hearing, smell, and night vision. Either way, he'll need guidance before he accidentally exposes our world."

"This is insane." I laugh, but it comes out broken. "I came here to stop livestock attacks. Now I'm werewolf-adjacent and my father might be turning into one too?"

"Welcome to my world. It's complicated." His attempt at levity falls flat. "Come back to the compound. We need to strategize, and you need to be somewhere safe. Viktor's making moves."

I should argue. Should insist on going home, maintaining normalcy. But my skin is still prickling with the mate bond's anxiety, and the thought of sleeping alone in my cabin while rogues circle my family's neighborhood makes my stomach turn.

"Okay. But tomorrow I have to go to work. Marcus is already suspicious, and if I miss another shift, Blackwood will have questions I can't answer."

"Then we train tonight. Make every hour count." He steps back. "Follow me. And Luna? Don't stop, even if you see movement in the trees. Some of Viktor's wolves might still be in the area."

The drive back feels longer, darker. Every shadow could hide a predator. Every rustle could be an attack. By the time I reach the compound, my nerves are shot.

River meets me at my cabin with a knowing look. "Heard about your family. That's rough."

"Does everyone know everything in this pack?"

"Pretty much. Pack bonds mean we feel major emotional spikes. When Hawk got worried about you, we all felt the ripple." She sits on my bed. "For what it's worth, Derek's stationed near your parents' house tonight. If anything approaches, he'll handle it."

"Thank you." I sink beside her. "River, can I ask you something? When you joined this pack, when you left everything behind—was it worth it?"

She's quiet for a long moment. "The first month, I cried every night. Missed my mom, my sisters, and my old pack. Felt like I'd made a terrible mistake. But then something shifted. I realized I wasn't losing a family—I was gaining one. Thomas helped, obviously. But it was more than that. It was finding my place, my purpose. Understanding that love sometimes means choosing the hard path."

"I don't know if I'm strong enough for this."

"You fought Sage today and came back for more. You're stronger than you think." She nudges my shoulder. "Now come on. Hawk's waiting in the training clearing. And fair warning—when he's worried, he trains harder. You're in for a rough night."

She's not wrong.

Hawk pushes me until my muscles scream, until sweat stings my eyes, until I can barely stand. But he also teaches me things Sage didn't—how to use the mate bond in a fight, how to sense his position even with my eyes closed, how to move in sync with him like we're two parts of one weapon.

"In a real fight, we fight together," he says, demonstrating a move where I duck under his arm while he strikes over me. "Viktor will expect you to be a liability. We turn that expectation into an advantage."

We practice until midnight, until I'm moving on pure muscle memory and stubbornness. When he finally calls a halt, I collapse onto the forest floor, lungs burning.

Hawk sits beside me, not even breathing hard. "You did well."

"I feel like I'm dying."

"That means you pushed past your limits. That's how you grow." He pulls me against his side, and I melt into his warmth. "Luna, about your father—we'll figure it out. Sage can help him, teach him control if he needs it. And if he doesn't fully shift, we can show him how to manage the enhanced senses."

"He's going to freak out when he learns the truth."

"Probably. But he raised you, so he's clearly good at adapting to the impossible." Hawk presses a kiss to my temple. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be complicated."

I don't want to sleep in the guest cabin alone, but I don't say it. Some boundaries I'm not ready to cross yet, even with everything else.

But as I lie in bed an hour later, the mate bond humming with Hawk's steady presence fifty yards away, I realize something: I haven't checked my work email once today. Haven't worried about reports or protocols or Warden Blackwood's approval.

My human life is slipping through my fingers like water.

And I'm not sure I want to hold on anymore.