Chapter 4

• AURORA’S POV:
• I wake up to the sound of rain tapping against my window. For a moment, I lie there, staring at the ceiling, hoping – praying- that yesterday was just a dream.
• I had to pop sleeping pills last night because I kept on seeing eyes of people I don’t want to.
• Jon’s claim. Arc’s reaction. The impossible idea that I might be… something else.
• But when I sit up, the sinking feeling in my chest tells me the truth.
• It wasn’t a dream.
• I drag myself out of bed and head downstairs, dreading school, dreading everything.
• Ava greets me with a smile as she sets a plate of pancakes on the table. “Morning, sweetheart.”
• “Morning,” I mumble, sliding into my usual seat.
• Jon is already at the table, watching me. His gaze is heavy, unreadable. I don’t acknowledge him.
• I pretend everything is fine.
• I pretend I don’t feel his stare burning into the side of my face.
• Halfway through breakfast, he clears his throat. “Aurora—”
• “Nope,” I interrupt, stabbing my fork into my pancake.
• Jon sighs. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
• “I don’t need to. If it’s about the mate thing, I’m not interested.”
• A muscle ticks in his jaw. “You can’t just ignore this.”
• I lift my chin. “Watch me.”
• Ava glances between us, frowning. “Everything okay?”
• I force a smile. “Yep. Just a friendly disagreement about… school.”
• Jon exhales sharply but doesn’t argue.
• When I finally escape to the front door, Jon follows.
• “Aurora, wait.”
• I spin around, scowling. “Jon, drop it. I am not some werewolf’s fated mate, and I am definitely not interested in whatever supernatural mess you and Arc are dragging me into.”
• Jon’s green eyes darken. “You are in it. Whether you want to be or not.”
• I stiffen. “That sounds like a threat.”
• He takes a step closer, voice soft but firm. “It’s not. It’s just the truth.”
• I clench my fists. “I don’t believe in this bond thing, Jon.”
• His expression flickers—hurt, frustration, something else I can’t place.
• “Then explain this,” he mutters.
• Before I can react, his hand brushes mine.
• The second our skin touches, a spark jolts through me—sharp, electric. I gasp, stumbling back.
• Jon’s lips press into a thin line. “You felt that.”
• I shake my head, heart pounding. “It’s just—static or something.”
• Jon’s eyes bore into mine. “Lying to yourself won’t change the truth.”
• I don’t respond.
• Because I don’t have a response.
• I just turn and walk away, my pulse still racing. And for the first time, doubt creeps into my mind.
• What if he’s right?
• “Wait. What if I can prove it to you that I am actually a werewolf?” His voice comes from behind. I pause in my tracks and turn back to face him.
• “How will you do that?” I raise a brow at him.
• “The full moon is coming up. In as much as it will be dangerous for you to be around me at that time, I can use a phone to video myself.” His eyes pleaded.
• “Ok then. I have nothing to loose either ways.” After saying that, I walk off not waiting for him to reply.
• A week has passed since that conversation, and things between Jon and me have shifted—not dramatically, but enough.
• There’s an unspoken understanding now, a subtle friendship forming between us. We don’t talk about the mate thing anymore, and I pretend the weird electric shock never happened. I’m glad he has finally gotten the memo.
• Jon still watches me sometimes, but not with the same intensity. And I don’t feel as defensive around him. It’s strange—almost unsettling—but at least we’re not at each other’s throats.
• Then the night of the full moon arrives.
• I toss in bed, unable to sleep. My mind is restless, my thoughts tangled in things I don’t want to think about. The house is quiet except for the occasional creak Of the old wooden floors. The clock on my nightstand reads 2:47 AM.
• I sigh and sit up. Maybe a glass of water will help.
• He said he would record it, right? But how can he record something that is not even going to happen?
• Slipping out of my room, I tread down the hallway, my socked feet making no sound against the floor.
• There’s no harm in seeing him with my own eyes right? At least, that way he can’t pull a stunt with tech on me.
• As I pass Jon’s door, something makes me stop. His door is slightly open, just a sliver, but enough for me to hear… something.
• A low, guttural sound. Almost like… a growl.
• I frown. What the hell?
• My pulse quickens. Did he leave his TV on? Is he talking in his sleep?
• Before I can overthink it, I push the door open.
• And freeze.
• Jon isn’t in bed.
• He’s ….changing.
• His back is hunched, muscles twisting unnaturally beneath his skin. His hands claw at the floor, nails elongating into sharp talons. His breathing is ragged, heavy, animalistic.
• My body locks up as his spine jerks, bones cracking and reforming. His clothes are in tatters, barely hanging onto his shifting form.
• Then, in one final, sickening crack, his head snaps up.
• His green eyes—no, wolf’s eyes—lock onto mine.
• A deep, rumbling growl fills the room.
• My breath catches in my throat.
• This isn’t static. This isn’t some prank. This is real. Jon—his wolf—takes a slow, deliberate step toward me.
• I do the only thing I can think of.
• I run.
• JON’S POV:
• Pain.
• Fire in my bones, ripping through me, tearing me apart.
• I knew tonight would be bad – I always feel the full moon coming hours before it happens. The itching under my skin, the restless energy, the way my wolf fights for control.
• But she – Aurora- wasn’t supposed to see this.
• Her scent hit me the second she entered the room, even through the fog of my shifting. My wolf’s instincts kicked in before my human mind could stop it.
• I growled. She panicked.
• And now she’s running.
• I fight the shift, force myself to hold back as my wolf snarls in protest. My claws dig into the floorboards, anchoring me. Don’t chase. Don’t scare her more than I already have.
• I hear her footsteps pounding down the hall, then the slam of her bedroom door.
• I take a shaking breath, my body still half-wolf, half-human. She knows now.
• And there’s no turning back.