Darby huffs. “I expected a marvelously decorated cave, or a three-story cabin. Maybe we got the wrong place.”

  “I am sorry you do not like my home,” a woman says behind us. We all jump and spin toward the voice.

  Hunter is in front of me so fast, that I hadn’t even realized he moved until I can’t see around his back. I step to the side to see the elderly woman with gray hair tied up in a bun on her head, and the typical grandma attire. She has a bright yellow blouse on, and purple capri pants. Her smile is sweet, and I can’t help but smile back. No way is this her.

  “Excuse us, Ma’am,” Darby says, stepping toward her. “We were just looking for someone in particular.”

  The woman gestures to herself. “I know exactly who you were looking for. Me.”

  “You’re…” I can’t bring myself to ask if she is The Luna. To a normal person, that question would sound ridiculous.

  “Yes, I am ‘The Luna’, though that name is absolutely insane.” She rolls her eyes, and smiles at Hunter. “Alpha of the Aeris pack, welcome to my home.”

  Hunter dips his head to the woman, still partially standing in front of me. “Thank you, Luna. It’s an honor to meet you.”

  She scoffs and waves a hand at him. “Please, call me Grace. It was my given name, after all.”

  Darby turns to me with wide eyes and mouths “Grace?” at me. She’s right to be shocked. It’s such a normal name for such a woman.

  “You four, come with me. We can talk comfortably in my home.” She steps past us and waves for us to follow her. I catch a small wink from the woman, Grace, as she passes me. This is crazy.

  I step inside the trailer first, and I stop in my tracks. It looks nothing like what I’ve seen inside of travel trailers. The entire interior has been designed in fluffy pink and purple, with purple cupboards in the open kitchen, and pink pillows on the pristine, white couches. It’s really cute and homey.

  Hunter presses into my back inside the doorway, his hard body making my nerves come to life. “Are you going to go inside, little wolf?” His voice is just a whisper in my ear, and I nearly lean my head back into his chest.

  I force myself to move forward and take a seat on the couch beside Grace. Her eyes are almost golden, with specks of brown in them. She grabs my hand in her aged ones and pats the back of it as the others find their seats, except for Hunter who stays by the door.

  Grace leans forward to speak softly to me. “What do you think of my little home, Janie? I am sorry it is not a castle.”

  My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. “How do you know my name? I mean, it’s not even my real name…”

  Grace laughs, still holding my hand tightly. “I am an ancient, powerful being, as your friend Jax said.” She winks at Jax, who stiffens in his seat across from me. “I know a lot more than you could possibly imagine. Just as I know that you are more Janie than you were ever Juno.”

  I smile back at her, grateful for her words. I look around again. “Well, your home is very cozy. I’m sorry for earlier, but we really thought someone as…” Don’t say old! “...experienced as you would have more glamorous living arrangements.”

  Grace looks over at Darby, and my friend blushes under the woman’s gaze. “I have lived in penthouses, log cabins, mud huts, and palaces. This is the place I find the most peace.”

  “It’s a haven,” Jax says in his usual, flirtatious voice.

  Grace beams at the charmer, and Darby rolls her eyes. Darby leans forward on her knees. “Lun–uh, Grace. Do you know why we’ve come looking for you?”

  Grace nods, her eyes finding mine again. “I have been waiting for this day for nineteen years.”

  I sit up, my eyes wide. “You’ve known about me my whole life?”

  “Yes, dear. I felt it the moment you were born.” She looks around at all of our shocked faces. “Perhaps I should tell you all a little about my past.”

  “That would be helpful,” Hunter says.

  Grace nods again and sits back in her seat, settling down for a long story. “Well, stories tell of The Luna, ancient seer-wolf woman. But, I was once just a child like any other. I was born in twelve-forty-two, into a fire wolf pack, daughter of the alpha.”

  Jax’s jaw drops. “You’re nearly eight-hundred years old?”

  Grace shrugs. “I suppose that’s right. I quit counting the birthdays a long time ago. Anyways, I was raised motherless, with only my father to guide me. He was a great alpha, strong and loving.” She sighs. “When I was about eighteen, I learned that my mother was not a wolf at all, but a Seer, and my father’s true mate. She died giving birth to me, and my father was unsure I would have any of her abilities, but when I started getting visions, he knew why.”

  “How is it that you’ve lived for so long?” Hunter asks from where he stands with his hands stuffed in his jean pockets.

  “I had no idea then that I would live this long. My father introduced me to my mother’s family, and they taught me about their kind. Seers are not like wolves. They can live up to a thousand years, where wolves can reach maybe one-hundred and fifty.” She looks around, meeting everyone’s eyes. “All Seers can see their death from an early age, but I could never see mine. I figured there was no end in sight, until nineteen years ago.” She pats my hand again. “When you were born, Janie, I saw you coming to me, and I saw my death for the first time. At that moment, I began truly aging for the first time in so long.”

  Grace runs her fingers through her gray hair. “Believe it or not, nineteen years ago, I did not have even a single gray hair. Now, I am an old lady.” She smiles wide.

  I try to imagine her young, and she was probably beautiful. “Are you not mad that you’re aging?”

  Grace laughs, like I told a hilarious joke. “Oh, heavens no! This is all I have wanted for so long. To become old, and to finally pass on and reunite with my mate in heaven.”

  “You have a mate?” I ask, trying not to glance at Hunter.

  She nods. “Oh, yes. I fell in love with a water wolf. He was the alpha of his pack, and I became his luna. I suppose that is how I got the name from your legends.” She sighs sadly. “My mate died of old age in thirteen-sixty.”

  Darby’s eyebrows scrunch together as she leans forward again, practically falling off of the sofa. “How were you mated to a water wolf if you were born into the fire pack?”

  Grace scoffs. “Oh, you wolves nowadays. The shifters were once not as segregated as they have become. It wasn’t uncommon back then for the packs to intermingle.”

  “Wait,” Hunter says, stepping forward. “You say you were a fire wolf, and your mate was a water wolf. Did you have children?”

  Grace smiles. “We did. A beautiful daughter, Alya.”

  Hunter’s eyes are wide, and I wish I could read his mind. “Janie’s wolf has red fur, like the fire wolves, and white fur, like the water wolves. Are you,” He looks between me and Grace. “Are you related?”

  I gasp, spinning back to Grace for an answer. She only smiles wider as she squeezes my hand. “Yes, we are. Very clever, Hunter. My daughter’s children were raised with water wolves, and their children, and their children after that, until the packs became enemies. Janie’s parents shared a beautiful love, even though they were from separate packs. And when they chose to complete their bond to make a child, Janie was chosen to be who she is now.”

  I shake my head, my thoughts running wild. “Wait, my parents? I don’t know who my parents are. You knew them?”

  Grace shrugs. “I would not say I knew them, but I had many visions of them. Your mother was luna of the Tellus pack, forced into marriage with that awful alpha. Your father was the son to the alpha of the Unda pack, my direct descendant.”

  My heart lurches. This is the first time I am truly learning about where I came from. There’s so much more I want to know, but I can’t even begin to narrow down the questions racing through me.

  Darby speaks up. “So, if Janie’s father was your descendant, with fire and water in his blood, and her mother was really an earth wolf, does that mean Janie is a fire, water, and earth wolf?”

  Grace grins, her eyes practically glowing as she watches me. “Actually, thanks to her mother’s ancestors, Janie is a fire, water, earth, and air wolf. She has all four elements in her blood, and the capability of mastering every one.”

  I gasp again, officially ready to pass out and wake up from this crazy dream. “But,” I can hardly speak past my racing heart. “But, why me? Why didn’t my parents have these abilities? Where is my real father now? How did my parents fall in love with the packs segregated? What is my purpose?”

  Hunter steps forward to drop his hand to my shoulder. He kneels before me with his dark eyes so soft and understanding that I want to cry. “Hey, take a breath, okay? We don’t need to rush the questions. We will figure this all out together.”

  I steady my breathing and nod to Hunter. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

  He gives me a small smile before standing up, but he doesn’t leave my side as he speaks. “Grace, is Janie the only one with these abilities?”

  Grace nods. “She is the only shifter with all four elements in her blood.” She turns to me. “And, to answer your many questions, your parents found one another when they were very young, when both of them strayed from their pack boundaries and ran into one another in the woods. The Tellus and Unda packs are less than two-hundred miles apart from one another, and fate was on their side.” Her smile falls slightly. “As for where your father is now, he was killed just before your birth, when his pack discovered him and your mother together.”

  My heart sinks deep inside of me. “His own pack killed him, for being in love with an earth wolf?”

  Grace nods. “It is why your mother could not survive your birth. Her heart was not strong enough after losing her mate.”

  I blink past the tears that want to pour out of me. “You saw all of this in your visions? Why–why didn’t you come to me?”

  Grace looks heartbroken as she grips my hand in hers. “Oh, my dear. The night you were born, I had so many visions, including ones where you ran away from home, where you found a pack to accept you, and where you came to me for answers. I could not disrupt the path that fate set. This,” She waves a hand around, at my friends. “This is all fate’s design.”

  She stands from her seat, pulling me up with her. “You must all go back to your homes now. We have talked long enough, and there is so much more in store for you.”

  I nod to Grace, already full of too much information. Hunter shakes her hand, and Jax pulls the woman in for a hug, to her delight. Darby hugs her as well, and Grace whispers something to them both that we all hear. “You two are stubborn, but mating bonds do not lie. Learn to accept one another.”

  “Thank you, Grace, for everything,” Darby says, stepping toward the door, avoiding Hunter’s surprised stare.

  I follow the others out, but I pause, remembering something. “Wait, you didn’t answer one of my questions. What is my purpose?”

  Grace smiles softly. “You are to be the uniter of the packs, my dear. How you do this, and whether you even choose to accept that responsibility, that is all up to you.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Janie

  “Home sweet home,” Darby mutters as we pull up to the front of their house.

  The drive home was long, and felt even longer since everyone was quiet the entire time. Darby and Jax ignored one another in the back seat, staring out their windows. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say after the onslaught of information given by Grace. And Hunter is always quiet, so there’s no surprise there.

  Jax hops out of the car and runs around to Darby’s side before she can get out. He opens the door for her and tries to grab her hand, but Darby refuses.

  She looks only once at Jax before heading toward the house. “Goodnight, guys. I’m tired.”

  Hunter and I climb out of the car to stand beside Jax. It’s well into the night now, nearly midnight. The moon is full and high above us. Jax sighs as he stares after Darby in the dark.

  He turns to Hunter and I with a sad smile. “Well, I guess I’ll head home.” He pulls me in for a gentle hug. “Don’t worry about everything, Janie. Know that I’m here for you.”

  I pull away and nod to him as he walks off toward the pack compound. The air suddenly turns too warm as I realize I’m alone with Hunter. I turn toward him and meet his dark gaze. He’s just staring at me in silence, and my whole body shivers.

  “You didn’t growl,” I say, not knowing what else to do. Smooth.

  Hunter tilts his head like a confused puppy. “What do you mean?”

  I point toward the direction that Jax took off. “When Jax hugged me…you usually growl when he does that.”

  Hunter actually smiles, and I want to retreat back into the car just to keep myself from pouncing on him. That smile is seriously sexy.

  Hunter runs a hand through his mess of brown hair. “I hadn’t realized before that Jax and Darby are mates. I thought…” He doesn’t finish his sentence.

  Realization hits me. “You thought Jax was interested in me?”

  He groans and looks almost guilty. “Yeah, I guess I was a little jealous.” He moves closer to me and I step back against the cold metal of the Nissan. “You know, a possessive alpha asshole.”

  My eyebrows raise. “So, you consider me one of your possessions, Hunter?”

  His eyes darken under the moonlight, and my breath lodges in my throat. “You are nobody’s possession, Janie. You’re fate’s reward to all shifter-kind.”

  I scoff, my eyes falling to the foot of dirt between our feet. “I’m not a reward. Fate picked the wrong girl.”

  “Is that how you feel about what we learned today? That you aren’t worthy of your purpose?”

  I shrug. “Honestly, I don’t really know how to feel. A month ago, I thought I was a freak, alone for too long and meant to run forever.” I look up at Hunter and he’s watching me like I could break any moment. “Now I’m supposed to be the descendant of some ancient woman, made to bring shifters together. I couldn’t even make my own father not want to kill me.”

  A low growl fills Hunter’s chest, so quiet that I nearly miss it. He steps so close to me that I have to tilt my head back to see his face. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Janie. However you feel about where you came from, I believe fate was smart in choosing you.”

  Hunter’s hands press against the car on either side of my head, and his legs spread to the sides so that he lowers to my eye-level. I can taste his breath, and every nerve in my body burns. His chest touches mine, sending warmth through me.

  I’m glued to his gaze, positive that I couldn’t move away if I wanted to. “Hunter, what are you doing?” My words are just a whisper.

  Hunter shakes his head as his eyes flick down to my mouth and then back. “I—I don’t know…”

  I don’t let him finish talking. Something inside of me snaps and I close the small distance between us. Our lips slam together, sending tingles all the way down to my toes. I’ve never kissed anyone before, and I could not have imagined this feeling.

  My arms wrap around Hunter’s neck, pulling his body more firmly against mine. His lips move fast against mine as he stands to his full height and lifts me into his arms. He drags my legs around his waist and presses my back hard against the car to help hold me up.

  I don’t know how my mouth even knows what to do, but I let my tongue slide along Hunter’s bottom lip and I suck it in between mine, holding back the urge to bite down. A loud growl leaves his throat as his body shudders against mine. The idea that I could be making him feel so wild excites me in ways I never thought possible.

  The moment our tongues collide, I want more, so much more. I grip onto his hair, holding on for dear life as Hunter’s hands grasp at my thighs, pulling me hard against him.

  Just when I feel like I might explode, Hunter drops me to my feet and practically jumps away from me. His eyes are wild, no longer human as they glow almost red like his wolf’s.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispers before running off towards the woods.

  “Hunter,” I call after him, but he’s already shifting, ripping through his clothes as he becomes the large, gray wolf. In seconds, he is long gone, leaving me feeling cold and empty.

  Hunter

  I feel more out of control than I ever have, completely wild. I’ve imagined kissing Janie at least a hundred times already, and I’ve dreamt of much more. I should have known that avoiding my feelings for her would stop working eventually.

  My heavy paws pound against the forest floor as I take the same routes I have run since the day I shifted when I was sixteen. I could run through these woods with my eyes closed. Damn, I’m an idiot!

  I shouldn’t have kissed her, or let her kiss me. I was asking for it, though. Letting myself get close, telling myself that just being close to her would be enough. Now that I know what she tastes like, I’ll never stop craving Janie.

  She says she isn’t worthy of the life fate has given her, that she isn’t good enough. If only she could see herself through my eyes. She is beautiful, strong, determined, and…addicting. I could love this girl, but that’s exactly the thing I said I would never do.

  My wolf growls in frustration, angry that we ran away instead of completing the mating bond with Janie right there in my front yard.

  We can’t do that. We can’t have her.

  I try to reason with the wolf, but he doesn’t understand reason. All he wants is to be with his mate, and I get it. The way she looked into my eyes before she kissed me. The small noise that left her throat as she clung to my hair. Addicting.

  I’m so lost in my thoughts of Janie that I don’t smell the other wolf until we’re face-to-face. Jax?

  He begins to shift in front of me, so I follow suit. We’re both naked in the middle of the woods, and as much as it should be awkward as hell, I don’t even care right now. I just sit down on a log and throw my elbows onto my knees.