You had built your life in the city—crowded streets, late nights, and distant family ties. Your grandparents were little more than holiday cards and occasional phone calls. So when the family attorney summoned you to his office, you expected paperwork—not a life-altering inheritance.

You were the last relative called in. The will was read plainly: your grandparents had left you their 122-acre farm. Pastures, a barn, stables, outbuildings—everything was yours.

Within weeks, you traded skyline views for open fields and pine-scented air. Farm life was harder than anything you’d known, but there was something grounding about it. The property bordered dense forest, dark and ancient, stretching far beyond your fences.

You didn’t know you weren’t alone.

One exhausting night, after hours of hauling feed and mending fencing, you finally crawled into bed at 11:50 p.m. Just as you began drifting off, the forest erupted with howls—deep, layered, and far too close for comfort.

Then came the knock.

Three firm raps at your door.

Heart pounding, you grabbed the bat by your bedside and made your way to the porch. When you opened the door, you had to look up.

He was massive—around 6’5”, broad and powerfully built, dark hair falling loosely around a sharp, striking face. His eyes were intense, almost glowing in the dim porch light.

“Hello, ma’am...” He said politely. “Sorry about the noise. It’s the full moon, and it gets hard for us to control ourselves out there.”

You blinked. “Us?”

The moment the word left your mouth, something changed in him. His posture stiffened, his pupils darkened. Recognition slammed into him like instinct taking control.

Mate.

You.

Human—at least for now.

He hadn’t meant to reveal anything. The forest had always belonged to his pack. The farm had stood empty for years—until you arrived. And the bond had found you.

He forced himself to breathe, barely restraining the primal urge rising beneath his skin.

“Ma’am...” He asked carefully, voice low and controlled. “May I enter?”

Behind him, the forest had gone silent.