Reborn As My Alpha's Luna

The car moved like a ghost through the forest.

Tessa sat curled in the backseat, cheek pressed to the cold window, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Fog slithered across the glass like snakes made of smoke, and the headlights only reached a few feet ahead before being swallowed whole. The trees outside were towering silhouettes, their gnarled limbs stretching like claws across the sky. It felt like the forest had eyes, and they were all fixed on her.

She didn't speak. Not to the driver. Not to herself. She just stared, lost in the swirl of her own thoughts.

Her breath fogged the glass, and with it came her reflection—a pale, hollow-eyed girl staring back, looking like someone who had been dragged through too many dark places. Someone who never planned to make it this far.

She hugged herself tighter.

This was supposed to be the beginning of something new. A job. A future. Whatever Logan saw in her that night, it gave her hope. But now, every part of her screamed that she'd walked straight into another trap.

You keep getting into mess.

Her voice. Bitter and sharp inside her head.

But it wasn't a lie.

Every time peace knocked, chaos kicked the door open. And now she was deep inside a cursed forest, with a man who barely blinked, heading to a place owned by someone who looked at her like he already knew what her blood tasted like.

What the hell are you doing, Tessa?

---

It had rained the night she and Leslie quit.

The bar lights were off, the streets damp with the kind of cold that clung to bones. They sat beneath the rusted overhang behind the building, knees drawn to their chests, sharing a broken cigarette and a stale packet of crackers. Their backs leaned against wet brick. No words for a while. Just the sound of rain.

Finally, Leslie broke the silence, voice low and tight, barely audible over the droplets. "Even if I have to steal, even if I have to run, I'll come back for you, Tess. Just hold on. Okay? Just... hold on until we find the light."

Tessa nodded, her chest aching. "If I make anything out of this... I swear, I'll come back. We'll find it together."

They both meant it.

But now, sitting in that cold car, surrounded by shadows, she wasn't so sure light existed at all.

---

She reached for the manila folder beside her. Her fingers trembled. The paper was warm. Almost alive. She opened it.

Contracts. Clauses. Handwritten notes. But the words were broken—some cut off halfway, others smudged as if erased by panic. One line stood out: Bloodline Compatibility: ? A strange symbol was etched beside it—a jagged crescent slashed through a circle, drawn in ink that shimmered faintly.

She rubbed her thumb over it. The paper pulsed.

A noise snapped her attention forward.

Not fog. Not shadow.

Something real.

It darted across the road.

She bolted upright. "Did you see that? Something just crossed the road!"

The driver didn't even blink. "Nothing can harm you in these woods."

His voice was soft. Too soft. Like something used to silence.

"These woods?" she echoed, heart pounding. "What the hell does that mean?"

He didn't reply.

She tried the door handle.

Locked.

Her breath came faster. The fog thickened until the trees looked like giants in mourning. Then, up ahead—

A massive shape appeared in the mist.

She leaned forward, squinting through the windshield.

It was a wolf. But not like anything she'd ever seen.

It was enormous. Jet-black, with fur that shimmered as if made of oil, and eyes that glowed gold. It stood dead center in the road, unblinking.

Tessa screamed. "STOP THE CAR! WHAT IS THAT?!"

The brakes hissed.

The car rolled to a stop, inches away from the creature.

The driver got out.

"NO! Don't open the door! Don't go out there!" she shouted, pressing herself flat against the seat.

But he walked calmly toward the beast.

The wolf lowered its head.

Then its body began to twist.

Fur pulled inward. Bones cracked. Muscles shifted. The transformation was sickening and slow. Like watching a body disassemble and reassemble itself.

Seconds later, a man stood in the wolf's place. Tall, silver-haired, his bare skin steaming in the cold. His eyes still glowed.

Tessa's jaw dropped. Her brain refused to register it. Her body screamed to run, but her limbs locked.

They spoke in low tones.

She couldn't hear them, but their body language was tight. Tense.

Then the silver-haired man glanced at her.

"She's human," he said aloud. "We can't let a human pass through."

The driver's tone didn't change. "Alpha's order. She passes."

The other man's brow furrowed.

A long silence stretched between them.

Finally, he stepped aside.

The driver came back, opened her door gently.

"You alright?"

She didn't answer.

He shut the door, got back behind the wheel, and drove.

Tessa shook. "Let me out," she whispered. "Let me out. I didn't sign up for this. I don't want this. I'll go back to sleeping on the street, I swear—"

The trees thickened. The fog deepened. Then a pair of iron gates loomed ahead.

Twisting vines of metal curled up their sides, etched with runes and claw-like patterns. The gates groaned open as they approached.

Two guards stepped forward.

Men.

Until they caught her scent.

Their faces shifted.

Noses sharpened. Claws split through skin. Their jaws stretched open with wet snaps. Bones shifted beneath muscle. One let out a snarl and stepped forward.

Tessa screamed, recoiling. She clutched the door handle, shaking.

The driver raised his hand.

The wolves froze.

Then slowly, their bodies folded back in. Fur vanished. Bones settled. Breath heaved. One of them spat blood onto the stone.

The car rolled forward.

Beyond the gates, the mansion rose like a fortress carved from nightmares.

Black stone. Sharp towers. Windows that glowed like they were watching.

The vehicle stopped.

The driver opened her door again.

She didn't move.

"No. I'm not going in there."

He reached for her wrist.

She slapped his hand.

But he gently gripped her, pulling her from the seat.

The gravel scraped under her boots.

Then the mansion doors opened.

Logan stepped into the light.

Broad shoulders. Dressed in black. Eyes the color of dying fire.

He said nothing.

He only stared at her.

And the world stopped moving.

Tessa's knees gave out.

Before she collapsed, a whisper slipped through her mind:

"Welcome back... Liyara."

And then—

Darkness.