I lost track of how much time had passed since I’d finished my tea. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Time seemed to drag on without any meaning attached to it once the tea had been consumed. Sweat beaded across my brow. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the warm temperature or something else. My dress began to stick to me in places, and my heart picked up its rhythm. When the faces of the pack members swirled, melting together with the fire, I knew something was happening. Something that involved the tea.

Was this it? Was this what it felt like when the moon goddess chose you?

My vision darkened around the edges as the world seemed to tip on its axis. The ground in front of me rippled, bubbling with movement that shouldn’t be there. Nausea built in my stomach, causing bile to rise up the back of my throat. My ears hummed with the sounds of the night, everything suddenly amplified. I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to vomit.

White light above me caught my eye. I lifted my gaze to the star-speckled sky. The moon looked larger than normal and its otherworldly glow ten times brighter. Was it falling? Alarm nipped at my insides, chilling the blood flowing through my veins.

Child of the Moon, a soft voice called.

It wasn’t mine, but the words were inside my head. Sweat slickened my skin. My breathing hitched. What was happening to me?

Open up to me. Do not fear. Do not resist. Let me bless you…

How did I do any of those things? Why would I want to?

The dress I wore became saturated with sweat. Why was I so hot? The temperature of the air didn’t feel hot. Did I have a fever? Was something wrong with me? My stomach rolled as my mouth pooled with saliva.

Oh, God. I was going to hurl.

My hand came to my mouth, but in slow motion. The realization jarred me. Why couldn’t I move correctly? I waved my hand in front of my face. A trippy trail followed behind it. Had Gran given me a bad batch? Had I drunk too much?

This couldn’t be right. Something had to be wrong. No one had ever described the process to be like this.

I shifted to glance at the others beside me. They’d drank the tea, too. If I were having a reaction because the tea was bad, they would be as well.

It didn’t take long to notice they all seemed to be having the same reaction I was.

Sweat beaded across their skin, circles rimmed their eyes, and they each appeared to be as out of it as I felt. A small sense of calm settled over me. At least I wasn’t the only one. I closed my eyes. My teeth chattered as my body temperature went from fiery hot to freezing cold in the span of a single heartbeat. The contrast startled my eyes open. I opened my mouth to say something, but the faces of the pack members blurred together until they became one screwed up face. A scream built in the back of my throat, but it died when everyone seemed to drift away.

Suddenly I was alone.

This couldn’t be right. People couldn’t vanish into thin air. Not the wolves from my pack. Witches, maybe. I blinked, thinking my eyes had to be playing tricks on me. Still no pack. No Gran. No Dad. No Gracie. No one.

Where had everyone disappeared to?

I was alone with a fire crackling a few feet away. The woods still sounded with nighttime creatures as I held my breath and listened. Nothing about the space had changed. Except for the lake. A heavy fog had moved in at some point, giving the rippling dark waters an ominous vibe.

What was I supposed to do? Sit here and wait? For what, I didn’t know.

I closed my eyes and pulled in a deep breath, thinking maybe when I opened them things would go back to the way they’d been. After counting to five, I opened my eyes to find I was still alone.

I stood and glanced around. Maybe I hadn’t been able to gauge time because of the tea. Could it be everyone had already gone out on a run or went home? I took a step toward the woods and witnessed the trees grow thirty feet in height within the span on a single step. Their branches moved in an unfelt breeze that intensified when I took another step forward. Leaves and debris blew, tangling in my hair and forcing me to shield my eyes. I took a step back and the wind died down.

Okay. Apparently, I’d stepped in the wrong direction. Also, this place wasn’t normal. It wasn’t our typical ritual spot and that wasn’t my lake.

Still, I needed to decide what to do next, because standing here wasn’t an option. I chewed my bottom lip as I contemplated between walking toward the cave or the lake.

I went toward the lake.

The reflection of the moon shimmered across its surface. Maybe it was a sign I was supposed to go toward it. My heart thundered as I forced myself to inch toward it, my gaze locked on its smooth waters. Instantly, the smooth waters rippled. At first, I thought it was in an effort to draw the reflection of the moon closer to me, but as I took another step forward, the ripples doubled in size and doubt crept in.

I froze when massive waves that held the power to wipe out an entire city built before me. They pounded against one another at the edge of the lake, building until they formed a gigantic wall of water that seemed to beg me to take another step toward it. My beautiful lake wanted to wash me away. I stepped back. The wall of water receded. In seconds, all was as it was moments before.

My hands reached to tuck my hair behind my ears as a tremble slipped through me. I didn’t know what was going on, but I did know all was left was the cave.

What would I do if something happened when I stepped toward it, too? My gaze drifted in a circle around me. Had I missed anything? Was I supposed to leave this space, or remain where I was? My rapid heartbeats counted out the seconds as they passed. The noises of the forest grew louder. The moon too bright. I couldn’t stay here.

The cave was my only other option.

I pulled in a deep breath and started toward it on wobbly knees. Nothing happened. No bats the size of my head came out like I’d imagined. No bear ten times the size it should be growled in my face. Nothing. Maybe this was the way I was supposed to go, after all.

I continued forward until I was swallowed by the darkness resting inside. My fingers trailed along the cave’s cool, bumpy walls as I made my way deeper in. The air grew stale and musky, but I pressed forward one foot in front of the other. When the walls became narrow, panic pumped through my system. Tight spaces had never bothered me before, but this place didn’t feel normal. Thoughts of being trapped intensified what I was feeling. My feet faltered when my anxiety crested, and I closed my eyes to gather myself. I didn’t know where I was going, but knew it was the only way I could go. The only way this place, whatever it was, would allow.

Something brushed against my back, causing me to jump. It was hard, rigid, cool to the touch, and tall. I froze. When it pressed against me harder, touching me from head to toe, I nearly lost it. I wanted to step forward, to run, to scream, but I couldn’t. Fear had frozen me in place. My fingertips drifted behind me to feel what my eyes couldn’t see in the darkness. Something solid. Something like rock.

No, no, no!

My breath burst in and out of my chest as I felt along a wall of smooth stone behind me. How was it possible a wall was behind me? My mind glitched, jumping to my next thought before the first had enough time to marinade.

I was trapped.

A whimper escaped my parted lips. It echoed against the rocks. Tears built in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I refused to break down.

After all, it could be a dream.

Placing one foot in front of the other, I continued forward, choosing to hold on to the notion this was all a dream even if it wasn’t. Time passed and a light captured my attention in the distance. The sight of it propelled my feet forward faster. Woods lit by moonlight became visible as an exit to the cave emerged. I didn’t care what waited for me beyond the stone walls; all I wanted was to be free from the cave’s confines.

When I stumbled from the cave, I realized I was back where I started. The ritual space. Again, I was alone. Nothing had changed. It was as though I’d walked in a full circle somehow. Tears of frustration built, but again, I refused to let them fall. They wouldn’t help me any.

Movement from the corner of my eye captured my attention.

A wolf at the edge of the woods where they met with the lake sat staring at me. Something about its presence was calming and familiar. I couldn’t look away. It was a shade of brown that shimmered in the light of the moon. I stood still, worried any movement would startle it away. I didn’t want to be alone again. Not in this place.

All I could do was stare.

Something about the wolf called to me. Its gaze drifted from me to the moon. I expected its jaws to open and for a beautifully terrifying howl to spill free, but it remained silent. Our eyes locked, and I found myself creeping toward it as if pulled by an unseen magnetic force. The wolf didn’t move. Its gaze remained fixated on mine. This close I could make out the color of its eyes. Hazel. The same shade as mine.

When the wolf bowed its head as though answering my thought, something shifted inside me. A strange sense of knowing filled my every fiber. I knew this wolf. She was mine.

My hand reached out to touch her, wondering what her fur would feel like between my fingers. Her gaze never wavered. Fear didn’t register from her, only interest. I held my breath as my fingertips inched closer to her. The instant I brushed against her soft fur, a blinding white light became all I could see. It stemmed from nowhere and everywhere at once, encompassing me.

United as one, so mote it be, the soft voice from before said as it floated through my mind.

I wasn’t afraid hearing it this time, because I understood what was happening.

The moon goddess had kissed us both, and now we were one.

The blinding white light faded away. As did the feel of soft fur against my fingertips. My eyes fluttered open as my heart skipped a beat.

I was back with my pack.

The wolf was gone. A small sense of sadness trickled through me even though I was back where I should be. Something nudged my insides. It was warm and wild. Gentle and free.

My wolf.

A sense of wholeness filled me. She was still with me. I’d become one with her. I could feel her. She was an integral part of me now, same as I was to her.

My breath stilled in my chest as I focused on her. How had I ever felt complete without her?

Movement from my pack members in front of me captured my attention. I needed to find Gran. She would be so happy to know I’d been Moon Kissed, to know she was right. Something different had been in the air this moon. Dad and Gracie would be ecstatic for me, too.

Where was Gran? And what was wrong with my eyes?

Something about my view was off. Everyone was taller than I remembered. Or was I slouching? Whispers buzzed around me, but I couldn’t focus on what was being said. No. That wasn’t it. I could focus; I just didn’t understand. Their words made no sense to me. It was as though they were speaking in a new language.

Had something in my brain broken during the process of becoming Moon Kissed?

Movement to my left caught my eye. A dark-haired wolf paced beside me. A sense of familiarity hummed through my system as I stared at the creature, but I didn’t understand it. This wasn’t my wolf. She was a different color. When I peeked around her, I spotted three wolves.

Oh my God, everyone who drank the tea had become a wolf. Did that mean? Was I?

I glanced down at myself. Brown fur glimmered in the moonlight instead of the white dress I’d been wearing.

I was my wolf. She was me.

The air around me charged with electricity, drawing my attention away from myself. I knew what was happening instantly—the others were changing. I could feel their presence transforming into something more relatable to my current form.

A wolf with soft gray hair that was nearly white stepped to my side. Gran. Not only could I feel her presence inside the wolf, I could smell her familiar scent lingering on her fur. She nuzzled against me, and I closed my eyes before burrowing my head into her fur. Warmth and happiness enveloped me. I felt like I’d come home, like I finally belonged.

Gran nuzzled into me one final time before disappearing into the thicket of woods behind us along with the others and our alpha. Those who weren’t of age to be Moon Kissed began being led back to the park by Sylvie.

Maybe she did have a place in the pack after all.

A dark brown wolf larger than me caught my eye. He stood at the edge of the woods, watching me with a set of intensely green eyes I knew well. Amusement shimmered through them as Eli nodded toward the woods.

I started toward him on my new legs, feeling the solid ground beneath me bring a sense of stability and strength. I was connected to nature in a way I had never been before as I made my way toward him. It was magnificent. The second I reached Eli, he broke into a run. I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to chase him, or if he was in a hurry to catch up with the others. It didn’t matter. In three strides, I was at his side. Seconds later, I was taking part in my first moonlit pack run, and it was glorious.