Moonbound: The Alpha's Chosen

Emily clutched the coffee cup with both hands, her knuckles white. Ten minutes ago, she had received a mysterious text: "Werewolves are not myth. Parker Café, back table. Come alone."

Werewolves. The sender used that word directly, not beasts or animals. Emily knew she should call the police, but a reporter's instinct told her the truth was just ahead.

She touched the wolf-head necklace at her chest, feeling the unusual warmth of the metal. Since wearing it, her senses had become sharper, and her dreams increasingly real and strange.

"Ms. Grey." An elegant male voice spoke.

Emily looked up to see a middle-aged man in a tailored suit. He appeared to be in his fifties, silver-white hair gleaming at his temples, but his eyes looked unnaturally young, like burning turquoise.

"You are...?"

"Alexander Stone," the man smiled, gracefully taking the seat opposite her, "I believe the surname already tells you something."

"Lucas's relative?" Emily was surprised, noticing their similar jawlines.

"His uncle," Alexander nodded, "A rarely mentioned member of the family."

Alexander's gaze fell on her necklace, his pupils contracting slightly: "Interesting piece of jewelry, a family heirloom?"

Emily instinctively protected the necklace: "Why contact me?"

Alexander sighed lightly: "Because the truth has been buried too long. The Stone family appears to run technology, but actually hides a much older secret." His fingertips traced mysterious symbols on the table surface, "Werewolves are not myth, Ms. Grey. We walk among you, and the Stone family is the oldest, purest bloodline."

Emily felt a wave of absurdity: "You expect me to believe this?"

"No," Alexander elegantly retrieved a USB drive from his briefcase, "I expect you to verify it. Here are surveillance videos, experimental data, and the true causes of the victims' deaths. After all, you're a journalist, aren't you?"

Emily hesitantly accepted the USB drive, during the exchange Alexander's fingers traced her palm, leaving a strange hot mark. She couldn't help but withdraw her hand: "Why betray your own family?"

Alexander's expression darkened: "Because they betrayed me first. My father—Lucas's grandfather—had two sons. The legitimate son inherited everything, while I..." he paused, "A bastard is only fit to live in the shadows."

"So this is revenge?"

"Justice," Alexander corrected, his gaze burning, "Lucas's father couldn't control his instincts, causing innocent deaths. Now that he's injured, Lucas will inherit the Alpha position, things will only get worse. Someone must stop this."

His tone had a mesmerizing power, Emily found herself unconsciously leaning forward: "Alpha? What's that?"

Alexander smiled, revealing overly sharp canines: "The pack leader, with absolute dominion." He suddenly raised his hand, fingertips lightly touching her cheek, "Be careful of Lucas, Ms. Grey. He may act concerned for you, but Stone men only care about two things: power and... marking mates."

Emily felt her cheeks burn, both from his touch and the suggestion in his words: "Last question, why me?"

Alexander stood up, looking down at her, his eyes flickering with ancient wisdom and primal desire: "Intuition. There's something special about you, Emily Grey. Perhaps, more special than you realize." His gaze fell on her necklace again, "That necklace isn't an ordinary ornament, but a wolf pack marker, your mother's heirloom, isn't it?"

Emily stared at him in shock: "How did you know...?"

Alexander bowed elegantly, kissing the back of her hand: "Tomorrow night is the full moon, the truth will be revealed. If you want to understand your true identity, come to the stone circle in the forest center at midnight. But remember, knowledge is a double-edged sword—once you know, you can't go back."

After he left, his scent remained in the air—pine, amber, and some wild musk. Emily felt strangely dizzy, the wolf-head necklace burning against her skin, as if it had come alive.

As night fell, Emily inserted the USB drive into her computer. The images that appeared made her gasp—a person writhing painfully in the moonlight, bones reconstructing, skin growing thick fur, finally transforming into something between human and wolf.

What shocked her more was that she recognized those eyes, even in wolf form, they were unmistakably Lucas Stone's eyes.