Chapter 4
Bolton
The moon cast long shadows across my backyard as I stacked firewood for tomorrow night's bonfire. Dad had been clear about my responsibilities: tend the fire, watch the new kids, and report back anything unusual. Simple enough, if I wasn't already distracted by thoughts of Maya.
I checked my phone for what felt like the hundredth time. She hadn't replied to my text about the bonfire. Not that I expected her to.
"Need any help with that?"
I looked up to see my sister, Lila, leaning against the porch railing. At sixteen, she was only a year younger than me, but sometimes the gap felt a whole lot wider, especially when it came to family obligations.
"I'm almost done," I said, placing another log on the pile. "Shouldn't you be helping Mom with the preparations?"
Lila rolled her eyes. "Mom's busy planning the ceremony and stressing about the moon phase. You know, the usual full moon frenzy."
She hopped down from the porch, boots crunching softly on the gravel, and picked up a piece of kindling, twirling it between her fingers like it was a baton.
"So, the new girl. Maya. You're into her, aren't you?"
"I'm just being friendly," I said, trying to keep my voice neutral as I shifted a log into place. "Dad asked me to keep an eye on her."
"Right. Because that's all it is," she said, the smirk practically audible in her voice. "Totally normal for you to be tracking a girl’s schedule, sitting behind her in every class, and getting all moody when she talks to Rick."
I shot her a glare. "Maybe stop spying on me and worry about your own life."
Lila laughed lightly. "You’re not exactly subtle, Bolton. Half the pack noticed. And if Dad didn’t assign you to her, you still would’ve made it your mission. Admit it."
I stood up and wiped my hands on my jeans. "Look, she’s different, okay? She’s not like anyone else around here."
"Yeah," Lila said, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully. "She’s not stupid. Which is probably why I’m worried about her. She sees more than she’s supposed to."
"She’s not going to figure anything out." I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly tense. "She’s not even from here. She probably thinks the bonfire is just some cheesy small-town party."
Lila tilted her head. "But you want her to come anyway."
I didn’t answer. She didn’t need me to.
"Just be careful, Bolton," she said after a beat. Her voice had softened, just enough to make me stop stacking. "You know what happens to outsiders who get too close."
I straightened and looked her in the eye. "Nothing's going to happen. It's just a bonfire."
"Sure," she muttered, tossing the piece of kindling onto the pile. "Like it was just a bonfire last year with that kid from Portland?"
My jaw clenched. "That was different."
"Was it?" she asked quietly. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks the same. He didn’t know what he was walking into either. There was a shift near the edge of the ridge, someone panicked, and he ended up in the ER with a broken arm and a story no one believed. We’re lucky it didn’t go further. "
She crossed her arms. "Look, I’m just saying—if something goes down tomorrow night, who’s going to protect her?"
"I will," I said, my words low but decisive.
Lila’s expression shifted, her eyes narrowing. Then she nodded once, slowly. “You better. Because if this goes sideways, no one’s going to blame her. They’ll blame you.”
Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Maya.
I’ll be there.
"Who's that?" Lila tried to peek at my screen.
I tilted it away from her. "No one."
"Liar." She folded her arms across her chest.
I can pick you up if that helps.
I hit send before I could think better of it. What was I doing, offering to drive her?
"Bolton, listen to me." Lila's voice had lost its teasing edge. "The Ortiz girl is different. Mom was talking about it with Aunt Sarah. They think she might be... you know."
I went still.
"You heard that for real?" I asked.
She nodded, folding her arms and leaning against the woodpile. "Yesterday morning. I was in the hallway upstairs. They thought I was still asleep."
I waited, my heart thudding, unsure if I wanted her to keep talking.
“They were in the kitchen whispering. Mom said she’d felt something weird when she saw Maya in town. Said the girl gave off, not just shifter vibes, but ‘ghost-pack energy.’”
Ghost-pack. Old bloodlines. Disbanded families. Wolves who vanished into legend.
“What does that even mean?” I muttered, more to myself than her.
Lila wet her lips. “Aunt Sarah asked if there was any record of the Ortiz family, but Mom said no—not anything recent anyway. She mentioned a name, Miguel?”
My chest tightened. I'd heard that name before.
“And then Mom told Sarah she was sure she’d seen Elena before, years ago, back when some neighboring pack fell apart.” Lila’s voice dropped. “They think Maya might be from that bloodline. The one that disappeared. Which means she’s not fully human.”
Miguel. That name wasn’t just familiar. I’d seen it in an old pack archive once, connected to one of the first human-shifter bondings recorded in the territory. He’d died during a rogue ambush. The Luna he'd mated with vanished after.
Maya’s mom.
Holy hell.
“So you’re saying...” I started, barely able to form the words, “...that Maya might be half-wolf? And she doesn’t even know?”
Lila nodded slowly. “That’s what they think. And if that’s true, tomorrow night? Under the full moon?” She hesitated. “She could shift. Or she might not. Depends on how close to the surface her wolf is.”
I drew in a shaky breath as realization crashed over me.
“The bonfire might trigger it,” I said quietly.
“Right,” she confirmed. “It’s not just a party for her. It’s a test. And if she changes in front of the whole pack without knowing what’s happening to her—”
“She’ll panic,” I whispered.
“She could expose everything,” Lila added gravely. “Which wouldn’t just ruin her; it could get her hurt. Or worse.”
I sat down on the edge of the firewood pile, suddenly dizzy.
“They're letting her come anyway?” I asked.
Lila nodded. “Mom told Sarah, ‘If she’s truly one of us, the moon will call her. And if she’s not, better we know now.’”
The words made my blood run cold.
“They're not protecting her,” I said. “They’re watching her.”
Lila didn’t answer right away. Then she sat next to me, her voice soft. “You’re the only one who’ll look out for her if something goes wrong. You know that, right?”
I nodded slowly.
I’d already made that promise to myself.
But after what Lila just told me?
Now it felt like a vow I couldn’t afford to break.
My phone buzzed again.
I'll be there. But I'll find my own ride. See you tomorrow.
"She's coming, isn't she?" Lila asked quietly.
I nodded, pocketing my phone. "Yeah. She is."
"Then may the moon goddess help her." Lila turned back toward the house, her silhouette stark against the porch light. "And you too, brother."
I watched her disappear inside, then turned back to the moon hanging low over Stone Mountain.
The same moon that would illuminate tomorrow's ceremony.
The same moon under which we'd discover whether Maya Ortiz was just another new girl in town or something much more significant to our community's ancient ways.
Either way, I couldn't shake the feeling that after tomorrow night, nothing would be the same.