Page 38 of Fated to the Lone Shifter (Curse of the Lunaris Alpha #1)

NOAH

T he fire crackles in front of us, small but steady, nestled in the center of the ancient circle where blood was once spilled, secrets unearthed, and destinies rewritten.

I stand next to her—my fated mate, my fiercest ally, the fire witch who set my world ablaze and then pulled me from the ashes.

Her fingers brush mine, and even that tiny contact sends a ripple of warmth through me. It’s not just the magic. It’s her. All of her. Finally mine.

We built this fire together—not to destroy, but to honor what we’ve survived and light the way forward.

Around us, the others gather. Tori, quiet but radiant in the moonlight. Marcus, hands shoved in his pockets, looking at peace for the first time since I turned him. And the pup—curled at Sera’s feet, his tiny ears twitching at every pop of the fire.

This is my pack now. Mismatched. Messy. Miraculous.

I take a deep breath and turn to Marcus. He meets my eyes. No hesitation. No fear. Just the kind of unspoken understanding that comes from shared blood… and redemption.

I offer him my hand.

He shakes it.

A beat of tension hums between us. Then, a nod. A clasp. A silent pact of forgiveness. Whatever we were before, whatever lines were crossed—this is where we begin again.

SERA

I watch them shake hands, and something unknots in my chest.

This is what I fought for. Not just to close a case or finish a mission—but to stand here, with my people, my magic unburdened, my heart unhidden. No secrets from those I love.

I used to believe I had to choose between my fire and my fate. But I don’t. Not anymore.

Tori walks up beside me, her violet eyes catching the flames. She presses something warm into my hand—a soft velvet pouch. I open it and find a bracelet woven with silver threads and a charm shaped like a tiny flame wrapped in ivy.

“From Ember,” she says. “She wanted you to have something to remind you… you’re never alone. Not even now.”

“She?” I query, my eyebrows raised in feigned surprise. Tori flashes a mischievous Fae grin.

The bracelet tingles—warm with protection, threaded with connection, pulsing with the unmistakable sense of home.

My throat tightens.

I slip it on.

Behind us, the wind moves through the trees like a lullaby. The fire burns brighter.

I lean into Noah, and he catches me easily, as if we’ve always moved this way—two wild things tamed by love, still burning, but never alone.

Not anymore.

NOAH

Marcus crouches by the pup, scratching gently behind its ears. It lets out a soft yip and topples into his lap, tail thumping against the dirt. The sight tugs something deep in my chest—a tenderness I forgot I had.

He looks up at me, smirking, but there’s a flicker of something else in his eyes—relief, maybe. “Looks like I’ve been adopted.”

“About time,” I say, only half-joking.

Tori joins him, arms crossed, wary but curious. Her gaze flicks to Marcus, then to the pup, then back to Marcus. “Just remember, wolves may imprint fast, but trust takes longer.”

Marcus raises his hands in surrender. “Noted. I come in peace.”

Her brow arches. “You come in charm. That’s not the same thing.”

The tension breaks with a ripple of laughter, even from Sera. The pup barks once, then curls up between us all, as if it knows it belongs here too.

We’re not a normal pack. Hell, we’re not even a real one—witch, wolf, healer, hybrid, and a pup with a future none of us can predict. But it works. Somehow, it works.

SERA

This is what family feels like.

It’s strange how something can feel brand new and ancient at the same time. Like a memory I forgot I was part of.

Tori shifts closer, arms brushing mine. “He’s not all bad,” she whispers, motioning toward Marcus. “But I’m still sleeping with one eye open.”

“You and me both,” I whisper back, and we share a look only cousins can manage—one part exasperation, one part affection.

Noah joins us, his hand finding mine again. There’s a glint of mischief in his eye. “You know this means you’re stuck with all of us now, right?”

I squeeze his fingers. “Good. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

The pup yips again, like it’s agreeing. Marcus howls—low and soft, almost reverent—and the pup joins in, his baby voice cracking halfway through.

We all laugh, warm and unguarded.

For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like I’m pretending to be someone else. Not a spy. Not a soldier. Just… Sera. Witch. Woman. Mate.

And finally, free of my secrets.

When the laughter settles and the fire crackles into a quieter rhythm, Tori steps forward again. Her face is soft, unreadable. She holds out another small velvet pouch.

“For both of you,” she says.

I take it from her hands and open the pouch. Inside are two matching necklaces—delicate chains holding identical pendants. Each charm is a fusion of three symbols: a Celtic cross, a flame, and a wolf’s paw print. It takes my breath away.

Tori explains, “I had them made. A fire witch. A lone wolf. A fate bound by fire, magic, and legacy. One of a kind—like the two of you.”

Noah takes his with reverence, holding it up to the firelight. The metal glows faintly as if it remembers the magic we’ve walked through together.

“Fated,” he says.

“Forged,” I whisper.

“Forever,” we say together, like a vow neither of us needs to speak aloud—but do anyway, because sometimes magic needs to be expressed.

We step closer, slipping the chains over each other’s heads at the same time. The pendants settle at our hearts. Right where they belong. Each flickers like magical sigils the moment the necklaces press our chests.

TOGETHER

“I’ve never worn a necklace in my life. But this? This feels like armor. Like truth. Like home.” The moment is almost more than Noah can bear.

Sera presses her hand to the pendant resting against his chest. “This doesn’t mean we’re married,” she teases, but there’s a hint of something deeper in her voice.

“Damn right. It means more than that.”

Everyone in the pack recognizes his intention…what it took to get here. How together they bled and burned and broke to finally create this bond.

Noah drops to one knee—not with a ring, but with every fiber of his being. “But if you ever want that, you only have to ask.”

Her lips curve. “What if I ask now?”

He laughs, pausing in hesitation before rising to his feet. “Then I’d say yes in every lifetime.”

Sera leans in for a kiss—soft and slow. The kiss lingers long after their lips part, a spell sealed with breath and firelight.

Overhead, the stars scatter like embers against the midnight sky—uncertain, ancient, and burning bright. Just like the alpha and his fire witch.

Tori steps back into the circle, hands cupped with something glimmering inside. She gives us both a mischievous grin. “Consider this a blessing. For luck. And a little extra magic.”

She lifts her hands and sprinkles a delicate dust above their heads. It rains down in a soft shimmer, catching in Noah’s hair and twinkling across Sera’s shoulders like tiny stars.

Noah tilts his face to the sky and lets out a long, wild howl—low, proud, and free.

Marcus joins him, and so does the pup, its little voice cracking adorably as it tries to keep up. The sound echoes through the trees, not as a warning, not as a threat—but as a promise.

Out of the ashes, a new kind of pack has been born.

One stitched together by fire, loyalty, and love that defies curses and fate alike.

THE END