Beneath the Same Moon
Some stories begin with a chance encounter.
Others begin with a prophecy.
For Jett Arlow and Axel Vire, everything had begun on Friday the thirteenth, with a mysterious black cat, a pair of enchanted golden bracelets, and a midnight that refused to let the following day arrive.
What should have been an ordinary meeting between two university students had become something neither could have imagined.
Every midnight, time turned backwards.
Every morning, Friday the thirteenth began again.
Yet their memories remained.
And somewhere between the repeated hours, awkward conversations, shared laughter, stolen kisses, and frightening discoveries, Jett and Axel had fallen in love.
They had also uncovered a mystery buried twenty-two years in the past.
A faded photograph revealed that they had known each other as children, along with two people they had only recently met: Catriona Ashcroft, a mischievous young woman who could transform into a black cat, and Raven Blackthorn, a mysterious young man who possessed the ability to become a raven.
Together, the four had followed the clues to Ashenrose Hall, a deserted Gothic mansion whose dark corridors concealed secrets older than any of them could remember.
There, the truth had begun to emerge.
Jett was not the ordinary young man he had always believed himself to be.
His childhood had been deliberately hidden.
His identity concealed by powerful magic.
And his connection to Cat and Raven ran far deeper than friendship.
Beyond an ancient enchanted mirror lay another world.
A world of ancestral bloodlines, forgotten kingdoms, rival magical families, and an ancient prophecy.
It was through that mirror that Jett, Cat, and Raven had travelled, leaving behind the familiar world they had known.
And leaving Axel behind.
Now the young man once known only as Jett Arlow was discovering his true heritage.
His birth name was Kaelric Ashcroft.
He was an Alpha.
The heir to an ancient bloodline.
And within him lived the legendary Great Black Wolf of Vaeloria.
But discovering where he belonged had come at a terrible price.
For the one person he wanted beside him was in another world.
And no amount of royal blood or extraordinary power could ease the ache of his absence.
The Black Wolf
The moon hung enormous above the forests of Vaeloria.
Silver light spilled across the treetops, turning the leaves into shimmering fragments of glass. Mist drifted between the ancient trunks, gathering in pale ribbons around the moss-covered roots.
Somewhere in the distance, a night bird called.
Then silence returned.
A great black wolf moved soundlessly between the trees.
His coat was darker than the surrounding shadows, thick and lustrous, with faint silver highlights where the moonlight touched his fur.
His powerful shoulders rolled beneath his coat as he walked.
His paws barely disturbed the damp earth.
And his eyes, glowing a deep amber-gold, missed nothing.
Kaelric Ashcroft.
The Great Black Wolf.
The title still felt strange.
Only a short time ago, he’d been Jett Arlow, a young musician living in a cramped room above a pub, worrying about university assignments and whether he could afford another decent meal.
Now he was expected to understand royal customs, ancestral magic, ancient laws, and the responsibilities of an Alpha.
And, apparently, how to behave like a prince.
He wasn’t particularly good at that last part.
He much preferred being a wolf.
At least out here, nobody bowed.
Nobody addressed him as my lord.
And nobody followed him around explaining which fork he was supposed to use at dinner.
He gave a low, amused huff.
Then stopped.
His ears pricked forward.
A faint rustle came from somewhere to his left.
He turned his head.
Listened.
A small creature scurried through the undergrowth.
Nothing more.
He continued walking.
His senses had become astonishingly sharp since his awakening.
He could hear water trickling over stones hundreds of paces away.
He could distinguish the movements of small animals beneath the ferns.
And the scents!
The forest was alive with them.
Wet moss.
Crushed pine needles.
Wildflowers.
Rich earth.
The distant musk of deer.
Even the faint metallic tang of rain gathering beyond the mountains.
He lowered his muzzle towards the ground.
Inhaled.
Then lifted his head again.
Something unfamiliar lingered in the air.
Faint.
Almost lost beneath the stronger scents of the forest.
His ears flattened.
He stood perfectly still.
There had been rumours.
Whispers among the castle guards.
Strangers had been seen near the northern borders.
Figures moving through the woods at night.
Signs of rival factions testing the boundaries of Ashcroft territory.
Some of the kingdom’s powerful families had not welcomed the return of the lost heir.
Others openly questioned whether a young man raised in the human world had any right to claim his ancestral position.
And a few, according to Raven, would be considerably happier if Kaelric Ashcroft disappeared altogether.
Jett had laughed when Raven first told him.
‘Well, that’s a lovely welcome home, isn’t it?’
But Raven hadn’t laughed.
And neither had Cat.
Now, beneath the moon, the possibility of unseen enemies seemed rather less amusing.
The wolf moved forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His great paws found silent purchase on the forest floor.
He slipped between two ancient oaks, his amber eyes searching the shadows.
A branch cracked somewhere ahead.
He froze.
His nostrils flared.
Then he heard it.
A rapid heartbeat.
Small.
Frightened.
A young deer burst from the undergrowth and fled between the trees.
Jett watched it disappear.
He released a long breath.
Bloody hell.
I’m getting jumpy.
He continued his patrol.
But after another half hour, the strange scent had vanished.
There was no movement beyond the ordinary life of the forest.
No voices.
No intruders.
Nothing.
He should have felt relieved.
Instead, an old familiar sadness began creeping into his thoughts.
Because when there was no danger to occupy his mind, there was only one person he could think about.
Axel.
The forest gradually opened onto a secluded lake.
Its dark surface lay perfectly still beneath the moon, reflecting the stars and the distant silhouette of the castle towers.
White flowers grew along the shore.
Willow branches trailed their delicate fingers into the water.
A faint breeze stirred the reeds.
Jett approached the lake and lowered his head to drink.
The water was cool and sweet.
When he lifted his muzzle, he caught sight of his reflection.
He stopped.
A magnificent black wolf stared back at him.
Broad-chested.
Powerful.
Beautiful in a wild, intimidating way.
He studied the creature in the water.
Was that really him?
He tilted his head.
The reflection did the same.
He almost laughed.
Look at you, mate.
Gone from playing guitar for beer money to prowling around a magical kingdom like something out of a bloody fairy tale.
He lowered himself onto the grass.
For a while, he simply watched the moonlight ripple across the lake.
He was beginning to understand his new body.
The strength in his limbs.
The extraordinary awareness of the world around him.
The instinctive sense of territory.
And the strange, ancient power that stirred somewhere deep within his chest.
Yet for all that power, he felt helpless.
Because there was one thing he couldn’t do.
He couldn’t reach Axel.
A memory came to him.
Axel standing in the alley behind the pub.
His cheeks pink.
His expression shy.
That wonderful little smile.
Jett remembered the first time their golden bracelets had touched.
Ching.
Such a tiny sound.
Such an enormous change.
He remembered Axel laughing at his ridiculous jokes.
The two of them sitting together in a café.
Skateboarding.
Holding hands.
The warmth of Axel’s fingers threaded through his own.
And the kisses.
Oh, God, the kisses.
Some awkward.
Some wonderfully tender.
Some filled with laughter when one of them bumped noses or said something particularly stupid.
He remembered Axel’s sleepy face in the morning.
The way he’d reached out and traced a finger along Jett’s jaw.
The way he’d smiled when he discovered Jett lying beside him.
And those quiet words.
I’m glad you came.
Jett closed his eyes.
A low whine escaped his throat.
He missed him.
He missed him so much that sometimes the ache seemed almost physical.
He’d only known Axel for a handful of repeated days.
Yet somehow the young man had become the centre of his world.
And now that world was gone.
Or rather, Jett had left it behind.
He lowered his great head onto his paws.
Are you alright, Axel?
Do you still think about me?
He wondered whether Axel had returned to university.
Whether he’d gone back to his ordinary routine.
Whether he still visited the pub.
Perhaps he sat at their favourite table in the café, remembering the strange boy who had entered his life and disappeared just as suddenly.
Or perhaps...
Jett’s heart tightened.
Perhaps Axel was beginning to forget.
The time loop had ended.
The days were moving forward again.
And Jett had no idea how long he’d been gone from Axel’s world.
Time might not even pass at the same rate in both realms.
The thought frightened him.
What if weeks had passed?
Months?
What if Axel eventually decided that their strange romance had been nothing more than a dream?
Jett raised his head.
His reflection stared back at him.
A great black wolf.
An Alpha.
A prince.
A creature of ancient magic.
And Axel?
Axel was human.
Beautifully, wonderfully human.
He belonged in a world of university lectures, computer screens, takeaway coffee, and ordinary afternoons.
What place could he possibly have here?
Among rival wolf clans?
Royal ceremonies?
Dangerous magical factions?
And creatures whose loyalties were determined by bloodlines older than human civilisation?
Jett stared at the water.
You wouldn’t belong here, sweetheart.
The thought hurt.
He imagined Axel standing in the great hall of the castle, surrounded by powerful Alphas and ancient nobles.
They would look at him as an outsider.
A human.
Someone unworthy of the heir to the Ashcroft bloodline.
Jett’s lips drew back slightly, exposing his sharp teeth.
A low growl rumbled in his chest.
He would never allow anyone to treat Axel badly.
Never.
But protecting someone from a world they didn’t understand was very different from asking them to live in it.
And perhaps the kindest thing he could do was let Axel go.
The thought was unbearable.
Jett lifted his muzzle towards the moon.
For a moment, he wanted to howl.
To send his loneliness across the mountains and through the stars.
To call Axel’s name so loudly that somehow, impossibly, the sound might reach him.
But he remained silent.
The great black wolf lowered his head again.
And in the stillness beside the lake, Kaelric Ashcroft felt smaller and lonelier than he ever had as Jett Arlow.
A distant bell sounded from the castle.
Once.
Then again.
Jett lifted his head.
He’d been away longer than intended.
The guards would soon change shifts.
And if anyone noticed the heir was missing from his chambers, there would be questions.
Far too many questions.
He rose reluctantly.
Water droplets clung to the fur beneath his chin.
He shook himself.
Then turned towards the distant towers.
The castle rose above the forest like a magnificent dream.
Its pale stone walls shimmered beneath the moon.
Tall spires pierced the clouds.
Hundreds of windows glowed with warm golden light.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
His ancestral home.
And yet, as he looked towards it, he felt strangely homesick for a cramped little room above a noisy pub.
A room with a narrow bed.
A worn guitar.
And a boy who’d once fallen asleep in his arms.
Jett sighed.
Then began the journey back.
He travelled quickly through the forest.
His paws carried him effortlessly over roots and fallen branches.
The closer he came to the castle, the more familiar the terrain became.
He’d spent several nights exploring the surrounding grounds, discovering little-used paths and forgotten entrances.
The guards insisted he should never wander alone.
Raven agreed with them.
Cat had threatened to tie a bell around his neck.
Jett had told her where she could put the bell.
That had earned him a rather sharp slap on the arm.
He smiled at the memory.
At least some things hadn’t changed.
He approached the rear castle wall.
Here, thick ivy covered the ancient stones, and a narrow gap lay hidden behind a cluster of thorn bushes.
It was barely visible.
But he’d discovered it during one of his first explorations.
A perfect escape route.
Or, in this case, a perfect way to return without being noticed.
He slipped through the opening.
Beyond it lay a narrow passage between two walls.
The air smelled of cold stone and old dust.
Jett moved along it until he reached a small recessed doorway.
He paused.
Concentrated.
The change came more easily now.
His powerful wolf body shimmered beneath a faint golden glow.
Fur dissolved into skin.
Paws lengthened into hands.
And moments later, a dark-haired young man stood in the shadows.
Jett stretched.
‘Bloody hell,’ he muttered. ‘Still getting used to that.’
He reached for the clothing he’d hidden in a stone recess earlier.
Within minutes he was dressed.
He slipped through the little doorway and entered the secret passageways that wound beneath the castle.
These corridors were older than most of the building.
Narrow.
Cold.
Lit only by occasional enchanted crystals embedded in the walls.
He followed the twisting route through several concealed staircases.
At last, he reached a small panel hidden behind a tapestry.
He pushed it open.
And stepped into his chamber.
The room was enormous.
Far too enormous, in Jett’s opinion.
A great four-poster bed stood against one wall, its dark curtains embroidered with silver wolves and golden stars.
A fire burned in the marble hearth.
Tall windows overlooked the moonlit gardens.
Beautiful furniture filled the room, along with shelves of ancient books and a wardrobe containing more expensive clothing than Jett had owned in his entire life.
He stared around.
‘Still ridiculous,’ he muttered.
He crossed to the window.
Far below, the forest stretched towards the mountains.
And somewhere beyond those mountains lay the enchanted mirror.
The passage back to the world he’d left behind.
Jett placed one hand against the cold glass.
‘Axel.’
He spoke the name so quietly that it was almost lost beneath the crackling fire.
‘Wish you were here.’
He stood there for a long time.
Then he turned away.
He removed his boots and collapsed onto the enormous bed.
The mattress was softer than anything he’d ever slept on.
The pillows were filled with the finest feathers.
The sheets were smooth as silk.
But there was no warmth beside him.
No sleepy laughter.
No hand reaching for his.
Jett stared at the empty space.
Then pulled a pillow against his chest.
He closed his eyes.
And tried to remember what it felt like to hold Axel.
The Boy Beneath the Same Moon
In another world, Axel Vire lay awake in his bed.
The cottage was quiet.
Moonlight streamed through the curtains, casting pale silver patterns across the quilt.
Outside, the roses stirred gently in the night breeze.
Axel lay on his side, staring at the window.
He should have been asleep hours ago.
He had university in the morning.
Assignments waiting.
A life that was supposed to be moving forward.
But sleep wouldn’t come.
It rarely did anymore.
Not without Jett.
He turned onto his back.
The empty space beside him seemed enormous.
Ridiculous, really.
He’d slept alone for most of his life.
He’d never minded before.
But now...
Now the bed felt cold.
Wrong.
As though someone had taken something precious away and left the shape of its absence behind.
Axel reached across the mattress.
His fingers brushed the smooth sheet.
He flattened his palm against it.
Then slowly smoothed away a crease.
He remembered waking one morning and finding Jett asleep beside him.
Dark hair falling across his forehead.
That beautiful, relaxed expression.
The warmth of his body.
The way he’d caught Axel’s hand and kissed his palm.
Axel smiled faintly.
Then the smile faded.
‘Where are you?’ he whispered.
The room offered no answer.
He looked towards the moon.
It was enormous tonight.
Bright and beautiful.
He wondered whether Jett could see it.
Wherever he was.
Whatever strange world he’d entered.
Perhaps he was looking at a moon too.
Perhaps he was thinking of Axel.
The thought brought a painful little flutter to his chest.
Axel rolled onto his side.
He reached for the spare pillow.
Pulled it against him.
And pressed his cheek into its softness.
For a moment, he imagined it was Jett.
He could almost hear his voice.
Morning, gorgeous.
Almost feel his arms.
Almost hear that ridiculous laugh.
Axel closed his eyes.
‘You promised we’d figure things out together,’ he whispered.
His throat tightened.
He hadn’t expected to fall in love so quickly.
Hadn’t expected a few extraordinary days to change his life.
And he certainly hadn’t expected to be left wondering whether the boy he’d fallen for would ever return.
Sometimes the memories seemed impossible.
The bracelets.
The repeating Friday.
The black cat.
The raven.
The haunted mansion.
Had it all really happened?
Or had he somehow dreamed the most beautiful and heartbreaking romance of his life?
He opened his eyes.
The moonlight shone across the empty pillow.
Axel reached towards it.
His fingers curled into the fabric.
‘Jett...’
A tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
It travelled slowly down his cheek and disappeared into the pillow.
He drew it closer.
‘Please come back.’
His voice broke.
‘Even if it’s just for a little while.’
Outside, a breeze stirred the branches against the window.
Axel listened.
For one foolish moment, he imagined footsteps on the garden path.
A familiar knock.
A dark-haired young man standing at the door with that wonderful crooked grin.
Miss me?
Axel almost laughed at himself.
Then another tear fell.
He buried his face in the pillow.
And whispered the words he’d been too frightened to say aloud when Jett was still beside him.
‘I love you.’
Far away, beneath the silver moon of Vaeloria, the Great Black Wolf slept restlessly in his ancestral castle.
And in the ordinary world, a lonely young man dreamed of finding him.
Neither knew that the magic which had once bound their hearts together had not entirely faded.
Nor that something ancient was beginning to stir beneath the foundations of Carole’s cottage.
For the moon had witnessed their first meeting.
It had watched their love grow.
And it had not forgotten the promise hidden within the golden bracelets.
The Black Wolf had found his kingdom.
But somewhere beyond the mirror, the White Wolf had yet to awaken.
