The Triquetra Bond

Chapter 1

Nearly two years had passed since Eimear O'Connor’s 18th birthday—the night when her packmates transformed under the full moon. For Eimear, the memory was an open wound, gnawing at her every time she stood among her pack. She still remembered the joyous howls of Mairead and Donna as they shifted, their brown and silver wolves racing under the moonlight. She could still feel the weight of her father Declan’s expectant gaze, and the silence that followed when her transformation never came.

The whispers that night had cut deeper than she cared to admit. Cursed, some said, Forgotten by the Moon Goddess. In the two years since her failed transformation, those whispers had dulled into uneasy stares and pity. Though the pack no longer openly discussed her wolf-less state, Eimear felt their judgment every time they looked at her.

Her 20th birthday loomed, heavy with unspoken hopes and fears. Maeve had tried to comfort her, as she always did. That morning, as they sat by the hearth, Maeve’s words were both a balm and a wound.

“Eimear, Rhiannon has a plan for you,” her mother said, cupping her cheek with a calloused hand. “I know it feels like you’ve been forgotten, but trust the goddess. She never abandons her children.”

Eimear managed a small nod, but the bitterness rising in her throat made her doubt. Everyone else in the pack had their wolves. Her brothers, Liam and Sean, had their mates. Even Mairead and Donna were fully integrated into the pack. And here she was—neither human nor wolf, existing on the fringes of a family she longed to belong to.

Her dreams offered no respite. That night, she dreamt of the pack gathered under the full moon, their backs turned to her as they shifted and howled together. She was alone in the circle, her cries swallowed by the darkness pressing in around her. The dream ended as it always did—with her waking in a cold sweat, the ache of her isolation heavier than before.

The day of her 20th birthday arrived with an autumn chill, the brisk wind stirring the waters of Lough Ree into restless ripples. Eimear got up that morning feeling strange—a deep ache burned under her shoulder blades as if her body were bracing for something. No matter what she did, she couldn’t relieve the pain.

By nightfall, she was drawn to the cliffs overlooking the island. The spot had always been a place of solace for her over the past two years, a vantage point where she could see the entire pack territory and the moonlit expanse of the lake. Lately, the pull to come here had grown stronger, though she couldn’t explain why.

Sitting on the rocky edge, she hugged her knees to her chest and stared at the rising moon. Its light reflected off the streaks of silver in her hair, a trait that had grown more pronounced in the last year. She whispered a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess, her words carried on the cold wind.

“Please, Rhiannon. Tell me what I am. Tell me why I’ve been left behind.”

The moon hung high, casting its pale glow over her. The air grew still and heavy. Eimear stiffened as her pulse quickened, her senses sharpening to the hum of something ancient.

The change began subtly—an odd tingling beneath her skin, a warmth spreading through her chest. Then, like a wildfire, it consumed her. Heat seared through her muscles, her bones aching as if they were being reshaped from the inside out.

Eimear fell forward, clutching the earth as her breath came in ragged gasps. Her fingers dug into the dirt as the transformation wracked her body, each wave of pain more intense than the last.

Wings burst through her shirt with a sharp snap, unfurling in one powerful motion. Their feathers, soft yet unyielding, shimmered under the moonlight, streaked with silver and pearl. Her face elongated into a broad muzzle, her ears sharpening to fine points that twitched at every sound.

Her legs twisted and reshaped, bending into the powerful hind limbs of a wolf. A thick, bristling tail emerged, a striking blend of fur and feathers. It was her front legs that set her apart. Instead of paws, long, deadly talons gripped the earth, their obsidian-black surface gleaming like freshly forged steel.

She cried out—a sound that was neither human nor wolf but something in between. The transformation was nothing like the smooth shifts she’d seen in her packmates. It was violent, and chaotic, as though her body were being torn apart and rebuilt by forces she didn’t understand.

When it finally ended, she collapsed onto the ground, panting and trembling. The world around her was sharper, more vivid. Every sound felt like it vibrated through her body, from the rustle of leaves to the distant lapping of water against the shore.

Eimear forced herself to stand, unsteady on her new legs. She glanced down at her body, her breath hitching. Her form was unlike anything she had ever seen. Silver-grey fur mingled with sleek feathers, her wings arcing behind her in an elegant curve. The light of the full moon seemed to dance along her features.

“What am I?” she thought with terror.

The answer didn’t come from the moon or the goddess. Instead, it pulsed within her—a deep, primal power that roared through her veins like wildfire. She wasn’t just different; she was something entirely new.

Eimear staggered to the cliff’s edge, her wings shifting instinctively to balance her. She stared out at the moonlit lake, her heart pounding as the realization settled over her. The Moon Goddess hadn’t forgotten her. This form—this mixture of wolf and bird—was her answer.

The power coursing through her felt wild and untamed. She was terrified of what she had become and what it might mean.

The pack would not understand. Even her mother’s faith in Rhiannon might waver at the sight of this strange, hybrid creature. Would they still see her as Eimear, the Alpha’s daughter? Or would they see her as a monster?

Her wings twitched a sensation that was both foreign and exhilarating. She could feel the power of flight within them, the promise of freedom she’d never known. But with that freedom came a heavy truth—she no longer belonged solely to the world of her pack.

Eimear lifted her head to the moon. If Rhiannon had a plan for her, she would uncover it.

She decided to try out her new form and raced from the cliffs to the village square, her wolf legs propelling her with speed as her silver wings helped to steady her. The wind rushed past her, and her talons gripped the earth with ease. It was exhilarating and for a moment she felt completely free.