The full moon hung low and heavy in the sky, casting its silvery light across the Blackclaw territory like a watchful eye. It was a sacred night, a night when instincts awakened and wolves ran wild under the heavens. But for Alpha Kael, tonight carried a different weight. Something wasn't right, he could feel it.
The forest whispered to him.
Standing at the cliff's edge, bare-chested and barefoot, Kael let the cool night wind wrap around his body. His muscles were taut beneath tanned skin, every inch of him alert. The breeze carried familiar scents pine, earth, his pack preparing for the full moon run but then, it shifted. There. A note buried in the wind. Something unfamiliar. Feminine. Wild.
He inhaled again, deeply this time. It wasn't just any scent. It hit him low in the gut, dark and sweet, coiled with danger and allure. It didn't belong to his pack. Not from any nearby territory either. And yet, it pulled at something primal in him.
His wolf stirred.
Kael's golden eyes narrowed. His beast, the dominant, growling entity within, pressed harder against his skin. It was restless, on edge, straining to break free.
"Alpha?" came a low voice behind him.
Kael didn't turn immediately. He recognized the voice of Joran, his Beta, always watching, always waiting for orders.
"She's here," Kael murmured.
"Who?"
He finally turned to face his second. "I don't know. But she doesn't belong. And yet... she's mine."
Joran's brows drew together. "The Moon has chosen?"
Kael didn't answer directly. His jaw tightened. He hadn't believed in the ancient legends of the mate bond that the moon would handpick one perfect soul for every Alpha. He thought it a myth, romanticized in tales meant for younger wolves and naïve hearts. But now, under the heavy glow of the moon, something inside him knew.
Somewhere in the shadows of these woods... she was here.
"I'm calling off the run," Kael declared.
Joran blinked in surprise. "What? But the pack"
"Secure the perimeter. No one shifts tonight. Not until I know who's on my land."
Without waiting for a response, Kael vanished into the trees, silent as a shadow, moving with the speed and grace only a high-ranking Alpha could command.
Aria crouched behind a curtain of moss-draped branches, her breath quiet but fast. She had masked her scent as best she could, masked her tracks, even her aura. But something was wrong. She felt him now. A presence, magnetic and raw, pulling her like gravity.
Her heartbeat pounded against her ribs.
She shouldn't have come this close to the Blackclaw border. It was reckless stupid, even. But her curiosity had gotten the better of her. That and the strange force tugging her spirit in this direction for weeks now. She had ignored it at first. Then she endured the headaches, the restlessness, the dreams.
Dreams of gold eyes. A deep voice. A claim.
Mine.
She shook her head. She didn't believe in fairy tales. And she didn't belong to anyone.
Her fingers brushed the cold earth, grounding herself. She needed to leave. Fast.
But before she could move, a low growl echoed in the dark, vibrating through her bones.
Then a body slammed into hers.
Kael pinned her to the forest floor in an instant, using only enough force to hold her without hurting her. She thrashed beneath him, snarling, her eyes flashing silver in the moonlight. Her wolf was near the surface, just beneath her skin. Powerful. Untamed.
"Don't move," Kael growled, voice thick with dominance.
Her breath hitched. That voice struck her somewhere deep. She froze for a moment, instinctively recognizing something ancient in it. She hated that she recognized it.
"Get off me," she snapped, baring her teeth.
Kael leaned closer, inhaling deeply at her neck. The scent hit him again, harder now. Goddess. She smelled like wildfire and rain. Everything about her was wild, chaotic but intoxicating.
"You're not from here," he said gruffly.
"No," she spat. "And I won't be staying."
"You crossed into my territory."
"And now you're manhandling me. Congratulations, Alpha."
He didn't flinch at her sarcasm. His eyes bored into hers. "You feel it too."
She didn't respond, but her silence said more than denial ever could.
Kael slowly eased off her, allowing her to rise to her feet. She was smaller than him, but she carried herself with defiance, like she'd never bowed to anyone, not even to her own fate.
"What's your name?" he asked, his voice softer now, but no less firm.
She hesitated. "Aria."
"Aria," he repeated, tasting the name. "You're "
"I'm not yours," she snapped, stepping back. "I didn't come here for this. I don't want this."
"You don't have a choice. The moon "
"Screw the moon," she hissed. "I don't believe in destiny."
Before he could reply, she turned and bolted into the woods.
Kael didn't chase her. Not yet. But he stood there, pulse thundering, her scent still clinging to him like a flame that wouldn't die. She would run. She would fight. But the moon had made its choice.
So had he.
If she doesn't believe in destiny, why does her soul ache every time she pulls away from him?