5 | The Full Moon

CEDAR BLAKE

"You see? It wasn't that hard. We're friends, right?" That voice stopped me cold. My knees nearly gave out.

A man stood perfectly still in the middle of Dominus's vast sitting room, holding the arm of a guard. His back was to us, and I watched him over Dominus’s shoulder. Ever since a guard had announced that someone claiming to be his nephew was waiting, Dominus hadn’t moved his hands from his sides. They were clenched into fists.

The man turned slowly, slinging a small bag over his shoulder with a casual flick. He hooked it with his arm so it wouldn’t fall. My breath hitched. There was something mesmerizing about him. His brow arched in amusement, lips curled in a smirk that said he was enjoying scaring the life out of the guards.

"Please!" the guard begged, shifting uneasily and glancing at his trapped arm.

"What’s going on here?" Dominus’s voice sliced through the room, drawing the man's eyes.

"Hello, Uncle Dom! I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble. They just weren’t cooperating. No clue how to treat a guest!" he said, twisting the guard’s arm.

I heard the crack loud and clear. The guard held back a scream and bolted as soon as he was free.

The man stepped closer, barely glancing at me, then turned his full attention back to Dominus. My lungs remembered to breathe, but only just. His voice… it felt familiar. Like I had heard it before, in another life maybe.

"It’s Dominus Maruto," my husband snapped, standing taller. "I don’t know how things are done where you come from, but in this house, people follow my orders. That includes stopping uninvited guests."

"I’m not an intruder. I told them we’re family. Blood relatives," the man replied, his golden eyes locking with Dominus’s.

"What are you doing here, Deklan? How did you—"

"Escape from the basement?" Deklan shrugged. "Because I missed you, Uncle. How could I go another year without seeing the man who made my childhood so... unforgettable?"

"Cut the games. What do you want? Why are you here?"

Dominus’s back was still to me, but I could feel his fury. Deklan smirked like he was drinking it in. There was deep, ugly hatred in his eyes. Not fear. Not respect. Just the desire to provoke. And it worked. Dominus was boiling.

If Dominus was dangerous, Deklan didn’t care. He knew exactly how to get under his skin, and he thrived on it. Dominus couldn’t break him, and that drove him mad. Deklan would never bow to him, not today, not ever.

When someone’s pushed to the edge, they start making mistakes. Reckless ones. I could see where this was headed, even if I didn’t know the details. Still standing behind Dominus, I found myself unable to look away from the fire burning in Deklan’s golden eyes.

"I just stopped to say hi. I was passing through. When I come back, you’ll know. And maybe then I’ll have decided what I want." Deklan smiled, sharp and taunting, backing away.

Something about him pulled me in. It wasn’t just the familiar voice or the unsettling way he looked at Dominus. It was the danger. The kind of danger you shouldn’t want, but you do anyway. I knew I’d get burned. I knew I’d be reduced to ash. And still… I was drawn to him.

"I have things to do before the full moon. Next time, don’t shut your doors on me. It’s rude," he said, tossing me a quick glance before walking out.

And just like that, he was gone.

"Be my guest," Dominus muttered under his breath, marching to the shelf and pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

I knew better than to speak. He’d snap my neck if I said anything. So, I left him to drown whatever rage Deklan had stirred up and went back upstairs to change. My plan to take a walk and clear my head? Forgotten. Let him drink himself into numbness.

...

The full moon.

I had forgotten all about it. My eighteenth birthday came and went, and I didn’t shift. That was two years ago. Still no change. No sign of my wolf. Not even a whisper.

Even the weakest omegas get their shift eventually. But not me. My parents would be devastated if they were alive to see this. They were two of the strongest wolves our pack had ever known. My father especially, he was a legend.

Which was exactly why someone had to frame him for the Alpha’s murder. It had to be carefully planned. They used his strength against him. They knew he couldn’t be manipulated or controlled, so they turned him into a weapon of blame.

If he’d known what was coming, he would have ripped out their eyes and made them eat them.

It’s been days since Deklan's surprise visit, the man who claimed to be Dominus’s nephew. He reminded me that the full moon was coming. That teen wolves were going to transform for the first time.

Since then, Dominus had practically vanished. He spent all his time locked in his office, calls, meetings, whispering with his beta and other strong wolves. I never dared to go near.

Still, I had been allowed to leave the estate. Not that I was truly free, a guard always trailed behind me. But I felt safer, strangely. Less afraid that death might come knocking without warning.

Dominus’s silence, the change in his attitude, he treated me like I didn’t exist. And weirdly, that didn’t bother me. What did bother me was how often Deklan came to mind. His voice. His strength. His eyes like molten gold.

Only a few hours remained before the full moon. Maybe if I said one last prayer to the moon goddess, with every ounce of faith I could muster, she would answer. Maybe I’d finally shift. Maybe I’d finally meet my mate.

I took another sip of wine, then set the glass on the dining table and pushed my chair back to stand.

The second I moved, my head spun. I grabbed the table to steady myself but stumbled forward. The wineglass hit the ground and shattered.

What the hell? Why did it feel like the floor was swaying like a boat?

One of the servants had brought me the red wine just after I returned from meeting a private investigator, the one I’d secretly hired to look into my father’s case. I trusted Dominus. He said I was safe with him. I believed him.

But now?

Could this be a mistake? Was I poisoned?

No, no—this had to be something else. Right?

I tried again, gripping the table for balance, squinting to focus. The room tilted, and I couldn’t get enough air. I was breathing, but it wasn’t helping.

"You’ll be alright, Sweet. Just a few hours," A familiar voice floated through the haze as his blurry face hovered in front of mine.

Then everything went dark. I hit the floor.

"Fight it, Cedar! Don’t give in to the darkness! Don’t let it swallow you or you’ll lose everything! We can do this together! I’m here with you!"

A voice growled inside my head.

My wolf had awakened.