Chapter 5: The Wolf Who Watches

Alex woke the next morning to soft birdsong instead of shouting.
The pain in her body had dulled to something manageable. Her ribs still ached, bruises still shadowed her skin, but she could breathe without shaking.
She sat up slowly, fingers resting on the moonstone at her throat.
I’m still here.
I’m safe.
Words her mind didn’t quite believe yet.
A soft knock sounded.
“May I enter?” Aeron’s voice — low, steady, never demanding.
“Yes,” Alex murmured.
He stepped in carrying a fresh bowl of stew and a folded shirt and pants.
“I thought you might want clean clothes,” he said.
Alex took them, fingers brushing his only for a moment — but that moment sent a warm shiver through her chest.
Mate.
But neither of them said it.
Aeron didn’t mention the bond.
Didn’t reach for her.
Didn’t claim her.
He honored her silence.
Alex’s voice was small. “Thank you.”
Aeron nodded once, like her words mattered.
Later That Day
With slow movements, Alex stepped outside for the first time.
Night Fang territory stretched before her like something out of storybook legends — towering pines, crystal rivers, cabins with warm smoke curling from chimneys. Wolves patrolled in the snow with proud, quiet confidence.
No one looked at her with disgust.
A young warrior bowed his head respectfully as she passed.
Alex froze.
Not knowing what to do.
Aeron, walking beside her, spoke softly:
“They’re acknowledging your presence. Not your rank. Not your past. Just… you.”
Alex swallowed hard.
No one at Silver Moon had ever seen her.
Only a servant. A burden. A ghost.
Here… she was a person.
But peace never lasts long.
The Scent of Danger
Aeron suddenly halted.
His wolf surged just beneath his skin — Alex felt it, like a tremor in the ground.
Three Night Fang scouts approached, tense, alert.
“Alpha,” the lead one said. “There are tracks on the northern border.”
Aeron’s expression darkened.
“What kind of tracks?” he asked.
The scout swallowed hard.
“Silver Moon.”
Alex’s blood turned to ice.
Her breath quickened.
They’re coming. They’re coming. They’re coming—
Aeron stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the woods. His presence was a barrier — solid, immovable.
“You are safe,” he said, voice deep and absolute.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
She stared up at him, trembling.
“You don’t understand,” Alex whispered. “They’ll drag me back. They’ll kill me. They’ll hurt Sibyl—”
Aeron’s eyes sharpened.
“Sibyl is the one who cared for you?”
Alex nodded, lip trembling.
Aeron lowered his voice. “Then we protect her too.”
Alex blinked — confused. “Why… why would you do that?”
Aeron held her gaze, steady and sure.
“Because no one who tries to save you deserves to suffer for it.”
Her chest tightened with something she didn’t know how to name.
Not love.
Not yet.
But something close to relief.
The scout spoke again, uneasy.
“They aren’t far. Perhaps a day’s distance. Maybe less.”
Aeron’s jaw set.
“Double border patrols. No one crosses into our lands without my permission. If Silver Moon attempts it—”
The air itself seemed to thicken as his wolf rose behind his eyes.
“They will learn why Night Fang has no enemies left standing.”
The scouts bowed and ran.
Alex stared at him — stunned.
Not because of his power.
But because of his restraint.
He didn’t roar.
He didn’t rage.
He simply stood — strong enough that the world seemed to arrange itself around him.
And then he turned back to her — voice soft again.
“You don’t need to run anymore.”
Alex’s throat tightened.
No one had ever said those words to her.
Ever.
Her voice was a whisper. “I… want to believe you.”
“You will,” Aeron replied.
“When your heart is ready.”