Chapter 7 — Between Fang and Flame

The cold night air hung heavy between us, thick with the copper tang of blood and the wild musk of our wolves. Killian’s eyes locked on mine, still burning gold from the shift. The space between us was nothing, yet it felt like the longest distance in the world.

“Aria,” he said, voice low, as if saying my name might tether me to him.

I didn’t answer. I was still breathing hard, adrenaline singing through my veins, my body buzzing from both the fight and the raw awareness of him.

His gaze flickered down to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “You can’t keep doing that.”

“Doing what?” My voice was sharper than I intended.

“Throwing yourself into danger,” he growled. “Not when—” He broke off, as if the rest of the sentence cost too much to say.

“Not when what?” I pressed, taking a step closer.

His hand twitched, as if resisting the urge to reach for me. “Not when I’ve just found you again.”

The words hit me harder than claws ever could. I opened my mouth, but a howl split the air—short, sharp, urgent. Not a battle cry. A call for aid.

Killian swore and spun toward the sound. “Stay here.”

I almost laughed. “Not a chance.”

We shifted in unison, our wolves running side by side toward the signal. The forest blurred around us, moonlight glinting off frost-tipped leaves. My paws pounded the earth, my heart racing in sync with his.

We broke into a small clearing where two warriors were crouched over a fallen wolf. Blood pooled dark beneath its fur. The scent hit me a moment later, sharp and wrong—poison.

Killian shifted back instantly, kneeling beside the wolf. “What happened?”

One of the warriors looked grim. “Arrow from the trees. Dipped in wolfsbane.”

My stomach turned. Wolfsbane was outlawed in every pack I knew—it wasn’t a weapon, it was a death sentence.

Killian’s jaw clenched. “Get him to the healer. Now.”

As the warriors obeyed, I scanned the treeline. That’s when I saw it—a scrap of crimson cloth caught on a low branch, fluttering in the wind.

Selene.

---

Back at the pack house, the tension was like a live wire. Killian stormed into his office with me close behind. He didn’t protest my presence this time.

“You saw it too,” I said quietly.

He didn’t look at me, pacing the room like a caged wolf. “Yes.”

“You think she’s working with Nightshade?”

“I think,” he said, turning to face me at last, “that someone inside these walls is feeding them information. And Selene has been very vocal about wanting you gone.”

My pulse quickened. “So what do we do?”

He hesitated. “We?”

I folded my arms. “You said it yourself—this is my fight now too. Unless you think I’m just going to sit here and let someone try to kill my son.”

The golden flare in his eyes told me he didn’t like the idea of me getting involved. But he didn’t forbid it either.

“We watch her,” he said finally. “And we wait for her to make a mistake.”

---

The waiting was the hardest part. Days passed with no more attacks, but the tension only grew sharper. I saw Selene around the pack house, her crimson scarf like a flag of defiance. Every time her gaze met mine, it was like striking flint—dangerous, ready to spark.

Killian tried to keep me busy—training, patrolling, even sitting in on strategy meetings—but I could feel the storm building.

One night, after putting Luca to bed, I stepped out into the cold air to clear my head. That’s when I heard voices near the storage sheds. Low, urgent. I moved closer, keeping to the shadows.

“…can’t keep delaying,” a man’s voice hissed.

“I told you, the Alpha’s suspicious,” a woman snapped back—and my stomach clenched at the sound. Selene.

A rustle of fabric, then the man again: “You get me the map, and we can end this before the Blood Moon.”

My heart pounded. The Blood Moon was only a week away.

I shifted silently, my wolf padding closer. But a twig snapped under my paw. Selene’s head jerked up, her eyes flashing in the dark.

She bolted.

I lunged after her, my claws digging into the earth. She was fast, weaving between trees, but rage and adrenaline made me faster. I caught her at the riverbank, knocking her to the ground.

We shifted back, both of us naked and wild under the moonlight, breath coming in clouds.

“You,” she spat, scrambling to her feet. “You ruin everything.”

“I ruin your little deal with Nightshade?” I snarled. “Poor you.”

She bared her teeth. “You think Killian’s going to keep you once he realizes you’re just a distraction? That your brat is nothing but a liability?”

The words hit hard, but I didn’t let it show. I stepped forward, forcing her back toward the icy water. “You’re done here, Selene.”

She laughed—cold and sharp. “You can’t prove anything.”

“Oh, I can,” I said, holding up the strip of parchment I’d snatched from her belt in the scuffle. Even in the moonlight, the inked border markers of our territory were clear.

Her eyes widened.

Footsteps pounded toward us. Killian emerged from the trees, Rhys at his side. His gaze took in the scene—the map, Selene’s posture, my expression—and his face turned to stone.

“Take her,” he ordered Rhys, his voice like ice.

Selene didn’t fight as the Beta dragged her away, but her eyes locked on mine with a promise. This isn’t over.

---

When they were gone, Killian turned to me. “You could have been killed.”

I met his gaze. “But I wasn’t. And now you have your proof.”

For a long moment, he just stared at me, something unspoken passing between us. Then, without warning, he stepped forward and cupped my face in his hands.

The heat of his touch burned through the cold night. His voice was low, almost reverent. “You drive me insane.”

Before I could answer, his mouth was on mine—wild, claiming, and desperate all at once. The bond between us flared like fire, searing away the distance we’d tried to keep.

When he pulled back, we were both breathing hard.

“This doesn’t mean I forgive you,” I whispered.

His mouth curved, not quite a smile. “Good. Because I’m not done earning it.”