Chapter 1 - Rogue Heat

The moon hung high, swollen and silver, bleeding its glow through the tangled branches of Black Hollow Forest. Luna Cross moved like smoke—silent, seductive, untouchable. Her black leather pants clung to her hips, the crimson crop top revealing the jagged scar above her navel, a relic of a fight she barely survived. She didn’t run with a pack. She didn’t obey rules. She fucked, fought, and vanished.

Rogues like her weren’t supposed to survive long. But Luna didn’t just survive—she owned the night.

Tonight, her scent had drawn more than prey. She felt it—deep in her bones—an energy that coiled and crackled in the air. Her wolf stirred beneath her skin, restless and aroused.

Something... someone... powerful was close.

She crouched near a stream, the cool water lapping at her fingers as she drank. Then she heard it—a low growl, barely a breath above the wind. Her lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"Step out, Alpha," she purred, rising to her full height without flinching. "No need to stalk. I don’t scare easily."

From the shadows emerged a towering figure. Tall, broad-shouldered, with hair as dark as midnight and eyes like wildfire. Kael Thorne. The Alpha of the Bloodfang Pack. Dangerous. Ruthless. Revered. His presence hit her like thunder.

"You crossed into my territory," he said, voice deep and smooth like velvet over blades.

She tilted her head. "You make it sound like I stumbled into your bed. Am I trespassing, or tempting?"

Kael’s jaw clenched. “You know who I am.”

"Of course," she whispered, taking slow, calculated steps toward him. "Alpha Kael. The merciless king of the forest. Tell me... do you growl as well as you fuck?"

His eyes flashed gold. In one swift movement, he closed the distance between them, his hand wrapping around her throat—not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to make her wolf purr.

"You’re bold, rogue."

"You’re hard," she murmured, her thigh brushing against his.

Kael released her with a grunt, stepping back as if her touch burned. "You have a death wish."

"No," Luna said, licking her lips. "I have a hunger. And you, Alpha, smell like raw power."

He should’ve torn her apart. A rogue like her—wild, unclaimed—was a threat to any pack’s stability. But something in her scent, her defiance, her heat… pulled him like gravity.

"This forest is off-limits," he growled. "Turn back. Or I’ll drag you to my den in chains."

"Promise?" she asked, smirking before shifting—her body erupting in silver light as fur replaced skin, and a midnight-black wolf bolted into the woods.

Kael stood frozen for a moment, heart pounding. He should’ve gone after her. He should’ve called his patrols. Instead, he stood there… hard as stone, and hungrier than he’d been in years.

---

Farther away, Luna shifted back, leaning against a tree with a grin. Her blood was still humming from the tension. She didn’t expect to survive if Kael truly came after her. But for the first time in years… she didn’t care.

Something inside her wanted him to chase.

Not to kill.

But to claim.

And damn it… part of her was ready to be caught.