Chapter 5 - Eyes in the Dark

The warmth of Kael’s body still clung to Luna’s skin like a second layer. Her thighs ached in the most delicious way, and her heart… her heart was wrecked. They hadn’t just fucked. They’d connected—in a way that terrified her more than any rogue in the woods.

Now, wrapped in his arms beneath the stars, Luna stared at the sky, wondering how the hell she’d let this happen.

“You’re quiet,” Kael said, his breath warm against her shoulder.

She didn’t answer at first. The truth was, she wasn’t just quiet—she was unraveling. Her wolf purred under his touch, satisfied and sleepy. But her human mind spun in warning.

“This was a mistake,” she finally whispered.

Kael tensed. “Don’t say that.”

“I meant it. Every moan. Every touch. But it was still a mistake.” She pulled herself from his embrace and sat up, reaching for her top.

“Luna…”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “You have a pack. A throne. A name to protect. I’m a rogue. We don’t mix, Kael. This is just sex.”

His eyes hardened, but she saw the crack of pain flash through them. “You don’t believe that.”

“I have to.”

She stood, fixing her clothes, her body aching from more than just the passion. Kael didn’t move. He watched her like she was slipping through his fingers—and maybe she was.

But before either of them could say another word, a howl shattered the stillness.

It wasn’t one of Kael’s patrols.

It wasn’t a call of warning.

It was a challenge.

---

Kael was on his feet instantly, pants pulled up, muscles coiled with tension. “That was near the eastern ridge.”

Luna’s stomach dropped. “Dren.”

“Stay here.”

She scoffed. “You think I’m going to sit still while that bastard’s out there?”

“You’re not part of this pack,” Kael snapped. “You’re not my responsibility.”

“Then why are you trembling?”

He growled low in his throat. Not at her. At everything.

At the danger.

At how badly he wanted to keep her safe.

“Luna…”

She crossed the space between them in a blink, her hand pressing flat against his chest. “Let me fight with you.”

His jaw clenched. “If he lays a hand on you—”

“He won’t.”

Kael stared at her. Her eyes were wild. Determined. And gods help him, he’d never seen anything sexier than a woman who wasn’t afraid of war.

“Then stay close,” he said.

She smirked. “Wasn’t planning to leave your side, Alpha.”

---

The eastern ridge smelled of blood.

When Kael and Luna arrived, two patrol wolves lay injured—one unconscious, the other whimpering with a slashed shoulder.

Kael shifted instantly, his enormous black wolf form radiating power. Luna followed, her smaller, sleek midnight wolf at his side.

And from the shadows, he stepped out.

Dren.

Tall, pale, with oily black hair and a smile that made her stomach twist. His eyes glowed sickly yellow, his claws dripping crimson.

“Luna,” he purred. “Didn’t expect to find you wrapped around a royal.”

Kael snarled, lips peeling back to reveal gleaming fangs.

“Easy, Alpha,” Dren said mockingly. “We haven’t been properly introduced.”

Luna shifted back into human form, standing naked but unashamed, her glare deadly. “What do you want?”

Dren chuckled. “The same thing I’ve always wanted, sweetheart. You. But now... you're bonded to him.”

Kael shifted back as well, ignoring the nudity, eyes locked on the intruder.

“You touch her,” Kael said coldly, “and I’ll rip your spine out.”

Dren licked his lips. “I wonder... does she moan for you the way she used to whimper for me?”

Luna didn’t flinch. She lifted her hand and in one motion, slashed her nails across her palm, letting the blood drip into the earth.

“I reject you, Dren. I reject whatever sick fantasy you’ve built around me. You are nothing.”

Dren’s face twisted. “You always did like to play the dominant one. But don’t forget, Luna—your past is still stained with me.”

Kael’s roar shook the trees.

He charged.

Luna backed away as Kael and Dren collided with a force that sent shockwaves through the forest. Claws ripped, jaws snapped, snarls deafening. They tumbled through trees, slamming into the ground, teeth sinking into fur and flesh.

Kael was stronger—but Dren was faster. He moved like a snake, striking and vanishing, drawing blood from Kael’s side.

Luna ran toward the nearest injured guard, dragging him to safety before turning back.

Kael slammed Dren against a tree, biting into his shoulder until blood gushed.

But Dren laughed.

“This isn’t over, Alpha,” he hissed, and with one final swipe, he vanished into the night.

---

Kael stood panting, blood dripping down his ribs.

Luna ran to him, touching his side, her voice thick. “Let me help you.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

He caught her hand. “I told you—he lays a hand on you, he dies.”

Luna swallowed hard, looking into his eyes. “Then don’t face him alone next time.”

Kael leaned forward, his forehead pressing to hers, their blood mixing on the forest floor.

“This isn’t just sex anymore,” he whispered.

“No,” Luna agreed. “It’s war.”