The Chains of the Moon

Chapter 84

The moon hung high above us, silver and cold, its light slicing through the clouds like a blade.

Every shadow in the courtyard felt sharper tonight, every sound heavier. The battle had ended hours ago, but the smell of iron and smoke clung to the air like a curse.

All around me, warriors limped past with fresh wounds, dragging the injured toward the healer’s hut.

The occasional groan or hiss of pain broke the silence, but no one spoke freely. We had survived the night’s attack but just barely.

My wolf paced restlessly under my skin, picking up the faint scent of blood that wasn’t from the battlefield. A wrongness I couldn’t name pressed in on me.

And then I saw Kael standing at the center of the courtyard, still as stone. His eyes swept the wreckage like a predator searching for movement, every muscle coiled tight.

His shirt was torn across the chest, streaked with mud and blood that I knew wasn’t entirely his own. Moonlight caught on the sharp line of his jaw, making h