Life Hidden from the Moon

Eighteen years later...

The first thing Kael learned about the world was that people lied.

They lied when they smiled.

They lied when they promised protection.

And, most importantly, they lied when they said an Omega could be free.

Kael had never understood why being born an Omega was supposed to make him less than anyone else.

He had heard the words all his life.

Omegas should obey.

Omegas should know their place.

An Omega belongs beside his Alpha.

An Omega cannot survive alone.

But Rowan had taught him something different.

Never let anyone convince you that your designation determines your worth.

That lesson had become the foundation of Kael's life.

He stood barefoot beside a small stream deep within Moonwood Forest, sleeves rolled to his elbows as he washed a bundle of herbs.

Morning sunlight slipped between the trees, scattering golden patterns across the water.

Kael lifted his face and inhaled.

Pine.

Wet earth.

Wildflowers.

And beneath them all, the familiar scent of the forest.

Peaceful.

Safe.

For a moment, he allowed himself to forget that he was hiding.

Then a sharp whistle came from behind him.

Kael turned.

A small stone struck the water beside his hand.

He frowned.

"Really, Rowan?"

A deep voice answered from the trees.

"You were supposed to be watching your surroundings."

Kael sighed.

"I was."

"No, you weren't."

Rowan stepped into view.

At eighteen years older, his hair was streaked with silver, but his body remained strong. The Alpha presence he carried had never weakened.

Kael tossed the herbs into his basket.

"I heard you."

"You heard a stone after I threw it."

"Which means I heard you."

Rowan shook his head.

"You'll argue with anything."

"I learned from the best."

For a moment, Rowan's expression softened.

Then he looked toward the forest.

"Come."

Kael followed.

They walked silently along the narrow trail.

Moonwood was different from every other place Kael had ever heard about.

There were no royal banners here.

No palace guards.

No noble families.

The forest belonged to the ancient packs who had lived beneath its trees for generations.

Kael had grown up hearing about the three designations.

Alpha.

Beta.

Omega.

But in Moonwood, those designations did not determine everything.

An Alpha might be the strongest warrior in a pack, but strength alone did not make someone a leader.

A Beta could become a pack's healer, strategist, merchant, or even second-in-command.

And an Omega could choose their own path.

At least in Moonwood.

Outside the forest, things were different.

Much different.

Kael had heard stories of Omegas being promised to powerful Alphas before they were even adults.

Some kingdoms required Omegas to register with the Crown.

Others arranged marriages to strengthen alliances between packs.

And some Alpha rulers believed that an Omega had no right to refuse a mating.

Kael hated those stories.

Perhaps that was why Rowan had kept him here.

"You're thinking too loudly."

Kael glanced at him.

"How do you know?"

"Your face."

Kael rolled his eyes.

They reached a clearing.

Several wooden structures stood beneath the trees.

It was the edge of a small Moonwood settlement.

A few Betas were already working.

Two young Alphas were sparring near a wooden training post.

An elderly Omega sat outside a cottage, sorting medicinal leaves.

Kael greeted her.

"Morning, Mara."

She smiled.

"Morning, child."

Kael stopped.

"Child?"

"You'll always be a child to me."

"I'm eighteen."

"Exactly."

Kael laughed.

The sound made Rowan smile.

But the smile disappeared when a young Alpha approached them.

"Rowan."

The Alpha bowed.

"There's been movement near the eastern boundary."

Rowan's expression immediately became serious.

"What kind?"

"Tracks."

"How many?"

"We're not sure."

Kael's amusement faded.

"Tracks?"

The Alpha glanced at him.

"Possibly hunters."

Kael looked at Rowan.

"Royal?"

"We don't know yet."

Kael hated the sudden tension.

For eighteen years, Rowan had told him they were safe.

But safety had never meant the danger was gone.

It only meant the danger hadn't found them yet.

They continued toward home.

Kael waited until they were alone before speaking.

"Why are they still looking?"

Rowan didn't answer.

"Rowan."

"Because some people don't forget."

"Who?"

"People who believe power belongs in their hands."

Kael frowned.

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you need."

Kael stopped walking.

"No."

Rowan turned.

Kael's amber eyes hardened.

"You've been telling me that my entire life."

"Kael—"

"I'm eighteen. If someone is hunting me, I deserve to know why."

Rowan stared at him.

There were moments when Kael reminded him painfully of Cassian.

The same stubbornness.

The same courage.

The same refusal to bow.

But there was something else in Kael that neither of his parents had possessed.

Something ancient.

Something connected to the Moon.

Rowan looked away.

"One day."

Kael's jaw tightened.

"You always say that."

"Because one day you'll be ready."

"And when will that be?"

"When knowing the truth won't get you killed."

Kael's expression softened slightly.

"I can protect myself."

"I know."

"Then tell me."

Rowan looked directly into his eyes.

"You don't know what you're asking."

Before Kael could respond, a strange sensation moved through the forest.

A breeze.

Then another.

Kael suddenly touched the skin beneath his collarbone.

It burned.

He pulled his shirt aside.

The crescent shaped mark beneath his skin was glowing.

Silver.

Bright enough to illuminate his chest.

Rowan's face went pale.

"Put your shirt back."

"What is happening?"

"Now."

Kael obeyed.

"Why did it do that?"

Rowan looked toward the sky.

"The Moon."

"It's daytime."

"That doesn't matter."

Kael frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Rowan didn't answer.

Then they heard a howl.

Not close.

But not far enough.

Kael's wolf stirred inside him.

He had always known he was different from other Omegas.

His wolf had awakened unusually early.

Most young wolves experienced their first shift somewhere between sixteen and eighteen.

Kael had shifted at fifteen.

It had terrified Rowan.

Kael still remembered waking in the forest covered in blood after his first transformation.

His wolf had been larger than it should have been.

Its fur was dark silver.

Its eyes had been the same unusual amber as his own.

And when Kael looked into its eyes, he'd felt something ancient staring back.

Rowan had refused to discuss it.

That silence bothered Kael more than anything.

"Was that a pack wolf?" Kael asked.

"Probably."

"Which pack?"

"None that I recognize."

The forest suddenly felt colder.

Rowan stepped closer.

"From now on, you don't leave the settlement alone."

Kael stared at him.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I always go into the forest."

"Not anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

Kael laughed bitterly.

"There it is."

"What?"

"The Alpha answer."

Rowan's eyes narrowed.

"You know I don't use my designation against you."

"Then don't start now."

Rowan exhaled.

"I'm trying to keep you alive."

"And I'm trying to live."

Silence.

Kael picked up his basket.

"I'll see you at home."

He walked away.

Rowan watched him disappear.

He knew he had made a mistake.

The danger wasn't approaching.

It was already there.

That night, Kael couldn't sleep.

He sat beside his bedroom window, staring at the moon.

Something felt wrong.

The silver mark beneath his collarbone had stopped glowing, but the sensation remained.

A strange pull.

Almost like someone was calling him.

Kael closed his eyes.

Come.

His eyes opened.

"What?"

The word escaped his lips.

The voice had been inside his head.

He stood.

"Who are you?"

Nothing answered.

Then

A scent drifted through the window.

Kael froze.

Cedar.

Smoke.

Winter rain.

His wolf rose instantly.

His heartbeat accelerated.

Something about the scent felt familiar.

Impossible.

He had never smelled it before.

Yet every instinct inside him recognized it.

His wolf pushed against his consciousness.

Found.

Kael backed away from the window.

"No."

His wolf growled.

Mate.

Kael's blood ran cold.

"No."

He grabbed the window frame.

The scent disappeared.

But the feeling remained.

Somewhere beyond Moonwood, an Alpha was searching.

And for the first time in eighteen years, Kael understood something terrifying.

Maybe the people hunting him had never really been searching for the Moon-Chosen.

Maybe they had been searching for him.

And somewhere far beyond the forest, another wolf had just awakened with the same realization.

The Moon had finally brought them close enough to find each other.