Chapter 17: Fire and Moonlight

The night was alive with sound. The distant howls grew louder, closer. The firelight trembled as the wind shifted, carrying the scent of danger straight into camp.

Lena was already on her feet before the alarm sounded. “They’re here,” she whispered.

Jace rushed out of his tent, sword half-drawn. “How close?”

“Too close.” She scanned the tree line, her eyes narrowing. “They’re circling us.”

Within seconds, chaos erupted. Warriors poured from their tents, grabbing weapons and forming defensive lines. The forest roared with growls and snapping branches.

Damian appeared from the shadows, calm but deadly, his golden eyes burning with focus. “Positions!” he shouted. “Elliot, north side. Jace, take five men east. Lena—”

“I’ll hold the front,” she cut in, already moving.

He reached out, catching her arm. “You stay with me.”

“Damian, I can fight.”

“I know,” he said, voice low, “but I’m not losing you tonight.”

Their eyes locked for a heartbeat — fierce, stubborn, unspoken things passing between them — then she pulled free. “Then keep up, Alpha.”

He almost smiled, but the first rogue broke from the trees before he could reply.

The battle exploded.

Steel clashed, claws tore, the air filled with shouts and the heavy scent of blood and rain. Lena moved like she was born for it — quick, sharp, precise. Each strike was measured, each movement deadly. She fought back to back with Damian, the two of them cutting through wave after wave of attackers.

“Left!” she shouted, spinning to block a blow aimed at his shoulder.

He turned, claws flashing, and the rogue fell at their feet.

“Still think I should’ve stayed behind?” she said, breathless.

He smirked. “Remind me to never argue with you again.”

Elliot appeared out of the darkness, blood streaking his cheek. “We’ve got more coming from the ridge! At least twenty!”

“Hold them,” Damian ordered. “We can’t let them surround us.”

Elliot nodded and disappeared into the night with a group of warriors.

Jace stumbled in from the east, dragging one of his men. “They’re trying to split us up! We lost two already!”

“Fall back to the center,” Lena shouted. “Keep the lines tight!”

The warriors obeyed, closing ranks. The clearing pulsed with violence, moonlight flashing on steel and eyes.

Then Lena felt it — a shift in the air, a chill that didn’t belong.

Something was wrong.

A tall shadow emerged from the treeline. Her blood ran cold.

“Kieran.”

He stepped forward slowly, calm amid the chaos. His eyes found hers through the smoke and fire. “You shouldn’t be here, Lena.”

“You made sure I would be,” she said, raising her blade.

Damian moved in front of her instantly, golden eyes locked on the newcomer. “So you’re the brother.”

Kieran’s lips curved into a cold smile. “And you must be the monster who took everything from us.”

“You attacked my pack,” Damian growled. “You brought this war to me.”

“I’m only taking back what you stole,” Kieran replied. “Starting with her.”

Lena’s heart hammered. “You’re lying. You don’t want me back. You want me confused.”

Kieran’s gaze softened. “I want you safe. You still don’t understand who he really is.”

“I know enough.”

“Do you?” Kieran’s voice rose, his anger breaking through the calm. “Did he tell you what he did to our village? To the people who followed our father?”

“Stop,” Lena said sharply. “You’re trying to twist this.”

“I was there, Lena!” Kieran shouted. “I saw him burn everything!”

Damian’s jaw clenched. “Your father ordered the attack. He betrayed the treaty. Your people sided with rogues who were slaughtering innocent packs. I ended that war before it destroyed more lives.”

Kieran laughed bitterly. “And you expect her to believe that?”

Lena stepped forward, eyes burning. “You killed my father, Damian. That much is true.”

Damian’s voice dropped, heavy with regret. “Yes. But I spared everyone else — including your brother. I couldn’t kill him.”

Kieran’s smile vanished. “You should have.”

He moved faster than she could react. His claws flashed, catching Damian across the chest. Damian staggered back, blood blooming across his shirt.

“Damian!” Lena shouted.

Kieran turned toward her. “Come with me, Lena. Before it’s too late.”

She lifted her blade, trembling. “You’re making it too late.”

“Then you’ve made your choice.”

He vanished into the trees, his rogues retreating with him like shadows pulled by the wind.

The sudden quiet was deafening. The battle was over. The forest was still.

Lena dropped to her knees beside Damian. His blood soaked through her hands. “Stay with me,” she whispered.

He groaned softly. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Liar.” She pressed her hand to the wound. “Don’t talk.”

He managed a small smile. “Bossy as ever.”

“Shut up, Alpha.”

Jace appeared, panting, with Elliot behind him. “We got them out,” Jace said. “They retreated.” He saw Damian and froze. “Hell. Is he—”

“He’s fine,” Lena snapped. “Help me get him to the med tent.”

They lifted him carefully, carrying him back through the ruined camp. The fires were dying down, the wounded scattered across the ground. The pack healers rushed to take Damian, laying him on a cot.

Lena stayed beside him the whole time. She refused to leave, even when Elliot tried to pull her away.

“You need rest,” he said quietly. “You’ve been fighting for hours.”

“So has he,” she said.

Elliot sighed. “You care about him more than you want to admit.”

She glared at him. “This isn’t the time.”

“It never is,” Elliot muttered, but he backed off.

Lena turned her attention back to Damian. His breathing was steady, though his face was pale. She reached out, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.

“You saved me,” she whispered. “Again.”

His eyes flickered open. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

She exhaled a shaky laugh. “You scared me.”

“I’ll make it up to you.” His voice was weak but teasing. “Dinner by the fire, no rogues, no bloodshed.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“But you like me anyway.”

Her lips parted, but she said nothing. She didn’t need to.

He closed his eyes again, sleep claiming him.

---

By morning, the camp was quiet. The wounded were being treated, the dead buried with ceremony. The rain had stopped, leaving the air heavy and cold.

Lena stood outside Damian’s tent, watching the mist rise from the forest floor. Jace joined her, arms crossed.

“He’ll be okay,” Jace said. “He’s too damn stubborn to die.”

“I know.” She looked down at her hands. “Kieran was here.”

Jace nodded. “We saw. He wanted you to hear him out.”

“I did.”

“And?”

Lena sighed. “And now I don’t know what to believe.”

He was silent for a moment. “You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

“I’m not sure this time.”

Jace touched her shoulder gently. “You’re stronger than you think.”

She gave him a faint smile. “Thanks.”

When she turned back toward the tent, Damian was standing there, pale but upright. “You should both be resting,” he said.

“You should be in bed,” she shot back.

“I heal fast,” he said with a smirk.

“Not fast enough,” she muttered.

He looked past her, toward the forest. “They’ll attack again soon. Kieran isn’t finished.”

Lena nodded. “Then we’ll be ready.”

“*We*?” His brow rose slightly.

She met his gaze. “You’re not facing him alone. Not this time.”

Something shifted in his expression — a small crack in the hard Alpha mask. “You’re staying.”

“For now,” she said. “Until this ends.”

“It won’t end easily.”

“Nothing worth fighting for ever does.”

He smiled faintly. “You really think I’m worth fighting for?”

She hesitated, her heart thudding in her chest. “Don’t make me regret saying it.”

He chuckled softly, then winced at the pain.

“Sit down before you fall down,” she said, helping him back inside.

As she wrapped a clean bandage around his chest, his hand brushed hers. The touch was light, almost hesitant.

“Lena,” he murmured.

She looked up. “What?”

“When this is over…” His voice trailed off, uncertain. “If we survive this…”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“I just mean—” He paused, searching her face. “You and I. Maybe we deserve a chance.”

Her throat tightened. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I don’t break them,” he said softly.

She didn’t reply. Instead, she tied the bandage tighter and turned away before he could see the tears in her eyes.

Outside, the wind carried the sound of distant howls again. The forest never slept, and neither did the war. But for one quiet moment, Lena let herself breathe.

Somewhere in that fragile peace, under the fading moonlight, she realized something terrifying and beautiful all at once —

She was no longer fighting *against* Damian.

She was fighting *for* him.

And that changed everything.