LOGINKieran's smile was sad and small. "Partnership. Understanding. Someone who sees me clearly and does not flinch away from what she finds. I am not expecting you to provide those things, Aria. I am simply admitting that I want them, that the bond between us makes me hope for possibilities I had thought long dead. Sleep well, Luna. May your dreams be gentler than your reality has been these past days."
Then he was gone, the door closing softly behind him, leaving Aria alone with her racing thoughts and the dying fire and the strange, persistent warmth in her chest that pulsed in time with the mark on her hand.
She moved to the window and looked out over the moonlit forest, so different from the view from her bedroom back home but somehow more right, more fitting for what she was becoming. Somewhere out there, threats gathered in shadow, enemies she did not know pursuing goals she did not understand. The Echo Queen watched from beyond death, and rival Alphas schemed and pl
Kieran's smile was sad and small. "Partnership. Understanding. Someone who sees me clearly and does not flinch away from what she finds. I am not expecting you to provide those things, Aria. I am simply admitting that I want them, that the bond between us makes me hope for possibilities I had thought long dead. Sleep well, Luna. May your dreams be gentler than your reality has been these past days."Then he was gone, the door closing softly behind him, leaving Aria alone with her racing thoughts and the dying fire and the strange, persistent warmth in her chest that pulsed in time with the mark on her hand.She moved to the window and looked out over the moonlit forest, so different from the view from her bedroom back home but somehow more right, more fitting for what she was becoming. Somewhere out there, threats gathered in shadow, enemies she did not know pursuing goals she did not understand. The Echo Queen watched from beyond death, and rival Alphas schemed and pl
Kieran gestured toward a path that wound deeper into the forest, barely visible in the dappled moonlight. "My den is not far. You will have your own quarters, private and protected. No one will disturb you without permission, and the wards I have established will alert me immediately if any threat approaches."They walked in silence through the ancient forest, Aria hyperaware of Kieran's presence beside her… close enough to offer protection but far enough to avoid crowding. She noticed how the forest itself seemed to respond to him, branches shifting slightly to clear their path, roots smoothing to prevent stumbling, as though the land truly did recognize its master and moved to accommodate his passage. And through the mark on her hand, she felt echoes of that recognition extending to her as well, the territory acknowledging her presence with cautious curiosity.The path opened into another clearing, larger than the first, where a structure rose from the forest
A sound from outside Aria's window made them both tense. Kieran moved with inhuman speed, positioning himself between Aria and the potential threat, his entire demeanor shifting to something predatory and dangerous. Aria felt her mark pulse with warning, and through that pulse, she sensed what he sensed… a presence in the yard below, watching the house with intent that felt malevolent even at this distance."They have found you already," Kieran said, his voice dropping to a growl that raised every hair on Aria's neck. "Faster than I anticipated. We need to leave, now, before they decide to act rather than simply observe.""Leave?" Aria repeated, alarm spiking through her. "I am not going anywhere with you, especially not in the middle of the night when my parents do not even know you exist."Kieran turned to look at her, and in his eyes she saw genuine fear warring with fierce determination. "Your parents cannot protect you from what is coming. Neither can mundane locks nor ordinary w
What gave him the Guts...?? Or The Effontery? To talk about her in such a possessive manner??... The possessive phrasing sent a spike of anger through Aria's chest. "I do not belong to anyone!!. I am not some prize to be claimed or property to be possessed. If you think the mark changes that, then you fundamentally misunderstand who I am and what I am willing to accept."This time Kieran did smile, a quick flash of teeth that held genuine approval beneath the predatory edge. "Good. I was worried you might be too easily cowed, too willing to simply accept what you are told without pushing back. But you have fire in you, Aria Vale. You will need it for what comes next."He moved closer, and Aria forced herself to stand her ground despite every instinct screaming at her to retreat. When he was close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body, he reached out and took her marked hand in his, his touch gentle despite the obvious strength in his fingers. The moment skin met
Three days passed in a haze of anxiety and restless anticipation. Aria tried to maintain her normal routines… but everything felt hollow and performative, as though she was acting out a role in a play whose script she no longer believed. The mark on her hand remained invisible most of the time, visible only in certain lights or when emotions ran particularly high. But she could always feel it, a constant reminder of that moonlit night and the man who had appeared at her window like something out of dreams or nightmares.Her mother had tried to explain more about the Oath and what it meant to be marked as Luna, but the information came in fragments and warnings rather than clear explanations. There were rules, apparently, ancient protocols that governed how Alphas and Lunas interacted, how power was claimed and challenged, how the shards were sought and won. But those rules felt distant and academic compared to the visceral reality of the mark burning against her skin whenever her thou
And then a sound from outside drew all their attention back to the window. Aria moved forward cautiously and looked out across the empty meadow. For a moment, she saw nothing, just moonlight on grass and the distant line of trees marking the forest boundary. Then movement caught her eye, a figure standing at the very edge of the woods, too far away to make out details but close enough that she could feel his presence like pressure against her skin."The Alpha", The man from her window. Watching and waiting, patient in the way that predators are patient when they know their prey has nowhere left to run.Aria pressed her marked hand against the glass again, feeling the symbol pulse warmth into her palm. And despite her fear, despite her anger and resistance and determination to fight against this unwanted destiny, she felt something else stir within her. Recognition, yes, but also something deeper and more disturbing. A rightness to his presence, as though some part of her had been in







