FULL MOON RISING

The full moon rose like a glowing eye in the sky, casting silver shadows across Crimson Hollow. Its light seeped into every crevice of the forest, ancient and unrelenting. Selene stood by her window, restless, unable to explain the pull inside her chest.

It wasn’t just a moon. It was a summons.

Her fingers clutched the windowsill. The town below seemed hushed—as if waiting. Even the wind stilled. She had spent years running from chaos, burying instincts she couldn’t name, but tonight… her skin buzzed with heat. Her heartbeat was no longer hers. It beat to a rhythm she didn’t understand. One that belonged to him.

She hadn’t seen Kael since the forest.

But she could feel him.

And she knew—without reason, without proof—that tonight would not be normal.

---

Kael stood bare-chested near the fire pit at the heart of the forest. His pack circled him in wolf and human form, eyes gleaming. The moon bathed them in silver. Tonight was the Ceremony of Flesh and Flame—a sacred ritual under the full moon where instincts reigned, where wolves danced in their skins and the primal hierarchy was reaffirmed.

He should have been focused.

Instead, he was burning.

For her.

Selene.

The forbidden woman. The human. The mate fate gave him when he least expected it.

“Alpha,” growled Lira, stepping close. Her long white braid swung like a whip, her fitted leathers leaving little to the imagination. “You’re distracted.”

Kael didn’t answer.

“You know the rules. No outsider may enter the blood circle. Especially not… her.”

Kael’s jaw clenched. “She’s not just anyone.”

“No,” Lira snarled, baring her teeth. “She’s your weakness.”

---

Selene didn’t remember how she got to the edge of the forest.

Her feet moved without thought, guided by something older than logic. She wore a simple black slip dress, the hem brushing her thighs, the neckline dipping low. It was wrong to dress like this—but it felt right.

The trees parted.

Drums beat in the distance. Slow. Primal. Her pulse matched them instantly.

She pushed forward, heart thudding, air charged.

Then she saw them—figures dancing, shifting, changing. Wolves emerging from skin. Humans rising from fur. Shadows and flames twined like lovers, and standing at the center—

Kael.

He was shirtless, bare feet planted in the earth, chest heaving as firelight kissed every hard line of his body. His eyes burned gold, but when he saw her, they changed.

Softened. Darkened. Possessed.

The moment he saw her, the drums faltered—just for a beat.

“Selene,” he growled, striding toward her with unrelenting purpose.

She should have run. She didn’t.

He reached her. Didn’t speak. Just looked. Then, slowly, deliberately, his hand slid around her waist and pulled her into the blood circle.

Gasps.

Growls.

Whispers.

She didn’t care.

The moment his skin touched hers, the world dissolved.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Kael whispered, his voice shaking with control. “This ceremony… it’s not meant for humans.”

“I’m not afraid,” she breathed.

Kael’s fingers dug into her hips. “You should be.”

Their eyes locked.

Then he tilted his head—and his lips crashed onto hers.

It wasn’t gentle.

It wasn’t slow.

It was claiming.

The kiss tasted of fire, smoke, and wildness. His tongue swept into her mouth, dominant and demanding. Her knees buckled. He caught her easily, lifting her into his arms as if she weighed nothing.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Selene barely noticed.

Kael carried her to a stone altar at the center of the firepit, laying her down with reverence and hunger. His hands slid over her thighs, pulling the hem of her dress higher. His breath was ragged, eyes glowing, fangs barely restrained.

“Do you want this?” he asked, voice thick and low.

“Yes,” she whispered.

He leaned down, lips brushing her ear. “Then say it.”

“I want you, Kael.”

He groaned, trembling.

And then—he roared.

The sound echoed into the night as the pack shifted around them, celebrating, howling, surrendering to their Alpha’s desire. His lips found her neck, her collarbone, the soft curve of her breast. She arched into him, body burning.

He didn’t take her—not yet.

But when his hand slipped under her dress and found her heat, she gasped, clutching his shoulders. He moved with knowledge, with reverence, with dominance.

The forest trembled.

Selene shattered.

Not in fear.

But in surrender.

---

That night, she returned to her room alone. But her body bore the mark of his touch. Her lips were swollen. Her thighs ached with memory. Her soul was no longer untouched.

And on her skin—just above her heart—a small, glowing crescent moon shimmered faintly.

A mark she hadn’t been born with.

---

Kael watched her disappear down the trail, his chest tight.

“She’s changed,” Rowan whispered behind him, the old seer’s voice dry as dust.

“I know,” Kael said quietly.

“Do you know why?”

Kael turned his golden eyes to the sky. “Because she’s mine.”

---