Chapter Seven.

The dungeon was alive with noise. Chains rattled violently against the cold stone walls as the rogue wolf struggled, thrashing violently in his restraints. His growls were low, guttural, vibrating the very air in the dimly lit chamber.

He was a beast of raw power and primal rage, and he wasn’t going to be held down easily. The soldiers surrounding him stood with whips in hand, their faces grim and determined, but they hesitated. They had seen what he could do.

They had felt the ferocity of his attacks when they tried to hold him. Now, the rogue was a caged animal, dangerous and defiant.

Raya walked down the cold, stone steps of the dungeon, her steps echoing through the cavernous space. Behind her, Riven followed, his tall form always by her side, watching over her. But Raya didn’t need anyone to protect her—not now, not in this moment.

She stepped into the center of the room, her presence immediately commanding attention.

The rogue, despite his fury, stilled when he saw her. His glowing golden eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. She could feel the heat of his gaze, the raw intensity that radiated from him. Something in her stirred—a deep, primal pull that she couldn’t explain. Her breath hitched in her throat.

“Enough!” Raya’s voice rang out, loud and clear, cutting through the chaos.

The force of her words was like a physical blow. The entire cave seemed to shake under the weight of her command. The rogue ceased his thrashing and lowered his head, growling softly. His chains rattled one last time before they fell silent, as if the world itself had obeyed her.

Raya’s gaze was fixed on the rogue, her expression cold and unreadable. But beneath the surface, there was something—an electricity she couldn’t quite shake off.

The rogue, still in his half-shifted form, stared back at her with an intensity that matched hers. His golden eyes bore into hers, like they were trying to reach deep into her soul. But Raya wasn’t ready to face whatever that connection meant.

She averted her gaze.

“Riven,” she said without turning. “Prepare them.”

Riven stepped forward and gave the elders a sharp look. They nodded, moving swiftly to obey his silent command.

The elder closest to Raya pulled a small pouch from his robes, the powder inside shimmering with a strange iridescence. With great care, he approached the rogue, muttering words of ancient magic under his breath. His hands shook slightly as he sprinkled the powder over the rogue’s body, watching as it settled against his fur.

The transformation began immediately.

The rogue’s body shuddered. His thick black fur receded into smooth, tanned skin. His claws retracted, and his massive frame seemed to shrink, becoming more human with each passing second.

The soldiers, who had been tense and on edge, now took a step back, their eyes wide with awe. It was rare to see a creature like this transformed before their eyes. Few were able to witness the full transformation of a feral wolf.

As the last of the fur disappeared, the rogue’s body was revealed in its full glory.

He stood, tall and imposing, muscles rippling under his skin. His features were sharp and handsome—dangerously so. His dark hair fell in messy waves over his forehead, framing a face that was both rugged and beautiful. But it was his eyes, those deep golden eyes, that held Luna’s attention. His gaze was steady, intense, and full of untamed power.

Quickly, a cloth was thrown over his lower half, but the rest of his body remained exposed. Raya couldn’t stop her eyes from scanning him, her heart thundering in her chest. He was unlike any creature she had ever seen—powerful, terrifying, and mesmerizing all at once. She wanted to look away. She should look away. But she couldn’t.

The rogue stood there, still as stone, his gaze never leaving Raya’s. There was an undeniable pull between them, something magnetic that neither of them could escape. And though she wanted to maintain her composure, her breath hitched in her throat once more. Her skin prickled with awareness, with the quiet tension in the air between them.

He smirked, a slow, dangerous curl of his lips. The look he gave her was knowing, as if he could sense the effect he was having on her. She clenched her fists, fighting against the pull he had on her.

“You came to see me,” the rogue said, his voice low and gravelly, like it had been shaped by years of raw, unrestrained rage. “I didn’t think you’d be so… beautiful.”

Raya’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart raced, but she refused to let him see how much his words affected her. “I came here to find answers,” she said, her voice sharp. “Nothing more.”

The rogue chuckled darkly, his gaze flicking down to her lips before returning to her eyes. “Answers? From me?” He took a slow step forward, his presence overwhelming, his form radiating danger. “You might find more than you bargained for, Queen Raya.”

Raya stiffened, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she straightened, meeting his gaze head-on. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

Riven, who had been standing nearby, finally stepped forward, his posture protective. “Enough of this,” he snapped, his voice cold and commanding. “We need answers, not your… flirtations.”

The rogue’s smirk deepened. “Flirtation?” He laughed, a sound that was both dark and rich. “I’ve barely started.”

Raya glared at him, feeling the heat of the room intensifying. She couldn’t allow herself to lose focus—not now. There were too many questions, too many uncertainties.

“You’re the antidote,” Raya said suddenly, her voice firm. “The poison—the disease spreading through the kingdom. It’s linked to you. Your blood. Your body. Why?”

The rogue’s expression shifted, his smirk faltering for just a second before it returned, more controlled this time. “You’re not the first to ask me that, Queen. And you won’t be the last. But if you want answers… you’ll have to earn them.”

The tension between them thickened. Raya’s mind raced, but her body—her body responded to him in ways she didn’t understand. Her pulse thrummed under her skin, a relentless beat that grew faster the longer she stood before him.

Riven, sensing the unease in the air, took a step forward, his hand resting lightly on Raya’s arm. “We’ve had enough of your games. Speak plainly. You’ve been marked. The cure is with you or rather,you know where the cure is, And the only way to save the kingdom is through you.”

The rogue’s eyes flicked to Riven, then back to Raya, and something in his gaze softened—almost imperceptibly. “Then let’s find out if you can survive it.”

Raya wasn’t sure if it was a threat, a promise, or a challenge, but her body reacted to it nonetheless. She could feel the heat in her cheeks, the rapid beat of her heart. Everything about him called to her in ways that made her skin burn.

“Get him out of here,” Raya ordered, trying to regain control of the situation. “I’ll deal with him later.”

Riven’s gaze flicked between Raya and the rogue, his jaw tight. But he didn’t argue. He gave a signal to the soldiers, and they began moving to restrain the rogue once more.

Before they could take him away, the rogue turned his head sharply to look at Raya one last time, his golden eyes glinting with something unreadable.

“Remember,” he said softly, his voice carrying across the room, “we’re not so different, you and I. You may not know it yet, but you’ll soon see.”

Raya didn’t reply. She couldn’t.

But as the rogue was dragged away, bound by chains, She couldn’t shake the feeling that the bond between them had already begun.