Chapter 5:Beneath the moon’s Gaze

Selene exhaled slowly, willing her pulse to steady as Ronan pulled away. His fingers had barely left her skin, yet the ghost of his touch lingered, igniting something she refused to name.

She should say something-break the silence before it swallowed her whole. But the words tangled in her throat, and when she finally dared to meet his gaze, she saw something dangerous there.

Not danger in the way Ronan's enemies feared him. No, this was different. This was the kind of danger that made her chest tighten, the kind that whispered of a fall she wasn't sure she could survive.

"You should rest," he said at last, his voice quieter now, rough around the edges.

"You lost more blood than you realize."

Selene scoffed, rolling her shoulders as if that could shake off the lingering awareness between them. "I've survive the point."

"Then what is?" she challenged.

His gaze flickered to her lips for the briefest moment, a flicker so quick she almost convinced herself she imagined it.

Almost.

The air between them was thick, charged with an unspoken tension neither of them seemed ready to acknowledge. The firelight cast shadows across his face, sharpening the angles of his jaw, the storm in his eyes barely contained.

Selene clenched her fists. She needed to regain control of the moment before it unraveled completely. "You're acting like you care."

His expression darkened. "What if I do?"

Her breath hitched. She hadn't been prepared for that answer, hadn't expected him to say it so easily, so plainly.

But before she could summon a reply, a noise shattered the fragile moment. A rustling from outside.Ronan's entire softness in his eyes vanished, replaced by sharp alertness. His hand was on his weapon before Selene even registered moving.

Selene pushed aside the wild thrum of her heart and forced herself to focus. They weren't safe-not yet. And whatever had been lurking in the shadows of their conversation would have to wait.

Ronan shot her a look, one that said stay close.

She hated how easily she obeyed.

The sound came again-closer this time. A deliberate movement, not the careless shift of wind through trees. Someone was out there. Watching.

Ronan shifted, silent as a shadow, his body positioning itself between her and the unseen threat. Selene bristled at the instinctive protectiveness, but now wasn't the time to argue. She reached for the dagger strapped to her thigh, the cool weight grounding her.Then-silence.

Too much silence. anything beyond the crackling fire. But the night had gone eerily still, as if it, too, was holding its breath.

Ronan moved first. In a swift motion, he grabbed a burning piece of wood from the fire and flung it into the darkness.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the torch hit the underbrush-and a figure darted backward, barely missing the flare of light.

Selene caught only a glimpse-a dark hood, a flash of silver at their belt-before the stranger vanished into the shadows.

Ronan was already moving, but Selene grabbed his arm. "Wait."

His head snapped to her, frustration flickering in his eyes. "They were spying on us."

"I know." Her grip tightened,"But if they wanted to attack, they would have. They were testing us.”Ronan exhaled sharply, the tension in his muscles still coiled tight. "Testing for what?"them-and why?

She released her hold on him and took a slow step forward, scanning the darkness.

"They're gone now."

Ronan let out a slow breath, but his shoulders remained rigid. "Not for long."

Selene knew he was right. Whoever it was, they had no intention of leaving them alone.

A cool breeze swept through the clearing, ruffling Selene's hair, and for the first time since their journey began, unease settled deep in her bones.

She turned back to Ronan, who was still watching the treeline with a lethal kind of stillness. His protectiveness-his sharp focus-should have annoyed her. Instead, she found herself gripping the hilt of her dagger a little tighter."We should move," he said finally.

Selene nodded. They couldn't afford to linger, not when their enemies were circling like wolves in the dark.

Selene hesitated. That was the real camp, she felt the weight of his gaze on her again. Different this time. Not cautious. Not guarded.

Determined.

And somehow, that unsettled her more than anything lurking in the shadows.

The journey ahead would not be easy.

Selene knew that. But something about the way Ronan looked at her now-like she was something worth protecting-made the road ahead feel even more dangerous.

Because she knew better than to trust people who cared.

Care made you weak. Vulnerable. And weakness was something she couldn't afford.

Yet as they set of v , the night, Ronan's presence beside her, steady and unwavering, she felt something shift.

And that terrified her more than any enemy ever could.