3

The night breeze blew gently through the forest, carrying the fresh scent of pine from the trees surrounding the Silver Pine Pack’s territory. Aurora kept walking without any particular destination in mind. The canvas bag hanging from her shoulder seemed to grow heavier with every step. Her legs ached, and exhaustion weighed heavily on her body, but she forced herself to keep moving.

If she stopped now, she was afraid she would turn back. Afraid she would see Alpha Ryder Thorn’s face again. Afraid she would hear the laughter of the people she had once considered family. Tears began to spill down her cheeks again.

“No. I’m fine. I have to be strong.”

Aurora whispered to herself. But even she didn’t believe the lie. She had been walking for nearly two hours when a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes behind her. Aurora stopped. Her heart immediately began to race.

“Who’s there?!”

There was no answer. Only silence. Aurora swallowed hard. She wasn’t a fighter. Her entire life, she had held a kitchen knife far more often than she had ever held a sword. Slowly, her hand reached for the small knife tucked into her waistband.

“Come out!”

Still nothing. Aurora let out a quiet breath of relief. Maybe it was just a deer running by. She was just about to take another step when another sound rang out.

“Graaaarrr!!”

A massive rogue wolf suddenly leaped from behind the trees. Its body was much larger than that of an ordinary werewolf. Its eyes glowed an eerie red, and thick saliva dripped from its long fangs. Aurora immediately stumbled backward.

“No...”

Another rogue emerged from the darkness. Then another. And another. Within seconds, four rogue wolves had surrounded her. Aurora’s face went pale.

“Oh, Moon Goddess....”

Why tonight? Why now?

One of the rogue wolves sniffed the air. “Hmm...”

A hoarse, masculine voice came from its monstrous form. “A female wolf.”

The others grinned. “She’s alone in this forest.”

“We’re so lucky tonight.”

Aurora knew exactly what rogues were capable of. They didn’t simply kill. Some rogues kidnapped female werewolves and sold them to other packs. Her heart pounded violently. Without thinking twice, Aurora turned and ran.

Branches whipped against her face. Her dress caught on bushes several times, but she didn’t stop. She kept running as fast as her exhausted body could carry her. Behind her, the rogues roared.

“Get her!”

“She won’t get far!”

Aurora nearly tripped over a tree root. She had spent the entire day preparing food for the Moon Goddess Festival. Then she had been publicly rejected by her own Alpha. And now she had to run for her life. She had almost nothing left.

“Ugh!”

Aurora stumbled and crashed to the ground. Her knee struck a sharp rock. Pain shot through her leg. She looked down and saw blood beginning to trickle from the wound. Before she could get back on her feet, the four rogues had already surrounded her again.

“You’re done running, miss.” One of the Rogues laughed.

“No Alpha is coming to save you tonight.”

Aurora’s fingers tightened around her small knife. She knew it was practically useless against four rogues. But she refused to die without fighting.

“Come on.” She whispered, her voice trembling. “If I have to die tonight, at least I’ll go down fighting.”

The largest Rogue stepped closer. “Come to think of it, you’re quite pretty.”

He licked his lips, his gaze roaming over her. “Too bad you’re a little on the plump side.”

The four rogues burst into laughter. The same words. Again. It was always the same. Aurora closed her eyes. Perhaps this really was the end. Perhaps after everything that had happened tonight, she simply wasn’t meant to survive. But then, the entire forest fell silent. The laughter stopped. Even the wind seemed to disappear. The rogues slowly looked at one another.

“Do you smell that?” one of the rogues whispered.

The largest rogue’s expression immediately changed. His face went pale. “It can’t be.”

Dum!

Dum!

Dum!

Heavy footsteps echoed from somewhere beyond the trees. The ground seemed to tremble beneath Aurora’s feet. Aurora slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a pair of golden eyes glowing in the darkness. Then a giant black wolf stepped out from between the trees.

Aurora froze. The creature was enormous. Its body was nearly twice the size of an ordinary Alpha. Its fur was jet black, with a faint golde sheen at the tip of its tail. But it was its eyes that terrified Aurora the most. Golden. Cold. Powerful. The rogues immediately took several steps backward.

“T-that’s...”

“Impossible.”

“A-a Lycan.”

The largest rogue swallowed hard. “That’s the Lycan King.”

Aurora’s breath caught. ‘The Lycan King? Weren’t the Lycans supposed to live far to the north? Then why is their king here?’ Her mind raced with questions.

The giant black wolf didn’t even glance at Aurora. His attention remained fixed entirely on the rogues. One step. The air grew tense. Two steps. The pressure of his aura spread throughout the forest. Three steps. One of the rogues immediately dropped to his knees.

“Your Majesty.” He lowered his head until it nearly touched the ground. “Please forgive us.”

The only response was a low, threatening growl. It sent chills down Aurora’s spine. Then, the black wolf vanished. His speed was so incredible that Aurora could barely see him move.

Crack!

The first rogue’s neck snapped. His body was thrown against a nearby tree with tremendous force. Before the second rogue could react, a massive claw tore across his chest. His scream echoed through the forest.

The third rogue turned and tried to flee. It was pointless. The black Lycan pounced. One bite. It was over. The third rogue collapsed lifelessly onto the forest floor. The last rogue trembled violently.

“F-forgive me, Your Majesty. I beg you. Please!”

The Lycan slowly turned toward him. Those golden eyes held no mercy. No hesitation. The rogue’s body began to tremble even harder. Then the Lycan released another low growl. The rogue immediately fainted from sheer terror.

Silence returned to the forest. Aurora covered her mouth with one hand. She had never seen anything like this in her life. Four rogues. Defeated within seconds. Yet somehow, the creature standing before her felt even more terrifying than the four rogue combined. Because now, his attention turned toward her.

The giant black wolf slowly turned his head. Their golden eyes met. Aurora instinctively stepped backward. She knew Lycans were predators, too. What if she became his next victim? But there was something strange in his eyes.

Aurora saw no bloodlust. No hunger. Instead, she saw something she couldn’t understand. Relief. As if this creature had been searching for something for a very long time. And had finally found it. The Lycan began walking toward her. Aurora’s heart raced.

“I-I…” She took another step backward. “Thank you for saving me.”

But the Lycan continued approaching. The distance between them grew smaller. Until finally, he stood only a step away. Aurora could feel his warm breath against her skin. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could barely think.

“Are you going to kill me too?” Her voice came out as barely a whisper.

The Lycan’s golden eyes widened slightly. For a moment, he looked almost startled. Then something unexpected happened. The enormous black wolf slowly lowered his head. Not to attack. But in a gesture of respect.

Aurora froze. “What?”

Before she could finish, a strange black light suddenly enveloped the Lycan’s body. Aurora instinctively took another step back. The wolf’s enormous form began to change. Its fur disappeared. Its limbs lengthened. The massive beast gradually transformed into the figure of a man.

A very tall man. Broad shoulders. Jet-black hair. And the same pair of piercing golden eyes. Aurora stared. He was so handsome that, for a moment, she almost forgot to breathe. Then she realized something else. The man wasn’t wearing any clothes.

Aurora immediately turned her face away. “I-I’m sorry..”

The man glanced down at himself before seeming to understand. Without saying a word, he walked toward the horse waiting a short distance away and retrieved  long black cloak tied to its saddle. He wrapped it around himself before turning back toward Aurora. Neither of them spoke. He simply stared at her. And inside him, something had completely lost control.

His wolf. It had been silent for centuries. But now, it was pacing restlessly inside him. ‘Mate!’

The word echoed through his mind. ‘She’s our mate!’

The Lycan King clenched his jaw. Impossible. Lycans were rarely blessed with true mates. Some lived their entire lives without ever finding theirs. Yet his instincts refused to be ignored.

Aurora could only stare at the mysterious man before her. “W-who are you?”

A faint smile appeared on the man’s lips. It was the first genuine smile he had shown in hundreds of years.

“My name is Cassian Ravenshade.” His golden eyes remained fixed on Aurora.

“I am the Lycan King of the Moonveil Dominion.”

Aurora froze. The Lycan King. She instinctively took another step backward. Cassian noticed. Immediately, he stepped back as well.

“I won’t hurt you.” His voice was calm, almost gentle.

Aurora blinked. He had just slaughtered four rogues without hesitation. Yet now, he was deliberately keeping his distance from her. Cassian lowered his head slightly, once again showing her respect.

“It seems...” He paused. “The Moon Goddess has quite an interesting sense of humor.”

Aurora frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Cassian looked at her again. Inside him, his wolf screamed once more. ‘Mate!’

Every instinct in his body urged him to reach for her. To protect her. To make sure she was safe. To never let her walk away from him again. But instead, Cassian calmly folded his hands behind his back.

“My wolf believes that you are my fated mate.”

Aurora’s eyes widened. “What?!”

Cassian gave a faint, almost helpless smile. “I understand if that’s difficult to believe.”

He paused. “To be honest, it’s difficult for me to believe, too.”