A wolf at the Gate

The night was thick with unease.

I woke to the sound of voices outside, low and urgent. The moonlight spilled across the bedroom floor, cold and silver, but the warmth of Damon’s side of the bed was already gone. He had left before dawn, as he often did, and the hollow ache his absence left in me was maddening.

The bond tugged at me, restless and insistent, pulling me toward him. Against my better judgment, I rose, wrapped a shawl around my shoulders, and followed the noise down the winding halls of Blackthorn Manor.

By the time I reached the courtyard, the night air carried the sharp tang of danger. Warriors lined the walls, weapons drawn, eyes fixed on the gates. Beyond the iron bars, a line of torches flickered, carried by wolves not of Blackthorn.

A rival pack.

And Damon stood at the center, broad shoulders squared, every inch the Alpha who feared nothing. His presence alone was enough to hold his men steady, but I felt the storm brewing inside him, the violent energy that made the air hum like lightning.

I pressed against the shadows, my heart hammering.

“Alpha Damon.” The rival leader stepped forward, his voice carrying across the night. He was tall, scarred, his eyes glinting with the arrogance of a wolf who thought himself untouchable. “I am here to remind you that power is not inherited—it is proven. And I question whether Blackthorn still deserves its place.”

Gasps broke out among the crowd. A direct challenge.

Damon didn’t flinch. “Careful,” he growled, his voice cold steel. “Question me, and you’ll find your answer on the battlefield.”

The rival Alpha smirked. “Then prove yourself. Tomorrow night. A duel, Alpha to Alpha. Winner claims the loser’s land… and his Luna.”

The words struck like a blade to my chest.

All eyes swung to me, hidden though I was in the shadows. The bond between Damon and me pulsed violently, my panic feeding his rage. His jaw clenched, his fists curled, and a dangerous growl tore from his throat.

“You dare speak her name,” he snarled, “and you sign your death sentence.”

The rival only laughed. “Then we shall see whose blood stains the earth.”

With that, he turned, his men retreating into the night, their torches vanishing like dying stars.

The gates closed with a clang, but the tension did not lift. Damon barked orders, his voice sharp, commanding his warriors to prepare. Not one dared question him.

I should have left. I should have returned to my chambers and pretended I had heard nothing. But my feet carried me forward, into the open courtyard, into his line of sight.

His eyes found me instantly.

“Selena.” His voice was rough, laced with fury and something darker—fear. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard…” My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. “Is it true? He challenged you for me?”

The muscles in his jaw ticked. “Go back inside.”

“No.” My voice shook, but I held his gaze. “You can’t do this. You can’t risk your life just to—”

His steps were sudden, predatory, closing the distance between us until I was forced back against the cold stone wall. His hand braced beside my head, his scent wrapping around me, intoxicating and dangerous.

“Don’t,” he warned, his voice low, vibrating through me. “Don’t ever think this is just about you. This is about my pack. My honor. My name. He questioned it all when he set foot here, and I will not let that stand.”

“But—”

His eyes burned into mine, and the bond surged, hot and overwhelming. “You’re mine, Selena. No one touches what’s mine. No one even breathes your name without answering to me.”

My pulse raced, my breath tangled in my throat. Every part of me screamed to fight him, to deny the way those words sent fire through my veins. But another part, deeper, older, whispered that it was truth.

The bond wanted me to surrender.

And for one dangerous heartbeat, I almost did.

But I tore my gaze away, forcing air into my lungs. “Then let me help you.”

He stilled. “Help me?”

I nodded, my fists clenched to hide their trembling. “I know what it means to lose everything. I know how rival packs think, how they fight. Let me prepare with you. Let me be more than a contract.”

For a moment, silence stretched between us. His eyes searched mine, unreadable, and I thought he might laugh, or dismiss me, or shut me away where I couldn’t interfere.

Instead, his lips curved—not into a smile, but something sharper.

“You want to be my Luna?” His voice was a challenge. “Then prove it.”

Training began at dawn.

Damon did not go easy on me.

His warriors watched in thinly veiled amusement as I stood in the training yard, a wooden staff in my hands, my body aching from drills I could barely complete. Damon circled me like a predator, his voice cutting through the air.

“Again.”

My arms shook. Sweat stung my eyes. My breath came ragged. But I lifted the staff, swung, blocked, stumbled, recovered. Again and again, until my muscles screamed and my vision blurred.

“Pathetic,” he muttered when I faltered, catching the staff easily in one hand. “Your enemies won’t wait for you to catch your breath.”

Anger flared hot in my chest. “Then don’t hold back.”

Something flashed in his eyes—amusement, approval, maybe even pride. He dropped the staff, grabbed my wrist, and spun me until my back hit his chest, his arm locking around me in a mock hold.

“Lesson one,” he whispered against my ear, his breath hot, his body hard against mine. “Never let your guard down.”

My pulse thundered. My body betrayed me, leaning into him even as my mind screamed to break free. The bond surged, wild and hungry, and I shoved against him, desperate to escape its pull.

But his grip only tightened.

“Lesson two,” he growled. “Your greatest enemy is hesitation. You hesitate, you die.”

I twisted, struggling, but his strength was unyielding. Our eyes met, burning, clashing, and for one unbearable moment, the fight shifted. It wasn’t about survival anymore—it was about something deeper, something neither of us dared name.

And then, just as suddenly, he released me.

I stumbled forward, gasping, my body trembling from more than exertion.

“Enough for today,” he said, his voice clipped. “Rest. Tomorrow, we face war.”

I turned to argue, but he was already walking away, his shoulders tense, his head bowed as though battling demons only he could see.

And I knew then that the duel tomorrow wasn’t just about land or honor.

It was about us.

If Damon lost, I would be taken.

And if he won… I wasn’t sure what would be left of me.

That night, as I lay awake, the bond thrummed with restless energy, every beat of my heart echoing Damon’s. My body ached, my soul burned, and my thoughts twisted in endless circles.

I had stepped into this world with nothing but a contract. But tomorrow, I would face it as something more.

Not just Damon’s reluctant bride.

But his Luna.

And the moon would bear witness to it all.