18 --- The Warning

Damon’s POV

The air felt heavy that morning. The kind of stillness that signals an approaching storm.

I stood by my office window, observing the mist rolling over the training grounds. My wolves were agitated, with patrols doubled. Rogue sightings near the northern border had occurred three nights straight... which was unusual and organised. Rogues typically don’t behave like that unless they have a leader.

“Alpha.”

I turned around. Rowan, my Beta, was by the door with a serious look. “He’s here.”

I nodded once. “Send him in.”

The man who entered carried the scent of pine and distant rain ... Alpha Luca of the Shadowfang Pack. Once, we’d fought side by side. Now, his eyes held worry instead of camaraderie.

“Damon,” he said, shaking my hand with a firm grip. "You seem to be looking worse than the last time I saw you.”

“Comes with leading a pack that refuses to sleep,” I muttered, motioning for him to sit. “You didn’t ride this far just to insult me. What’s wrong?”

Luca’s jaw clenched. “It’s not only your borders that are being tested; the rogues attacked us as well... coordinated, armed, and following orders.”

My stomach tightened. "Who are the orders from?"

“That’s the reason I came to warn you," he said. “I sent scouts to follow them. Most never returned. Those who did... mentioned a mark.”

My pulse quickened. “A mark?”

“A crescent burned into their wrists. Black. Feral. They called it the Redmoon’s call.”

The room went silent. I knew that name ... we all did. The Redmoon Pack had fallen under Zac’s rule after he took his father’s place. A pack that used to uphold honour now stank of greed and corruption.

“You think Zac’s behind this?” I asked, voice low.

Luca hesitated. “I think he’s leading them.”

The thought alone sent fury tearing through me. Zac ... the same bastard who had sold Aria, who had shattered her life and now dared to raise an army of rogues against us?

My wolf snarled within me, a sound full of pure hate. He’s mine, it growled. He’ll pay for what he did to her.

Luca got up to leave, his voice weighed down with concern. “Whatever he’s planning, it’s more significant than we realize. Keep an eye on your borders, Damon, and watch your mate. The rogues weren’t after land this time... they were after names.”

The door shut behind him, leaving his warning floating in the air.

For a long time, I just stood there, my fists clenched so tightly that blood trickled down my knuckles.

Zac.

Whenever I believed his shadow had disappeared, he managed to reenter our lives.

By the time Aria arrived at my office later that day, I had already instructed my top warriors—Rowan, Mason, and the scouts—to gather evidence quietly and discreetly.

“Another meeting?” she asked gently, her presence soothing the fire in my chest for a moment. She wore one of her favorite white dresses—simple and soft, but the way it brushed against her skin made it hard to look away.

Her scent was the first thing I noticed, calm yet subtly hinting at unease, even before her words reached me.

I kept my voice steady. “Routine check. The borders are unstable again.”

Her brow furrowed. “The rogues?”

"Yes, but they aren’t acting like rogues.” I hesitated, noticing the concern in her eyes. “They appear too organised.”

She stepped closer. “You think someone’s leading them.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to. Aria was sharp, sharper than most people realized. Her silence lingered, then her lips moved... the faintest whisper.

“Zac.”

Hearing her say his name stirred something inside me. “You don’t know that.”

She shook her head. “But you believe it.”

I turned away. “Belief doesn’t matter. I’ll have proof soon enough.”

“You sent scouts.”

Her voice was soft, but her words hit like a blow. She knew me too well already.

“I have to protect the pack,” I said, keeping my tone controlled. “If Zac is behind this, I won’t wait for him to strike first.”

She crossed the room and placed a trembling hand on my arm. The warmth of her skin seared through my control.

“Damon, please. Don’t start another war.”

I faced her, anger and pain warring in my chest. “You think I want war? You think I enjoy spilling blood?”

Her voice broke. “I know you don’t. But I’ve seen what happens when pride leads Alphas into battle. You’ll lose more than men this time ... you’ll lose yourself.”

I wanted to tell her that it wasn’t pride ... it was vengeance. It was protection. It was love disguised as fury.

But the words wouldn’t come.

She stepped closer until her forehead brushed my chest. “If Zac’s behind this, he’ll destroy himself. You don’t have to become like him to stop him.”

Her request hit me hard. I closed my eyes, taking in her scent, every part of me shaking from trying to hold back.

When I finally spoke, my voice was rough. “I can’t promise I won’t fight him, Aria. But I’ll try not to make you hate me for it.”

Her lips lifted into a sad, knowing smile. “You could never make me hate you.”

She looked up at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears, and for a heartbeat, the world went quiet. I wanted to kiss her, to forget the war, the rogues, the pain—just her, only her. 

But before I could move, she stepped back and whispered, “Just… don’t lose yourself, Damon.” 

And then she was gone, leaving the ghost of her touch on my arm and a storm in her wake.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

The moon was hanging low and red, shining through the open window. I was lying there, listening to the wind, until I finally got too tired and fell asleep.

That’s when I saw her.

Aria was in the clearing, her white dress all soaked in red. There was blood on her hands, and her eyes looked empty. Zac was standing behind her, his hands on her shoulders, whispering something I couldn’t catch.

“Aria!” I yelled, trying to get to her, but my feet felt stuck in the ground like I was caught in quicksand. She turned to me slowly, her lips curling into a smile—not in fear, but in something else.

Then I noticed it: the mark glowing on her wrist, that same black crescent that Luca had talked about.

My heart dropped.

Zac’s voice echoed in the dark: "She was always mine."

I woke up with a startled gasp, soaked in sweat, my heart racing like I’d just sprinted for miles. I could still smell smoke even though there was none around.

It was just a dream. Just a dream.

But my wolf refused to believe it. It paced restlessly beneath my skin, growling a warning: She’s in danger. 

I raked my hand through my hair, my breath uneven, as the remnants of the nightmare clung to me... too vivid, too real. Was it merely my fear, or something deeper? 

Moonlight sliced through the room, reflecting off the blade resting on my desk. I gazed at it, my reflection distorted in the steel, and murmured to the night, “If he touches her again… there will be no mercy.” 

Outside, the wind howled through the trees, low and mournful, like a warning carried on the breeze by the moon itself. 

I knew, even before dawn broke, that this was just the beginning.