The Luna He Let Go

Selene's POV The forest was quiet that night, except for the sound of my breathing and the crunch of leaves beneath my boots. The Blood Moon still hung above me, casting its red light through the trees. Every step I took felt heavier than the last, but stopping meant remembering—and remembering was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn’t run. Running would mean fear, and I refused to give him that satisfaction. So I walked, one step after another, until the cheers and whispers of the pack faded into nothing but a distant hum swallowed by the wind. The mark on my neck burned. His mark. The bond that had once felt warm and alive now pulsed with a hollow ache, like a wound that wouldn’t close. I pressed my fingers against it, feeling the faint throb beneath my skin. Somewhere, miles away, he must have felt it too. I wondered if it hurt him. Probably not. When I reached the edge of the river, I knelt and touched the water. The cold seeped through my fingertips, numbing the sti

Selene’s POV The snow came heavier that week, coating the world in white silence. The Crescent wolves moved slower, their hunts shorter, their howls carrying softer through the trees. Winter had a way of making everything feel hollow—and yet, strangely alive. I had grown stronger since the day I arrived. My hands were calloused, my reflexes sharper. When the warriors trained, I no longer fell behind. Mira said my aura had changed—that the Moon’s favor lingered on me even when I doubted it. But lately, something else lingered too. Every night, my dreams were filled with flashes—golden eyes, smoke curling in the air, the sound of a heartbeat that wasn’t mine. I woke breathless, the bond pulsing faintly like an ember refusing to die. I tried to ignore it, but denial didn’t stop fate from whispering. One evening, while gathering herbs near the frozen stream, I heard a low growl behind me. I turned, instincts flaring. A rogue wolf, mangy and desperate, stepped out from behind t

Selene’s POV The snow crunched beneath my boots as I moved silently through the forest, the moonlight cutting through the trees in shards of silver. My chest still burned from the pull of the bond, a relentless ache that refused to let me forget him. Arden. Even saying his name aloud in the quiet night felt like treachery. My wolf howled beneath my ribs, restless and furious, and yet… longing, too. I shouldn’t have stayed. I shouldn’t have let him touch me, let that heat spread through my veins and ignite memories I had spent months burying. And yet, I had. Because despite everything—despite betrayal, despite the hollow nights—the bond had flared, alive and dangerous, reminding me of what we were. The wind whipped through the trees, tugging at my hair and my resolve. I wrapped my coat tighter, trying to push the lingering warmth of his touch from my skin, but it clung stubbornly, like smoke that refuses to disperse. Every step away from the pack’s walls felt like punishment. I hate

Selene’s POV The forest breathed around me, each tree bowing under the weight of fresh snow. My boots sank slightly into the crusted ground as I pressed forward, senses straining. The bond hummed faintly under my skin, tugging at my chest, whispering Arden’s name with every gust of wind. I wanted to resist. I wanted to keep walking, to shove the heat of him and the ache of our shared past deep into the shadows where it belonged. But then I smelled it. Blood. Copper-sweet, carried on the frigid air. My wolf hissed, claws digging into the frost beneath me, tail flicking like a whip. I didn’t pause. My dagger was already in my hand, fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt. The clearing opened before me, and he was there. Arden. Half-kneeling, crimson staining the snow beneath him, golden eyes flicking with pain and disbelief. Every inch of him screamed danger, every line of his body a challenge to the world around us. My pulse slammed in my ears. “Arden!” I gasped, breaking into a ru

Selene's POV “What do you want?” My voice cut through the cold before Arden could speak. The stranger’s smile widened—slow, deliberate—as if he’d been waiting for that question. “Finally,” he murmured, stepping closer. “The Luna talks.” Arden shifted in front of me, blocking his path despite the tremor in his legs. “Don’t come near her.” The stranger’s gaze slid over Arden like he was nothing but a shadow in the way. His attention settled back on me—unblinking, pitch-black eyes drinking in every inch. “You shouldn’t be bleeding,” he said calmly, as though commenting on the weather. “Not yet.” A chill crawled up my arms. Arden snarled, claws half-extended. “Say another word and I’ll rip your throat out.” “Alpha,” the stranger said softly, “you can barely stand.” Arden’s breath hitched, pain spearing through his ribs, but he didn’t back down. The stranger looked almost… amused. Then his eyes returned to mine, and the amusement faded, replaced by something sharper. Somethin