Chapter 2

The silence after Marcus’s words pressed down like iron.

Damien’s chest heaved, his golden eyes glowing faintly as he shielded Emilia behind him. His father’s silver gaze locked on them, heavy as chains, sharp as blades. The clearing seemed to shrink, the air thickening under Marcus’s aura until even the trees bowed.

Marcus took a step forward. The earth seemed to tremble with it.

“Look at you,” he said softly, his tone cutting deeper than a snarl. “The heir to the Blackfang pack. My son. And yet…” His gaze flicked to Emilia, lingering like a wolf circling prey. “…you guard a servant girl like she’s worth dying for.”

Damien’s wolf snarled in his chest. She is.

But his throat felt like stone. His father’s power pressed down harder with every heartbeat, suffocating, daring him to break.

Emilia’s fingers clutched his arm. Her body trembled under Marcus’s aura, her wolf whimpering inside her, but she did not let go. Damien could feel her fear through the bond, but also something else — defiance, small but steady, like a spark refusing to die.

Marcus’s lip curled. “Do you know what happens to wolves who forget their place, girl?”

Emilia’s breath hitched. Her voice, when it came, was thin but steady. “No, Alpha.”

Marcus’s smile was slow and cruel. “They are broken. Because a pack without order is nothing. And order begins with obedience.”

Damien’s growl ripped through the clearing before he could stop it. His wolf surged, claws scraping at his insides, golden light flickering brighter in his eyes.

“Don’t talk to her like that.”

The words were low, rough, dangerous.

The air snapped.

Even Emilia stiffened. No wolf, not even the heir, spoke to Marcus Blackfang that way.

Marcus’s smile vanished. His silver eyes blazed, cold and merciless.

He moved like a whip. His hand closed around Damien’s throat, squeezing, lifting him half off the ground with terrifying strength. Damien’s fingers clawed at his father’s wrist, rage flaring hot, but the grip was unyielding.

Emilia cried out, darting forward. “Stop!”

Marcus’s gaze snapped to her, and she froze as his aura crashed down heavier, forcing her to her knees. She gasped, hands digging into the dirt, her wolf curling small inside her chest.

“Pathetic,” Marcus hissed, his face inches from Damien’s. “This is what makes you weak. You mistake lust for loyalty. You mistake hunger for strength. A true Alpha does not bend for love — he bends others to him.”

Damien’s lungs burned. His vision blurred at the edges. But through the haze, the bond pulsed, fierce and stubborn, pulling him toward Emilia even as Marcus’s grip crushed him.

Her voice cut through the roar in his ears, soft but steady. “Damien—”

He met her gaze. Saw the terror. Saw the faith.

And something in him snapped.

Golden light flared in his chest, his wolf howling free. His body convulsed, bones shifting, fur erupting in a blaze of light. In an instant, the man was gone, replaced by a massive golden wolf, his roar shaking the ground.

Marcus was thrown back a step, his grip torn away. His lips curled, his own wolf surging forward in a blur of shadow and silver.

The clearing exploded in violence.

Damien lunged, claws raking across his father’s flank, sparks of golden fire trailing his strikes. Marcus met him head-on, heavier, stronger, his jaws snapping toward Damien’s throat. They collided with a thunderous crack, blood spraying into the night.

Emilia scrambled back, her heart slamming against her ribs. The sheer force of their fight rippled through the ground, tearing up roots, splintering trees. Her wolf whimpered, begging her to run, but her eyes locked on Damien — golden, blazing, magnificent, fighting with every shred of himself.

Damien’s wolf was faster, brighter, each strike wild with desperate energy. But Marcus was relentless, every movement honed by decades of battle. He fought like a storm, calculated and crushing.

They slammed together again, snarling, blood and fur flying. Marcus’s jaws closed on Damien’s shoulder, teeth sinking deep. Damien’s howl split the night, agony lancing through the bond, stabbing straight into Emilia’s chest.

“No!” she screamed, lurching forward without thinking.

Marcus lifted his head, blood dripping from his muzzle. His silver eyes locked on her, and his growl rumbled like thunder.

“See, boy?” His voice was rough, distorted through his wolf’s mouth. “This is your weakness. She will be the death of you.”

Damien staggered, blood pouring from his wound, but his golden eyes burned brighter, wild and furious. His gaze found Emilia’s, desperate, pleading.

The bond surged, hot and searing, pulling tight.

Emilia gasped as heat ripped through her chest, her vision blurring. Her skin tingled, glowing faintly under the moonlight. Her wolf surged, small but fierce, answering Damien’s call.

The air between them blazed.

Marcus jerked back, snarling, as golden light arced between Damien and Emilia. The bond flared alive, flooding Damien with power, knitting his wounds, driving his wolf to greater heights.

Marcus froze, silver eyes widening — just for a heartbeat.

Then his snarl split the night.

“This is not finished.”

He leapt back, his wolf vanishing into the shadows of the trees, his aura lingering like smoke.

The clearing fell silent, broken only by Damien’s ragged breathing. His golden wolf turned to Emilia, fur shimmering faintly with bond-fire.

She stared back, trembling, her chest heaving, her skin still faintly glowing.

“What…” Her voice cracked, breathless. “What just happened?”

Damien shifted back, blood and sweat streaking his skin, his chest rising and falling hard. He stumbled toward her, his hand catching her face, thumb brushing her lips.

His golden eyes burned with something wild, terrifying, intoxicating.

“The Moon,” he rasped, voice raw. “She’s bound us. Forever.”

Emilia’s breath caught. Fear and wonder tangled in her chest. Her wolf whimpered, then howled, torn between terror and triumph.

And then—

A soft laugh curled from the shadows.

“Well,” Selene purred, stepping into the moonlight, storm-grey eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “Isn’t this… delicious.”