All Chapters of Moon Madness: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

They don't stay at the cabin.That's the first decision we make."No way we're sitting here waiting for round two," I say, stepping over the bloodstain near the shattered doorway.Aiden nods once.No argument.No Alpha posturing."We move."Simple as that.We strip the cabin of anything remotely useful before leaving.Matches.An old hunting knife buried in a rusted drawer.A dented canteen.Half a roll of twine.A wool blanket that smells like dust and old smoke.I tear another strip from the curtain and wrap it around myself, knotting the fabric at one shoulder and cinching it at the waist with twine. The result looks somewhere between survival gear and a very questionable woodland kimono.Aiden studies it briefly."It works.""It's not a fashion show."His mouth twitches slightly.He's still barefoot. Still bare-chested. Tattoos curl across his arms, chest, and throat like something carved into him instead of inked there.It's distracting.Extremely distracting.I refuse to acknowl

I wake before the sun.For one disoriented second, I forget where I am.Then I feel Aiden's arm around my waist.Warm.Heavy.Real.And everything crashes back at once.The heat.The forest.Blood in the snow.The bond.Last night.I carefully slide out from under his arm like none of it mattered. Like it was practical. Temporary. Just another survival decision.I don't look at him.Instead, I grab the sheet and wrap it tightly around myself before crouching beside the fire to poke uselessly at the dying embers.Behind me, I hear him move."Morning," I say flatly.My voice sounds normal."Morning."There's something different in his tone now.Softer.Like last night changed something.I refuse to think about that.I busy myself with pointless things instead—checking the salvaged supplies, folding the blanket, adjusting the knot at my shoulder for the fifth time.Anything except looking at him.Then I turn around.And immediately regret it.He's standing there completely naked and enti

The checkpoint lights wash the car in sterile white as they inch forward through the line of waiting vehicles. Brake lights glow ahead of them while officers lean into open windows and wave cars through one by one.Some make it across immediately.Some don't.A pickup truck two cars ahead gets pulled aside, and Cat's stomach drops hard enough to hurt."Fuck.""Relax," Aiden murmurs from behind the wheel.She turns to him slowly. "I look relaxed to you?"Her palms are damp. She wipes them against the thrift-store jeans she's wearing. The clothes smell faintly like mothballs and somebody's grandmother.The line crawls forward another few feet.Stops.Another car gets waved through. Another gets flagged for secondary inspection, and Cat can practically feel her pulse climbing higher with every passing second."If they ask for passports, I'm blaming you."Aiden barely glances at her. "For what?""For marriage."His mouth twitches faintly. "We'll be fine.""Will we?" she snaps. "Because la

We switch vehicles this time. Hunter and Ryan take the front seats while Aiden and I slide into the back of the SUV.As the doors close and the engine starts, I mutter, "I still don't like this."Aiden leans back beside me, completely unbothered. "You don't have to."I glance at him despite myself. "You're enjoying this way too much."His smile is slow and patient in that infuriating way he has. "I'm enjoying the company."I snort and look back out the window, folding my arms tighter across my chest so nobody notices the stupid warmth blooming in it.The road stretches endlessly ahead of us.And somehow—somewhere between Canada and Montana and mates and all the insanity in between—we stopped running.I don't remember falling asleep.One second I'm staring out the window counting mile markers and pretending I'm not exhausted, and the next I'm warm.Solid warmth. Steady warmth.My cheek is pressed against something firm, my fingers curled into soft fabric before my brain fully catches

Aiden POVI've dealt with hostile packs before.Territory disputes. Border negotiations. Meetings with Alphas who would've happily ripped my throat out if it'd benefited them politically.None of that prepared me for breakfast with Cat's family.Especially her mother.But then Cat laughs.Not the sharp laugh she uses like armor. Not the sarcastic one she throws out when she's uncomfortable.A real laugh.It slips out when Mike mutters something under his breath and her mother completely misses it. Small. Unplanned. Barely there.But real.Something tightens unexpectedly in my chest.I watch her after that without meaning to. The way her shoulders loosen slightly. The way she rolls her eyes instead of immediately bracing for another emotional attack. The way she leans back in her chair like, for a few seconds, she's forgotten to stay ready to run.She's still overwhelmed.Still fighting the bond. Still trying to keep control over something that changed the second we met.But she's here