Chapter 5 Enemy in the Mist

The bolt buried in the tree still vibrated.

Kael's arm wrapped around her waist in one swift move, yanking her behind him.

Another bolt whizzed through the trees, then another. The forest hissed with danger.

"Run," he growled.

"I don't even know where I-"

Kael's eyes flashed. "Trust me. Or die."

That was enough.

They moved like shadows-his hand never leaving her arm. He led her through twisted roots and stone until the forest seemed to open for him, then swallow them whole again. He didn't run like a man-he moved like something born of the woods.

And still, they were being followed.

Not by Shadow Moon wolves. These were faster. Harsher.

Hunters.

They dove beneath a tangle of roots where an old well sat, long-forgotten and covered in moss.

Kael reached under his shirt and pulled out a pendant carved with strange symbols. He pressed it against a stone by the well's rim.

The ground trembled-and the well opened.

"A hidden path?" Aria whispered, panting.

Kael shoved her gently inside. "We'll be safe. For now."

Inside, the tunnel was cold and damp. She stumbled forward, Kael lighting the way with a faint blue flame from his palm.

"I've never seen magic like that," she murmured.

"Because it's not from your side of the border," he said darkly. "Shadow Moon was founded by more than blood and fangs. We were bound by ancient gifts."

She glanced at him. "You said someone forced our bond. What did you mean?"

He stopped. Turned.

Then... spoke carefully.

"Some bonds are written in fate. Others are manipulated. Accelerated. Artificial."

"You think someone faked ours?"

"No," he said, eyes sharp. "I think someone unlocked it early. Before your wolf was ready. Before either of us were supposed to meet."

She shivered. "Why?"

Kael's expression tightened. "To control you."

A voice echoed from the tunnel behind them.

"I told you the moment she crossed, things would unravel."

Aria froze.

She knew that voice.

Beta Loran. Her father's right hand. Her godfather.

Kael turned, fire flaring in his palm.

Loran stepped into the torchlight, hands up, but his grin was anything but friendly.

"She was never meant to live past seventeen," he said. "But her mother interfered. Hid the mark. The Alpha never even knew what he raised."

Aria's breath caught.

"My father doesn't know?" she whispered.

Loran smirked. "No. But if he did? He'd turn you in himself. You were born under a blood moon, girl. You were supposed to die at birth."

Kael growled. "You'll die before you touch her."

"Too late," Loran said, backing into the shadows. "The next time she sees Silver Mist... it'll be in flames."

He disappeared before Kael could move.

Aria stood trembling.

Not just from fear.

From rage.

"You can't go back," Kael said, voice quiet now. "Your pack has betrayed you. And someone powerful wants you dead before your wolf stabilizes."

Aria turned to him, eyes burning.

"Then I'll learn what I am. I'll train. I'll come back."

Kael tilted his head. "You're not ready."

"Then make me ready."

His silence answered her before he did.

"There's no turning back after this," he said softly. "You step into Shadow Moon as a wolf of the border, and the laws will see you as mine."

"Then I guess we're breaking more than laws," she whispered.