Chapter 3 THE CHASE UNDER THE MOON

Chapter 3

The forest was alive with moonlight and chaos.

Aurora ran. Barefoot. Breathless. Her heart thundered in her chest like a drum of war. The cold air bit at her skin, but she didn't stop - couldn't stop. The Kanes' voices carried through the night behind her, harsh and furious.

Branches tore at her gown. Twigs snapped beneath her feet. Every instinct screamed run, yet the forest whispered wait. Something was calling to her - a pulse, a rhythm that didn't belong to her, yet lived inside her bones.

Her wolf stirred.

He's close.

Aurora stumbled to a stop, gasping. "Who?"

The one fate promised.

She turned in a slow circle, the world spinning. The forest was endless, cloaked in silver fog and moonlight, but something moved beyond the trees - a shadow, large and fluid, keeping pace with her. Watching.

Her pulse skipped.

"Who's there?" she called out, voice shaking.

No answer. Just the whisper of the wind and the low rustle of leaves.

Then, eyes - gold and burning - flickered through the mist.

Aurora froze. Her breath caught.

From between the trees, a man emerged. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His presence consumed the air around him, powerful enough to make the forest silent the moonlight. His gaze sharp as a blade - yet beneath the strength, there was something else. Recognition.

Aurora stepped back instinctively. "Don't come closer."

He stopped - not out of fear, but control. His voice was deep, smooth, dangerous.

"I won't hurt you."

"Then why are you following me?"

He studied her, head tilted slightly. "Because the moon led me to you."

Her heart pounded harder. "You're one of them, aren't you? Another hunter?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm not hunting you. I'm finding you."

She didn't understand, but his words thrummed in her chest like truth. His scent - dark pine and storm - wrapped around her senses, making her dizzy.

When his eyes met hers, the world shifted.

The air shimmered. The earth trembled.

For one suspended heartbeat, everything stopped - the pain, the fear, the running.

And she felt it.

The pull.

The bond.

A surge of warmth exploded through her veins, flooding her heart with light. The mark on her wrist flared, glowing silver. His golden eyes widened as his wolf roared inside him.

Mate.

Aurora stumbled backward, clutching her wrist. "No... no, that's not possible."

Damian stepped closer, slow and careful, every movement predatory yet reverent. "You feel it too. Don't fight it."

"I don't even know who you are!"

"You don't have to." His gaze softened, though his voice trembled with restraint. "The bond already knows."

The wind howled between them, scattering leaves around their feet. Aurora's tears shimmered in the moonlight. "I can't... I can't trust anyone."

"I don't need your trust," he said quietly. "Just your name."

She hesitated. "Aurora."

Damian's lips curved slightly, tasting the sound. "Aurora." He said it like a prayer. "I'm Damian Blackthorn. Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack."

Her eyes widened. "An Alpha?"

"Yes." He took another step closer, his gaze burning. "And you're mine."

The word echoed through the clearing - not a command, but a vow. It struck something deep inside her wolf, awakening a strength she didn't know she had.

But before she could respond, the sharp crack of gunfire split the night.

Aurora gasped. Damian's wolf snarled, eyes flashing gold.

"Get behind me," he ordered, pulling her close.

She barely had had time to protest before he shifted into a massive black wolf she had always seen in her dreams.

His growl thundered and bullets ripped through the underbrush. Aurora fell to her knees, watching in awe and terror as Damian lunged to the shallows.

Guards screamed as he tore through them, swift and silent as the night itself.

When it was over, the forest went still again.

Damian shifted back, breathing hard, blood streaking his arm but not his confidence. He turned toward her, his gaze softening immediately.

"Are you hurt?"

Aurora shook her head, voice trembling. "You saved me..."

He knelt before her, brushing a leaf from her hair. "No. I found you."

Their eyes met again, and this time she didn't look away. His hand lingered near her cheek, hesitant - as if touching her might break whatever fragile spell had brought them together.

Aurora whispered, "Why me?"

He smiled faintly, though there was sadness in his eyes. "Because you're not who you think you are, Aurora Kane. The mark on your wrist - that's no accident. You're the last of the Moonblood line."

Her pulse stuttered. "My wolf told me that name. Celestia. What does it mean?"

Damian's expression darkened. "It means you were never meant to live as a servant or a pawn. You were born a princess... and stolen before your first shift."

Aurora's lips parted, disbelief and pain colliding in her chest. "That can't be true..."

"It is," he said softly. "And your enemies already know it. That's why they're hunting you tonight.

Her eyes filled with tears.

"The Kanes..."

"They used you because of your bloodline," Damian said, his voice low but fierce. "But they'll never touch you again. I'll protect you."

Aurora looked at him - this stranger, this Alpha whose power hummed like thunder - and for the first time in her life, she didn't feel alone.

Still, she shook her head. "You don't even know me."

He leaned closer, his voice a whisper of promise. "My wolf does."

Something in her heart cracked open.

When the next gust of wind passed, it carried the scent of rain and the faint hum of magic. The moon dipped lower, casting silver light over them both.

Damian stood and offered his hand. "Come with me. The forest isn't safe for you anymore."

Aurora stared at his hand - strong, steady, scarred - and hesitated. The old fear tugged at her, whispering that every promise turned to pain.

But the pull between them - that fierce, burning bond - drowned out the fear.

She placed her hand in his.

A spark leapt between them.

Damian's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as his wolf surged again beneath the surface. The urge to claim her was nearly unbearable, primal and pure. But he restrained himself. She was frightened, fragile, and powerful all at once.

He would not claim what wasn't ready.

Instead, he whispered, "You're safe now, Aurora."

And for the first time since she could remember, she believed it.

Hours later, the forest opened into the valley of Blackthorn territory.

The moon hung low over the mountains, its glow gilding the rooftops of the Alpha's estate. Aurora followed Damian silently, still gripping his jacket for balance. Every step she took away from the Kane estate felt like walking into a new world - terrifying and sacred.

When they reached the gates, two guards bowed instantly. "Alpha."

Damian nodded. "Prepare the healer's wing. And send word to the council - we've found her."

Aurora blinked. "Found who?"

He turned to her, expression unreadable. "You."

Her breath caught. "What does that mean?"

"It means your life," he said softly, "is about to change forever."

That night, as the moon began to fade, Damian stood outside her chamber, listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat through the door. It matched his own.

The bond was growing stronger. Too strong.

His wolf whispered, She's ours.

Damian clenched his fists. "Not yet," he murmured. "Not until she chooses."

But deep inside, both man and beast already knew - fate had chosen long ago.