Kaiden's Point of View

The moment I reached my office, I slammed the door shut and reached for the landline. My hands were already dialing before I could think straight. I contacted every pack within a hundred-mile radius, calling in debts, invoking old pacts, and demanding immediate support. The eastern border was vulnerable, and we couldn’t afford to lose ground.

My desk became a war zone of maps, phone lines, and scribbled orders. I sent out a mass alert to the sentinels, instructing them to gather at the south gate in full combat gear. This wasn’t just a border patrol gone wrong. Something darker had been awakened, and I had the sinking feeling it had everything to do with the bond I’d sealed with Luna.

Luna.

The very thought of her sent a ripple of something through my chest. Unease. Guilt. Or maybe it was that damned mark burning beneath my skin.

I stepped out of my office, barking final orders to the guards stationed by the hall. My boots echoed on the marble as I made my way toward the exit, my mind locked in strategy mode.

Then I saw her.

Luna was coming down the hallway, flanked by Raven. Her silver-blonde hair was braided back, her jaw set in a look that told me she already knew what was happening. She moved with purpose, with power humming just beneath her skin. And for a moment, I forgot everything else.

She was beautiful. Terrifying. Mine.

And that scared me more than anything. The fact that the curse has been activated made everything worse.

“You’re not coming,” I said the moment she came into speaking range.

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“This isn’t a discussion. You stay here.”

Her brow furrowed, and she quickened her pace until she was standing right in front of me. “Why? I’m your mate. If the pack’s in danger, I have a right to stand beside you.”

I clenched my jaw. “You’re not ready.”

“Ready for what?” she asked, incredulous. “To fight? To protect the people who already think I don’t belong?”

I didn’t answer right away. The truth was, I didn’t want her there because of the curse… because of the power I didn’t understand, couldn’t control. Her magic was still raw, untamed. She could destroy a battlefield with a single outburst, and we couldn’t risk that. Not tonight.

“You could lose control,” I said quietly. “And this is an Alpha matter. It’s for the elders and the sentinels. You might hurt someone. One of mine, if you hurt the enemies, I won't mind, but if you hurt one of my sentinels, I'll bear the grief.”

Luna scoffed. “I’m not some rabid animal, Kaiden. I know when to stop. I can stop.”

I didn’t respond. Couldn’t. Instead, I turned and walked past her, heading straight to the black SUV waiting in the driveway. My driver was already inside, engine purring.

But Luna wasn’t done.

Her footsteps were right behind mine, matching me stride for stride. “You don’t get to make this decision for me. I’m coming, whether you like it or not.”

I turned to face her. Her eyes blazed with defiance, her hands clenched at her sides. I could feel the spark of her magic dancing along her skin, itching to be released.

For a moment, I almost said no again. Maybe I wasn't ready to see her get hurt, or just not ready to see her get into a fist fight with the enemies.

But something in me hesitated.

Maybe it was her strength. Maybe it was the way the pack already looked at her, like an outcast. Maybe I wanted them to see what I saw. The fire. The power. The woman who’d been forced into a bond she never asked for, but was still willing to fight for the pack that scorned her.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Fine. Get in.”

Her lips twitched into a smirk, victorious. She turned and waved to Raven, then slipped into the car. I followed, slamming the door behind me. As we pulled out of the driveway, the silence between us was thick with unspoken tension.

We didn’t say a word the entire ride.

The SUV sped through the forest roads, the trees a blur of black and green under the moonlight. The full moon was still high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the woods.

And in my chest, something stirred.

The curse. The prophecy. The fear that this bond would be the end of us all.

But I couldn’t afford to dwell on that now.

We arrived at the eastern border within minutes. Fires crackled in the distance. The scent of blood hung in the air, thick and cloying. Sentinels were already in position, rows of them, dressed in black, armed to the teeth. The air was thick with tension and growls.

“Report,” I barked as I stepped out of the car.

One of the senior sentinels, Marco, approached. “They breached the wards around the perimeter. A group of rogues. But something’s off.”

“Off how?” I asked.

“They moved like they were possessed. Eyes glowing. No scent. And one of them, he looked like he’d been dead for weeks. But he still fought like a beast.”

Necromancy.

My stomach turned. “Dark magic.”

Luna stood beside me now, her eyes scanning the perimeter. I could feel her magic already reacting to the darkness around us, pulsing beneath her skin like a storm waiting to break.

“Keep her back,” I told Marco under my breath.

Marco gave a subtle nod.

But Luna had already heard me.

“I’m not staying back,” she said through clenched teeth. “I can feel them. They’re close.”

I turned to her, about to protest, but her eyes were glowing faintly now, silver light blooming in her irises.

“She’s connected,” Marco said, eyes wide. “Like the moon goddess herself…”

“Luna,” I said tightly. “Don’t lose control. Not here.”

“I won’t,” she whispered, already walking toward the treeline.

We followed her, the sentinels forming a protective arc as we approached the wardline. The hairs on the back of my neck rose.

Then we saw them.

Five figures, cloaked in shadows, stood just beyond the barrier. Their eyes glowed an unnatural blue. Their movements were jerky, broken. One of them let out a growl that sounded more beast than man.

“They’re not alive,” Luna whispered.

“No,” I said grimly. “They’re cursed.”

And that’s when the screaming started.

From deeper in the woods, another group broke through the trees, charging with inhuman speed. We barely had time to react before they collided with our front lines.

“Engage!” I shouted, shifting mid-run.

My bones cracked as I transformed, fur exploding across my skin. I leapt forward, teeth sinking into the neck of one of the cursed rogues. Black blood spilled onto the ground, hissing like acid as it touched the earth.

The battle was chaotic.

Snarls. Screams. Magic and blood. Luna stood in the center of it all, her arms raised, eyes glowing. She sent a wave of energy crashing into the attackers, flinging them back with bone-breaking force. But she didn’t stop. She moved like a goddess of war, her power sharp and unrelenting.

And then… she screamed.

A blast of light erupted from her chest, knocking back everyone within ten feet. I shifted back mid-fall, crashing to the ground in human form. When I looked up, I saw her hovering—floating—above the battlefield, her body encased in silver fire.

“LUNA!” I shouted.

But she didn’t hear me.

She was somewhere else. Lost in whatever force had taken over.

The cursed ones shrieked, covering their faces as the light scorched their skin. Then, one by one, they turned to ash.

Silence fell.

Even the sentinels stopped. No one moved. No one breathed.

Luna fell to the ground moments later, her body limp.

I caught her before she hit the earth.

Her eyes fluttered open, dazed and distant.

“I… didn’t mean to,” she whispered.

“I know,” I said, holding her close. “But you saved them.”

Behind us, the elders stepped forward, their faces pale.

“She’s the one,” one of them whispered. “The bringer of light.”

I looked down at Luna, at the woman fate had given me.

And for the first time since we mated…

I wasn’t afraid of her.

I was afraid of what came next.