The morning light spilled through Luna’s curtains, soft and golden. She sat on her bed, staring at her wrist. The faint crescent mark still glowed like silver fire beneath her skin.

It hadn’t been a dream.

Her chest tightened as she remembered his voice deep, rough, and commanding. Go home, Luna Hale. Forget this night.

But how could she forget the man who looked at her like she belonged to him?

She touched the mark again, hoping it would fade. It didn’t. Instead, it pulsed once, warm and strange, as if answering her heartbeat.

“Maybe I’m going crazy,” she whispered.

Then she heard it a soft knock at the door.

When she opened it, her breath caught.

Kael stood there. Tall, broad, his dark shirt clinging to him as if the morning mist had followed him inside. His eyes those silver eyes burned into hers.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“I warned you,” he said simply. His tone was calm, too calm. “You shouldn’t have stayed in that forest.”

Luna folded her arms. “You can’t just show up at my house like this.”

“I can,” he said. “And I have to.”

His words carried something heavy, something final.

She frowned. “You need to leave.”

“I’m not leaving without you.”

Her pulse raced. “Excuse me?”

He took a slow step closer, his presence filling the small room. “You’re marked now. That means you’re connected to me whether you want it or not.”

Luna laughed nervously. “Connected? That’s insane. You sound crazy.”

Kael’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t raise his voice. “You think I want this?” he said quietly. “I spent years making sure no one ever saw my true form. You ruined that, Luna. And now… the bond has started.”

She shook her head. “No. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“Neither did I.” He stepped even closer, his breath brushing her cheek. “But fate doesn’t care what we want.”

Something in his tone made her still. There was anger there, yes — but also something else. Pain. Regret.

Luna swallowed hard. “What happens now?”

“You come with me.”

“To where?”

“To my home.”

Her eyes widened. “You mean your mansion?”

He nodded once. “It’s the only place you’ll be safe. The others will come for you. They can sense the bond now they’ll want to break it.”

“I don’t even know you!” she snapped. “And you want me to just follow you?”

Kael’s lips curved slightly, but it wasn’t a smile. “You don’t have a choice, little one.”

Luna’s temper flared. “Don’t call me that.”

He leaned closer, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Then stop pretending you’re not afraid.”

Her heart skipped. “I’m not”

“Yes, you are.” His fingers brushed the edge of the mark on her wrist, and she gasped. A spark ran through her body, hot and electric. “You feel it too.”

“I don’t,” she whispered, even though her body betrayed her.

Kael’s eyes darkened, a hint of possessiveness flashing in them. “You can deny it all you want, but the bond won’t fade. The more you fight it, the stronger it becomes.”

Luna stepped back, shaking her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He let out a slow sigh, as if her defiance amused him. “You’re stubborn.”

“Thank you,” she muttered.

“It wasn’t a compliment,” he said dryly. Then his expression softened just a little. “You don’t understand what you’ve been pulled into, Luna. My world is not kind. If they find out what you are to me…” He paused, his voice rough. “They’ll destroy you to get to me.”

Luna’s breath caught. “You’re lying.”

His eyes locked on hers, steady and serious. “Do I look like a man who needs to lie?”

Silence.

The mark on her wrist throbbed again, burning softly. She winced.

Kael’s gaze dropped to it. “It’s reacting because I’m close. You feel that heat? That’s the bond pulling you toward me.”

Luna took another step back. “Stay away from me.”

“I can’t.” His voice was low, almost pained. “You’re mine now, whether I want it or not.”

Her breath hitched. “You don’t own me.”

His expression darkened, that dangerous alpha energy returning. “No. But fate does. And fate isn’t merciful.”

Before she could speak, a sharp sound came from outside a howl. Distant, but growing closer.

Kael’s head turned toward the window, eyes flashing silver. “They’re here.”

“Who?”

“The ones who hunt my kind,” he said. “And now they’ll hunt you too.”

Fear gripped her chest. “What are you going to do?”

“What I must.”

He stepped forward in one smooth motion and grabbed her wrist. “I’m taking you with me.”

Luna pulled back. “No”

But the look in his eyes stopped her. There was no room for argument, no space for logic. Just power, danger, and something that felt too much like longing.

“Let me go!” she hissed.

“Not when your life depends on me.”

Lightning flashed outside. The air thickened with tension, fear, and something deeper something neither of them dared to name.

Kael’s grip softened, just slightly. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly. “But I can’t lose you either. Not again.”

The way he said it made her pause. Not again?

Before she could ask, Kael pulled her close. His warmth, his scent, the steady beat of his heart it was too much.

“Trust me,” he whispered. “Even if you hate me, trust me now.”

And before she could answer, the world around her blurred the flash of headlights, the roar of thunder, and then silence.

When she opened her eyes again, they were no longer in her home.

They stood before a grand mansion, hidden deep within the forest.

Luna’s lips parted in shock. “Where… where are we?”

Kael’s gaze met hers, cold and beautiful. “Welcome to my world, Luna. You’re safe here.”

Her pulse raced. “Safe?” she repeated. “Or trapped?”

Kael didn’t answer. He only looked at her as if she was both his salvation and his curse.

And for the first time, Luna realized her life would never be the same again.