The sun rose over the Moonlight Pack territory not with a whisper, but with a blinding brilliance that pierced the high windows of the hallway. For Simon, who had spent the last four hours staring into the gloom of the stone corridor, the light felt like a physical assault. His eyes, rimmed with red from exhaustion but still burning with that stubborn turquoise intensity, blinked rapidly against the glare.
His body ached. Not the good ache of a hard training session, but the deep, marrow-settling stiffness of holding a vigilant posture on cold stone for an entire night. The "Void" shadow had left behind a residue in the air a faint, metallic taste of ozone and rot that still clung to the back of his throat.
'She is safe,' his wolf murmured, curling up in the back of his mind, satisfied but wary. 'The Star is still shining.'
Simon slowly unfolded his massive frame. His joints popped a sound like dry twigs snapping echoing loudly in the quiet hall. He glanced at the heavy oak door. Inside, he could feel Evelyn stirring. The Soul-Link, which had been a low, steady hum during the night, suddenly spiked with a warm, golden energy. She was waking up.
He didn't wait for permission. He didn't knock. He simply turned the handle with a gentle, calculated pressure and slipped inside.
The room was bathed in morning light. Evelyn was sitting up in the massive bed, her silver hair a chaotic, shimmering halo around her face. She looked small against the mountain of teal pillows, rubbing sleep from her violet eyes. When she saw him, her face didn't register fear or surprise; it lit up with a sleepy, unguarded smile that hit Simon in the chest harder than any punch he had ever taken.
"You stayed," she whispered, her voice husky with sleep.
Simon closed the door softly behind him, locking it out of habit. "I told you I would."
He walked over to the bed, his boots silent on the plush rug. He sat on the edge of the mattress, the springs groaning in protest under his weight. Up close, he could see the faint flush of pink on her cheeks and the way her pulse jumped at the base of her throat as he drew near.
"Did you sleep?" she asked, reaching out to touch his arm. Her fingers brushed against the fabric of his shirt, and the "Bond Spark" zapped them a gentle static shock that felt more like a caress than a bite.
"Wolves rest, Evelyn. We don't always sleep," Simon lied smoothly. He wasn't going to tell her about the battle in the hallway. He wasn't going to tell her that an ancient entity had threatened to drain her dry. Not yet. She was too new to this world, too new to him.
He reached for the bedside table where a pitcher of water sat. He poured a glass and handed it to her. "Drink. The bond takes a lot of water. It dehydrates you faster than running a marathon."
Evelyn took the glass, her fingers brushing his. She drank deeply, watching him over the rim. "You feel... heavy, Simon. In my mind. Like a storm cloud."
Simon looked away, focusing on the intricate embroidery of the quilt. "Just thinking about the day. My mother is probably already planning a wedding, and your father is likely planning my murder."
Evelyn giggled, the sound breaking the tension. "Father isn't planning your murder. He's just... protective. I'm his only daughter."
"And you're my only mate," Simon said, the words slipping out before he could catch them.
*'One of three,'* the shadow's voice hissed in his memory. Simon clenched his jaw, shoving the thought down into the deepest, darkest dungeon of his mind. He refused to acknowledge it. Evelyn was here. She was real. She was enough.
"I brought you something," Simon said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small, rough object wrapped in a cloth napkin.
Evelyn unwrapped it to reveal a warm, buttery blueberry scone. It was smashed slightly on one side, clearly a casualty of being in Simon's pocket, but it smelled divine.
"I stole it from the kitchen before the Omegas brought the trays up," Simon admitted, a rare sheepish grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "My mother's recipe. I thought you might be hungry before the official breakfast interrogation begins."
Evelyn looked at the smashed scone, then at the giant, lethal Alpha-in-waiting who had smuggled it for her. Her eyes softened, shimmering with unshed tears. She broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth, closing her eyes in delight. "It's perfect."
For a moment, there was peace. Just the sunlight, the crumbs on the duvet, and the comfortable silence of two souls recognizing each other.
But peace in the Moonlight Pack was rarely long-lived.
A sharp, authoritative knock hammered on the door.
"Simon Peter! If you are in there, you better be fully clothed and standing at least three feet away from my future daughter-in-law!" Stella's voice rang out, muffled but unmistakable.
Simon sighed, hanging his head. "And the interrogation begins."
Twenty minutes later, the group was assembled in the private family parlor. The mood was significantly less festive than the previous night's dinner. Alpha Michael stood by the fireplace, his arms crossed, listening intently as Simon recounted the events of the night leaving out the specific taunts about the "other two" mates.
"A shadow that eats light," Michael mused, his brow furrowed. "We haven't seen Void magic since the Great War histories were written."
Alpha David was pacing the length of the room, looking agitated. "This changes things. If the Void is targeting Evelyn because of the bond, she isn't safe here. We should take her back to the Starlight territory. Our wards are specialized for spirit magic."
"And leave her defenseless?" Simon interjected, his voice low and dangerous. He was leaning against the wall, his gaze tracking David's every movement. "The Void travels through shadows, David. It doesn't care about your light-wards. If you take her North, you take her away from the one thing that can actually hurt these creatures."
"And what is that?" David challenged, stopping to glare at the boy. "You?"
"Yes," Simon said simply. He held up his hand. With a thought, his fingernails lengthened into obsidian claws, and a wreath of blue-green fire Dragon Fire ignited around his hand. The heat was instantaneous, drying out the air in the room. "They burned when I touched them. They fear the fire. They fear the Tribrid."
David stared at the flaming hand, his mouth pressing into a thin line. He looked at Roseline, who gave a small, resigned shrug.
"He's right, David," Roseline said softly. "Fire cleanses. Starlight only reveals. If these things are hunting her, she needs a sword, not just a shield."
"I want to train her," Simon announced, extinguishing the fire. He looked at Evelyn, who was sitting on the sofa next to Stella. "She has the Starlight gift, but she doesn't know how to use it in a fight. She knows how to shine, but she doesn't know how to burn."
Evelyn looked up, surprised. "Me? Fight? Simon, I've never thrown a punch in my life. I'm a healer, not a warrior."
"You're an Alpha's mate," Simon corrected her gently. "In this pack, everyone fights. Even the healers know how to break a bone if they have to. I won't always be there to stand in front of you, Evelyn. I need to know that if a shadow comes when my back is turned, you can blind it long enough for me to rip its throat out."
The brutality of his words hung in the air, but Stella nodded in agreement. "He's right, honey. Being a Luna isn't just about planning parties and kissing babies. It's about protecting the pack when the Alpha is down. Go with him."
The "Moonlight Garden" was a misnomer. It wasn't a garden of flowers, but a secluded training ground encircled by ancient silver-bark trees that blocked out the wind. The ground was packed earth, hard as stone, and the air smelled of pine and sweat.
Simon led Evelyn into the center of the ring. He had changed into a black tank top and loose training pants, revealing the terrifying expanse of muscles in his arms and back. Evelyn, dressed in a borrowed set of Stella's workout gear which was slightly too loose in the hips but fit her height looked out of place. She looked like a porcelain doll dropped into a gladiator pit.
"Okay," Simon said, turning to face her. "First rule of Moonlight combat: There are no rules."
Evelyn nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "That sounds... encouraging."
"It keeps you alive," Simon said. He stepped closer, his presence looming over her. "Starlight wolves rely on distance. You use your magic to confuse and dazzle. But what happens when the enemy is right here?"
He moved faster than she could blink. One moment he was three feet away; the next, his chest was pressed against hers, his arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides. He didn't squeeze he was painfully gentle but the trap was absolute. She couldn't move.
Evelyn gasped, her head tilting back to look up at him. The position was intimate, almost scandalous, but Simon's face was a mask of serious instruction.
"What do you do?" he asked, his voice vibrating against her ribcage.
"I... I push you away?" Evelyn stammered, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his chest.
"Try," Simon challenged.
Evelyn pushed. She shoved against his shoulders with all her werewolf strength, which was significant for a female, but Simon didn't budge an inch. He felt like a rooted oak tree.
"I can't," she breathed, frustration and a strange heat rising in her cheeks.
"Because you're fighting my strength with your strength," Simon explained. "You will lose that fight every time. You are smaller. You are lighter. Use that."
He released her, stepping back. "Again. This time, don't push. Drop. Use your gravity. When I grab you, become dead weight and aim for the instep of my foot."
They spent the next hour running the drill. Simon was relentless, but infinitely patient. He grabbed her, spun her, and pinned her a dozen different ways, teaching her how to slip out of holds, how to use her elbows and knees, and how to find the soft spots on a Wolf's body.
By the end of the hour, Evelyn was panting, her hair a mess, sweat glistening on her forehead. She looked disheveled, but her eyes were bright with adrenaline.
"Good," Simon said, wiping his own brow. "Now, the magic."
"I told you, I can't control it well," Evelyn said, wiping her hands on her pants. "It just... happens."
"It happens when you're emotional," Simon noted. "So, get emotional. Attack me."
Evelyn blinked. "What?"
"Attack me," Simon repeated, spreading his arms wide. "Use your light. Try to blind me. Try to knock me down."
"I don't want to hurt you," she protested.
Simon laughed, a deep, resonant sound. "Little star, you couldn't hurt me if you hit me with a truck. My skin can stop a small caliber bullet. I think I can handle a little sparkle. Come on!"
He lunged at her, feigning a grapple.
Instinct took over. Evelyn shrieked, throwing her hands up. "STOP!"
FLASH.
A burst of pure, concentrated white light erupted from her palms. It wasn't just light; it was force. It hit Simon in the chest like a cannonball made of photons.
Simon was lifted off his feet. He flew backward five yards, landing on his back in the dirt with a heavy thud.
Silence descended on the clearing.
Evelyn stared at her hands, horrified. "Oh my goddess! Simon!"
She sprinted over to him, falling to her knees in the dirt. "Simon! Speak to me! I killed him. I killed the Alpha. My father is going to ground me for eternity."
Simon lay there for a second, staring at the canopy of trees. His chest smoked slightly where the light had hit him. It stung, like a bad sunburn, but nothing was broken.
Then, a low rumble started in his chest. He was laughing.
"You... you okay?" Evelyn asked, hovering over him, her hands glowing with a soft, healing yellow light now.
Simon sat up, dirt clinging to his sweaty back. He looked at the smoking patch on his shirt and then at Evelyn. His eyes were shining with intense pride.
"You didn't kill me," he grinned, showing a hint of his elongated canines. "But you definitely got my attention."
He reached out, grabbing her waist and pulling her down so she toppled onto his lap. Evelyn squeaked, her hands landing on his broad shoulders to steady herself.
"That was Starlight," Simon murmured, looking at her glowing hands. "Pure energy. The Void hates that. If you can do that to a shadow, you can burn it out of existence."
Evelyn looked at him, her fear fading into something else. The adrenaline of the fight had stripped away her shyness. She was sitting on his lap in the middle of the woods, covered in dirt, and she felt powerful. She felt... matched.
"You provoked me on purpose," she accused, narrowing her eyes.
"And it worked," Simon countered, his voice dropping to a whisper. He leaned in, his face inches from hers. The "Bond Spark" was going haywire, arcing between their chests. "You are not weak, Evelyn. You are dangerous. And you are magnificent."
The moment hung suspended in time. The smell of pine, sweat, and sandalwood swirled around them. Simon's gaze dropped to her lips, then back up to her eyes, asking a silent question.
Evelyn didn't pull away. She leaned in, closing the final inch.
Their lips met.
It wasn't a gentle, tentative first kiss. It was an explosion. The moment their mouths connected, the Soul-Link flared white-hot. Simon groaned, his arms wrapping around her like bands of steel, pulling her flush against him. Evelyn's fingers tangled in his hair, gripping tight.
It tasted like electricity and desire. It felt like coming home after a long war. For a few seconds, the world dissolved. There was no Void, no pack politics, no looming destiny. There was only the Alpha and his Star, grounding each other in the dirt of the training ring.
When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Simon rested his forehead against hers. His eyes were swirling gold.
"Mine," he growled softly.
"Yours," Evelyn breathless agreed.
But deep in the back of Simon's mind, the shadow of the night's revelation lingered. Yours... for now, the doubt whispered. But what happens when the Ocean calls?
Simon squeezed his eyes shut and kissed her again, harder this time, as if he could kiss the prophecy away. He would train her. He would protect her. And he would pray that having one heart was enough for a man with three souls.