The forest lay in a strange stillness—too quiet, too sharp—when Selena stepped through the shadows and crossed into wolf territory under the cover of night.
Her hood was pulled low.
Her heartbeat was steady.
Her mark, however, pulsed beneath her skin like molten fire.
He's close.
She could feel Luca through the bond—his emotions a storm pressed tightly behind walls he was trying, and failing, to reinforce.
He didn't want her here.
He also couldn't stay away.
Before she could take another step, branches shifted behind her.
"I knew you'd come," he said.
Selena stopped.
Luca emerged from between the trees, moonlight carving silver along his jaw and catching in his dark eyes. He looked tired—strained—but the moment his gaze touched her, his entire posture softened, as if some part of him finally exhaled.
She tried to remain cold.
She failed instantly.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, closing the distance. "My pack is restless. The elders are hunting for answers."
"You summoned me," Selena replied quietly.
His jaw clenched. "No. The bond did."
A breath of silence fell between them.
They were standing close now—too close—with only the thin veil of moonlight keeping their shadows from merging.
"Why are you fighting it?" Luca asked.
Selena's voice was steady, though her insides trembled.
"Because if we give in, we die."
Luca stepped closer, eyes searching hers.
"You saved my life. Twice."
"And you saved mine."
"We shouldn't have," he murmured.
"No," she whispered, "we shouldn't have."
Their worlds were enemies. Their bloodlines cursed. Their destinies tied to a prophecy neither wanted to acknowledge.
But the bond didn't care.
Luca's breath hit her skin; her heart betrayed her.
"I felt your fear earlier," he murmured.
Selena froze.
He moved even closer. "Someone confronted you."
She swallowed hard. "The Queen suspects something."
His expression darkened into something lethal. "If she discovers the bond—"
"She'll tear it from us," Selena finished. "And tear us with it."
A growl crawled up Luca's throat—not directed at her, but at the thought of anyone threatening her.
She tried to distract him.
"Why did you call me here?"
Luca exhaled and glanced back toward the trees.
"My father summoned the Elders' Circle tonight. They believe the Blood Moon prophecy has awakened. They think a new curse is rising."
"And they think it's tied to you," Selena whispered.
"They're watching me," Luca confessed. "Every movement. Every breath."
Selena's chest tightened. "You're in danger."
His eyes flicked to her mark—hidden beneath her cloak, but alive beneath her skin.
"So are you."
A rustle of leaves snapped their attention. Both turned sharply.
A scent.
A heartbeat.
Someone nearby.
Luca grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a wide oak, bodies pressed close in the shadows.
A figure passed through the clearing—moving cautiously, sniffing the air.
Selena's breath caught.
"Is that—?"
"Yes," Luca whispered. "Beta Roran."
If Roran found them together—
It would ignite a war.
Selena pressed herself against the tree, every muscle locked. Luca leaned in, shielding her with his body. His scent wrapped around her—forest, storm-wind, something wild and steady—and she hated how safe she felt.
Roran paused.
Lifted his head.
Sniffed.
Selena's blood chilled.
Luca's hand slid to her waist, pulling her tighter, using his scent to mask hers. His heartbeat hammered against her ribs.
Roran growled under his breath…
then finally stepped away and disappeared into the forest.
They stayed frozen until his scent was gone.
Only then did Selena realize Luca's hand was still on her waist.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his.
"Luca…"
He didn't speak.
He just looked at her like she was the only impossible thing he still believed in.
"You need to go," he said at last, voice low, reluctant. "Before someone else comes looking."
She should have obeyed.
She didn't.
Instead, she whispered, "Be careful. Your pack suspects too much."
"And your Queen?" he asked.
"She suspects even more."
Luca's face softened with something painfully gentle.
"Then we'll have to be smarter than both."
He stepped back—only an inch—yet it felt like an entire world widening between them.
"Next time," he said quietly, "you call me."
The bond pulsed, warm and dangerous.
Selena nodded once, then turned, melting back into the shadows of the night.
But as she disappeared into the darkness, one thought followed both of them:
If this continues, neither side will forgive it.
And neither side will survive it.