Dinner ends, but the tension does not.
The wolves break into smaller groups, whispering like the air itself has become something forbidden. The words bond, witch, Alpha, moonlight swirl through the hall like smoke.
Aiden stands beside me, posture stiff, aura sharp, eyes scanning the room like he expects someone to attack.
No one is stupid enough to try.
Not with him standing so close.
His storm-grey eyes flick to my face every few seconds.
He doesn't say anything.
He doesn't have to.
His wolf is pacing violently inside him.
I can feel it.
And I hate—hate—that I'm aware of him like this.
Like the bond is gluing invisible strings between us.
I fold my arms, trying to ignore the way my pulse echoes with his.
Kai approaches first, grinning like a menace.
"Well," he says cheerfully, "that was the best dinner I've had since the rogue attack of '22. Truly entertaining."
Aiden glares. "Not the time, Kai."
Kai lifts a brow. "Oh, so now you care about time? Because for a minute there, it looked like you were ready to rip the entire hall apart just because Serene breathed near your wife."
Aiden's jaw clenches. "Shut up."
Kai smirks but steps back.
He knows when the Alpha is one comment away from snapping.
Serene's Gifted Snake Smile
I turn—
And Serene appears behind me.
Again.
Her eyes are bright.
Too bright.
"Liyana," she says with a warm, delicate tone, "can we talk for a moment?"
Aiden immediately takes a step forward, positioning himself between us.
Serene blinks. "Aiden, please. I just want to speak to her privately."
"No," he says without hesitation.
Her expression finally cracks. "You're serious?"
"You heard me."
The hall reacts quietly—shifting, whispering, unsettled.
Aiden has defended me more in one evening than he defended Serene in the last decade.
Serene's lips tremble in a tiny, calculated way.
"Fine," she says softly, "then I'll talk here."
She turns to me.
And her mask slips.
Just a little.
"You embarrassed the Alpha tonight," she whispers. "And the pack."
I blink. "Did I?"
Her eyes sharpen. "You're not one of us. You don't know our rules. Our hierarchy. Our unity."
I step closer, lowering my voice. "Unity isn't the same as blind obedience."
Serene's cheeks burn.
"You can't just stand above everyone," she hisses. "You're not that important."
My magic coils under my skin, warm and impatient.
"I don't need to be important," I whisper back.
"I just need to be myself. And that alone is enough to scare you."
She gasps softly—hurt, shocked, maybe afraid.
Good.
Because at least she's being honest now.
Aiden moves between us again, voice like cold steel.
"Serene. Leave."
She looks at him like he stabbed her.
"Aiden… you've changed."
He hesitates—just a second—but it's enough.
Serene sees the shift in his eyes.
She steps back slowly.
"The pack deserves stability," she says. "Not… chaos."
Her gaze flicks to me, sharp as a blade.
"And you," she whispers, "you won't last long here."
I smile softly. "We'll see."
She freezes.
Then walks away, shoulders stiff, head high.
Aiden watches her go—expression unreadable.
But when he turns to me, everything in him sharpens.
"You should stay close," he murmurs. "This pack has eyes you don't see."
I raise a brow. "Trying to tell me you'll protect me?"
His eyes meet mine.
Stormy.
Raw.
Uncomfortable.
"I don't want to," he says quietly.
"But my wolf does."
A shiver trails down my spine.
I don't like how that feels.
Not at all.
The Pack's First Test
As I turn to leave the hall, three young wolves block my path.
Big.
Muscular.
Smirking.
Kai mutters behind Aiden, "Oh, this is going to be fun."
The tallest wolf steps forward. "Luna Liyana," he says mockingly, "we want to welcome you properly."
A welcome.
Right.
Meaning:
A test.
A warning.
A threat.
The wolf holds out his hand. "Scent check."
Kai tenses. "This is a bad idea."
Aiden steps forward. "Step back."
The wolf laughs. "Relax, Alpha. We're just checking if your human wife can even hold her ground."
Aiden's voice dips to a dangerous growl. "I said step back."
But another wolf pipes in.
"Let her show strength. Or weakness."
The pack murmurs.
They want to see what I am.
Aiden's aura flares so violently the temperature drops five degrees.
"I'll rip your throat—"
I step forward.
Aiden's head snaps toward me. "Liyana."
"It's fine," I say. "Let's see what he wants."
The wolf grins and extends his hand again.
"Touch," he says. "If you're not afraid."
My wrist mark pulses painfully.
Magic slips under my skin—gold and sharp.
If I touch him…
He'll feel my power.
He'll know I'm not human.
He'll know I'm dangerous.
And if he knows…
The Council will know.
The pack will know.
Everyone will know.
Aiden steps closer, voice a razor.
"Don't. Touch. Her."
But it's too late.
The wolf himself grabs my wrist.
The bond inside me detonates like lightning.
Magic bursts from my skin—gold and furious.
The wolf screams.
Falls to his knees.
Smoke rises from his palm.
The entire hall erupts.
"What? What happened—?"
"Her scent! It— it burned—"
"She's not human!"
"Is she a curse—?!"
Aiden grabs my hand instantly, pulling me back behind him.
His wolf roars inside him—audible, angry, violent.
"Don't touch her!" he snarls at the wolves.
The room trembles.
Wolves flatten themselves to the floor instinctively.
Kai whistles. "Well. That escalated beautifully."
Elder Mira rushes forward. "Aiden! Control your wolf—"
Aiden's eyes blaze silver.
"I warned you."
The injured wolf stumbles back. "She— she burned me—"
Aiden's voice is a growl ripped from the depth of his chest.
"You dared lay a hand on her."
His aura crushes the hall.
I feel it vibrate in my bones.
This isn't the cold CEO.
This isn't the Alpha who tries to be calm.
This is the wolf.
The beast.
The creature born to protect what it claims.
He steps forward.
The wolf trembles.
"I'm sorry—" he whimpers.
Aiden lifts him effortlessly by the collar.
He doesn't hurt him.
Just makes sure the entire pack hears him when he says:
"She. Is. Mine."
Silence.
Horrified, stunned, confused silence.
My breath catches.
His?
Mine?
This man—
This Alpha—
This enemy of my past—
Just claimed me in front of his pack.
Elder Mira's face drains of color.
Serene appears at the doorway, frozen, eyes wide.
Kai mutters to himself, "Well damn. We're dead."
Aiden drops the wolf on the floor and turns to me slowly.
His eyes are silver.
Not human silver.
Wolf silver.
He steps close.
Too close.
"Are you hurt?" he asks, voice rough.
"No," I whisper.
He exhales, shoulders dropping slightly in relief.
But he doesn't step away.
Not even an inch.
His wolf refuses to let him.
Serene's voice cracks across the room.
"Aiden… why would you say that?"
He doesn't even look at her.
He only looks at me.
Because in this moment, in front of the entire pack—
He can't hide the truth.
Not from them.
Not from me.
Not from himself.
His voice drops to a soft, raw whisper.
"Because I felt it," he says.
My chest tightens painfully. "Felt what?"
He touches the inside of my wrist gently.
The Moonfire mark glows under his skin.
He leans in.
Just enough for only me to hear.
"The bond."
The hall explodes behind us.
Wolves shouting.
Serene crying.
Elders arguing.
Kai cursing.
But all I hear is him.
All I feel is that impossible warmth pulsing under my skin.
The bond.
The dangerous, forbidden, terrifying bond.
He steps closer—almost touching, almost breathing me in.
"Whatever is happening between us…" Aiden whispers, "I can't ignore it anymore."
My heart stops.
But before I can say anything—
A massive explosion shakes the ground.
A roar tears through the packhouse from the forest outside.
Wolves leap to their feet.
Kai curses. "Rogues! The border's breached!"
Aiden jerks his head toward the forest.
His eyes turn fully silver.
He looks at me one last time.
"Stay inside," he commands.
"Your life is mine now."
He shifts halfway—bones cracking, wolf surging—and runs toward the battlefield.
The hall descends into chaos.
And I stand there, wrist burning, breath shaking, realizing the truth:
The attack isn't random.
It started right when the bond awakened.
Someone out there knows exactly who I am.
And they're coming.
Not for Aiden.
Not for the pack.
For me.