The world blurred around her in a rush of branches and shadows.Kael ran, powerful and silent, as if he felt no weight, as if she were nothing more than an extension of himself.
The rain began to fall, fine and cold, hammering her skin.She wrapped her arms around his neck, not to hold on, but to reassure herself.
"Where… where are you taking me?" she whispered.
He didn't answer immediately. His breathing was steady, almost calm despite the speed.
"Far from those who want you dead," he said at last.
Great. Very reassuring.
The trees suddenly opened, revealing a rock face blackened by time. Kael climbed a staircase carved into the stone, each step echoing like a giant heartbeat. As they ascended, the air changed: warmer, denser, carrying a scent that reminded her of something animal, something wild… but not hostile.
A collective growl rumbled above them.
Silhouettes appeared at the top: tall, muscular, eyes glowing. Lupines. Many lupines.
Kael didn't slow down.That was… concerning.
When they reached the last step, silence fell.All eyes turned to her.Some sniffed the air.Others bared their fangs.A small circle formed around them.
Lunaya felt her throat tighten, her heart racing.Too fast.Her breath grew shallow.
Kael tightened his grip on her, as if sensing her panic.
"Calm down," he murmured without looking at her.
His tone wasn't gentle.It was… nervous? Concerned?
And then, something inside her seemed to break, or open.The pressure in her chest exploded, spreading through her limbs, and an invisible wave radiated from her, silent, vibrating, almost musical.
The lupines around them… froze.A wolf that had been growling a second ago suddenly sat down, as if someone had switched off its fury.A female lupine lowered her head, her eyes softened.Massive shoulders relaxed.
Kael himself stopped abruptly. His breath caught.He lowered his head toward her, his yellow eyes dilated.
"…Again."
Lunaya blinked.Again what?
He drew in a deep breath, as if trying to take her in.
"You've calmed me. All of us. You… you did this."
He gently set her on the ground.His hands stayed on her arms, as if afraid she might fall. Or disappear.
"I… I don't even know what I did," she stammered.
Another lupine stepped forward. Huge. Scars crossed his chest. His aura was heavier, older. The leader, perhaps.
His voice was deep, a controlled growl:
"You are not human.Your scent… your energy…You are a Resonant."
The word struck like a verdict.
The surrounding lupines murmured, fascinated. Afraid.
Kael didn't take his eyes off her.
"She is mine," he said, without a second of hesitation.
The entire circle stiffened.Lunaya too.
"Wait… what?!"
Kael turned to her, expression unreadable, a mix of decision, instinct, and… something else she couldn't understand.
"You calmed me.
Me."
He placed a hand on his chest, then on hers.
"It's a bond. I will not break it."
Someone at the back of the circle spat:
"Kael, she's not even from our world!"
Kael growled, a deep sound that made the ground vibrate.
"Exactly. No one touches her.No one."
Silence fell again. Heavy stares. Confusion. Fear.A raw, territorial instinct.
And Lunaya, in the middle of it all, felt like a living piece in a game far beyond her understanding.
The leader stepped closer, fixing his dark gaze on hers.
"Your arrival was foretold in the ashes of the last oracle.The Resonant was to appear at the edge of blood and moon."
He paused.
"But the rest of the prophecy says:'And those who touch her will rise as kings… or monsters."
A shiver ran through her.Kael tensed, ready to react.
The leader straightened, his deep voice echoing across the stones:
"Welcome to the Moonfangs, Lunaya.Your arrival marks the beginning of something we do not yet control."
Kael wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her close, like a wolf about to defend its prey.
"And I will be the first to protect her," he said.
The first.As if others would follow.As if this was only the beginning.