Night fell over the Moonfang village like a beast stretching its limbs.Torches flickered to life, shadows dancing across the rocky walls, and the air thickened with the scent of fire, leather… and predator.
Kael guided her through the stone terraces.He no longer touched her, but stayed close enough for his warmth to brush against her.As if he could catch her at the slightest danger.Or stop her if she tried to run.
The other lupines watched her in silence.Some curious, others wary, and some… hungry.
Kael growled at every stare that lingered a bit too long.
"They're not going to eat you," he muttered without turning around.
"Oh. Great. That's… comforting."
He ignored her, or pretended to.
They reached a circular platform overlooking a dizzying panorama: the endless nighttime forest.A small stone hut stood there, isolated from the rest of the village.
"This is where you'll sleep," Kael said.
She frowned."And you? Where do you sleep?"
He crossed his arms, offended she even asked.
"In front of the door."
She almost burst out laughing.
"Wait, no… seriously?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To protect what's mine."
She opened her mouth, ready to protest, then,
"Stop. No. Let's fix this right now. I am not "yours.""
He stared at her.For a long time.A very long time.
Then he shook his head.
"Your Resonance marked me. It's instinct. It's not something to debate."
She ran a hand through her hair, lost.
"I'm literally terrified. I don't understand anything that's happening to me. And you're acting like I'm… territory."
Kael approached slowly.She stepped back.
He stopped.
"I won't touch you. Not if you don't want me to."
His voice was rough but sincere.
"But I can't ignore what you are. Or what you did to me."
He pressed a hand to his chest, right over his heart.
"When you panicked earlier… everything stopped. The anger. The hunger. The need to bite. Your power overturned me."
He inhaled, and his voice trembled slightly, something unthinkable for a lupine.
"I am a Moonfang warrior. I never lose control. You took it from me… and gave it back."
Lunaya lowered her eyes, shaken despite herself.
"I didn't mean to do that."
"I know."
He moved closer again, more gently this time, like a tamed animal.
"But now that it exists, we have to talk about it.You need to understand the bond."
He leaned in slightly, their foreheads almost touching.
"If another beastman touches you… he'll feel your Resonance too.Maybe even stronger than I do.He'll approach you. Claim you.And I…"
His jaw clenched.
"I'm not sure I could accept that."
A shiver ran down her spine.
"Kael…"
"I'm not talking about love," he said sharply. "Not yet."He paused.
"I'm talking about instinct. Ours is… brutal."
A distant cry suddenly echoed above the mountains.Deep. Electric.Not lupine.
A low rumble spread through the village.Kael stiffened.
"A draconic," he murmured.
Lunaya's stomach twisted.
"A what?"
"One of the Red-Scales. If they're prowling near our lands… that's no coincidence."
He whipped his head toward her, eyes glowing with a fierce light.
"They've sensed your presence."
She stepped back, breath caught.
"How is that possible?"
"Your arrival is shaking the entire Beastworld, Lunaya."
He stepped away, his expression shifting back to that of a warrior.
"And if a draconic is coming for you…"
He blurred, like a shadow tearing free.
"Then the real danger starts now."
He turned toward the staircase.
"Stay here. I'll return when it's dead or gone."
"Wait! Kael!"
But he was already leaping into the night, disappearing into the shadows like a flame swallowed by the wind.
The forest shook with a titanic roar.Then a crash that made the mountain tremble.
Lunaya stood alone on the platform, heart racing, throat tight, the moon reflecting on her worried face.
And somewhere in the darkness…a draconic was coming for her.