The forest was alive with silver.
Moonlight dripped through the bare branches like liquid frost, pooling on the ground in pale, shimmering sheets. The Winter Moon—the brightest, coldest full moon of the year—hung heavy above the Winterwood, casting everything in a ghostlike glow.
Lyra Whitlock paused at the treeline, breath fogging in the crisp air. Her heartbeat thudded unevenly beneath her cloak. This was her last moment alone before the festival. Before the ceremony. Before the pact that would bind her life to a man she'd never met.
And for what?
For peace. For her pack. For survival.
The Frostfang Pack had demanded she come. A political binding to strengthen alliances. To keep the smaller packs safe from the growing threat of northern rogues.
She understood duty. She respected sacrifice.
But being handed over like a pawn?
That still burned like salt in her throat.
"Just one night," she whispered into the cold. "One night, then everything changes."
She stepped deeper into the forest. Snow crunched beneath her boots, steady and rhythmic. The air carried scents of pine, frozen earth… and something else.
Warm.
Electric.
Masculine.
Lyra stiffened.
A prickle ran down her spine. Her wolf rose inside her, alert and restless.
Someone was watching.
Lyra didn't turn around. Instead, she kept walking, senses sharpening with every step. She could feel him—whoever he was—circling the edges of her awareness like a predator studying prey.
No, not prey.
Something he wanted.
"Running from someone?"
The voice came from behind her—low, rough, and far too close.
Lyra spun, heart stopping.
He leaned against a birch tree as if he had grown from its shadow.
Tall. Powerfully built. Dark hair that fell over one eye. A jaw that looked carved from stone. And eyes—Gods, those eyes—amber gold, glowing faintly in the moonlight with the unmistakable shimmer of his wolf.
He wasn't dressed for the festival. No ceremonial furs. No Frostfang colors.
Just leather. Black, fitted, dangerous.
And that smirk.
Lyra drew herself upright. "Are you following me?"
"No," he said, pushing off the tree. "I smelled you."
Her breath hitched.
He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, boots crunching softly in the snow. His presence filled the air, thick and heated, curling around her senses like smoke.
"You smell… different," he murmured. "Wild. Untouched by these lands. Not Frostfang. Not Ironwood. Something else."
Lyra swallowed. "You shouldn't be out here. The festival is about to start."
"I don't care about the festival." His gaze dipped to her lips. "Not anymore."
The way he looked at her—hungry and curious and restrained by the thinnest thread—made heat unfurl low in her stomach.
Lyra exhaled shakily. "Who are you?"
He tilted his head, eyes darkening. "Does it matter?"
"Yes," she said, but her voice wasn't as steady as she wished.
He reached her. Close enough that the warmth radiating from him brushed her skin like a touch.
His hand lifted slowly, deliberately, giving her time to pull away.
She didn't.
His fingers grazed her cheek, feather-light, tracing the line of her jaw as if memorizing her.
"You're trembling," he whispered.
"I'm cold," she lied.
He smiled—slow and wicked. "No. You're curious."
Lyra stepped back, but he followed, each movement synchronized like a dance neither had agreed to but both instinctively knew.
"I shouldn't be alone with you," she said quietly. "I'm—"
"Promised."
The word was a growl.
She blinked. "How did you—?"
"Your scent carries anxiety and resignation." His eyes softened. "You're walking into a cage."
Somehow, he understood her better than anyone she'd ever met.
Lyra's chest tightened. "I don't know you."
"You don't need to." His gaze burned into hers. "This moment is enough."
Before she could reply, his hand slid behind her neck, fingers threading through her hair. He paused—offering her one chance to stop him.
Lyra didn't move.
His mouth met hers.
The kiss wasn't gentle.
It was wildfire.
It consumed. It claimed. It stole her breath and gave her something she didn't know she'd been starving for—connection. Heat. Want.
Lyra gasped against his lips, and he deepened the kiss, pulling her against him with a soft growl that vibrated through her bones. Her hands fisted in his coat, needing him closer, needing—
Needing more.
His touch trailed down her spine, igniting sparks. Her wolf howled within her, recognizing something she didn't yet understand.
Their lips parted only for breath, their foreheads pressed together as they panted in the cold.
"Tell me your name," he rasped.
Lyra hesitated.
"Lyra."
His eyes widened.
For a moment—just a heartbeat—something like recognition flashed across his face.
But then he stepped back so suddenly she nearly stumbled.
"I shouldn't have touched you," he said, voice rough. "This was a mistake."
Her stomach dropped. "What? Why?"
He drew in a shaky breath, fists clenched at his sides.
"Because I wasn't supposed to find you."
"What does that—?"
A distant howl echoed through the forest—the call to gather for the ceremony.
He flinched.
Lyra reached for him, instinctive. "Will I see you again?"
He stared at her, amber eyes filled with something aching and fierce.
"No," he whispered. "You won't."
And then he was gone, disappearing into the trees like a shadow swallowed by moonlight.
---
The Frostfang Castle
Lyra stood in the grand hall, hands trembling slightly as she smoothed her cloak. Music thrummed softly, and dozens of wolves—dressed in shimmering whites and icy blues—filled the ceremony chamber.
She tried to slow her breathing. To focus.
But all she could taste was the stranger's kiss.
All she could feel was the thrum of something ancient beneath her skin.
The doors opened.
She turned.
Two men entered.
The taller one walked with austere grace—broad shoulders, silver-stitched cloak, eyes frozen blue. Prince Kade Draven, the crown heir of Frostfang.
Her intended.
But it was the other man who stole the air from her lungs.
She staggered.
The stranger.
He froze too, amber eyes widening as they locked onto hers. A flicker of shock. Of recognition. Of something far more dangerous.
Kade introduced him with cool formality:
"This is my younger brother, Prince Rylan Draven."
Brother.
Lyra felt the world tilt.
Rylan's gaze dropped to her wrist.
A soft glow pulsed beneath her skin—silver, ancient, electric.
Rylan's sleeve shifted.
A matching sigil pulsed beneath his flesh.
Whispers exploded around them.
Kade stepped forward, voice tightening.
"The Moonbound Curse."
The room went silent.
Lyra's mouth went dry. "The… what?"
But before anyone could answer—
A window shattered.
A black arrow sliced through the air and slammed into the wall inches from her head—dripping with a poison that hissed on impact.
Lyra gasped.
Rylan lunged toward her.
Kade shouted, "Guards!"
And somewhere beyond the hall, a wolf fled into the darkness.
Someone had tried to kill her.
And the curse had only just awakened.