Shadowveil did not announce itself.
There were no gates. No signs. No borders that a human eye could easily trace. The forest simply changed—subtly at first, then unmistakably. The trees grew older, thicker, their roots twisting like veins through the earth. The air felt heavier, charged with awareness, as if every leaf and shadow knew we were coming.
I felt it the moment we crossed the boundary.
My breath hitched, a strange warmth spreading through my chest, followed by a pull so deep it nearly brought me to my knees.
Kael caught my arm instantly.
"You felt that," he said.
"Yes," I whispered. "It's like… it recognizes me."
"It does," he replied. "Shadowveil is bound to Moonbound blood. It hasn't felt its heir in generations."
My pulse quickened. "So everyone here knows?"
"They will," he said. "By now, they already feel the shift."
That wasn't comforting.
The forest opened into a wide valley hidden beneath a canopy of towering trees. Fires burned in stone pits. Cabins and longhouses were built into the terrain rather than against it, wood and stone blending seamlessly with the land.
And wolves.
So many wolves.
Some stood in human form, conversations halting as we approached. Others watched from shadows, eyes glowing faintly—assessing, calculating, wary.
Every gaze turned to me.
The weight of their attention pressed down until my shoulders stiffened.
Kael stepped slightly ahead of me.
Instantly, the tension changed.
Heads dipped. Bodies straightened. Conversations stopped completely.
Alpha.
I'd felt his authority before—but here, among his own, it was absolute.
A woman stepped forward from the crowd.
She was tall, broad-shouldered, her silver-streaked dark hair braided tightly down her back. Her gaze flicked to me once—sharp, appraising—before locking onto Kael.
"You brought her openly," she said.
"I did," Kael replied.
Murmurs rippled through the pack.
The woman studied me again, longer this time. "She's human."
"No," Kael said calmly. "She's Moonbound."
Silence crashed down.
The woman's eyes widened—not in fear, but in disbelief.
"That's not possible," someone whispered.
I swallowed hard.
"This is Luna Seris," Kael said quietly to me. "My second."
Luna stepped closer, circling me slowly like a predator assessing threat and truth in equal measure. I forced myself not to flinch.
"You don't smell human," she said at last. "Not anymore."
"I don't feel anything like what you expect either," I replied, surprising both of us.
Something like approval flickered in her eyes.
Kael turned to the gathered pack. "Shadowveil," he called, his voice carrying effortlessly. "The heir has returned."
The words sent a shockwave through the valley.
Some wolves dropped to one knee.
Others stared openly, stunned.
One man stepped forward, his face tight with concern. "Alpha, the Council—"
"I know," Kael cut in. "They'll come."
Fear stirred through the pack.
I leaned closer to Kael. "They don't look happy."
"They're afraid," he murmured. "And with good reason."
"Of me?"
"Of what you represent," he said. "Change."
I didn't feel powerful.
I felt small.
Exposed.
Luna gestured toward the largest structure at the center of the valley. "She should rest."
Kael nodded. "Agreed."
As we moved, the pack parted instinctively, eyes following me with a mixture of awe, suspicion, and something else I didn't like at all.
Expectation.
Inside the longhouse, warmth wrapped around me, scented with woodsmoke and earth. Kael guided me to a bench near the fire.
"You need to eat," he said.
"I need answers," I replied.
"You'll get both."
Luna dismissed the others with a sharp gesture, leaving the three of us alone.
"You brought her before the Council could decide," Luna said quietly.
Kael met her gaze. "They don't decide this."
"They'll say you're compromised."
"I am," he said without hesitation.
My heart stumbled.
Luna's eyes snapped to him. "Kael—"
"She awakened tonight," he continued. "Commanded Hollow Fang directly."
Luna stiffened. "That early?"
"Yes."
Her gaze returned to me, new intensity burning there. "Then the bond is strong."
I frowned. "Everyone keeps saying that like it's dangerous."
"It is," Luna said bluntly. "The Alpha–Moonbound bond amplifies power. Loyalty becomes instinct. Disobedience becomes pain."
"That sounds like control," I said.
"It can be," she admitted. "Or protection."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Enough."
Luna studied him carefully. "You're already tied too closely."
"I won't apologize," he said.
A heavy silence followed.
I broke it. "What happens now?"
Kael turned to me. "Now you learn."
"Learn what?"
"How to survive," he said. "And how to lead."
Panic flared. "I don't want to lead anyone."
"You won't get a choice forever," Luna said. "The packs will demand it."
"And the Council?" I asked.
"They'll test you," she replied. "They'll test him harder."
Kael's hand brushed mine, grounding and steady.
"I won't let them hurt you," he said.
I looked up at him. "What will it cost you?"
He didn't answer.
That scared me more than anything else.
Later, after I'd eaten and exhaustion finally crept in, Kael led me to a small room at the edge of the longhouse.
"You'll be safe here," he said.
"Safe is starting to feel like a lie."
He smiled faintly. "Welcome to my world."
I hesitated at the doorway. "Kael?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you," I said quietly. "For standing with me."
His expression softened—just for a moment.
"There was never another option," he said.
As he turned to leave, I felt it again—that pull, deep and aching, tethering us together whether we wanted it or not.
I lay down, staring at the ceiling, listening to the distant sounds of Shadowveil settling into uneasy sleep.
Somewhere beyond the trees, wolves howled.
And I knew—without doubt—that tonight had changed everything.
I wasn't running anymore.
I was standing at the center of something ancient and alive.
And the world would feel it soon.
End of Chapter Five