Back at Duskhowl, Kaelith was losing his damn mind. The entire palace and pack were on edge, his voice thundering as he barked orders left and right, his voice sharp enough to make the walls shake. His enforcers and patrollers stood stiff in front of him, and he tore into them like they were useless pups.
"How the hell did none of you notice her slipping out?" he snarled.
His wolf snarled inside him as well, restless and on edge. By now, almost the whole damn pack knew—their Alpha had found his mate. Their Luna. And now? She was gone.
He had gone to her room to talk to her, he thought giving her time was the best decision but he couldn't help himself as he was getting restless. When he opened the damn door he was shocked because she was gone—nowhere to be seen. Not even a trace of her faint scent lingered in the room. He had the entire palace searched from top to bottom, but came up with nothing. No one had seen her— not the enforcers, not the guards, not the servants, not a single damn pack member.
How the hell was that even possible? How could his wolves fail to notice a human walking right out of their territory? How could they be so dumb?
Was he pissed? Pissed didn't even begin to cover it. His blood was boiling, his wolf clawing at the edges, desperate to tear into someone—anyone—who dared stand in his way—it was a miracle he hadn't lost his shit completely.
Around him, heads were bowed low, cowering in fear. Every wolf was too terrified to even breathe too loudly as his aura rolled out thick and crashing. He scanned the crowd, and his gaze landed on Renna. She looked pale, like she'd rather melt into the floor than be standing in front of him. Was she terrified? Damn.
"You," he snapped, his voice low and dangerous, and Renna nearly jumped out of her skin. "You were the last one with her. Where the hell did she go?"
"I–I don't know," Renna stammered, her voice barely a whisper. She tried to speak again, but the words died on her lips.
Before she could completely fall apart, Xavier moved without thinking, stepping in front of her and blocking Kaelith's glare. His body was tense, every line of him protective, though he still lowered his head in submission to his Alpha.
Kaelith's wolf didn't like it and a vicious growl ripped from his chest, vibrating through the air. The sound made Xavier stiffen, his body trembling as his Alpha's dominance crashed over him. He lowered himself further, cowering under the weight, but he didn't move aside.
"Alpha," Xavier said carefully, his voice steady despite the pressure crushing him. "I believe my mate doesn't know anything about where the Luna went. But I promise you—I'll find her."
Renna blinked, her heart twisting at the way he shielded her. Warmth flooded through her chest despite the tension.
Kaelith's jaw clenched, his wolf thrashing harder, snapping and pacing inside him. He was this close to losing it completely when a voice cut into his head through the mindlink.
"Alpha. We've spotted the Luna—she's in the back courtyard."
Kaelith didn't waste a damn second before bolting, his body moving in a flash. His wolf surged within him, desperate, ready to pounce.
But when he skidded to a stop in the courtyard, the sight before him knocked the air out of him.
There she was. His mate. His Luna. Sitting on the grass, surrounded by a handful of pups. They were staring at her like she was some goddess fallen from the sky, eyes wide and sparkling with pure awe. And Isla—damn her—was smiling at them. It wasn't her usual poker smirk but an actual warm, soft smile that almost lit her whole face.
Kaelith's chest tightened, his anger dissolving just a little. His wolf stilled, just enough to breathe, awed by his mate.
One of the pups piped up, eyes wide with wonder. "Are you an angel?"
Something cracked in Kaelith's chest at that. Angel. Damn, she was one. His lips twitched, almost slipping into a smile for the first time since this chaos started. His chest felt strange—fluttering, burning like fire he couldn't put out.
He heard her laugh at that. And his wolf almost flipped. She shook her head, her eyes warm as she leaned closer to the pups. "No, kiddo. I'm a beautiful witch." She said it playfully, flipping her damn hair, dropping her voice into a spooky tone that sent the kids giggling.
Kaelith's throat went dry. God, she was beautiful. Too damn beautiful. He couldn't look away even if he tried. His wolf wasn't raging now—it was worse. It was restless, clawing at him with this raw, aching need. All it wanted was her in his arms, pressed up close.
Kaelith didn't waste a second. He stormed across the courtyard in a few long strides, his shadow swallowing the little circle of pups. Their giggles died instantly, eyes going wide like they'd just seen a ghost. Couldn't blame them—he was the Alpha, and had quite a reputation.
But Kaelith didn't even glance at them. His eyes were locked on one thing—his mate.
Isaldora felt him beside her and—before she could even react—he scooped her straight off the grass, dropping his ass right where she'd been sitting a second ago. In one motion, she was locked tight in his lap. And like the audacity wasn't already enough, he tangled his legs with hers, caging her in completely.
Heat crawled up her skin as she realized it wasn't just the pups staring—it was half the damn palace. Perfect. Just perfect. She cursed in her head because Kaelith was basically giving them all a front-row show.
"What the hell—?!" she snapped, squirming and shoving at his chest. "Put me down! Everyone's watching, damn it."
But nope. He didn't even twitch. Instead, a guttural growl rumbled from him as he buried his face against her neck, his breathing rough and heavy. And God help her—he was giving her butterflies. Damn butterflies. Her pulse spiked when his hands slid along her bare legs, nudging her skirt higher.
When she looked around, everyone was gone. Maybe he'd mind-linked them. Maybe they just knew better than to stick around. Either way, it left her alone with him, trapped in his hold.
Isaldora yelped when his tongue dragged hot and rough across her skin. Her whole body jolted alive, fire sparking through her nerves, and she shoved at him harder. "Hey! Cut it out!" Kaelith only growled in return, the sound vibrating against her throat, clearly not liking her protest.
She was pissed. Straight-up pissed. Or… was she?
Cause under all that anger clawing at her chest, there was… something else. Something she damn well didn't wanna name. A whole messy storm of heat and want tangled inside her, betraying her with every shiver. His warmth bled into her skin, wrapping her up, and her body? Hell—her traitorous, reckless body—it was already answering him, reacting to every damn touch, having a mind of its own.
Her thoughts cut off when she suddenly realized—she wasn't even protesting anymore. She tried to wiggle free, but before she could, his grip tightened around her waist and then she gasped, feeling a sharp sting when his teeth sank into her shoulder—hell—the asshole.
Did he just bite me?!
She was ready to snap back, but the moment her eyes hit on his, every retort died on her tongue, making her gulp hard. They weren't steel-grey anymore. They were black. Utterly black, wil,d and inhuman. His wolf was in full control—and fuck, he looked starved.
She sucked in a sharp breath, lips parting, and before she could even blink, he shoved her down. Her back smacked the grass and suddenly he was over her, pinning her with his body. His mouth crashed onto hers—rough, consuming, desperate—like he was starving and she was the only thing that could feed him.
She gasped against him, but he didn't let her go. His hands roamed, greedily, along her bare thighs and tugged at her skirt like he was this close to tearing it off. His chest pressed hard against hers, her every breath swallowed by his hunger.
She tried to shove him back, but it was useless. Her heart hammered in her chest, scared 'at this rate he'll mark me'. She couldn't use her powers, not because it'll blow her cover but because damn, he's the one person she couldn't hurt. And brute force? Yeah, no chance. He was solid muscle and pure dominance; she couldn't even budge him an inch. So she forced herself to think. Shit. She needed to pull him back, drag him out of the haze before the shit could hit the fan.
Turning her head just enough to steal air, she panted, but the second she pulled back, he growled low and feral, hating the space she made between them.
"Damn it…" she muttered under her breath. She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, and then she lifted her hand and pressed it against his face, gently cupping his face, brushing her fingers along the sharp line of his jaw.
"Hey, hey…" Her voice came out soft, steady, even while her pulse thundered. Her thumb traced slowly across his sculpted cheek. "You're losing it. Breathe. Look at me."
His body stayed tight, every muscle strung with tension, his heat rolling off him full force. He growled lowly at her but she kept her hand on his cheek and the other in his hair, ruffling gently, keeping her voice low.
"I'm right here. I'm right here," she whispered, stroking his face and hair, keeping her tone low and steady. Crap, she felt like she was cooing a damn baby. Except this baby wanted to eat her alive.
But she didn't care because somehow… it seemed to be working. The black in his eyes flickered, her voice and touch breaking through the haze. Slowly, like he was fighting himself, she saw the darkness in his eyes begin to settle. And in seconds, the storm-grey of his real eyes were staring at her again—wild, and still burning with hunger.
———
We're at a crossroads. Should the story lean more into the mystery or the romance? I'm curious what you think!