(Luna's POV)
The night after I met the red-eyed wolf felt like a nightmare that refused to end. I couldn't close my eyes without seeing him standing there in the clearing, his gaze cutting into me, his words echoing inside my head like chains I could not break.
You are cursed. Marked before birth.
I lay on my bed in the pack house, staring at the ceiling. Every creak in the wood, every rustle of the wind outside, made me jolt awake again if I drifted even for a second. My wolf was restless, pacing back and forth inside me, growling low like she was preparing for something I couldn't yet see.
Damien's face haunted me just as much as the stranger's words. His rejection was already cutting me deep, but now… now I couldn't stop thinking about what the stranger said. If the bond was never meant to work, then maybe Damien wasn't rejecting me out of cruelty. Maybe he was rejecting me because fate itself had written it that way.
But I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't.
I pushed myself up from the bed, my hands trembling. I couldn't stay here. Not tonight. Not with so many whispers in my head and this heavy air pressing on me. I needed space. I needed to breathe.
So I did the only thing that made sense, I grabbed my jacket, slipped quietly out of my room, and crept down the dark hallway. My steps were soft, careful, because if anyone saw me leaving again, questions would follow, and I didn't have answers.
The night outside was cold, colder than the one before, and the trees loomed tall like guards watching my every move. My breath formed little clouds in the air as I hurried toward the woods, my heart thundering against my ribs.
I wasn't even sure what I was running from. Damien? The stranger? Myself?
Maybe all three.
By the time I reached the edge of the forest, my legs already ached, but I didn't stop. I went deeper, moving through the branches as though the darkness itself was pulling me forward. Every part of me screamed that I shouldn't do this, that I should turn back, but the rest of me knew I couldn't stay in the pack house another second.
I felt like a caged bird finally pushing through a broken door.
The deeper I went, the quieter everything became. The sounds of the pack faded away, replaced only by the whisper of the wind through the leaves and the crunch of dry grass under my boots.
For a moment, I thought I had found peace in the silence. But then, that feeling returned. The same one from last night. A heaviness in the air. A shiver down my spine. My wolf growled low inside me, warning me.
I froze, every muscle locking tight.
Something was out there.
I turned slowly, scanning the trees. My ears strained for sound, but all I caught was the faintest echo of footsteps. They weren't heavy enough to be Damien. They weren't light enough to be a rabbit or a deer either.
Someone was following me.
My pulse raced. I gripped my jacket tighter, stepping backward. "Who's there?" My voice trembled in the cold air, carrying more fear than I wanted it to.
No answer.
Just silence.
I spun around and started walking faster, my boots crunching against the dirt path. My wolf urged me to shift, to run, but I resisted. I couldn't let fear rule me. I couldn't.
But then, behind me, a low growl rolled through the trees.
The sound chilled me to the bone.
I broke into a run.
Branches whipped against my face as I pushed through, my lungs burning as I sprinted through the forest. My heart thundered, and my wolf howled inside, both warning me and pushing me to go faster.
The growls grew louder, closer.
I didn't dare look back.
All I knew was that I had to escape.
But escape to where? The forest stretched endless in the night, and the pack border was far behind me. I had no idea which direction I was going anymore. I was just running.
Running from fate.
Running from the curse that seemed to be wrapping tighter around me with every step.
My foot caught on a root, and I stumbled forward, crashing hard against the ground. Pain shot through my hands and knees, and dirt scraped against my skin. I gasped, forcing myself up, but the growl was right behind me now, so close it rattled my bones.
I spun around, my chest heaving, and there they were.
Eyes. Not just one pair, but three.
Three wolves stepped out from the shadows, their eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. Their fur was dark, almost blending with the night, and the way they moved was not like normal pack wolves. Their steps were silent, too precise, too controlled.
Rogues.
My breath caught in my throat. Rogues were dangerous enough when they were alone, but three of them? Out here?
One of them growled again, teeth flashing as they circled me slowly, closing in. My wolf snarled inside me, ready to fight, but my mind screamed that we couldn't win this. Not against three.
Still, I refused to cower.
I bared my teeth, my fists clenched at my sides. "Stay back." My voice shook, but I forced the words out anyway.
They didn't listen.
The largest wolf lunged first, and instinct finally took over. My body shimmered with the heat of the shift, bones cracking and fur sprouting as my wolf burst free. Pain rippled through me, but there was no time to think.
I met the wolf head-on, slamming into him with all the strength I had. My teeth sank into his shoulder, and he yelped, but before I could press harder, another wolf hit me from the side, knocking me off balance.
I crashed into the dirt, my body twisting, but I scrambled back to my feet. Blood trickled down my side where claws had grazed me, hot and sticky.
I growled, circling, my wolf's eyes locked on theirs. I was outnumbered, outmatched, but I couldn't stop.
Not now.
Not when survival was the only choice.
They lunged again, and the fight blurred into a storm of teeth, claws, growls, and blood. Pain seared through me as bites and scratches tore at my fur. I managed to bite one of them hard enough to send him stumbling, but the other two pressed harder.
My breath came in ragged gasps, my body weakening. I wasn't going to last much longer.
And that was when I heard it.
A roar.
Deep, loud, powerful.
The rogues froze, ears twitching. My own wolf froze too, every part of me recognizing that sound.
It was Damien.
Before I could even react, he burst through the trees, his massive wolf form slamming into one of the rogues with such force that the wolf yelped and tumbled back into the dirt. Damien's black fur bristled, his teeth bared, his eyes blazing with rage.
The sight of him filled me with something I couldn't explain. Relief. Fear. Hope.
But mostly, confusion.
Why was he here?
Why was he saving me, if he didn't want me?
The rogues hesitated, but Damien didn't. He tore into them with a fury I had never seen before. One by one, they faltered under his strength, retreating into the darkness until the forest grew silent again.
And then it was just him and me.
I shifted back slowly, my body trembling and bloody. My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, clutching my side. Damien shifted too, his body towering over me as he strode closer. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, his eyes burning with something I couldn't name.
He knelt down, his hand brushing against my wound. "What were you thinking, coming out here alone?" His voice was sharp, but underneath it, I heard something else. Fear. Worry.
My throat tightened. I opened my mouth, but the words tangled. I didn't even know what to say. I wanted to scream at him, to demand answers, but all I could whisper was, "I had to."
His jaw clenched, his hand curling into a fist. His eyes softened for just a second before he looked away.
And then he said the words that made my heart stop.
"You can't keep running from fate, Luna. It will catch you no matter where you go."
I stared at him, my breath stuck in my chest. Did he know? Did he know about the stranger? About the curse?
Before I could ask, a howl split the night.
Not a rogue's howl.
A warning howl.
One that meant danger was still coming.
And this time, it wasn't just three wolves.
It was more.
The forest around us erupted with answering howls, dozens of them. My blood ran cold, and Damien's eyes darkened as he turned toward the sound.
We weren't safe yet.
Not even close.
To be continued…