The night was unusually still.
Moonlight spilled through the half-open window, painting silver patterns across the room.
Outside, the village slept peacefully, untouched by the strange forces that stirred elsewhere.
Inside, a man shifted restlessly in his sleep.
His breathing grew uneven.
Fragments of a dream drifted through his mind—soft laughter, the warmth of another presence, fingers brushing against his own.
He could never see her face. Every time he reached for her, moonlight swallowed her features, leaving only the feeling that she belonged beside him.
Her voice was faint, almost carried by the wind.
"Lyon..."
He turned toward the sound instinctively.
Just as he thought he could finally see her...
His eyes flew open.
His chest rose and fell heavily as the last fragments of the dream dissolved into darkness.
He remained still, listening.
Nothing.
Only the quiet rustling of leaves beyond the open window and the distant cry of a night bird.
Yet something felt... wrong.
He pressed a hand against his chest.
The bond.
The room was empty.
Only the pale moonlight remained.
Lyon rubbed a hand over his face, trying to steady his heartbeat.
The dream had felt so vivid that for a moment he had forgotten where he was.
His wolf stirred uneasily.
Find her.
The instinct came again, stronger than before.
Lyon rose from his bed and crossed to the window.
Beyond the palace walls, Crestview slept beneath the fading moon, peaceful on the surface.
Yet something had changed.
Since the Blood Moon, his mate bond had refused to grow quiet.
Each passing day, it tugged at him more insistently, as though she was drawing nearer—or he was being drawn toward her.
Somewhere beyond the forest, someone existed who had unknowingly become the center of his wolf's world.
He only wished he knew who she was.
Lyon remained by the window long after the dream had faded.
The chill of the early morning air did little to quiet the unease coiling inside him.
Servants moved through the palace halls, preparing for the Alpha's schedule.
His wolf had never reacted like this before.
Not during battles.
Not during previous Blood Moons.
Not even after learning his mate existed.
This was different.
It felt... closer.
A knock echoed through the chamber.
"Enter."
The door creaked open as Jackson stepped inside, carrying a stack of reports.
"You've been awake since before dawn," the Beta observed.
Lyon didn't turn around.
"I couldn't sleep."
Jackson studied him for a moment before setting the documents on the desk.
"The border patrol returned during the night. No sign of the rogue who attacked you."
Lyon nodded absentmindedly.
"I wasn't thinking about the rogue."
Jackson sighed.
"The bond again?"
Lyon finally looked at him.
"It grows stronger every day."
Jackson folded his arms.
"Then perhaps it's time we stopped waiting for fate to lead her here."
Lyon's expression hardened.
"You want to search."
"I want to protect her before someone else finds her."
Silence settled between them.
Lyon knew Jackson was right.
If he could sense the bond this clearly, there was every possibility that another powerful wolf could sense traces of it as well.
And if anyone discovered the Alpha's mate before he did...
She would become a target.
"Call Chole" Lyon ordered.
"And summon the council."
Jackson frowned.
"You're going to tell them?"
"No."
Lyon's golden eyes drifted toward the forest beyond the palace walls.
"I'm going to send them on a different mission."
>>>>
The palace invitation arrived just as Chole finished preparing his morning drink.
The royal seal caught his eye immediately.
His fingers lingered over the folded parchment before he finally broke the wax and unfolded it.
"What does it say?" Shelley asked, unable to hide the worry in her voice.
Chole read the message in silence.
A long sigh escaped him.
Shelley stiffened.
"Does he suspect you?" she asked quietly.
Chole lowered the letter.
"No... at least, not yet."
Shelley released the breath she had been holding.
"Then why did he summon you?"
Chole glanced at the invitation again.
"It's the Alpha. He wants to discuss something... and all the senior warriors are expected at the palace."
Shelley stepped closer and slipped into his embrace, resting her head against his chest.
"You're doing everything you can" she whispered.
Chole wrapped an arm around her, though the tension in his shoulders remained.
"You've always known what to say, Ley" he murmured. "Even when my heart feels ready to burst, you somehow give me the strength to keep going."
Shelley looked up at him with a gentle smile.
"She'll be alright."
Chole couldn't bring himself to answer. He gently rested his chin atop her head, holding her close.
"Ahem."
A loud, exaggerated cough echoed through the kitchen.
Neither of them moved.
"AHEM!"
This time they turned.
Guta stood in the doorway with his arms folded, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, don't mind me" he said dramatically. "I'll just come back when the romance festival is over."
Shelley immediately stepped away from Chole, cheeks warming ever so slightly.
"Guta!" she scolded.
"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm just saying. Every morning it's 'Ley this' and 'Chole that.' You two are making the rest of us look lonely."
Chole shook his head with a faint chuckle.
"Since when did you become so bold?"
"Since I became old enough to recognize a lovey-dovey couple when I see one."
Shelley swatted his arm lightly.
"Watch that mouth."
He rubbed his arm dramatically.
"See? This is exactly why Dad gets all the hugs and I get all the beatings."
"You earn them" Shelley replied with a smile.
Guta laughed, but as his eyes wandered around the room, the smile slowly faded.
"...Where's Moocha?"
The question hung in the air.
Shelley's smile disappeared.
Chole's expression turned solemn.
Guta frowned.
"She isn't sleeping in again, is she?"
"No" Chole answered quietly.
"She had to leave."
Guta blinked.
"...Leave?"
He looked from Chole to Shelley, waiting for one of them to laugh and say they were joking.
Neither did.
His playful expression gradually melted into confusion.
"What do you mean she left?"
Shelley clasped her hands together.
"It happened rather suddenly."
"Suddenly?" Guta echoed. "Without telling me?"
Chole picked up the folded invitation from the table, turning it over in his hand.
"There wasn't much time."
Guta frowned.
"Not much time to tell her own brother she was leaving?"
The words stung.
Shelley took a step toward him.
"Guta—"
"No."
He shook his head.
"She would've told me."
His voice had lost its usual playfulness.
"She always tells me everything."
Chole's jaw tightened.
"Some things... happen too quickly."
Guta let out a quiet scoff.
"So where did she go?"
There was a pause.
"To stay with one of your father's relatives for a while" Shelley replied as naturally as she could.
"A relative?" Guta blinked. "Which one?"
Chole answered before Shelley could hesitate.
"Your Uncle Beren. He needed an extra pair of hands."
"Then why didn't she wake me up?" Guta asked. "She knows I'd have walked her to the carriage."
Shelley smiled softly, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"You were sleeping so peacefully. She didn't want to disturb you."
Guta scratched the back of his neck.
"That doesn't sound like Moocha at all. She would've dragged me out of bed just to annoy me."
Chole couldn't help the small smile that escaped him.
"She did say to tell you not to oversleep while she's away."
Guta chuckled.
"Now that sounds like her."
Without another word, he walked to Moocha's room and pushed the door open.
Everything was neat.
Her blanket had been folded.
The window was shut.
A few dresses still hung inside the wardrobe, but several were missing.
On the shelf sat the little wooden wolf Guta had carved years ago after ruining three pieces of wood before getting it right.
Moocha had laughed so hard when he gave it to her.
"It's ugly" she had teased.
"Then give it back."
"Never."
She had placed it on the shelf that very day.
It was still there.
Guta swallowed the lump forming in his throat.
"You really left..."
He whispered the words to the empty room.
When he returned to the kitchen, his eyes met Shelley's.
"Did she at least... say anything before she left?"
Shelley's heart clenched.
"She asked us to tell you to keep out of trouble."
A faint smile tugged at Guta's lips.
"That sounds like her."
"But..."
His voice faltered.
"...she didn't even say goodbye."
No one spoke.
Chole looked away, unable to meet the disappointment in son's eyes.
After a long silence, Guta forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well..."
"I guess I'll have to make enough trouble so she'll hurry back."
Shelley managed a small laugh through the ache in her chest.
"You'd better not."
Guta nodded absentmindedly and reached for a piece of bread from the table.
He wasn't hungry.
He only needed something to do with his hands.
As Chole headed toward the door, the palace invitation tucked beneath his arm, Guta called after him.
"Dad."
Chole stopped.
"When you see her..."
He hesitated before lowering his gaze.
"...tell her I still owe her a rematch."
A soft smile appeared on Chole's face despite everything.
"I will."
The door closed.
Guta stared at it for a long time.
Something about all of this felt wrong.
He couldn't explain why.
But for the first time in his life...
His family had kept something from him.
Instead, he simply nodded.
>>>
The night was unusually still.
Moonlight spilled through the half-open window, painting silver patterns across the room.
Outside, the village slept peacefully, untouched by the strange forces that stirred elsewhere.
Inside, a man shifted restlessly in his sleep.
His breathing grew uneven.
Fragments of a dream drifted through his mind—soft laughter, the warmth of another presence, fingers brushing against his own.
He could never see her face. Every time he reached for her, moonlight swallowed her features, leaving only the feeling that she belonged beside him.
Her voice was faint, almost carried by the wind.
"Lyon..."
He turned toward the sound instinctively.
Just as he thought he could finally see her...
His eyes flew open.
His chest rose and fell heavily as the last fragments of the dream dissolved into darkness.
He remained still, listening.
Nothing.
Only the quiet rustling of leaves beyond the open window and the distant cry of a night bird.
Yet something felt... wrong.
He pressed a hand against his chest.
The bond.
The room was empty.
Only the pale moonlight remained.
Lyon rubbed a hand over his face, trying to steady his heartbeat.
The dream had felt so vivid that for a moment he had forgotten where he was.
His wolf stirred uneasily.
Find her.
The instinct came again, stronger than before.
Lyon rose from his bed and crossed to the window.
Beyond the palace walls, Crestview slept beneath the fading moon, peaceful on the surface.
Yet something had changed.
Since the Blood Moon, his mate bond had refused to grow quiet.
Each passing day, it tugged at him more insistently, as though she was drawing nearer—or he was being drawn toward her.
Somewhere beyond the forest, someone existed who had unknowingly become the center of his wolf's world.
He only wished he knew who she was.
Lyon remained by the window long after the dream had faded.
The chill of the early morning air did little to quiet the unease coiling inside him.
Servants moved through the palace halls, preparing for the Alpha's schedule.
His wolf had never reacted like this before.
Not during battles.
Not during previous Blood Moons.
Not even after learning his mate existed.
This was different.
It felt... closer.
A knock echoed through the chamber.
"Enter."
The door creaked open as Jackson stepped inside, carrying a stack of reports.
"You've been awake since before dawn," the Beta observed.
Lyon didn't turn around.
"I couldn't sleep."
Jackson studied him for a moment before setting the documents on the desk.
"The border patrol returned during the night. No sign of the rogue who attacked you."
Lyon nodded absentmindedly.
"I wasn't thinking about the rogue."
Jackson sighed.
"The bond again?"
Lyon finally looked at him.
"It grows stronger every day."
Jackson folded his arms.
"Then perhaps it's time we stopped waiting for fate to lead her here."
Lyon's expression hardened.
"You want to search."
"I want to protect her before someone else finds her."
Silence settled between them.
Lyon knew Jackson was right.
If he could sense the bond this clearly, there was every possibility that another powerful wolf could sense traces of it as well.
And if anyone discovered the Alpha's mate before he did...
She would become a target.
"Call Chole" Lyon ordered.
"And summon the council."
Jackson frowned.
"You're going to tell them?"
"No."
Lyon's golden eyes drifted toward the forest beyond the palace walls.
"I'm going to send them on a different mission."
>>>>
The palace invitation arrived just as Chole finished preparing his morning drink.
The royal seal caught his eye immediately.
His fingers lingered over the folded parchment before he finally broke the wax and unfolded it.
"What does it say?" Shelley asked, unable to hide the worry in her voice.
Chole read the message in silence.
A long sigh escaped him.
Shelley stiffened.
"Does he suspect you?" she asked quietly.
Chole lowered the letter.
"No... at least, not yet."
Shelley released the breath she had been holding.
"Then why did he summon you?"
Chole glanced at the invitation again.
"It's the Alpha. He wants to discuss something... and all the senior warriors are expected at the palace."
Shelley stepped closer and slipped into his embrace, resting her head against his chest.
"You're doing everything you can," she whispered.
Chole wrapped an arm around her, though the tension in his shoulders remained.
"You've always known what to say, Ley," he murmured. "Even when my heart feels ready to burst, you somehow give me the strength to keep going."
Shelley looked up at him with a gentle smile.
"She'll be alright."
Chole couldn't bring himself to answer. He gently rested his chin atop her head, holding her close.
"Ahem."
A loud, exaggerated cough echoed through the kitchen.
Neither of them moved.
"AHEM!"
This time they turned.
Guta stood in the doorway with his arms folded, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, don't mind me" he said dramatically. "I'll just come back when the romance festival is over."
Shelley immediately stepped away from Chole, cheeks warming ever so slightly.
"Guta!" she scolded.
"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm just saying. Every morning it's 'Ley this' and 'Chole that.' You two are making the rest of us look lonely."
Chole shook his head with a faint chuckle.
"Since when did you become so bold?"
"Since I became old enough to recognize a lovey-dovey couple when I see one."
Shelley swatted his arm lightly.
"Watch that mouth."
He rubbed his arm dramatically.
"See? This is exactly why Dad gets all the hugs and I get all the beatings."
"You earn them" Shelley replied with a smile.
Guta laughed, but as his eyes wandered around the room, the smile slowly faded.
"...Where's Moocha?"
The question hung in the air.
Shelley's smile disappeared.
Chole's expression turned solemn.
Guta frowned.
"She isn't sleeping in again, is she?"
"No" Chole answered quietly.
"She had to leave."
Guta blinked.
"...Leave?"
He looked from Chole to Shelley, waiting for one of them to laugh and say they were joking.
Neither did.
His playful expression gradually melted into confusion.
"What do you mean she left?"
Shelley clasped her hands together.
"It happened rather suddenly."
"Suddenly?" Guta echoed. "Without telling me?"
Chole picked up the folded invitation from the table, turning it over in his hand.
"There wasn't much time."
Guta frowned.
"Not much time to tell her own brother she was leaving?"
The words stung.
Shelley took a step toward him.
"Guta—"
"No."
He shook his head.
"She would've told me."
His voice had lost its usual playfulness.
"She always tells me everything."
Chole's jaw tightened.
"Some things... happen too quickly."
Guta let out a quiet scoff.
"So where did she go?"
There was a pause.
"To stay with one of your father's relatives for a while" Shelley replied as naturally as she could.
"A relative?" Guta blinked. "Which one?"
Chole answered before Shelley could hesitate.
"Your Uncle Beren. He needed an extra pair of hands."
"Then why didn't she wake me up?" Guta asked. "She knows I'd have walked her to the carriage."
Shelley smiled softly, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"You were sleeping so peacefully. She didn't want to disturb you."
Guta scratched the back of his neck.
"That doesn't sound like Moocha at all. She would've dragged me out of bed just to annoy me."
Chole couldn't help the small smile that escaped him.
"She did say to tell you not to oversleep while she's away."
Guta chuckled.
"Now that sounds like her."
Without another word, he walked to Moocha's room and pushed the door open.
Everything was neat.
Her blanket had been folded.
The window was shut.
A few dresses still hung inside the wardrobe, but several were missing.
On the shelf sat the little wooden wolf Guta had carved years ago after ruining three pieces of wood before getting it right.
Moocha had laughed so hard when he gave it to her.
"It's ugly" she had teased.
"Then give it back."
"Never."
She had placed it on the shelf that very day.
It was still there.
Guta swallowed the lump forming in his throat.
"You really left..."
He whispered the words to the empty room.
When he returned to the kitchen, his eyes met Shelley's.
"Did she at least... say anything before she left?"
Shelley's heart clenched.
"She asked us to tell you to keep out of trouble."
A faint smile tugged at Guta's lips.
"That sounds like her."
"But..."
His voice faltered.
"...she didn't even say goodbye."
No one spoke.
Chole looked away, unable to meet the disappointment in son's eyes.
After a long silence, Guta forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well..."
"I guess I'll have to make enough trouble so she'll hurry back."
Shelley managed a small laugh through the ache in her chest.
"You'd better not."
Guta nodded absentmindedly and reached for a piece of bread from the table.
He wasn't hungry.
He only needed something to do with his hands.
As Chole headed toward the door, the palace invitation tucked beneath his arm, Guta called after him.
"Dad."
Chole stopped.
"When you see her..."
He hesitated before lowering his gaze.
"...tell her I still owe her a rematch."
A soft smile appeared on Chole's face despite everything.
"I will."
The door closed.
Guta stared at it for a long time.
Something about all of this felt wrong.
He couldn't explain why.
But for the first time in his life...
His family had kept something from him.
Instead, he simply nodded.
>>>
The council chamber was already half full when Chole arrived.
He exchanged greetings with the elders before taking his usual seat beside Jackson.
The Beta acknowledged him with a nod.
"You made it."
"I wasn't about to ignore an invitation from the Alpha."
A few moments later, the chamber doors opened.
Every conversation ceased.
Lyon walked in with his usual composed stride, his white hair falling neatly over his shoulders. His expression betrayed nothing of the restless night he had endured.
Everyone rose.
"Alpha."
Lyon acknowledged them with a slight nod before taking his seat.
"You may sit."
The room settled.
Jackson stood first.
"Our search for the rogue responsible for the Blood Moon attack has yielded little."
He unrolled a map across the table.
"We tracked his scent to the eastern ridge, where it disappeared completely."
One of the elders frowned.
"Disappeared?"
"As though he planned his escape long before the attack."
Another warrior spoke.
"No neighboring pack has claimed responsibility."
"Nor have they reported a missing warrior" Jackson added.
Silence settled over the room.
Lyon rested his elbows on the armrests.
"Your thoughts, Chole?"
Every eye turned toward him.
Chole rose slowly.
"The rogue wasn't acting recklessly."
"He knew the Blood Moon would weaken an unmated Alpha."
A murmur spread through the chamber.
"He attacked at the precise moment the moon reached its peak and retreated before reinforcements arrived."
"He knew our borders."
"He knew our patrol patterns."
"And" Chole continued, "he knew exactly how long he could remain within our territory before risking capture."
Jackson folded his arms.
"An inside informant?"
"It's possible" Chole admitted.
The possibility darkened the mood instantly.
Lyon rose from his seat, his gaze sweeping across the chamber.
"The rogue escaped once."
"That must not happen again."
He looked first to Jackson.
"Double the border patrols. I want reports from every watchtower before sunset."
Jackson bowed his head.
"As you command, Alpha."
Lyon shifted his attention to another council member.
"Marcus, reinforce the eastern boundary. No traveler enters without inspection."
"Yes, Alpha."
"Elias, reopen communication with the neighboring packs. I want to know if anyone has seen a lone white-eyed wolf crossing their territory."
"It will be done."
His gaze finally settled on Chole.
"Chole."
Chole straightened immediately.
"I want you to inspect the palace defenses yourself. If the rogue knew our patrol routes, then either someone has been watching us... or someone has been talking."
The room fell silent.
Chole inclined his head.
"I'll begin immediately after the meeting."
Lyon nodded.
As the council continued discussing the assignments, his attention slowly drifted.
Their voices became distant.
Words blurred together until all he could hear was the restless pacing of his wolf.
Something is wrong...
His fingers tapped absently against the armrest.
The bond.
It had refused to settle since last night.
Not stronger.
Not weaker.
Just... strained.
"Alpha?"
Jackson's voice pulled him back.
Lyon blinked, realizing the chamber had gone quiet.
"Forgive me" he said calmly.
"My thoughts wandered."
"There is... another matter."
The chamber quieted once more.
Lyon's golden eyes drifted across the council.
"Last night, I experienced something unusual."
Jackson looked up.
"The mate bond?"
Lyon inclined his head.
"It changed."
The elders exchanged curious glances.
"It has neither strengthened nor weakened."
He paused.
"But it feels... strained."
No one spoke.
Chole felt his heartbeat quicken.
"The sensation lasted throughout the night" Lyon continued.
"My wolf refused to settle."
One of the older elders stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"A strained bond..."
He frowned.
"I have only read of such cases."
Lyon's attention shifted toward him.
"What do the records say?"
The elder answered carefully.
"A bond becomes strained when something interferes with the natural pull between destined mates."
"The cause, however... differs from case to case."
The chamber fell into thoughtful silence.
No one noticed Chole's hands slowly curling into fists beneath the table.
Because he knew exactly what had interfered with the bond.
Distance.
And the secret he had helped protect.