The world rushes past her in a blur of branches and shadows.
Kael runs, powerful and silent, as if he doesn't feel her weight, as if she were just an extension of himself.
Rain begins to fall, fine and cold, pelting her skin.
She wraps her arms around his neck, not to hold on... but to reassure herself.
"Where... where are you taking me?" she whispers.
He doesn't answer right away. His breathing is steady, almost calm despite the speed.
"Away from the things that want you dead," he says finally.
Great. Very reassuring.
The trees suddenly open up, revealing a rock face blackened by time. Kael climbs a staircase carved into the stone, each step echoing like a giant heartbeat. As they climb, the air changes: warmer, denser, filled with a smell that reminds her of something animalistic, wild... but not hostile.
A collective growl echoes above them.
Silhouettes loom at the top: large, muscular, with glowing eyes. Lupines. Lots of lupines.
Kael doesn't slow down.
That's worrying.
When they reach the top step, silence falls.
All eyes turn to her.
Some sniff the air.
Others bare their teeth.
A small circle forms around them.
Lunaya feels her throat tighten, her heart beating too fast.
Too fast.
Her breath becomes short.
Kael tightens his grip on her, as if he senses her panic.
"Calm down," he whispers without looking at her.
There is nothing gentle about his tone.
He's... nervous? Worried?
And then it's as if something inside her breaks, or opens up.
The pressure in her chest explodes, spreading through her limbs, and an invisible wave springs from her, silent, vibrant, almost musical.
The wolves around them... freeze.
A wolf, which had been growling just a second earlier, sits down abruptly, as if someone had extinguished its fury.
A female wolf lowered her head, her eyes suddenly softening.
Massive shoulders relax.
Kael himself stops dead in his tracks. His breath catches in his throat.
He slowly lowers his head toward her, his yellow eyes dilated.
"Again."
Lunaya flutters her eyes.
Again what?
He takes a deep breath, as if he wants to soak her in.
"You calmed me down. All of you. You... you did that."
He gently sets her down on the ground.
His hands remain on her arms, as if he were afraid she would fall. Or disappear.
"I... I don't even know what I did," she stammers.
Another lupin steps forward. He is huge. Scars crisscross his chest. His aura is heavier, older. The leader, perhaps.
His voice is deep, a controlled growl:
"This is not human.
Your scent... your energy...
You are a Resonant.
The word hits like a verdict.
The wolves around her murmur, fascinated. Frightened.
Kael, meanwhile, doesn't take his eyes off her.
"She is mine," he says, without a second's hesitation.
The whole circle stiffens.
So does Lunaya.
"Wait... what?!"
Kael turns to her, his expression inexplicable, a mixture of determination, instinct, and... something else she doesn't understand.
"You calmed me down."
Me.
He places a hand on her heart, then on his own.
"It's a bond. I won't break it."
Someone at the back of the circle spits out:
"Kael, she's not even from our world!"
Kael growls, a deep sound that makes the ground vibrate.
"Exactly. Nobody touches her."
No one.
Silence falls again. Heavy stares. Incomprehension. Fear.
A raw territorial instinct.
And Lunaya, caught in the middle of it all, feels like she's becoming a living piece in a game that's beyond her control.
The chief approaches again and fixes his dark gaze on hers.
"Your coming was foretold in the ashes of the last oracle.
The Resonant One was to appear at the edge of blood and moon.
He pauses.
"But the rest of the prophecy says this:
"And those who touch her will rise up as kings... or monsters."
A shiver runs through her.
Kael tensed, ready to react.
The chief straightens up, his deep voice echoing off the stones:
"Welcome to the Moonfangs, Lunaya.
Your arrival marks the beginning of something we do not yet control.
Kael puts his arm around her waist, holding her close, like a wolf ready to defend his prey.
"And I will be the first to protect her," he says.
The first.
As if others would follow.
As if this were only the beginning.