Rain hammered down as Ariana knelt beside Kian, his head resting in her lap. His skin was burning hot—too hot—like something wild inside him was fighting the sedative with raw fury.
The Shadowfang warriors formed a protective circle around them, tense, scanning every shadow. Thunder split the sky, illuminating their sharp features and half-shifted forms. These weren't street thugs or fantasy illusions.
They were wolves.
Real. Deadly. Loyal.
The tallest of them—broad-shouldered, hair tied back, silver eyes glowing—stepped forward.
"My name is Roran," he said. "Beta of the Shadowfang Pack. The Alpha is in grave danger."
Ariana clutched Kian tighter.
"I know. They shot him with something—I don't know what was in it."
"Bloodmoon venom," Roran replied grimly. "Designed to paralyze an Alpha. It shouldn't exist. It's forbidden."
Ariana felt cold all over.
Paralyze?
Kill?
Kian's fingers twitched weakly, brushing her thigh. His breath was ragged, uneven.
Roran knelt beside her, scanning Kian with quick, practiced movements.
"His pulse is fading. We have to move now."
"No—wait." Ariana blocked him with her arm. "Where are you taking him?"
Roran blinked, confused by her defiance.
"To our territory. To the den. It's the only place with the wards strong enough to keep him alive." He paused. "You'll be safe there too."
Ariana's voice cracked.
"I'm not leaving him."
The warriors exchanged looks.
Some surprised.
Some approving.
All respectful.
Roran bowed his head slightly.
"As his mate, you will come with him."
Ariana's breath hitched.
"Stop saying that," she whispered. "Mate? Fated? I don't even… I'm not like you."
Roran glanced at her glowing palm—the one that burned the rogue.
Then at the way her body instinctively curved around Kian's.
"You don't need to shift to be a mate," he said warmly. "Your bond is already awake."
Ariana shook her head, rain dripping down her face.
"It's impossible. I'm human."
Roran's eyes softened, almost pitying.
"Not anymore."
Her stomach dropped.
Before she could respond, Kian groaned—low, strained, painful.
"Kian?" Ariana cupped his cheek. "Kian, stay with me. Please."
His eyelids fluttered.
He forced one word out, barely a whisper.
"Ari…"
The sound of her name on his lips sent a hot, aching pull through her chest—like a string snapping into place.
The bond.
Oh God.
Roran stood abruptly. "He's fighting the venom. That buys us minutes. Not more."
Two warriors moved forward with a stretcher-like sling made of reinforced hide.
Ariana panicked as they lifted Kian.
"Be careful—please—he's not—he's—"
Roran placed a hand on her shoulder—firm, steady.
"I swear on the moon itself," he said, voice deep with oath-binding power, "no one in this pack will harm him or you."
Ariana's breathing eased, just a little.
The warriors hoisted Kian carefully. His unconscious form twitched as he fought the poison. The gold in his eyes flickered open for a second—just long enough to search for her.
Ariana rushed to his side, grabbing his hand.
"I'm right here," she whispered fiercely. "I'm not leaving."
His fingers squeezed hers weakly.
Then his eyes closed again.
Roran motioned urgently.
"Move out!"
The pack formed a protective phalanx around Ariana and Kian. Rain smudged the neon lights as they moved quickly down the street. Shadows bent away from them—some out of fear, some out of respect.
Ariana walked beside the stretcher, refusing to let go of Kian's hand.
Her pulse thrummed with his.
Her breath synced with his.
The bond was real.
Undeniable.
Alive.
But beneath the fear, another feeling simmered—hot, dangerous, impossible to ignore.
When she'd touched him, some part of her came alive.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
Something that wanted him the way the moon wanted the tide.
She swallowed hard.
"What happens next?" she whispered to Roran.
He looked at her with something like awe.
"Next," he said, "you cross into our world."
He paused, voice dropping low.
"And nothing will ever be the same again."