Kael moved faster than her mind could process, faster than her eyes could follow. One moment she was standing on the forest floor, frozen, her heartbeat hammering in her ears. The next, she was in his arms, pressed against his broad chest as he moved with inhuman speed through the shadows of the ancient forest. The wind whipped past them, carrying the scent of pine, earth, and danger. Her stomach lurched with every stride, and she gripped him tightly, afraid to let go, afraid he would vanish into the darkness—or worse, that the forest itself would swallow them.
"Hold on!" he growled, his voice low, vibrating against her ear. His hands were firm on her back and legs, steadying her as if she weighed nothing at all, though she knew she was more than a burden. She could feel the tension coiled in his muscles, every movement precise and controlled. Even in motion, he radiated power.
The pack had sensed her, that much was clear. The howls echoed in the distance, rising and falling like a storm gathering strength. Kael's jaw clenched, his fangs grazing his lower lip as the ancient instincts that governed him flared. He was the Alpha. He would protect his mate at any cost.
A clearing appeared ahead, and he slowed just enough to glide across the soft moss without breaking stride. Then the world blurred again as he carried her into a cavern hidden deep within the forest, glowing faintly with runes carved into stone. The symbols pulsed with an otherworldly light, illuminating the space with a pale, silvery glow. It was safe. For now.
He set her down gently, though she remained trembling in his grasp. Her pulse raced against his chest, rapid and uneven. She was alive. She was hers. And yet, the danger had not passed. Kael's eyes, silver and unblinking, scanned the shadows outside the cavern. Every sense in his body was stretched taut with tension, alert to the slightest sound.
"Don't look at me like that," he warned, voice low and dangerous.
"Like what?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Like you want me," he replied, his tone clipped but edged with something darker.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and charged. He turned away briefly, clenching his fists, jaw tight. His breathing was uneven, shallow, betraying the battle within him—between desire and control, instinct and reason.
"I am not a man," he said finally, turning back to face her. "I am the monster mothers warn their daughters about. I am the darkness you should run from."
And yet, despite his warning, she stepped closer. Her eyes were wide, luminous, but unafraid. She tilted her head, voice soft, but brimming with curiosity and defiance.
"Then why does my body trust you?"
The air between them pulsed with tension, as if the cavern itself recognized the bond that had been forged under the blood moon. His hand rose slowly, hesitating just inches from her face, the pull between them electric, undeniable. One touch could ignite everything—pleasure, desire, danger. One touch could change their fates forever.
Outside, the blood moon reached its zenith, casting a crimson light through the cavern entrance. The forest beyond hummed with anticipation. The pack's howls grew louder, closer, each one a reminder of the danger that stalked them. And beneath it all, the curse—the ancient bond—throbbed in their veins, claiming them both in ways neither could deny.
Kael's lips parted slightly, his breathing shallow, eyes fixed on her. He had claimed her. Not with words, not with gestures, but in the way the shadows bent around them, in the way the moonlight kissed her hair, in the way the forest itself seemed to recognize her as his.
She was his. And the Dark Alpha's claim was absolute.