SERA'S POV
"Liar."
The word hangs in the air like a death sentence.
The Alpha moves closer—not threatening exactly, but I still back up until the wall stops me. He's so close now I can feel the heat radiating from his body, smell that intoxicating scent of pine and smoke.
"You're not human," he says quietly. "Your scent is wrong. Ancient. Powerful." His hand rises, stopping just inches from my face. "And you're my mate."
My heart slams against my ribs. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." His silver eyes bore into mine. "I can hear your heartbeat. It's racing. I can smell your fear, your confusion." He leans closer. "And something else. Something you're trying very hard to hide."
"Please." My voice breaks. "Just leave me alone. I didn't ask for any of this."
"Neither did I." For the first time, I hear frustration in his voice. "I never wanted a mate. Never wanted this bond. But here we are."
"Then reject it. Reject me. Walk away."
His laugh is bitter. "You think I haven't tried? The moment I scented you, my wolf went insane. It took everything I had not to claim you right there in front of my entire pack." He braces one hand on the wall beside my head. "So no, little liar. I'm not walking away."
"I'll run. I always run."
"I'll hunt you. I'm very good at hunting."
We're stuck in a staring contest, neither willing to back down.
Then I hear it.
A howl. Distant but getting closer. Then another. And another.
The Alpha's head snaps toward the broken door, his whole body going rigid.
"No," he growls. "Not yet. I need more time—"
The window shatters.
Glass explodes inward. Dark shapes pour through—wolves, but wrong. Their eyes are red instead of gold, foam dripping from their jaws. The stench of madness and violence fills the room.
Rogues.
"THE LUNARIS!" one screams, his voice barely human. "WE FOUND HER! CAPTURE HER ALIVE!"
Everything happens at once.
The Alpha—I still don't know his name—moves so fast he's a blur. His body shifts mid-leap, bones cracking and reforming, until a massive black wolf stands where the man was.
He's enormous. Easily twice the size of the rogues, with silver eyes that burn with Alpha power.
He crashes into the first rogue with devastating force. Blood sprays. The rogue's neck snaps with a sickening crack.
More rogues pour through the window. The door. They're everywhere.
The Alpha's three wolves burst back in, shifting as they move, joining the fight.
My tiny apartment becomes a war zone.
Furniture explodes. Blood sprays across the walls. The sounds are horrific—snarling, screaming, bones breaking.
I'm frozen against the wall, watching the carnage.
The Alpha fights like a demon. Every move is precise, lethal, efficient. He's protecting me, I realize. Keeping the rogues away from me even as they keep coming.
But there are too many.
A rogue breaks through the defenders—smaller than the others but faster. His red eyes lock onto me with terrifying focus.
"MINE!" he shrieks, lunging straight for me.
Time slows down.
I see his claws extended, aiming for my throat. See the Alpha trying to reach me but three rogues are holding him back. See the absolute certainty that I'm about to die.
My power detonates.
It's been building since the moment the Alpha walked into my apartment. Building with every second of terror, every drop of blood spilled.
Now it explodes outward like a bomb.
"STOP!"
The command rips from my throat in a voice that isn't entirely mine. Ancient. Divine. Absolute.
The air itself seems to crack with power.
Every wolf in the room—rogue and pack alike—freezes mid-attack. Their bodies lock up completely, like invisible chains just wrapped around them.
Then they collapse.
To their knees. Heads bowed. Unable to fight the compulsion even for a second.
Including the Alpha.
His massive black wolf form drops to the floor, silver eyes wide with shock as my command forces him into submission.
Silver runes blaze across my skin—ancient symbols I've only seen in my nightmares. They burn like fire, glowing so bright they light up the entire room.
My eyes are blazing. I can feel it—the power of my ancestors flowing through me, demanding to be released after years of suppression.
The rogue who tried to kill me is whimpering, trying desperately to back away even though his body won't obey.
"Leave," I command, putting every ounce of power into the word. "Run. Never come back. Forget you ever saw me."
They scramble for the exits—window, door, anywhere. Crawling over each other in their desperation to escape my presence.
Within seconds, they're gone.
The apartment falls silent except for heavy breathing.
The Alpha's wolves are still frozen, staring at me with terror in their eyes.
And the Alpha himself...
He shifts back to human form slowly, never taking his eyes off me. But he's still on his knees, still unable to move.
Because I'm still holding the command.
"Let them go," he says quietly. His voice is steady despite everything. "They're not your enemies."
I release the power.
It cuts out like a switch being flipped. The runes fade from my skin. My eyes stop glowing.
And I collapse.
My legs give out. I'm falling—
Strong arms catch me before I hit the floor.
The Alpha pulled me against his chest, holding me like I'm made of glass. He's warm and solid and safe, and I hate how good it feels.
"Lunaris," he breathes, staring at me with a mixture of shock and understanding. "You're Lunaris."
Tears fill my eyes. Seven years of running. Seven years of hiding. Gone in thirty seconds.
"Please don't tell anyone," I whisper. "They'll kill me. The Council will—"
"Shh." He brushes hair back from my face with surprising gentleness. "You're my mate. That means you're under my protection now. I don't care what you are."
"You don't understand." I'm crying now, can't stop the tears. "My blood—I'm dangerous. Everyone who gets close to me dies. My mother—"
"Is not here." His silver eyes bore into mine with absolute certainty. "But I am. And I'm not going anywhere."
"You should be afraid of me."
"I should be." A small smile tugs at his lips. "But I'm not. My wolf recognized you as mate before he knew what you were. That bond doesn't lie."
"The bond is wrong—"
"The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes." He stands, lifting me effortlessly into his arms. "You're coming home with me. To pack territory. Where I can keep you safe."
"I can't. I won't—"
"It's not a request, little mate." His voice carries Alpha command now. "More will come. Rogues, hunters, wolves who want to use your power or kill you for it. Alone, you'll be dead within a week."
I know he's right. The rogues found me. Which means others will too.
"How long?" I ask quietly.
"How long what?"
"How long do I have to stay with you?"
His jaw tightens. "As long as it takes to eliminate the threat."
It's a lie. I can hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes.
He's never letting me go.
But I'm out of options. Out of cities to run to. Out of ways to hide.
"Okay," I whisper.
Relief flashes across his face. "Good. My name is Kade, by the way. Kade Blackthorn. Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack."
"Sera," I say, even though he already knows.
"Sera." The way he says my name makes my stomach flip. Like it's precious. Important.
His three wolves have recovered enough to stand, though they're keeping their distance.
"Finn," Kade orders. "Call Maya. Tell her to prepare the guest room. We're bringing Sera home."
"Boss," the largest wolf says nervously. "She's—"
"My mate." Kade's voice drops to a lethal growl. "And if anyone in the pack has a problem with that, they can challenge me for Alpha position."
The threat hangs in the air.
The wolves bow their heads. "Yes, Alpha."
Kade carries me toward the door, stepping over broken furniture and blood.
I look back at my apartment—my destroyed, ruined apartment where my carefully constructed life just fell apart.
"Don't look back," Kade murmurs. "That life is over. You're pack now."
"I don't want to be pack."
"Too bad." But his voice is gentle. "The mate bond has already started. You feel it, don't you? The pull between us?"
I do. God help me, I do.
As we leave the building, I catch sight of my reflection in a broken window.
My eyes are still faintly glowing silver.
And wrapped around Kade's wrist, invisible to everyone but me, is a golden thread connecting us.
The mate bond.
It's already too late to run.
We're in the SUV, driving away from my old life, when Kade's phone rings.
He answers on speaker. "What?"
"Alpha." A woman's voice, tight with urgency. "We have a situation. Seven rogue packs just surrounded our territory. They're not attacking. They're... waiting."
Kade's grip tightens on the steering wheel. "Waiting for what?"
"They're all chanting the same thing. Over and over." The woman pauses. "Lunaris. Lunaris. LUNARIS. They know she's with you. And they're not leaving until they get her."