LUNA'S POV
"Choose, True Luna. Your mate or your son. You can only save one."
Time stops. My heart stops. Everything stops except the sight of my baby dangling from a monster's jaws.
"ASHER!" The scream rips from my throat.
"Mommy!" His little voice is so scared, so small. "It hurts—"
The massive rogue shakes him once—a warning. Asher cries out in pain.
White-hot rage floods through me. My wolf explodes to the surface, silver light blazing so bright the darkness retreats. Power crackles across my skin like lightning.
"PUT. HIM. DOWN."
My voice echoes with otherworldly command—the voice of a True Luna, born to lead packs, to unite wolves, to destroy those who threaten her young.
The rogue laughs, a horrible sound that's half-human, half-beast. "Choose. Or I bite down and end him now. You have ten seconds."
"Luna, don't—" Kieran starts, but I cut him off.
"Shut up!" I don't take my eyes off the rogue holding my son. "You want me? Fine. Let him go and I'll come with you. No fight. No resistance."
"NO!" Kieran grabs my arm. "Luna, you can't—"
"He's my SON!" I wrench free, my power sending Kieran stumbling back. "I won't let him die!"
"How touching." The voice from the shadows moves closer. A man steps into the dim light, and my blood runs cold.
Marcus Stone. Kieran's Beta. His most trusted advisor.
"You," Kieran breathes, shock and betrayal written across his face. "You're behind this?"
Marcus smiles, cold and cruel. "Surprised? You shouldn't be. I've been planning this for years, Alpha. Waiting for the perfect moment to take everything you stole from my family."
"I stole nothing—"
"Your father murdered mine!" Marcus's composure cracks. "Killed him in cold blood and took the Alpha position that should have gone to MY bloodline! I've spent twenty years biding my time, earning your trust, waiting for the perfect weapon to destroy you."
His eyes fix on me. "And then the Moon Goddess delivered her. A True Luna. Rejected and desperate. It was almost too easy to manipulate the rogues, to feed them information, to guide them straight to your greatest weakness."
Kieran's expression turns murderous. "If you hurt my son—"
"YOUR son?" Marcus laughs. "You didn't even know he existed until tonight! But don't worry, Blackwood. I'm not going to hurt him. I'm going to raise him as my own. Teach him that his real father was a coward who rejected his mother. When he's old enough, he'll challenge you himself. Poetic, isn't it?"
Ice floods my veins. He's not bluffing. Marcus actually plans to steal my baby and turn him against us.
Over my dead body.
"Last chance, True Luna," Marcus says. "Come willingly, or watch your son die. Choose now."
The mate bond between Kieran and me suddenly flares to life—so intense it steals my breath. I feel Kieran's anguish, his fury, his desperate need to protect both of us. And something else. A plan forming in his mind.
His eyes meet mine for just a second. Trust me, they seem to say.
I don't trust him. Haven't trusted him in five years.
But right now, he's all I've got.
"Fine," I say, lifting my hands in surrender. "I'll come. Just please—don't hurt him."
I take a step toward Marcus. Then another. The rogues watch me like wolves watching prey.
Kieran makes a sound of protest, but I keep walking. Closer to Marcus. Closer to Asher.
"That's it," Marcus croons. "Good girl. Just a few more steps."
I can see Asher's face now. Tears streaming down his cheeks. Blood on his shirt where the rogue's teeth broke skin. But his eyes—his father's eyes—are locked on me with absolute trust.
Mommy will save me. He believes it completely.
I will not let my son down.
Three feet away from Marcus, I stop. "Let him go first."
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"No. I think you're a traitor and a coward who hides behind children." I let venom drip from every word. "But if you want my cooperation, you'll prove you're a man of your word. Release my son."
Marcus considers this. Then nods to the massive rogue. "Put the boy down. But don't let him run."
The rogue opens his jaws. Asher drops to the floor with a small cry. Immediately, the rogue places one huge paw on his back, pinning him down.
"Mommy!" Asher reaches for me, crying.
"It's okay, baby," I force myself to say calmly. "Everything's going to be okay."
I take another step toward Marcus, hands still raised. Behind me, I feel Kieran's wolf gathering power, preparing to strike. Feel Dante positioning his warriors. Feel the mate bond thrumming with coordinated intent.
Just a little closer...
"One thing I don't understand," I say, stalling. "Why wait until now? You've had years to betray Kieran."
"Because I needed you." Marcus grabs my wrist, yanking me close. His breath is hot against my face. "A True Luna's power can break any pack bond, reforge any alliance. With you under my control, I can take Blackwood's pack, Volkov's pack—every pack in the region. I'll be the most powerful Alpha in history."
"You'll be a dead man."
I drive my knee into his stomach with all my strength. At the same instant, Kieran's wolf launches through the air, massive jaws aiming for the rogue holding Asher.
Chaos erupts.
Marcus stumbles back, shocked. I shift mid-motion, my silver wolf tearing through my clothes. I hit the ground running, heading straight for Asher.
The massive rogue releases my son to face Kieran's attack. The two wolves collide with bone-crushing force, snarling and snapping.
"ASHER, RUN!" I scream.
My four-year-old scrambles to his feet and bolts toward me. I meet him halfway, my wolf form curling around his small body protectively.
Behind us, Dante's warriors flood the room, engaging the rogues in vicious combat. The sounds are horrific—screaming, tearing, dying.
I need to get Asher out of here. Need to get him somewhere safe.
I shift back to human, scooping him into my arms. "Hold on tight, baby."
"I want Daddy!" Asher sobs, looking back at where Kieran is still fighting the massive rogue.
"Daddy's fighting the bad guys. We need to—"
A wolf crashes into me from the side, sending Asher flying from my arms. I hit the wall hard enough to crack ribs, gasping for air.
Through blurred vision, I see Marcus—now in his wolf form—stalking toward Asher.
"NO!" I try to stand but my legs won't work. The hit damaged something internal.
Kieran sees the threat. Abandons his fight with the massive rogue and throws himself between Marcus and Asher, teeth bared in a savage snarl.
The two wolves circle each other—Alpha and Beta, brothers-in-arms turned mortal enemies.
They lunge simultaneously.
The fight is brutal, primal. Kieran is the better fighter, but Marcus fights dirty—going for eyes, throat, vulnerable joints.
I force myself to my feet, ignoring the pain. Asher is crying, curled into a ball against the wall. I stumble toward him.
Almost there. Almost—
The massive rogue appears in front of me, blocking my path. His red eyes glow with malice.
Behind him, I hear Kieran yelp in pain. See Marcus's jaws locked around his throat.
Kieran's going to die. My mate is going to die.
The mate bond screams in agony. Despite everything—the rejection, the pain, the five years apart—I can't watch Kieran die.
I shift again, launching myself at Marcus. My silver wolf hits him like a freight train, breaking his hold on Kieran.
Marcus and I tumble across the floor in a snarling mass of fur and teeth and rage.
He's stronger. More experienced in combat.
But I'm fighting for my family.
I get my jaws around his throat—the killing position. One bite and it's over.
"Luna, don't!" Kieran's human voice. "We need him alive for questioning!"
Marcus uses my hesitation against me. Throws me off, scrambles away, and bolts for the window.
"AFTER HIM!" Dante shouts.
But Marcus is already gone, disappearing into the forest with half a dozen rogues following.
The remaining rogues—seeing their leader flee—break off the fight and run.
Silence falls over the destroyed room.
I shift back to human, shaking and bloodied. Kieran does the same. We're both naked, covered in wounds, panting.
And between us, crying softly, is our son.
I drop to my knees, pulling Asher into my arms. He's okay. Bruised, terrified, but okay.
"I've got you, baby. You're safe now."
Kieran kneels beside us, his hand tentatively touching Asher's hair. "You were so brave."
Asher looks up at him with tear-filled eyes. "You saved me, Daddy."
The word—Daddy—breaks something in Kieran's expression. He pulls both of us against his chest, holding on like he'll never let go.
For a moment, we're a family. Broken, bloody, traumatized, but together.
Then reality crashes back.
Marcus is gone. The traitor is still out there, with knowledge of our weaknesses, our secrets, our son.
And worse—I realize with dawning horror—if Marcus betrayed Kieran, how many others in Blackwood Pack are working with him?
"Kieran," I say quietly. "Your entire pack might be compromised."
He knows I'm right. I see it in his eyes.
"We can't trust anyone," Dante agrees, moving closer. He's covered in blood that's not his own. "Marcus could have recruited dozens of wolves over the years."
"Then what do we do?" I ask.
Kieran's jaw sets in determination. "We take Asher somewhere none of them can find him. Somewhere even Marcus doesn't know about."
"Where?"
"The one place my father made me swear never to speak of." Kieran's eyes meet mine. "The hidden sanctuary. Built for the Alpha's family in times of war. Only three people knew it existed—me, my father, and my mother."
"Your mother died years ago," I point out.
"Exactly. Which means only I know where it is."
It's a good plan. The only plan.
But something's bothering me. A piece that doesn't fit.
"Kieran... how did Marcus know about Asher? We only revealed him tonight. Unless—"
Kieran's face goes pale. "Unless someone told him. Someone who knew before tonight."
We both turn to look at Dante.
He raises his hands defensively. "Don't look at me. I've got no reason to help Marcus Stone."
"But you knew about Asher for years," Kieran says slowly. "And you hate me enough to—"
"To what? Risk a child's life for revenge?" Dante's eyes flash dangerously. "I'm a lot of things, Blackwood, but I'm not a monster."
The three of us stare at each other—a triangle of suspicion and fragile alliance.
And that's when Asher speaks, his small voice cutting through the tension.
"It was the pretty lady."
We all freeze.
"What pretty lady, sweetheart?" I ask gently.
"The one who came to visit. She asked me lots of questions about Daddy. She gave me candy and said it was a secret."
Ice floods my veins. "When did this lady visit you?"
"Yesterday. When you were at work and Aunt Cass was sleeping."
Someone got to my son. In my own home. While I thought he was safe.
"What did she look like?" Kieran asks urgently.
Asher thinks hard. "Pretty. Red hair. Nice smile. She said she was Mommy's friend."
Kieran and I exchange horrified looks.
We both know exactly who Asher is describing.
Morgana Vale.