The Lunar Bond

The full moon cast silver light across Aethereia Forest as Empress stood at the edge of Mooncliff, her dark hair dancing in the night breeze. Below, the vast forest stretched like a sea of darkness. The air hummed with an odd energy tonight, making her wolf stir restlessly beneath her skin.

Her heart felt heavy as she watched over her area. At twenty-eight, she was the youngest Alpha the Moonwhisper Pack had ever known-not by choice, but by disaster. Twelve years had passed since the rival pack's attack that left her orphaned and in power, yet the memories stayed sharp as thorns.

"You're brooding again," a deep voice said behind her.

Empress didn't need to turn to know it was Jason, her Beta. The moonlight traced the scar on his left cheek-earned protecting her during a challenge three years ago.

"I'm not brooding," she answered. "I'm thinking."

"Same thing." Jason stepped beside her, his warmth comfortable in the chill night. "The council meeting didn't go well today, did it?"

Empress clenched her jaw, remembering Rachel's dare before the pack council. "She questioned every decision I've made since the last moon."

"She's gathering supporters," Jason warned, his fingers unconsciously brushing the pack-bond mark on his wrist. "More members are listening to her, especially the older ones."

"I know." Empress's amber eyes flashed. "She thinks I'm too young, too soft. That I'm not fit to be Alpha." She kicked a stone off the cliff. "Maybe she's right."

"She's not," Jason said firmly, moving closer. Their hands brushed-a move that sent unexpected warmth through her veins. "Your parents picked you for a reason. The Moon Goddess blessed that choice."

Their eyes met, and for a moment, something silent passed between them. Twelve years of partnership, trust, standing together against every struggle. Had it become something more?

"The full moon ceremony is in three days," she said softly. "According to tradition, I must choose a mate."

Jason shifted, his scent changing slightly. "The pack expects it. They say an Alpha needs a partner to be strong."

"And if I don't choose? Will Rachel use that to prove I'm unfit?" The thought sent ice through her blood. Rachel was older, more experienced in war. If it came to a fight, Empress wasn't certain she would win.

Jason's jaw tightened. "I won't let that happen. If you need to choose someone-"

Before he could finish, the moonlight pulsed like a heartbeat. A warm breeze swept through the trees, bringing the smell of ancient magic. Empress felt it pull at her soul, calling her toward the heart of the forest.

"Did you feel that?" she whispered, her skin buzzing.

Jason frowned, scanning the trees. "Feel what?"

The pull grew stronger, like unseen threads tugging at her chest. Her enhanced senses noticed changes in the forest-night birds gone silent, wind holding its breath, trees leaning forward in anticipation.

Movement caught her eye. Through the trees, a figure moved with the grace of a born wolf, but the smell was wrong-not quite human, not quite werewolf. It carried hints of wild places, uncontrolled power, and something that made her heart race.

"Someone's down there," she said, moving closer to the cliff's edge. "Someone who doesn't belong."

"Empress, wait!" Jason reached for her, but she leapt from Mooncliff, shifting mid-air into her wolf form-black as midnight with amber eyes that glowed like flames.

The stranger's smell was stronger now-cinnamon and woodsmoke, with an underlying current of power that made her fur stand on end. Beneath it, the rusty tang of blood. Was this invader injured?

She followed the trail to Moonhaven Grove, the most sacred place in their land. A circle of ancient stones circled a clearing where the first werewolves had made their covenant with the Moon Goddess. The magical wards protecting this place should have been unbreakable. Yet someone had passed through them as if they didn't exist.

A man stood in the center of the stone circle. Moonlight gathered around him like a cloak, making his shape blur. His presence made the air thick with power, old magic responding to something in his blood.

As he turned to face her, the Moon Goddess whispered in Empress's mind: "Your fate comes, my daughter. But beware-it brings both rescue and destruction."

Empress found herself looking into extraordinary green eyes that held secrets, power, and something that made her wolf want to submit despite her Alpha rank. His face-angular, with high cheeks and a strong jaw-was striking, and a dark stain spread across his side. He was injured, yet stood tall.

"I've been looking for you," he said softly, his voice like a caress. "Though I didn't expect to find you quite this way."

Empress changed back to human form, standing proud. "You're trespassing on holy ground. Who are you, and how did you pass through our wards?"

The stranger stepped forward, and the stones hummed with energy. The air between them crackled with an invisible link that both thrilled and terrified her.

"My name is Lucas," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. Something in his gaze-as if he could see past her Alpha mask to the woman beneath-made her feel exposed in a way that had nothing to do with her nakedness after shifting. "And I think the answer to your second question is going to change everything you think you know about your pack's history."

He swayed slightly, face paling. "Something follows me. Something that hunts both of us. I didn't want to bring this danger to your door, but I had no choice."

Behind her, Jason growled, still in wolf form. She raised a hand, holding him back.

Lucas took another step toward her. "I need your help," he whispered. "And you need mine, though you don't know it yet."

Their eyes locked, and in that moment, something passed between them-a knowledge beyond words or reason. Her dog, always so fierce and independent, whined in submission.

"How can I trust you?" Empress asked, fighting to maintain composure when everything inside her urged her to go to him.

Lucas smiled, a flash of warmth that changed his face. "You can't. Not yet." Then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

The full moon hung above them like a silent witness. Empress knelt beside Lucas, feeling the heat coming from his skin-far hotter than any werewolf should be.

"He's bleeding badly. We need to get him back to the packhouse."

Jason shifted to human form, his face dark with suspicion. "We don't know who-or what-he is. Bringing him into our home could be risky."

She looked up at her Beta, seeing the worry in his eyes. Was it merely fear for their safety, or something more personal?

"The Moon Goddess led me to him," she said firmly. "I won't leave him to die."

As if in answer, a shadow moved at the edge of the clearing-something that seemed to absorb moonlight rather than be lit by it.

Lucas's eyes fluttered open, finding hers with desperate focus. His hand gripped her wrist with startling strength.

"They've found me," he whispered. "And now they've found you too."

The real test was about to begin.