The air beneath Lunar pulsed like a living thing. Every heartbeat Rosa felt seemed to echo in her ears, quick and uneven, as she followed Marshal through the winding corridors that stretched like veins under the earth.
The faint shimmer beneath her skin refused to fade, glowing softly in rhythm with her pulse, answering something unseen in him. The silence was thick with unspoken tension. Each time her heel struck the floor, it sounded too loud, like the world itself was listening.
She had been in danger before, but never like this—never danger that made her heart ache instead of freeze.
Marshal walked a few paces ahead, his presence filling the narrow tunnel. Even in the dim light, he moved with quiet precision, every step purposeful.
His hand hovered near her back, close enough that she could feel the heat of it but not close enough to touch. That small restraint made her shiver more than contact would have.
At last, she spoke. "You could at least tell me where you're taking me."
Marshal didn't slow. "Somewhere safe."
"Safe," she echoed, suddenly forcing a high-pitched nervous laugh. "That word doesn't mean much after what I saw tonight.
He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes catching hers. "You're still alive because I was there."
She opened her mouth to reply but stopped when she saw the flicker of concern behind his calm exterior. For all his control, there was something fragile buried deep in him—something she wasn't supposed to see.
They entered a vast underground chamber lit by soft candlelight and streaks of silver that seemed to flow along the walls. The scent of cedar smoke and iron hung in the air. Members of his pack filled the space, their movements fluid but wary. Their attention snapped to her the instant she entered.
The silver-haired man she had seen before stepped forward. His voice carried an edge of command. "You brought her here?"
"She's marked," Marshal said simply.
The man's gaze flicked to Rosa, and she felt the weight of his scrutiny settle like chains around her shoulders. "Then you've invited the moon's gaze upon all of us."
Rosa took a step back. "What does that mean?"
Marshal's voice gentled, but he didn't relax his stance. "It means you are not what you thought you were."
Her stomach twisted. "Stop talking in riddles. I need the truth."
He turned fully toward her, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp with emotion. "You want truth? The shimmer you carry isn't a trick of light. It's bloodline. It's power. You are Moonblood, Rosa—descended from those who were born under the moon's direct blessing."
She stared at him, her mind struggling to keep up. "That's not possible. I'm—human."
Marshal's jaw clenched tightly. "Were," he uttered quietly.
The word hit her like a slap. Before she could get another word out, an edge sliced through the silence—a low, almost inaudible growl from within the shadows. In an instant, the pack went taut. Marshal's eyes darkened as he stepped forward, lean muscles coiled with lethal intent.
"Show yourself," he ordered.
The growl became a voice, rough and low. "You can hide her, Wolfe, but you cannot keep her."
The figure emerged from the darkness—a man, though his outline shimmered with something monstrous beneath the skin. His smile was cruel, his eyes golden with hunger. "Moonblood," he whispered, his gaze sliding to Rosa. "I can smell her from here."
Rosa's body ran cold. Marshal moved before she could even blink.
The clash was sudden, violent, and breathtaking. His body moved with the precision of instinct, every strike a blend of speed and control. The sound of bone meeting stone reverberated through the chamber. Rosa's hands trembled, torn between fear and awe. She had seen violence before, but nothing like this—nothing that felt both savage and sacred.
When it was done, the interloper slumped against the far wall, his body sifting to dust. There was no sound afterwards; there was nothing.
Marshal turned back to her, his breathing steady but his expression grim. "This is what follows you now. Do you understand?"
Rosa nodded, her throat too tight to form words.
He stepped closer, his voice low. "They will not stop until they have you."
Her fear spiked, but beneath it was something else-something that drew her closer instead of pushing her away. "And what will you do?"
His eyes gentled, although his voice remained unyielding. "Whatever it takes to keep you alive."
Her pulse was racing. "Why? You barely know me."
Marshal's eyes remained on her face. "Because I feel it too-the pull. The bond."
The room seemed to tilt. "What bond?"
"The one the moon forged the moment our paths crossed," he said. "You think coincidence brought you here?
Rosa's voice broke into a whisper. "That's impossible."
"Perhaps," he said, his voice dark and tender at once. "But impossible things do have a way of finding me.
The air between them charged, intimate. He reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. It was a light touch, but powerful enough to make her breath falter.
"I don't want this," she whispered.
He met her gaze, his thumb tracing the edge of her jaw. "Neither did I."
But before she could, the elder with the silver hair interrupted her. "Wolfe," he said sharply. "You feel it, do you not? Her power is awakening too fast."
Marshal's hand fell away from her skin as he turned back to the room. "She can control it. I'll train her."
The elder frowned. "Ou cela la dévorera première."
The words sent a cold shiver down her spine. "Consume me?"
Marshal's face darkened. "Ignore him."
But the elder's voice rose, echoing in the chamber. "When the Moonblood awakens unbound, she becomes the call that draws the darkness home."
Rosa's skin prickled. "What darkness?
Scarcely had anyone been able to reply when the ground began to shudder. The candles danced furiously, and from far down in the tunnels a sound emanated—a howling, long and sonorous, full of anger.
Marshal's head snapped toward the sound. His posture changed in an instant-every muscle tense. "They found us."
The pack moved into motion, silent and efficient, forming a barrier around the room. Rosa stood frozen as shadows began to ripple along the walls, shifting into shapes that were neither fully human nor wolf.
"Marshal," she breathed, the word trembling. "What's happening?"
He turned to her, his eyes aglow faintly, silver threaded with gold. "You wanted truth, Rosa," he said, his voice low. "Now it's coming for you."
The air chilled. From the doorway, a shadow lunged at her that was larger than any she had seen before; its eyes burned red with hunger. Rosa screamed as the shimmer beneath her skin flared to light, filling the room with a flood of silver. The shadow recoiled, howling in pain.
She had collapsed forward; Marshal caught her before she could collapse completely. "Breathe," he said firmly, his hand pressed over her racing heart. "You are stronger than you know."
Her eyes burned with threatening tears. "What am I becoming?"
He hesitated, his voice barely above a whisper. "Mine."
For a single, shattering heartbeat, the battle was silenced, any tension inside quieted.
And then, a deafening roar tore through the air, and inward exploded the door, its splinters flying everywhere. The iron and blood scent filled the chamber as darkness streamed inside over the threshold.
Marshal turned, tightening his hold on her hand. "Stay with me," he commanded.
Rosa clung to him, her pulse a wild drumbeat of fear and fate. The shimmer within her flared once more, brighter, stronger, answering his touch.
It was then that, as the first shadow broke through, she realized the truth she had been running from since night began. No longer was this Marshal's world she had stepped into. It was hers now.
To be continued…