The forest was silent.
Kael Blackthorn moved through the snow like a shadow, senses alert. The Nightfang wolves patrolling behind him whispered among themselves, but he ignored them. His focus was on the scent that had hit him the moment he entered the eastern ridge.
Blood. Fear. And… something else.
Mate.
He hadn't expected it. Not here. Not now.
A figure stirred in the snow ahead. A girl. Thin, shaking, barely dressed, her dark hair clinging to a pale, bruised face.
Kael dropped to one knee, careful to keep his approach slow.
"Easy," he said softly, hands visible. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The girl jerked violently, flinching like a cornered animal. "Don't—please, don't touch me," she whispered, voice trembling. "I won't shift. I swear."
Kael's chest tightened. "You don't need to shift. No one is going to hurt you."
Her eyes, dull gold and wide with fear, flicked to him. "You… you're an Alpha."
"Yes," he said quietly. "But I'm not your enemy."
She laughed—a broken, hollow sound. "No one says that and means it."
Kael's jaw tightened. "I do. You're on my territory now. No one will harm you while you're here."
The girl froze, staring at him with a mix of disbelief and terror. "Why? Why would you care?"
Kael exhaled slowly. "Because you're… my responsibility. And because someone has already tried to destroy you enough."
Her gaze faltered. For the first time, she looked at him not as a predator, but as… something else. Something human.
Kael draped his cloak over her shoulders. She stiffened, then slowly clutched it, shivering. Her wrists were scarred. He could smell the faint pulse of power beneath her fear—something ancient, dangerous, and raw.
"You have power," he said softly, as if speaking to himself. "I can feel it."
The girl shook her head violently. "No. I don't. Please, don't—don't tell anyone."
"I won't," Kael assured her. "Not if you don't want me to."
She flinched again. "Then why are you even here?"
Kael's eyes softened, but his voice remained firm. "Because no one should be hunted like prey. And because… you belong somewhere safe. Even if you don't believe it."
Outside the trees, the wind howled, carrying whispers of danger. But in that moment, Kael Blackthorn made a silent vow: she would not face the world alone.
Even if she did not yet know it… she was his Luna.