They did not stop running until the city lights faded behind them.
Luna's lungs burned as Kael finally slowed, pulling her into a narrow stretch of trees near the edge of campus land. Her legs shook, not from exhaustion alone, but from what she had done.
Ash still clung to her senses.
She bent forward, hands on her knees, breathing hard.
"I killed him," she whispered.
Kael said nothing at first. He watched her carefully, like one wrong word might shatter her.
"He would have killed that girl," Kael said finally.
"I know," Luna replied, her voice tight. "But knowing doesn't make it lighter."
The silver mark beneath her skin throbbed, not painfully, but insistently. It did not judge. It was not comfortable.
It is simply remembered.
Kael stepped closer. "Luna, look at me."
She raised her head.
"You didn't act out of rage," he said. "You acted to stop a threat. There's a difference."
Her eyes burned. "Does the moon see a difference?"
Kael hesitated.
"That's what I thought," Luna murmured.
A sudden rustle sounded deeper in the trees.
Kael tensed instantly, shifting his stance. "We're not alone."
Luna felt it too.
Not hunger.
Authority.
Three figures stepped into the clearing.
Wolves.
Not rogues. Not packless.
Their posture was controlled. Their eyes clear. Powerful.
The one in front shifted smoothly into human form. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair streaked with silver at the temples.
"Alpha Kael," he said evenly. "You should have stayed hidden."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Eamon."
Luna straightened. "Who is he?"
"The Northern Ridge Alpha," Kael replied quietly. "Council-aligned."
Eamon's gaze slid to Luna, sharp and assessing. "So this is Moonbound."
Luna met his stare without flinching. "My name is Luna."
A faint smile touched his lips. "Of course it is."
Another wolf shifted behind him, a woman with pale eyes. "You broke vampire law," she said. "And wolf law."
"I stopped a murder," Luna said.
"You executed a supernatural being on neutral ground," Eamon corrected. "That has consequences."
Kael stepped forward. "You don't get to judge her."
Eamon's eyes flashed. "I do. That's my role."
Luna felt something stir inside her. Not rage.
Resolve.
"What happens now?" she asked calmly.
Eamon studied her for a long moment. "Normally? Detainment. Trial. Possible sealing."
Kael growled low in his chest.
"But," Eamon continued, "nothing about you is normal."
The woman beside him frowned. "She's unstable."
Luna's voice sharpened. "I'm controlled."
Eamon raised a hand, silencing the woman. "You are powerful," he said to Luna. "And dangerous."
"Yes," Luna agreed. "And I won't pretend otherwise."
The air shifted.
Eamon's brows rose slightly. "Interesting."
Kael glanced at Luna, surprised.
"You think killing tonight makes you strong?" the woman snapped.
"No," Luna said. "It makes me responsible."
Silence fell.
The forest seemed to lean in, listening.
Eamon exhaled slowly. "The council wants you restrained."
Luna nodded. "Then they'll have to come themselves."
Kael turned sharply. "Luna—"
She looked at him. "I won't run forever."
Eamon watched her closely. "You would stand against the council?"
"I would stand for my line," Luna replied. "I will protect humans. I will stop rituals. And I will not slaughter for balance."
The silver mark warmed, glowing faintly through her clothes.
The wolves shifted uneasily.
Eamon's expression hardened. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed quietly.
"You sound like her," he said.
Luna's breath caught. "Like who?"
"Your mother," Eamon replied.
Kael went still.
"She stood in this same forest once," Eamon continued. "Made the same vow."
Luna's chest tightened. "And what happened to her?"
Eamon's gaze softened. "She kept it. Until it killed her."
Pain flared, sharp and sudden.
Luna swallowed it down. "Then maybe she deserved better allies."
Eamon studied her for a long moment, then nodded once.
"I will not take you tonight," he said.
The woman spun toward him. "Eamon!"
"She needs time," he continued. "And so do we."
His gaze locked on Luna. "But understand this. Every line you cross from now on will be counted."
Luna held his stare. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
Eamon stepped back. The wolves retreated into the trees, vanishing as silently as they had come.
The forest exhaled.
Kael turned to her, voice low. "You challenged an Alpha."
"I challenged a system," Luna replied.
He searched her face. "You're changing."
She nodded slowly. "I have to."
Kael reached out, resting his forehead against hers. "Just don't lose yourself."
Luna closed her eyes, leaning into him.
"I won't," she whispered.
But deep inside, she felt the truth forming.
Power did not ask whether you wanted to change.
It only asked how much you were willing to lose.