The shadow behind the boys didn't move like a person. It flowed, dark and liquid, drawing Luna's gaze with impossible gravity.
Her wolf stirred, claws scraping at the edge of her control. Heart hammering, she swallowed her fear and stepped forward, every instinct screaming warning.
Caius took a step back. "What—what are you doing?" His bravado faltered.
The shadow surged forward. Luna's wolf roared in her mind, and her body responded before she could think. Muscles she hadn't known she had tensed, her reflexes sharpening like steel.
Everything slowed—the swing of fists, the hiss of air, the pounding of her heartbeat. And then she moved. Faster than any human, she blocked Caius's advance, her hands glowing faintly with raw, primal energy.
The Alpha's sons froze. Fear shimmered in their eyes. They had seen enough to know something unnatural had awakened.
From the corner of the yard, a figure stepped out of the shadows. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Every movement deliberate, every gaze consuming. The Lycan King.
His eyes locked on Luna, amber like molten fire. "So… this is the one." His voice rumbled like distant thunder, both a warning and a promise.
Something in Luna stirred—fear, yes—but also… desire. Her wolf growled in approval, circling, hungry, wanting.
Caius stuttered, "King… I—"
The Lycan King didn't look at him. He looked at her.
And Luna's world narrowed to a single truth: her life had changed. Forever.