Lunara’s POV
We never spoke about what happened that night.
Not about the kiss.
Not about the way Killian’s grip had lingered a second too long.
Not about how I’d almost leaned in again, just to chase the fire in his eyes.
I wasn’t sure if it was because Killian couldn’t remember–he’d downed enough Elderroot wine t knock out a lesser wolf–or if he was avoiding it on purpose.
Maybe I was too.
The days moved like fog through a quiet forest. The Elder Tribunal remained locked in trial sessions. The Council tightened patrols along neutral borders. And yet, Ashira Blackthorn remained a ghost–vanished, as if the shadows were helping her hide.
Killian insisted she wasn’t a threat. “Not anymore,” he’d said. “She’s fractured. On the run. N allies left.”
But my instincts screamed otherwise.I sat in the den that evening, curling deeper into the furs with a worn leather–bound tome on rune casting. It should’ve been relaxing, but the silence was too sharp. My comm–stone, resting on the side table, pulsed softly–an incoming message.
I sighed, expecting another update from the North patrol.
But as soon as I read it, a cold, familiar dread unfurled in my chest.
> “You took everything from me. Now I’ll rip it from you–slowly. See you soon, Luna.”
Ashira.It was the sixth message in three days. Each one darker than the last.
She was baiting me. Watching me. Maybe even near.
My first instinct was to alert Killian. But what was the point? I had already shown him the others. He’d sworn to track her down, had dispatched two of his most trusted Betas to trail any remaining Bloodfang sympathizers.
Still, something in this message felt different. Final. Like she’d made her move.
I locked the stone with trembling fingers and placed it facedown on the table. My heart thundered behind my ribs. But I forced myself to refocus on my book. If she wanted fear, she wouldn’t get it from me.
Minutes passed in eerie quiet. Then my comm–stone glowed again–this time, with a call. No rune signature. No Clan seal. Just a pulsing, masked energy.
I hesitated, then answered.
“Hello?” My voice wavered despite myself.
Silence. Then-
“Lunara.”
Killian.I exhaled. Relief flooded me, but it only lasted a heartbeat. His voice was wrong. Flat. Tight with urgency. Lacking the warmth I was used to.
Chapter Seventeen
4:41 am G D D D.
“Killian?” I asked, sitting up straighter.
“I need you to meet me,” he said, clipped and direct. “Now,”
My instincts flared. “Where?”
“I’m sending the location. Come alone.”
I blinked. “Alone? Why?”
He growled softly. “Just do it, Lunara. There are spies among us–I can’t risk anyone else knowing,”
That stopped me cold. Killian rarely raised his voice. And he never gave orders without explanation.
“I… okay,” I said slowly. But doubt crept in, coiling around my spine like a snake.
He ended the call before I could ask more.
A moment later, a rune–coded message blinked onto the stone–coordinates in the Old District. A run–down sector on the edge of Shadowvale, mostly abandoned after the Mage Wars. Not exactly neutral ground.
I stared at it, unease prickling my skin.
Still, if Killian was in danger… if something had happened…
I grabbed my cloak and rushed out the door, slipping past the guards posted at the entrance. The sentries offered questioning glances, but didn’t stop me. I whispered that the Alpha needed me–urgently–and they let me go.
By the time I reached the location, the moon had risen fully, bathing the street in silvery light. The area was deserted. Silent. Only the creaking of forgotten buildings and the distant howl of a lone wolf echoed through the night.
Then my comm–stone pulsed again.
> Blue door. Come inside. It’s open.
I raised my head and spotted the door–paint faded, slightly ajar.
A warning howled in the back of my mind. But I stepped forward anyway.
The scent of dust and old wards hit me as I entered. No fresh trail. No pack aura. Just stale. magic and darkness.
“Killian?” I called softly. My voice sounded too loud in the hollow space.
No answer.I gripped the stone and, this time, dialed Killian’s personal rune. The one that only I had access to. It rang once.
He picked up immediately.
“Amore,” he said, warm and casual. “Everything alright? Do you want me to grab anything from the apothecary on the way back?”
My blood turned to ice.
“Killian?” I whispered. “Where are you?”
“Heading back to the den. Just picked up more nightshade root and–Lunara? Are you okay?”
I couldn’t breathe. My lips parted, but no words came out.
Chapter Seventeen.
4:41 am GDDD
Someone had imitated his voice. Someone had used magic to mimic his rune signature. I wasn’t talking to Killian earlier.
My hands trembled. I took a step back.
“Lunara?” he asked again, now alarmed. “What’s happening? Where are you?”
Then–laughter.Low, female. Echoing through the darkness. Not Killian Ashira.
“Help me,” I whispered into the stone.
“Lunara?! Tell me where you are–now!” Killian’s voice cracked through the link, but it was tor
late.
A rustle. Then–Crack.Pain exploded at the back of my skull. Light flared behind my eyes. And then–Nothing.
Chapter Seventeen
