THE MOON HIDES MY HEART

Chapter 6: The Watcher

The morning after the blizzard, I couldn't bring myself to look in the mirror. I tried, standing before the small glass above my desk, forcing my gaze. But all I could see was the mark on my neck – the crescent-shaped bruise Nikolai had left. It was proof of what I had allowed, what I had wanted him to do. I touched my neck; the skin was still tender, still warm.

"This night. If you forget it, I will kill you."

I hadn't forgotten. I couldn't. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his hands on my body, his mouth on my skin, the way he had looked at me as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered. I pulled my hair over my shoulder, then put on a scarf, followed by a coat with a high collar. It wasn't enough. Nothing ever would be.

I skipped breakfast, unable to face the dining hall, the whispers, the stares, the way every wolf would inevitably sniff the air and know exactly what had transpired. Instead, I sought refuge in the library. It was empty at this hour, filled with the scent of old paper and older secrets, dust motes dancing in the pale morning light. I found a table in the darkest corner and sat with a book I wasn't reading, my mind constantly drifting back to our library, the one where Nikolai had pushed me against the wall and—

"Elif."

I jumped. Lukas stood at the end of my table, his green eyes dark, his jaw tight. He looked as if he hadn't slept either.

"You're avoiding me," he stated.

"I'm avoiding everyone."

"That's not true." He moved closer and sat opposite me. "You let him find you last night."

My blood ran cold. "What are you talking about?"

"The blizzard. The library." His voice was quiet, careful. "I know, Elif. I was there."

The book slipped from my fingers, hitting the table with a loud thud. "You were there?"

"I was looking for you. The storm hit, and I wanted to make sure you were safe." He looked away, his hands clenched into fists on the table. "I heard everything."

Heat flooded my face – shame, embarrassment, anger. "You watched?"

"I didn't mean to. When I realized what was happening, I couldn't—" He stopped, swallowed. "I couldn't move. I couldn't look away. And I couldn't stop wanting it to be me."

"Lukas—"

"I know." He finally met my eyes. "I know it's none of my business. I know I have no right to feel this way. But I can't help it, Elif. Every time I see you, every time I smell your skin, every time I hear your voice—" His voice cracked. "My wolf goes insane."

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.

"The mark on your neck," he continued, his nostrils flaring. "Nikolai put it there. I could smell him on you from across the room. It makes me want to kill him."

"You can't kill him. He's a Volkov."

"I don't care what he is." Lukas leaned forward, his eyes now glowing a soft green, like emeralds catching fire. "He's using you, Elif. You calm his wolf, so he wants to keep you close. That's not love. That's ownership."

"And what do you want?"

He reached across the table, his fingers brushing mine. "I want to protect you," he said. "Not because of what you can do for me. Because of who you are."

I pulled my hand away. "You don't know who I am."

"Then let me learn."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. A part of me yearned to say yes, to let Lukas in, to be the gentle presence in a world of teeth and claws. But another part remembered Nikolai's gaze last night, how his eyes had softened when I touched him, how he had said "It's quiet" as if it were the most precious gift. I couldn't offer that to Lukas. Not yet. Perhaps never.

"I need time," I finally said.

Lukas nodded, his face unreadable. "Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere." He stood, walked to the end of the table, and paused. "Stay away from Nikolai," he advised. "He's going to destroy you."

Then he was gone.

Physical Training was held indoors that day. The storm had buried the clearing under six feet of snow, so Master Torben moved the class to the indoor arena. It was smaller, more intimate, its walls lined with weapons I couldn't name and mats stained with old blood.

"Today," Torben announced, "we work on defense. Wolves against wolves. Humans in the observation deck."

I walked to the observation deck without argument, not wanting to be on the floor with them. The deck was a narrow balcony overlooking the arena. I sat on a wooden bench and watched the wolves pair up below. Freya was down there, her red hair pulled back in a tight braid, her rust-colored eyes frequently drifting up to me. She smiled. It was not a friendly smile.

The session lasted two hours. I watched Lukas spar with an unfamiliar boy, his movements fluid and effortless, every punch landing, every block holding. I observed other wolves fighting, tearing at each other, pinning each other to the mats. And I watched Freya. She didn't spar; she simply stood at the edge of the arena, watching me. Waiting.

When the session ended, the wolves filed out. I waited until most had departed before climbing down from the observation deck. The hallway outside the arena was empty. Or so I thought.

"Going somewhere, human?"

Freya stepped out from behind a pillar, arms crossed, eyes glowing. "I'm going to my room. Move."

"I don't think I will." She approached me, slow and deliberate, her footsteps echoing off the stone. "You think you're special because Nikolai marked you?" she scoffed, an ugly sound. "Nikolai marks everything that moves. Last year, he marked three girls in one week."

"I don't care what Nikolai does."

"Liar." She stopped inches from my face. "I saw you in the library last night. Through the window. You let him touch you. You let him claim you."

My heart seized. "You were there?"

"I was everywhere." Her smile widened. "Nikolai and I have history. He was mine before you were even born. And he will be mine again when you're gone."

"I'm not trying to take him from you."

"Then what are you trying to do?" She tilted her head. "Collect alphas? I've seen the way Lukas looks at you. And the Alaskan. The quiet one. They all want a piece of the human."

"That's not—"

"Shut up." Her hand shot out, grabbing my scarf. She yanked it off. "Let me see the mark."

The crescent-shaped bruise was exposed, dark against my skin. Freya stared at it, her face contorting. "You don't deserve that," she whispered. "You don't deserve any of this."

She slapped me. The impact snapped my head to the side, my cheek burning, my ear ringing. I stumbled back, my hand flying to my face. "You're nothing," Freya spat. "You're prey. And prey doesn't get to wear an alpha's mark."

She raised her hand to strike me again. I braced myself. But the blow never came.

Lukas's hand closed around Freya's wrist like a steel trap. "I wouldn't," he said quietly.

Freya's eyes widened. "Lukas. This isn't your—"

"She's under my protection. I told you that yesterday."

"You can't protect her from me."

"Watch me." He twisted her arm, not hard, but enough to make her wince. "Listen carefully, Freya. Because I'm only going to say this once." His voice was low, deadly. "If you touch her again, I will break your arm. If you look at her again, I will break your jaw. If you even think about her again, I will go to your father and tell him exactly what you've been doing with his beta."

Freya's face went pale. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." She yanked her arm free, her eyes burning with hatred. "This isn't over," she vowed.

"Yes," Lukas stated. "It is."

Freya turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing down the hallway until they faded into silence.

Lukas turned to me. "Are you okay?"

My cheek was throbbing, but I nodded. "She said she saw us. In the library."

Lukas's jaw tightened. "I know. I saw her too. That's why I was there." He reached out and gently touched my cheek, his fingers warm. "I'm sorry I didn't stop her sooner."

"You stopped her."

"Not soon enough." He pulled his hand away but didn't step back. "Elif," he said, his green eyes searching mine. "I meant what I said. I want to protect you. Not because I want something from you. Because I can't stand the thought of anyone hurting you."

"You barely know me."

"Then let me know you." He repeated, "Give me a chance. That's all I'm asking."

I opened my mouth to answer. But someone else spoke first.

"Elif."

Kael stood at the end of the hallway, his dark eyes fixed on me. He hadn't been there a second ago. Lukas tensed. "Tikaani. What do you want?"

Kael ignored him, walking toward me, his footsteps silent on the stone floor. "You screamed three nights ago," he stated. "You marked a Volkov. You let a Brandauer touch your face. But you still don't know what you are."

"I know I'm a Balancer."

"You know the name. Not the truth." He tilted his head. "Do you want to know, Elif from Istanbul? Do you want to understand the power that lives inside your blood?"

My heart pounded. "What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one." He extended his hand, palm up, waiting. "Say yes, and I will show you things your mother never taught you. Say no, and I will walk away and never speak of it again."

Lukas grabbed my arm. "Don't. You can't trust him. The Alaskans have their own agenda."

"Everyone has an agenda," I replied. I looked at Kael's hand, then at Lukas's face, then at the empty hallway where Freya had disappeared.

"You're nothing. You're prey."

I was tired of being prey. I placed my hand in Kael's. "Yes," I said. "Show me."

Kael's fingers closed around mine, his skin cool, calm, steady. "Then come," he said. "The moon is waiting."

He led me down the hallway. Lukas didn't follow, but I felt his eyes on my back until we turned the corner.