Chapter 5
878 Words
THE ROGUE PACT
Thunder rolled over the western ridge, where the wind howled like a wounded beast.
Kaidan stood alone at the edge of the ruins, the scent of ash and moss thick in his lungs. It had been years since he last set foot on rogue territory. Years since he buried the boy he used to be beneath blood and broken vows.
“Storm,” came a gravel voice behind him.
Ronan emerged from the shadows, tall, built like a blade honed by rage. Tattoos of crescent moons wound down his arms, marking him as a former Crescent soldier. Betrayer. Survivor. Rebel.
“Didn’t expect your call,” Ronan said.
“I didn’t make it lightly.”
“Then say it.”
Kaidan turned. “I want to make a pact.”
Ronan laughed, low and rough. “With rogues? You’re your father’s heir. That crown makes you the enemy.”
“I’m not my father.”
“No,” Ronan said. “You’re worse. Because you’re still pretending to play their game.”
Kaidan held his gaze. “This isn’t about politics. It’s about her.”
“Ah,” Ronan drawled. “The Valen girl.”
“She’s more than that.”
“She always was.”
Kaidan’s fists clenched. “If the Council finds out who she is before I can shield her—”
“They’ll gut her,” Ronan finished. “Or chain her.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Ronan studied him for a long beat, then said, “What do you want from me?”
“Protection. Shadow moves. A distraction.”
“And in return?”
“You get leverage. When the tides turn—and they will—you’ll have a seat at my table.”
Ronan raised a brow. “You’re forming your own pack?”
“I’m building something bigger.”
Ronan considered. “I want more than a seat.”
“What?”
“I want to be your sword arm.”
Kaidan hesitated. “You hate me.”
“I respect your war.”
The wind roared louder. The pact was sealed with a handshake and the press of blood.
---
Across the city, Seraphina lay in her bath, the water laced with lavender and moon salts. Asha sat nearby, files spread out like puzzle pieces.
“Your mother’s death certificate was doctored,” Asha said.
Sera’s eyes opened. “Go on.”
“She didn’t die in the estate. She was transported. Last seen alive in a facility two miles south. Crescent territory.”
“That’s impossible. I saw—”
“You saw her bleed. Not die.”
Sera sat upright, water dripping. “You think she’s alive?”
Asha hesitated. “I think she was taken.”
Suddenly, Sera’s encrypted tablet lit up.
A message.
Come to the graveyard at dusk. Come alone. The past breathes.
Below it, a symbol she hadn’t seen since she was a child—
The Valen crest.
---
Dusk fell fast.
Sera stepped lightly over wet grass, her dagger hidden in her boot. The graveyard on the edge of Hollow Reach was ancient, overgrown, moonlit.
She heard the breath first.
Then the voice.
“I thought you’d be taller.”
She whirled. “Who’s there?”
A figure stepped from the mist. A man in dark robes, face aged but familiar.
“Uncle Tiber.”
She hadn’t seen him since she was seven.
“I was told you were dead.”
“I was.”
He touched her face.
“They took everything. Your mother. Our lands. Our wolves.”
“I’m taking it back,” she said.
He nodded slowly. “Then you’ll need more than the Council’s mercy. You’ll need the Dead Moon prophecy.”
She froze. “That’s a myth.”
“No. It’s our bloodline. You carry it.”
She staggered back. “You mean the mark—the dreams—”
“They’re awakenings.”
“What do they want from me?”
“Not want. Need.”
He pressed a scroll into her hand. “When the Luna falls, the heir will rise. Fire-touched. Storm-bound. Crowned by shadow and stars.”
She looked down at the parchment, heart racing.
“Storm-bound,” she whispered.
Kaidan.
“They’ll come for you,” he warned. “Your only shield is power.”
“I’m not ready.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
And just like that, he was gone.
---
Kaidan returned to his estate, blood still drying on his wrist from the pact.
Enzo met him at the door. “We have a problem.”
“What now?”
“She disappeared. Seraphina. Left the compound. Alone.”
Kaidan growled. “Track her.”
“We already did.”
He handed over a photo from a drone feed.
Sera. Standing in a graveyard.
Speaking to a ghost.
“Who the hell is that?” Kaidan asked.
Enzo’s jaw tightened. “Tiber Valen. Thought dead. Former General of the Wild Moon.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“We think it’s prophecy.”
Kaidan’s world tilted.
His mate.
His enemy.
His salvation.
All in one woman.
And someone had just reminded her who she really was.
- Writer
