Marked by His Moon

Chapter 3: Tensions Under Moonlight

The fire was still burning when Luna finally slipped away.

Her skin still tingled where Kael had touched her, a phantom heat pressed between her thighs. She wanted to scream—or cry—or maybe go back into his arms and forget every rule she’d ever learned.

But she was a hunter. And hunters didn’t fall for monsters.

Even the ones who kissed like gods and touched her like they knew every scar on her soul.

The stone corridors of the Lycan Court were colder now, echoing with whispers and glances. The funeral had become a feast. Bloodline alliances murmured behind cups of wine. Every heir and enemy stood under the same silver chandeliers, smiling like wolves with blood between their teeth.

She hated this place.

And she hated how her body still ached for him.

“Enjoying the view?” a voice asked, low and female.

Luna turned sharply. A tall woman leaned against the marble pillar beside her, a goblet of dark wine in one hand, eyes the color of dried blood.

Alicia.

Kael’s half-sister.

Daughter of the Queen.

And one of the most dangerous creatures in this castle.

She was beautiful in the way poison was—sleek, glittering, and fatal. Her crimson dress clung to every curve, and her smile was all daggers and secrets.

“I know what you are,” Alicia said smoothly. “Hunter.”

Luna didn’t respond.

“I can smell it. The blood. The arrogance.” Alicia sipped her wine. “Kael’s always had… strange tastes.”

“You talk like you own him.”

Alicia’s smile sharpened. “Oh, darling. I don’t need to own him. I just need him out of the way.”

There it was. The truth behind the silk.

“You think he killed your brother?” Luna asked.

Alicia stepped closer. “Let’s just say—his hands weren’t clean. And neither are yours, little Luna.”

“I have no interest in your throne games.”

Alicia leaned in, her perfume sickeningly sweet. “But you’re already in them. "You let him f**k you in the shadows and now he’s tangled around your neck like a collar.”

Luna’s eyes darkened.

“You’ll choke on him before this is over.”

The moment Alicia disappeared into the crowd, Luna’s heart pounded with fury. Her wolf paced inside her skin, restless, growling.

She turned on her heel and walked straight into Kael.

He held her arms, steadying her. “What did she say to you?”

“Why?” she snapped. “Afraid I’ll learn too much?”

Kael’s jaw flexed. “Alicia plays with knives. Don’t offer her your throat.”

“I’m not your concern,” she bit back. “I never asked for this.”

“You didn’t have to,” he said, voice tight. “The bond was chosen for us.”

Luna stepped away from his touch.

“I won’t be a pawn. Not in your games. Not in hers.”

Kael’s gaze smoldered. “Then stop acting like you don’t care.”

“I don’t!”

He reached out again, hand fisting the fabric over her ribs, pulling her close.

“Then why,” he growled, “do I still smell me on your skin?”

She slapped him.

The sound cracked through the air like thunder.

And the fire in his eyes—

It didn’t dim.

It ignited.

That night, she didn’t sleep.

She paced her chambers, heartbeat pounding, memories of his fingers between her legs and the fire in his voice echoing through her.

She hated him.

She wanted him.

She didn’t know who she hated more—him for touching her soul, or herself for letting him.

When she finally collapsed into restless dreams, she didn’t see blood or war.

She saw Kael—on a throne of bone and moonlight, reaching for her with eyes full of grief.

The next morning, Luna woke to a message scrawled on wolfhide parchment:

“Come. Noon. East tower. Bring your blades.”

She nearly burned it.

But her hands shook when she folded them instead.

The east tower was cold and deserted. Kael waited by the training ring, shirtless, skin glistening with sweat. A pair of wooden blades lay at his feet.

“You wanted blood?” he asked, tossing her one.

She caught it without blinking.

“I want answers.”

“Then take them,” he growled. “The only way you know how.”

They clashed like thunder.

Wood struck wood. Boots pounded stone. She was faster. He was stronger. She cut across his chest, he knocked her flat on her back.

She lunged again. He caught her arm and twisted, flipping her—then straddled her, breathing hard.

His hands gripped her wrists, pinning them above her head.

“This is familiar,” he rasped.

“f**k you,” she gasped, hips arching.

“You already did.”

She slammed her forehead into his.

He cursed, rolling them until she was on top.

Her knees straddled his hips. Her shirt slid up her ribs, sweat pooling in the dip of her throat. She could feel him, hard again, through the thin fabric of his pants.

“Luna,” he whispered. “I can’t stop.”

“Then don’t.”

Their mouths met like war.

They didn’t bother undressing.

He yanked her pants aside, freed himself, and thrust up into her—hard, fast, deep.

She cried out, back arching.

This wasn’t soft. This wasn’t love. This was release—a brutal claiming of everything unsaid.

His hands gripped her hips, guiding her as she rode him, teeth bared, hair wild. Her nails raked his chest, drawing blood. His fingers found her c**t, rubbing fast circles until her cries turned into moans.

She shattered above him, body spasming, walls clenching.

He cursed, spilling into her with a growl that echoed across the stone.

Later, she lay against his chest, both of them covered in bruises and silence.

“I still don’t trust you,” she whispered.

“I don’t need you to,” he said. “I just need you to stay alive.”

Luna closed her eyes.

Because something darker was coming.

And for better or worse…

She didn’t want to face it alone.