Moonbound :a billionaire’s curse

The hunt

The city lay quiet beneath a cold silver moon, but Matheo felt the storm in his blood. It wasn’t the weather — it was the pack. Garrick’s presence was close, coiling around the edges of the night, drawing nearer with each breath.

Matheo stood on the terrace, his senses stretched to the limits. The scent of wet stone. The sharp tang of steel. And beneath it all, the musky, feral smell of his former kin.

He heard lois step out behind him. She wore a simple black coat, her hair caught up, her eyes bright despite the fear she surely felt.

“Where are they?” she asked softly.

“Too close,” Matheo said, his voice tight.

Sophia moved to his side, slipping her hand into his. “Then let’s face them together.”

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### *The first strike*

It came without warning. A blur of movement at the edge of the rooftop — then claws, teeth, fury. One of Garrick’s wolves leapt from the shadows, aiming straight for Matheo.

But Matheo was faster. With centuries of honed reflexes, he met the attack head-on, his body shifting mid-motion. His eyes burned gold, his teeth lengthened, and his strength became something no human could match.

The two collided in a clash of muscle and rage, the force of their impact sending shards of stone skittering across the terrace.

Lois gasped, but she didn’t run. She grabbed a heavy iron fire poker from beside the outdoor fireplace — the only weapon at hand — and swung it at the second wolf as it lunged at Matheo’s back.

The iron struck true, and the creature yelped, retreating just long enough for Matheo to tear free from the first attacker and face them both.

“Stay back!” Matheo snarled at Sophia, but there was no anger — only fear for her safety.

“I won’t leave you!” she cried.

The two wolves circled, growling low, their eyes burning with Garrick’s hatred. Then, as one, they leapt.

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### *Matheo unleashed*

Matheo let go of restraint. The man and the beast inside him became one, fluid and terrible. He moved with a speed that blurred the eye, meeting his enemies with claws and teeth, driving them back from lois, from his home.

Blood darkened the stone beneath his feet — not his. Never his. He fought like one who had everything to lose.

And he did.

The wolves faltered. Beaten, broken, they fled into the night, howling their defeat to the moon.

Matheo stood trembling, the battle haze clearing. His body shifted back, human once more, though his breath came ragged and his hands were streaked with blood.

Lois was at his side in an instant, arms around him, grounding him.

“You’re safe,” he said, voice raw. “Thank the stars, you’re safe.”

But the terror in her eyes wasn’t for herself. It was for him.

“I’ll always be at your side,” she whispered. “No matter what comes.”

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### *Garrick’s warning*

A voice drifted up from the street below, carried on the night air.

“You can’t protect her forever, Matheo.” Garrick’s voice — cold, cruel, full of promise. “You can’t protect *any of them*. Choose your side. Or I will choose for you.”

Matheo stared out into the dark, his heart pounding. The war had begun.

And this time, it wasn’t just his own fate hanging in the balance.

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