Scarlet Moon Pack

Chapter Six: The Moment the Moon Chose

Treston froze in the doorway, breath locking in his chest as his eyes collided with hers. The world narrowed to a single point — her. His wolf surged forward, claws scraping at the inside of his skin, a single word roaring through him with primal certainty:

Mate.

She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. She only stared back at him with wide, hollow eyes, as if she wasn’t sure she was real. Her scent hit him next — lavender and honey, soft and warm, a balm to every raw edge inside him. It wrapped around him, soothing and maddening all at once.

He stepped toward her without thinking, instincts taking over. When he reached her, he gathered her gently into his arms. She was cold. Too cold. Fragile in a way that made his chest ache.

Then he turned, eyes locking on Alpha Jermain.

A growl ripped from his throat, low and lethal.

“Who did this to her?” he demanded. “Who dared put their hands on my mate? Why is she in a damn dungeon?”

Jermain flinched but said nothing.

Treston didn’t wait for an answer. He looked back at her — at the girl who hadn’t stopped staring at him, as if she were trying to understand why a stranger was holding her like she mattered.

He lifted her into his arms bridal-style and stormed out of the dungeon. His aura flared, thick and commanding, rolling through the pack house like a storm. Wolves dropped their heads. Some fell to their knees. None dared meet his eyes.

He didn’t stop until he reached his room. He laid her carefully on his bed, then strode into the bathroom and turned on the bath, steam rising around him.

Behind him, a small voice spoke.

“Um… excuse me?” she whispered. “Who are you?”

He turned slowly, softening his expression.

“I am Alpha Treston of the Scarlet Moon Pack. And you… what is your name?”

“I am Taunie, Alpha Treston.”

“Treston,” he corrected gently. “Just Treston.”

He walked back to her and lifted her again, carrying her toward the bathroom. She tensed in his arms, fear flickering across her face.

“I know you don’t know me yet,” he said softly, “but please, Taunie… trust me.”

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She looked so breakable it made something inside him snap.

“I need to see what they did to you,” he continued, voice low, steady. “I want to clean you. Care for you. Show you how you deserve to be treated. Every part of you deserves to be honored.”

Her lips parted, trembling. Tears spilled over.

“I’m shy,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to look at me. My body is ugly and—”

A snarl tore from him before she could finish.

“Ugly? Who told you that?”

She flinched, and he immediately softened, cupping her cheek.

“You are beautiful, Taunie,” he murmured. “Breathtaking. Your scent alone could bring me to my knees. Please… let me take care of you.”

Slowly, carefully, he reached for the zipper of her dress. He moved with reverence, lowering it inch by inch. His hands slid to her shoulders, easing the fabric down until it pooled at her feet, leaving her in her undergarments.

He stepped back, meeting her eyes first — always her eyes — before letting his gaze travel down her neck, her collarbone, her stomach. Not with hunger. With awe.

He circled behind her, breath catching as he took in the delicate lines of her body. Then, without a word, he lifted her and lowered her gently into the warm bath.

Her breath hitched at the heat, at the sudden safety of it.

For the first time since he’d found her, her shoulders loosened.

And Treston knew, with absolute certainty, that he would burn the world down before he let anyone hurt her again.

Taunie sank into the warm bath, steam rising around her like a soft shield. Treston stayed kneeling beside the tub, close enough for her to feel his presence but careful not to crowd her. His wolf paced beneath his skin, snarling at every bruise he’d seen, but he kept his voice gentle for her.

She watched him with wide, uncertain eyes, as if she couldn’t understand why this powerful Alpha was treating her like she mattered.

“Treston,” she whispered, fingers gripping the edge of the tub. “Why do I feel… different around you?”

He dipped a cloth into the water, wringing it out slowly.

“Because the bond is waking up,” he said softly. “Because your wolf knows me.”

Her breath caught. “My wolf… she’s been quiet for so long.”

“Try to listen for her,” he encouraged. “She’s still there. She’s just been hurt.”

Taunie closed her eyes. For a moment, there was only silence — the same silence that had lived inside her for years. Then, like a spark catching flame, something stirred deep within her chest.

A warm pulse.

A whisper.

A presence she thought she’d lost.

Mate.

Her eyes flew open, water rippling around her. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

“Treston,” she breathed, voice trembling. “She… she said it.”

He froze, every muscle going taut. “Your wolf?”

Taunie nodded, tears filling her eyes — not from fear, but from something like relief. “She said mate. She said it like she’s been waiting.”

Treston exhaled shakily, a sound halfway between a growl and a prayer. He reached out slowly, giving her every chance to pull away. When she didn’t, he brushed his knuckles along her cheek.

“Thank the Moon,” he whispered. “I thought they might have hurt her too.”

Taunie leaned into his touch without thinking, her wolf pushing her forward from inside.

“She’s… happy,” Taunie murmured, surprised by the warmth blooming in her chest. “She says you smell like home.”

Treston’s eyes darkened, wolf flashing through. “You are home. Both of you.”

Her breath hitched. “Why does it feel like I’ve known you forever?”

“Because the bond doesn’t care about time,” he said. “It only cares about truth.”

She swallowed hard, looking down at the water. “I’m scared, Treston.”

“I know,” he said gently. “But you’re not alone anymore.”

He dipped the cloth again and began washing her arms with slow, careful movements. Every time she winced, he softened his touch. Every time she tensed, he paused. And slowly — painfully slowly — she began to relax, her shoulders sinking beneath the warm water.

Bruises surfaced as he worked, dark and ugly against her skin. His wolf snarled so violently he had to clench his jaw to keep from shifting.

Taunie flinched at the sound.

“Hey,” he whispered quickly, leaning closer. “Not at you. Never at you. I’m angry because someone hurt you. And I swear on the Moon itself, they will answer for it.”

She stared at him, searching his face for any sign of deception. Finding none, she let out a shaky breath.

“I didn’t think anyone would come for me,” she admitted. “I thought… I thought I was going to die down there.”

Treston’s chest tightened.

“Not while I breathe.”

When he finished washing her, he held out a towel.

“May I?” he asked.

She hesitated… then nodded.

He wrapped her gently, lifting her from the bath and holding her close. She tucked her face into his chest, breathing him in like she’d been starved for safety. He carried her back to the bed and settled her under the blankets.

But this time, she didn’t drift off.

Instead, she reached out and caught his wrist.

“Treston… can you sit with me? I want to understand you. Us. This bond.”

He sat beside her, brushing a damp strand of hair from her cheek.

“Ask me anything,” he said. “I’ll tell you everything.”

Her wolf purred inside her, warm and content.

And for the first time in a long time, Taunie felt safe enough to believe him.