Chapter 10: No Turning Back
358 Words
Maya didn’t sleep that night.
The rogue’s words kept playing in her head. *The Blood Fang wants the Luna who killed their best warrior.* She had blood on her hands now. Real blood. And a pack that looked to her like she knew what she was doing.
She didn’t.
Kade found her on the balcony, staring at the dark forest beyond the gates. He didn’t speak right away. Just stood behind her, close enough that she could feel his warmth.
“They’ll come,” he said finally. “It’s only a matter of when.”
Maya turned to face him. “And then what? We fight? More people die because of me?”
Kade cupped her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. “People die because there are rogues who want to destroy everything we’ve built. This isn’t your fault, Maya. It never was.”
“But I’m the target now.”
“Then we make sure they never reach you.” His voice was steel. “I’ll burn the Blood Fang to the ground if I have to.”
The possessiveness in his voice should have scared her. Instead, it steadied her.
Maya reached up and touched the mark on her neck. It pulsed under her fingers, warm and alive. The bond between them flared, calm and strong.
“I’m not hiding anymore,” she said. “If they want me, they’ll have to go through both of us.”
Kade’s eyes flashed gold. He pulled her against him, forehead resting against hers.
“That’s my Luna,” he murmured.
A shout from below broke the moment.
“Alpha! Luna! They’re here!”
Maya pulled away and ran to the edge of the balcony. Torches lined the tree line, hundreds of them. Moving closer.
The Blood Fang had arrived.
Kade’s hand found hers, squeezing once.
“Stay behind me,” he said.
Maya shook her head, shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet. Her wolf stirred under her skin, ready.
“No,” she said. “We fight together.”
For the first time since this all started, she wasn’t afraid.
She was ready.
- Writer
