Chapter 10: The Rogue’s Warning
1132 Words
---
The wind howled through the Blackthorn estate that night—cold, sharp, and restless.
Aria stood on the balcony just outside the Alpha’s wing, wrapped in one of Kael’s thick wool coats. Her body still trembled from the weight of the Luna Trials. Her blood still sang with the memory of his lips, fierce and possessive on hers.
But her mind?
It was a storm.
The Moon had accepted her.
The pack had not.
Whispers followed her everywhere she turned. A human Luna? Blasphemy. Disrespect. Weakness.
Even with the glowing pack stone as proof, even with Kael at her side… she knew she wasn’t safe.
And neither was he.
Behind her, she heard the door creak open. His scent reached her before he did—cedarwood and power.
“You should be resting,” Kael said, stepping up behind her.
Aria didn’t turn. “Do you ever rest?”
He chuckled, low and quiet. “Not really.”
They stood there in silence, the cold wind curling around them like unseen spirits.
“I don’t think they’ll ever truly accept me,” Aria murmured.
Kael moved closer, his hand settling gently on her lower back. “They’ll learn to fear you first. Respect comes next.”
“I don’t want to be feared.”
“Then you’ll change them,” he said. “From the inside. Like you’re changing me.”
She turned to face him then, and for a moment, all the worries faded. His eyes were softer now. Less storm, more twilight.
“Are you always this charming after nearly killing your mate with public trials?” she teased.
He smirked. “You handled them better than most she-wolves would have.”
“Because I had no idea what to expect.”
“Exactly.” He leaned closer. “And you still survived.”
But before their lips could meet again, a blood-curdling howl tore through the night sky.
Kael went rigid.
“That’s a rogue call,” he growled. “On the eastern perimeter.”
He was already moving, grabbing his coat, summoning guards with a sharp whistle.
Aria ran after him. “A rogue? What does that mean?”
Kael’s tone turned ice cold. “It means someone just broke into my territory.”
---
Minutes Later – The Forest Edge
Wolves flanked Kael in their human forms—lethal, shirtless, and poised to shift.
The eastern fence had been torn open. Mud and ash streaked the trees. And at the center of the chaos stood a man, barefoot, bleeding from the side, arms raised in surrender.
“Don’t shoot!” he shouted, voice hoarse. “I come with a warning!”
Kael growled, stepping forward. “Speak fast, rogue. You’ve got five seconds.”
Aria stepped out from behind a guard, much to Kael’s dismay.
The rogue froze when he saw her.
His eyes widened—not in recognition, but in shock. And fear.
“You—” he whispered. “It’s true. You’re her.”
Aria blinked. “What?”
Kael stepped in front of her. “What do you know?”
The rogue fell to his knees, panting. “They’re coming for her. They’ve already marked her as a threat. A human Luna is unnatural, they say. But it’s not just that…”
He turned his gaze to Aria.
“She’s not just human.”
---
Gasps echoed around them.
Kael’s wolf surged under his skin.
“You’re speaking in riddles. Explain. Now.”
The rogue wiped blood from his mouth. “There’s a faction—outside the Council—wolves, witches, even demons. They call themselves The Hollow Pact. They believe the mate bond has been corrupted by human interference. They’ve been watching you, Alpha. Waiting for the day you’d choose again.”
Aria’s hands trembled. “But… I didn’t choose this.”
“They don’t care,” the rogue spat. “They’ve seen the signs. The Moonstone trial, the glowing blood offering. You passed tests that no human should’ve survived.”
“I… I thought that was the bond.”
“It was,” the rogue said softly. “But it was more than that. You’re not ordinary. You’ve been… touched.”
Kael stepped forward, aura flaring like wildfire. “By what?”
The rogue bowed his head. “By the Moon Goddess herself.”
---
Shock froze the clearing.
Even Kael hesitated.
Aria blinked, heart pounding. “I’m just a human—”
“No,” the rogue said. “You’re something else. Something rare. Something dangerous. You’ve been marked by Selene’s will. That makes you sacred… or a threat.”
Kael’s voice was low, lethal. “Why are you telling us this?”
The rogue looked up, eyes wet with emotion.
“Because I lost my mate to The Hollow Pact. She was a human too. And they tore her apart just for loving one of us.”
Silence.
Then Kael gave the order.
“Lock him up. Patch his wounds. If he’s lying, I’ll end him myself.”
The guards moved in.
As the rogue was dragged away, he shouted one last thing:
“Watch the she-wolf in red. She’s not your ally!”
Aria turned to Kael, confused. “She-wolf in red?”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Selene.”
---
Back at the Estate
Aria sat on the edge of Kael’s bed, unable to sleep. Her thoughts whirled like a tornado.
Not human?
Marked by the Moon Goddess?
What did that even mean?
When Kael entered, she looked up immediately.
He crossed the room, crouching in front of her, taking her hands.
“I should’ve never brought you here.”
“I asked to come.”
He nodded. “And now everything is moving faster than I can control.”
“What do you think he meant? About Selene?”
Kael’s jaw tensed. “Selene’s ambition has always been dangerous. She once challenged Lyra for Luna position.”
Aria stiffened. “She wanted to be your mate?”
He nodded slowly. “The mate bond didn’t exist between us. But she craved power more than love.”
“She saw me pass the trials. She didn’t expect that.”
“No,” Kael said grimly. “And now she’ll either try to manipulate you… or destroy you.”
Aria squeezed his hand. “What do we do?”
Kael looked into her eyes—serious, intense.
“We fight. Together.”
---
Hours Later – Selene’s Quarters
Unbeknownst to either of them, Selene sat before a polished obsidian mirror. A thin line of blood trickled from her palm into a carved bowl filled with black petals.
A voice echoed from the mirror’s depths.
“She’s the one,” it hissed.
Selene sneered. “Then she’ll burn.”
---
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD