A Luna in Disguise

Chapter 17

The ground shook beneath us as the war beasts thundered down from the ridge. Their red eyes glowed in the moonlight, bodies rippling with muscle and rage. Every instinct in me screamed to flee, but I stayed rooted at Kael’s side, breath caught in my throat.

“Stay close!” Kael roared, raising his sword. His voice was fire in the dark.

Riven and Rhea formed a line behind us, axes and shields at the ready. The other fighters closed ranks, hearts pounding. I slid sideways, pressing against Kael’s arm, every nerve on edge.

The beasts crashed into the Council wolves first, teeth ripping through armor, jaws snapping. Screams echoed as metal sheared, claws tore. The night became a blur of violence, sparks, and roars. I gripped my sword hilt until my knuckles went white.

The first war hound—a massive creature the size of a horse with twisted horns—lunged at me. I barely had time to raise my shield. Its weight slung me backward, shield crashing into my shoulder. Pain flared, breath whooshing from my lungs.

Kael was there in an instant. He hooked the beast’s jaw with his blade, dragging it off me. His hot breath drifted across my neck. “You okay?” he yelled.

I nodded, voice jagged. “Fine.”

“Don’t be fine,” he snapped, eyes fierce. “We need you.”

He shoved me behind him, positioning his shield like a rampart. I pressed my back to his chest, tasting the sweat on his armor—iron and something wild, his scent weaving into mine. My heart thundered not just from the fight but from the proximity of him.

A second hound charged. Riven barked an order, and I lunged forward, sword arcing in a tight circle. I’d trained for this. I hit its flank, cutting through thick fur. The beast yelped, stumbling, and Kael drove his blade into its neck. It collapsed with a shudder.

We stood amid the c*****e, war hounds and Council wolves tangled together, and for a moment, everything froze. Moonlight, blood, steel. Then the beasts bellowed as more joined the fray, driving the Council wolves back.

Rhea pointed uphill. “They’re breaking! Push them to the cliff edge!”

We charged, weapons raised high. I ran beside Kael, his broad frame carving a path. Our shoulders brushed. Every time I caught his eye—blue and bright in the torchlight—I felt warmth sweep through me. The war beasts lunged at us, jaws snapping inches from my face. I ducked, sword slicing upward, heart pounding.

One hound caught me off guard, claws raking my side. I cried out, stumbling. The world tilted. I fell to my knees, vision blurring as pain lanced through me.

“Aria!” Kael’s shout was thunder.

He was at my side, hauling me up by the arm. His fingers brushed my bare skin where my shirt had torn. Fire raced through me. He held me close, chest to back, muscles rippling beneath his tunic.

His face hovered above mine. “Stay with me,” he breathed.

I nodded, unable to tear my eyes from his. The wind tousled his hair; his pulse thudded beneath my palm. Around us, the war beasts surged forward, Council wolves ran for their lives, and yet the only thing I saw was him.

“Go!” I whispered. “Lead them down—push them!”

He nodded, jaw set. He lifted me onto my feet and pushed me toward the flank of the battle. “Move!”

I limped forward, heart still racing, blade gripped like a lifeline. Kael followed, his hand on the small of my back, guiding me through chaos. Every time our bodies touched, heat ignited between us—unwanted but urgent.

We reached the cliff edge as Rhea and Riven herded the Council wolves toward it. The beasts roared, and the pack split, driving the wolves over the brink. I heard the crack of bodies hitting rock below.

A hush fell. Then victorious shouts from the resistance fighters whooped through the night. The war beasts howled in triumph, echoing off the cliffs.

I sank to one knee, breathing hard, sweat stinging my eyes. Kael knelt beside me, cradling my face in his hands. His thumb brushed away a trickle of blood at my temple.

“Aria…” His voice was soft—a whisper after the storm.

My pulse pounded, body alive with adrenaline and something else I hadn’t admitted until now.

“Kael,” I managed, voice catching.

He leaned closer. I could feel the brush of his lips in the air, warm and intense. My breath faltered. The world narrowed to that moment, the space between us electric. I wanted to reach up, to close the gap, to taste the heat of his mouth.

But a shout cut through the tension.

“Aria! Riven! Get up!”

I broke away, breath shuddering. Kael touched my shoulder gently. “Later,” he murmured.

I nodded, shame and longing warring inside me. “Later.”

Rhea’s voice rang out. “We need to secure the ridge and press on to the next safehouse. No rest yet.”

A hush fell as the resistance fighters gathered around. Some bore wounds; all bore relief. The battle had been brutal, but we’d won.

Rhea turned to us. “We can’t stay. The Council will regroup. We march to Dawn’s Hollow by sunrise.”

Kael helped me to my feet. I brushed back damp hair, fist to chest, every nerve alive. I looked at him—sword in hand, cloak torn, sweat and blood marking his skin—and I realized I’d follow him anywhere.

We moved as a unit, descending the ridge path. The survivors hobbled behind, a mix of fear and triumph in their eyes. The war beasts guided our flanks, their loyalty now ours.

I stumbled once, and Kael caught me. His arm wrapped around my waist, steady. The contact sent heat pooling through me. I pressed closer, letting his warmth seep in.

He lowered his voice. “You held your own back there.”

I scoffed, voice dry. “Barely.”

He brushed a thumb across my cheek. “You saved my life.”

I met his gaze, eyes bright and earnest. “You saved mine too.”

A flicker of something—pride? Desire?—shone in his eyes. He leaned in.

The forest shadows devoured us. His lips met mine—gentle at first, probing, then urgent. My fingers tangled in his hair as heat flared between us. His body pressed into mine, warm and solid. My heart pounded, head spinning.

For a moment, nothing else existed but the soft press of his mouth and the ache of need blooming in my chest.

Then Rhea’s call snapped us apart. “Move!”

Kael’s lips brushed mine one last time—soft promise in the dark—before he grabbed my hand and led me down the path. I stumbled after him, breathless, body humming.

We emerged from the trees onto a narrow trail lit by the waning moon. The war beasts moved off into the darkness, pack members united against the Council. The path ahead led through rolling hills and away from the ruins of Stonefall Ridge.

I caught my breath, pressing a hand to my lips, blood pounding in my ears. Kael squeezed my fingers, eyes bright with shared secret.

“Later,” he whispered.

“I’ll hold you to it,” I replied, voice fierce.

He smiled—soft and dangerous. “Always.”

We walked on into the night, shadows behind us and a new dawn ahead. The war wasn’t over. Our path wouldn’t be easy. But for the first time, I felt something stronger than fear: desire, and the fierce certainty that I would follow Kael into any darkness, as he did me.