Chapter 7: Blood and Oaths
901 Words
The arrow struck.
Kade grunted as it pierced his shoulder, throwing him back against Aria. She caught him with a cry, but his weight drove them both to the ground.
“Kade!” she gasped.
The air was filled with shadows. Figures cloaked in black, faces covered, weapons gleaming silver under the moonlight.
Hunters.
Trained by the Council. Bound to destroy threats to the wolf hierarchy.
And now, they were here — for her.
Kade pushed himself up, wincing. “Run, Aria.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not again.”
Another arrow zipped past, grazing her arm.
Kade’s eyes blazed gold. “Run!”
She hesitated for a heartbeat, then bolted, shifting mid-stride. Her wolf surged forward — white as snow, her paws barely touching the ground as she darted through the trees.
Behind her, she heard Kade roar — not in pain, but in defiance.
He was holding them off.
Because of her.
In the Forest…
Branches scratched at her sides as she ran, breath coming in fast bursts. The world blurred around her, every sound amplified — the rustle of the leaves, the pounding of hooves, the shriek of magic slicing the air.
And then—nothing.
The forest fell eerily silent.
She shifted back, panting, her bare feet stumbling over roots and rocks. Her heart pounded against her ribs like a warning drumbeat.
“Kade?” she whispered.
A cold laugh echoed around her.
“You really thought you could run, little Luna?”
A hunter stepped into view. Masked. Bow drawn.
Aria raised her hands slowly. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Oh, but we do,” the voice rasped. “Your blood threatens the Council’s rule. That makes you dangerous.”
He pulled the string back.
Aria’s instincts screamed — but before she could shift again, a howl ripped through the night.
Not a hunter. A wolf.
Feral. Furious.
And familiar.
A massive figure burst from the trees — a beast twice the size of a normal wolf, black as midnight and eyes glowing crimson.
Kade.
But not like she’d seen him before.
This was his full rogue form.
The one whispered about in legends.
The one even Alphas feared.
The hunter turned, too slow.
Kade lunged.
There was a flash of claws, a scream, and blood sprayed across the trees.
When silence returned, only Kade remained — panting, towering over the remains of the enemy.
His red eyes flicked to Aria.
She stepped toward him slowly, heart in her throat. “Kade…?”
He blinked. The crimson faded to gold. He shifted back, collapsing to one knee, drenched in sweat and blood.
She caught him before he fell.
“You came back,” she whispered.
“I told you…” he rasped. “I’ll always protect you.”
She held him tightly as his body trembled in her arms. He wasn’t just a rogue. He was something far more dangerous… and far more powerful.
And now, she was tied to him — in blood, in bond, in fate.
Later That Night…
They returned to Myra’s valley under the cover of darkness. The old Seer greeted them with urgency.
“They’ll send more,” she warned. “They’ll never stop until she’s claimed… or dead.”
“She’s not ready,” Kade said, cradling his injured arm. “She doesn’t even know how to harness her gift.”
“She must learn,” Myra said. “The bond between you has awakened more than protection. It’s drawn the ancient magic to the surface.”
Aria stepped forward. “Then teach me.”
Myra studied her for a long moment. “You’ll be hunted. Tested. Broken.”
“I already was,” Aria said quietly. “I’ve got nothing left to lose.”
The Seer’s eyes softened. “Then we begin at dawn.”
Meanwhile…
Back at the Council’s fortress, Jaxon paced the marble halls.
“You sent Hunters without my permission?” he roared.
Elder Theron folded his hands. “She is no longer under your command. She is marked again.”
“She’s mine!”
“She was,” Theron corrected. “Until you threw her away. Now she belongs to another.”
Jaxon’s hands trembled at his sides.
Not from fear.
From rage.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“No,” Theron said. “You did.”
Back in the Valley…
Aria sat before a circle of stones, Myra’s voice guiding her into meditation.
“Focus on the blood that runs through you. Not just yours. Your mother’s. Her mother’s. The first Luna.”
Images flickered behind her eyes — a crown of moonlight, hands bathed in silver flame, a girl standing alone before a burning city.
She gasped, eyes flying open. “What was that?”
“The truth,” Myra said.
Kade stood in the shadows, watching her. His wounds were healing, but his heart remained guarded.
He knew what was coming.
And he would not lose her again.
Suddenly, the mark on Aria’s shoulder began to glow — not from pain, but from power.
Symbols lit up on the stone floor, matching the ones from the forest fire.
Myra’s eyes widened. “Someone is summoning you.”
Aria stood slowly. “Who?”
The fire roared.
And in the center of the flame, a name whispered through the smoke:
“Selene.”
- Writer
