Forbidden Night Of The Crimson Moon

Chapter 5; Bound In Lies

The council chamber always felt more like a prison than a hall of leadership. Built of cold, ancient stone, its arched ceilings were designed to intimidate, every shadow clinging to the walls as though secrets had soaked into the rock itself. Tonight, however, the place was suffocating in a way it had never been before.

I sat at the long wooden table beside Damien, my hands folded carefully in my lap, fingers stiff to keep from trembling. My dress—silk the color of moonlight—had long sleeves, but still, I tugged subtly at the cuffs, terrified the mark might somehow blaze through the fabric for everyone to see.

The mark Kael had left.

It pulsed faintly against my skin, hidden just above the curve of my collarbone. To me, it was a brand, both curse and comfort. Curse, because it tied me to the enemy of my people. Comfort, because it was proof that last night had been real—that I hadn’t simply dreamed him, dreamed us.

I forced my eyes up as my father rose at the head of the chamber. His presence filled the room, tall and broad, silver threaded through his dark hair. His voice carried like a thunderclap when he spoke.

“We meet under uneasy skies,” he said. “The Blackthorn Pack pushes further at our borders. They steal from our hunting grounds. They mock our treaties. Kael Blackthorn dares to think he can defy me. But I will not allow this insult to stand.”

At the mention of his name, I nearly flinched. The mark seared hot under my skin, as if Kael himself had heard my father’s words and sent fire racing through the bond in reply. I kept my head bowed, hoping no one noticed.

Damien shifted beside me, radiating smug confidence. “When I am Alpha,” he declared, his voice pitched loud enough for all to hear, “the Blackthorn Pack will no longer exist. I will see Kael broken, his pack scattered to the winds.”

The council erupted in murmurs of approval.

I swallowed hard. My wolf stirred within me, hackles raised, lips curled in a snarl. The sound of Damien’s voice, the arrogance dripping from every word, grated against every instinct I had. It was wrong. He was wrong.

Not him, my wolf whispered. Never him.

I pressed my palms flat against my thighs, digging my nails into the fabric to keep myself from reacting.

My mother sat across from me, her face carefully neutral, though her eyes flickered toward me more than once. Could she sense it? The bond? The mark? Mothers always knew, didn’t they?

The meeting dragged on, talk of patrols and strategy filling the chamber, but I barely heard a word. All I could think about was Kael. His name lingered in the air like smoke, clinging to my lungs. The memory of his hands, his mouth, the way he had looked at me as if he were drowning and I was the only thing keeping him alive—it haunted me.

And the cruelest part was knowing that I might never see him again.

Damien leaned closer, his breath brushing against my ear. “Don’t worry, Aria. When I’m Alpha, none of this will trouble you. I’ll keep you safe.”

Safe.

The word tasted bitter.

I wanted to tell him that safety wasn’t what I craved. That fire had already licked through my veins, that danger had already kissed my skin, and no hollow promise of safety could replace the way Kael had made me feel—seen, wanted, claimed.

Instead, I forced a small smile, pretending his words comforted me. “Of course,” I murmured.

The council cheered again when my father pounded a fist against the table, declaring war inevitable.

Inside, I was breaking.

The mark burned, my wolf howled, and every instinct in me screamed the truth I could never say aloud:

Kael Blackthorn was not my enemy.

He was my mate.

And no matter how many lies I wrapped myself in, no matter how tightly I tried to hide the mark, the bond thrummed louder with every passing hour.