THE BADDIE LUNA

TEETH IN THE DARK

The ground still shivered beneath my boots, a low pulse like the forest itself had a heartbeat. Ronan didn’t move his arm from where it braced protectively across me. The heat of his skin burned, even through the tension sparking between us.

“I don’t need your shield,” I muttered, trying to slip sideways.

His arm didn’t budge. His golden eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“Funny,” I snapped. “Last I checked, I’m the one who killed the monster, not you.”

His jaw flexed, his nostrils flaring. “And last I checked, you don’t understand what you just did.”

Before I could argue, the forest answered for us. A shriek pierced the air, high and unnatural, echoing through the trees. It wasn’t like the howl of wolves or the cry of prey,it was broken, fragmented, the sound of something wrong.

Ronan stiffened. His gaze swept the shadows, his wolf prowling just under the surface.

“Bloodspawn don’t hunt alone,” he said grimly.

My pulse spiked. If two had already found us… how many more lurked nearby?

The thought should have terrified me. Instead, it lit a spark of exhilaration low in my chest. Maybe it was reckless, maybe it was suicide, but part of me thrived on the danger.

“We should leave,” Ronan said, his voice iron.

I arched my brow. “You mean run?”

“Survive.” His tone left no room for argument. “And if you ever want to see another sunrise, you’ll follow my lead.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, anger mixing with something far more dangerous. “I don’t follow anyone.”

His eyes met mine, golden and unyielding. “You will follow me.”

For a breathless second, the world shrank to nothing but the weight of his words and the crackle in the air between us. The forest could have collapsed around us and I wouldn’t have noticed.

Then another shriek. Closer.

Ronan seized my wrist, pulling me forward with brutal efficiency.

And this time, I didn’t pull away.

The forest erupted around us.

Branches cracked overhead, shadows split and twisted, and the stench of rot burned my throat. Ronan’s grip on my wrist was iron, dragging me through the tangled underbrush with a speed that made it hard to keep up. My pride screamed at the indignity, but the shriek behind us silenced my tongue.

Something was coming. Fast.

“We can’t outrun them!” I snapped, breathless, leaping over a gnarled root.

Ronan’s jaw was set, his golden eyes blazing in the dark. “We can buy time.”

“And when we run out of it?”

“Then we fight.”

As if summoned by the word, two Bloodspawn burst through the trees ahead, red eyes glowing like embers in the night. Their bodies were twisted parodies of wolves fangs too long, limbs too bent, fur falling in clumps.

I wrenched free of Ronan’s grip, bow already in hand. “Finally.”

He growled low in his chest, half frustration, half something else. His shift ripped through him in a flash of golden fur, bones cracking, muscle stretching. His wolf was massive, radiant even against the forest’s decay, his snarl vibrating through the ground.

The Bloodspawn lunged.

I loosed an arrow, silver-tipped, enchanted enough to pierce corrupted flesh. It struck true, burying deep into the first beast’s skull. It crumpled, twitching, before dissolving into foul-smelling ash.

The second slammed into Ronan, snarling, claws raking across his fur. He met it with brute force, his jaws clamping down on its throat. Blood sprayed, hot and metallic in the cold night air.

More shrieks echoed through the trees.

I whirled, heart hammering, and cursed under my breath. “There’s more coming.”

Ronan shifted back mid-snarl, his chest heaving, sweat and blood streaking his skin. “Of course there are. They hunt in packs.”

I nocked another arrow, my voice sharp. “Then stop wasting time growling at me and move.”

His eyes snapped to mine, blazing with irritation and grudging respect.

Together, we ran.

Branches clawed at my cloak, mud slicked beneath my boots, but the fire in my veins kept me steady. Ronan stayed close, always half a step ahead or behind, never leaving me uncovered. His presence was infuriating, overwhelming yet part of me felt… steadier with him there.

The shrieks closed in.

“They’re herding us,” Ronan panted, scanning the trees. “Trying to corner us.”

“Smart,” I muttered, loosing another arrow into the dark. A scream split the air as it found its mark. “Smarter than I expected.”

“Don’t underestimate them.” His voice was grim. “They’re born of blood and rage. They don’t stop.”

I glanced at him, chest heaving, sweat dampening his hair. “Neither do I.”

His golden eyes cut to mine, burning, and for a heartbeat the forest fell away. Just his gaze. Just the fire sparking between us.

Then another figure lunged from the shadows.

Not a Bloodspawn. Bigger. Stronger.

Something worse.

The creature stepped into the clearing, blotting out the moonlight.

It wasn’t twisted like the Bloodspawn. It wasn’t mindless.

This one… was deliberate.

Its body was massive, twice the size of a wolf, its muscles corded and knotted beneath shadow-slick fur. Its eyes glowed not red, but a sickly green, as if something ancient looked out through them. Horn-like ridges curled from its skull, and when it opened its mouth, rows of jagged teeth gleamed, dripping with rot.

Every instinct inside me screamed run.

But I didn’t.

Ronan shifted again, his wolf snarling, golden fur bristling. He lunged first, striking with all the power of an Alpha’s heir. The impact shook the ground, his jaws clamping down on the monster’s throat.

For a heartbeat, I thought he had it.

Then the creature laughed.

Not snarled. Laughed.

It shook him off like he was nothing, hurling his body into a tree. The crack of wood splitting echoed in my chest. Ronan hit the ground hard, his wolf form twitching.

“Ronan!” My scream ripped free before I could stop it.

The monster turned to me, its green eyes narrowing, its grin too human, too knowing.

“You don’t belong here, little wolf,” it hissed, its voice the scrape of stone against stone.

My bow shook in my hands. I loosed an arrow, then another. Both hit true,one in its chest, one in its neck. But instead of falling, the arrows smoked, disintegrating as though swallowed by the creature’s skin.

It laughed again.

Despair clawed at me, cold and choking. But beneath it something hotter and wilder.

The same heat that had sparked when I killed the Bloodspawn.

It rose inside me, coiling like lightning in my veins. My wolf howled, but not in protest. In… surrender.

Use it, the other voice whispered. Show him what you are.

My hand lifted, trembling. Silver fire flared from my palm, brighter this time, crackling with energy that made the very air hiss.

The creature snarled, stepping back, for the first time… afraid.

I screamed, thrusting the fire forward. It erupted, a wave of shimmering light that struck the monster full in the chest.

It convulsed, shrieking, its body cracking with fissures of silver. Its green eyes bulged, its laughter breaking into raw, choking cries.

Then, with a final, shuddering howl, it exploded into ash.

Silence crashed down.

I fell to my knees, gasping, the silver glow fading from my hand. My chest heaved, my body trembling, drained to the bone.

Behind me, a low growl rumbled.

Ronan.

He shifted back, staggering, blood streaking his skin. His golden eyes locked on me not with anger, not with relief. With something worse.

Fear.

“What the hell are you?” he whispered.

The words cut deeper than claws.

Because I didn’t have an answer.

Ronan’s words hung in the clearing, heavier than the ash still drifting from the monster’s corpse.

What the hell are you?

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to scream. Instead, I forced my trembling hands into fists and met his stare. “I’m your packmate. Nothing more.”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t insult me. I saw it, Luna. That wasn’t wolf. That wasn’t even” He broke off, his jaw clenching so tight the muscle ticked. “Tell me the truth.”

The demand rattled through me, sharp as his dominance. But I’d lived my whole life hiding this. Burying it. If the Pack knew what I carried inside me, they’d do worse than fear me. They’d destroy me.

“I don’t owe you anything,” I snapped, though my voice trembled at the edges.

Ronan’s hand slammed against the tree beside my head, caging me in. His body radiated heat, his golden eyes burning into mine.

“You owe me your life. Twice, now. And you think you can stand here and lie to me?”

The closeness was suffocating. His chest rose and fell against mine, his scent thick with sweat, blood, and wolf. My heart hammered in rhythm with his. My wolf paced restlessly, half ready to bare her throat, half ready to sink her teeth into him.

“I don’t need saving,” I whispered.

His lips curved, though not in amusement more in fury. “Then why do I keep finding you one breath from death?”

We stared at each other, the night closing in, the forest holding its breath. My hands itched to push him away or pull him closer.

And then howls.

Not Bloodspawn. Wolves.

Pack wolves.

The sound split the air, sharp and commanding, coming closer fast.

Ronan swore under his breath, his hand dropping from the tree, though his body stayed close. “The enforcers. They’ll smell the ash. They’ll smell you.”

Panic surged in my throat. If the Pack saw what I’d done… if they saw what I was…

I shoved past him, my voice rough. “Then we both better start running.”

The howls drew nearer, crashing through the forest like a tide.

And for the first time tonight, I didn’t know if Ronan would chase me… or hand me over.