Moonbound

Chapter Two

Smoke, blood, and a wild smell that didn't belong inside stone walls filled the hall.

Near the doors lay the bodies of two outlaws, their enormous bodies already reverting to human form, motionless and nude. With low growls and keen eyes for any remaining danger, the Draven wolves moved among the injured.

My pulse continued to pound in my ears as I stood motionless. I hardly remembered pushing the overturned table, but it was splintered where it had hit the rogue.

As though I had grasped lightning, my palms were burning and my skin was tingling.

The sound was broken by Thorn's voice. "Everyone is out. Right now.”

It didn't have to be yelled.

Even those who were too hurt to move fast were sent running towards the side exits by the sheer weight of his voice.

He gave them orders with a curt flick of his hand after a few pack members paused and looked to him for guidance.

The hall quickly became empty, leaving only a few guards standing. as well as myself. With long, purposeful steps, Thorn moved across the room between us, his gaze fixed on mine.

His presence was even more oppressive up close, not only due to his height or the bare muscle under his suit, but also to the way he carried himself, which made it seem as if the air itself was bending to his will.

"What was that?"

My throat tightened as I blinked. "What was what?”

He clenched his jaw.

"You took action before the rogue got to you.

You were able to avoid it by moving more quickly than most wolves could react. And that table.

He glanced at the broken wood, then back at me. "You're a human. That shouldn't have been possible for you.”

I felt a knot in my stomach. "I have no idea what you're discussing."

"Don't tell me lies." Though quiet, the words had a sharp edge. "I noticed you."

His gaze weighed so heavily on me that the urge to argue died in my throat. I tried to think of something, anything, that would make sense, but all of the justifications seemed weak.

I was unable to tell him about the voice that wasn't mine or how time had slowed. Not when I didn't even comprehend it.

At last, I said, "I got lucky."

Thorn's eyes narrowed as he looked for the flaw in my response. His voice was even lower when he spoke again.

"Power doesn't smell like luck."

One of his lieutenants, a tall, sandy-haired wolf with blood on his hands and a deep gash down one arm, came over before I could reply.

“The border patrol says there is more activity in the woods, Alpha. Following the attack, at least six rogues dispersed. They're moving east.”

As he responded, Thorn kept his eyes on me.

"Increase patrols by twofold. Additionally, nobody leaves the area without my permission.”

The lieutenant hesitated. “What about—”

“She stays under guard,” Thorn said, his gaze still holding mine. “At all times.”

The order landed like a chain around my neck. I wanted to protest, to tell him I didn’t need his protection, but deep down I knew it wasn’t about keeping me safe.

It was about keeping me contained.

*******

Thorn went off to organise the search for the remaining rogues, leaving me flanked by two guards.

Neither one said anything.

They were dark-clad, large, broad-shouldered men who moved with the fluid silence of predators, their eyes constantly searching.

The walk to the Draven estate was silent except for the crunch of gravel underfoot and the distant calls of night creatures in the trees. With its dark stone, steep roof, and windows that glowed dimly against the shadowed woods, the building loomed out of the mist like something that had been born from the forest itself.

The air inside had a subtle cedar and smoke scent, but it was insufficient to relieve the coldness in my bones.

Until we arrived at a room at the far end of an upper corridor, the guards led me through lengthy, reverberating hallways while their boots clicked on polished floors.

Without saying a word, one of them opened the door. With a canopy bed covered in dark cloth and a fireplace illuminating shelves brimming with vintage books, it was bigger than my whole flat back home.

The taller guard said, "You'll remain here." There was no room for debate in his tone, but it wasn't rude. "Orders from the Alpha." "What if I don't?" I enquired.

The faint smile on the other guard's face was devoid of humour. "You'll then make things hard for yourself."

The lock clicked softly into place, and they walked out without saying another word. With my hands shaking and every muscle in my body hurting from the day's stress, I stood in the middle of the room.

The disappearance of my sister.

The ritual.

Thorn's denial.

The assault.

The world had slowed, that impossible moment. The velvet cover felt cool beneath my palms as I sank onto the bed.

Thorn's statement, "Luck doesn't smell like power," kept coming back to me. I didn't intend to doze off, but fatigue quickly pulled me down.

Almost instantly, the dream came.

Moonlight streamed through the branches in silver streams as I stood in the centre of the forest.

Wolves, dozens of them, with eyes like embers, were among the shadows that shifted between the trees.

A tall, cloaked figure with a hidden face emerged from the pack.

The figure whispered, "Moonborn," the word curling like smoke in the air.

The earth shook under my feet. The wolves started to circle, moving in perfect unison, seemingly with a single thought.

Then the figure raised a hand, and everything stopped. The leaves hung in midair, the wind slowed, and even the sound of my own breathing stopped.

Once more, the figure's voice was low and confident. “You're not prepared. However, you will be.”

I woke with a gasp, the room dark and silent except for the crackle of the fire. My heart was racing, and for a moment I half expected to see glowing eyes in the shadows.

But I was alone.

Or at least, I thought I was — until the faintest scrape of movement sounded outside my locked door.