LOVE UNDER THE LUNAR SKY

CHAPTER 12

The forest was finally quiet.

Too quiet.

Lyra hated it. Kael hated it more.

Finn and Mira walked a little ahead of them, bickering as usual.

“It’s your fault,” Mira muttered, swatting a branch out of her way.

“My fault?” Finn gasped dramatically. “Because I tried to save you from a squirrel?”

“That squirrel nearly took your ear off”

“That squirrel was possessed, Mira. I know what I saw.”

Kael exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Just move.”

Lyra’s lips twitched. Even after everything with the Entity, the ridiculousness of her friends was grounding.

But the peace didn’t last long.

A warm light flickered ahead. Someone stood by the riverbank a figure wrapped in earthy tones, a soft glow surrounding them like sunlight caught in human form.

Mira stiffened. “Uh..guys? We didn’t leave anyone here..right?”

Kael pulled Lyra back behind him instinctively. “Stay alert.”

Finn blinked. “Wow. A glowing stranger. Either we’re blessed..or cursed.”

Lyra stepped forward despite Kael’s hand on her arm. “Who are you?”

The stranger turned slowly, smiling in a way that felt..rehearsed. Too smooth. Too perfect.

“Peace to you,” the stranger said warmly. “My name is Aren.”

Lyra exchanged a look with Kael.

The voice was calm. Gentle. But the air around him felt..wrong. Not threatening just off, like someone wearing another person’s skin.

Aren clasped his hands respectfully. “I felt a disturbance around this part of the forest..something dark.” His gaze softened as he looked at Lyra. “It touched you, didn’t it?”

Lyra’s breath hitched. “How do you know that?”

Aren hesitated..just enough to seem human..before smiling again. “Because I’ve spent my life studying the old pacts. I help people break them.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “Breaking pacts? Like..breaking curses?”

Aren nodded. “Exactly.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “That’s convenient.”

Aren chuckled in a patient, forgiving way. “Suspicion is healthy. Especially for an Alpha.”

Kael’s brow twitched. “I didn’t tell you I was an Alpha.”

Aren simply shrugged. “I can sense power.”

Lyra watched closely. Every move he made was slow..controlled..calculated.

Still, she felt drawn in. Not magically emotionally. His presence felt safe.

Too safe.

Something about him put her instincts on edge.

Kael noticed her tension, stepped closer, voice low. “If he touches you, I break his hand.”

Lyra whispered back, “Kael, relax. We need information.”

His hand grazed her waist possessively before he pulled it away.

Aren pretended not to notice. “You’re bonded,” he observed softly. “Or..close to it.”

Lyra flushed. “We’re not”

“Yes, we are,” Kael cut in flatly.

Lyra’s mouth dropped. “Kael!”

He shrugged. “What? I’m not lying.”

Aren’s smile tightened, but he bowed politely. “Bonding strengthens protection. It also draws attention from darker beings.”

Lyra swallowed.

So he knew about the Entity.

Maybe he was useful.

“So,” Finn said loudly, “are you, like..a magical therapist? Or a forest pastor? Or”

“A guide,” Aren interrupted smoothly. “One who can help Lyra sever her ancestral pact..without losing herself.”

Lyra blinked. “You know about that?”

“I know you were offered power,” Aren said softly. “And I know you refused. Which means the Entity will come for you again.”

Cold fear crawled across Lyra’s skin.

Kael moved closer until he was practically shielding her. “And you want to help her because..?”

Aren’s eyes sparkled with sincerity so perfect it felt manufactured. “Because she deserves freedom.”

Lyra almost believed him.

Almost.

Mira stepped beside her, whispering, “I don’t trust people who smile like saints. It’s creepy.”

Finn nodded. “Facts. He looks like someone who eats fruits with a fork.”

Mira gasped. “Exactly!”

Aren smiled at them. “You’re a spirited group.”

Kael didn’t smile back. “What’s your real motive?”

Aren held his gaze. “If I wanted to hurt you, you would already be hurt. I’m offering guidance. Nothing more.”

His eyes flicked to Lyra..just for a second.

Something predatory flashed beneath his calm expression.

Gone in an instant.

Lyra stiffened.

She wasn’t imagining it.

Kael noticed. His voice dropped an octave. “Lyra. Behind me.”

Aren held up his hands. “Calm down. I mean no harm”

“Prove it,” Kael growled.

Aren considered. Then he stepped forward slowly and kneeled, bowing his head. “I offer myself in peace. My knowledge is yours.”

Finn whispered, “Dang. Dramatic much?”

Mira elbowed him. “Shut up.”

Lyra stepped forward before Kael could stop her. “If you want to help, answer this: how do I break the pact?”

Aren lifted his head.

“By trusting me.”

Kael scoffed. “Not happening.”

Aren sighed. “Then at least allow me to show you something.”

He lifted his hand.

Light flared warm and harmless and formed a floating symbol. The same sigil that had appeared when the Entity confronted Lyra.

Lyra gasped. “That’s..the marking.”

Aren nodded. “I can read it. Decipher it. Undo part of it.” His gaze softened. “But only if you let me closer to you.”

Kael stepped between them so fast the light flickered. “Back. Up.”

Aren’s smile never wavered, but something sharp glinted in his eyes. “Alpha Kael.. you do realize your protectiveness can hinder her growth?”

Kael’s fury simmered. “Touch her, and your bones will decorate this forest.”

Lyra tugged Kael’s arm gently. “Kael ..let’s hear him out. Just hear him.”

His jaw clenched. Hard. But he stepped back half an inch.

Aren stood slowly. “Thank you. Now..the first step is understanding your bloodline. Your ancestor made the pact willingly. You will need someone strong enough to stand with you when you face the truth.”

Lyra frowned. “Who?”

Aren’s eyes glittered.

“Me,” he said simply.

Kael barked a humorless laugh. “Over my dead body.”

Aren tilted his head slightly. “If the time comes, Kael… that might be arranged.”

Silence.

Cold. Sharp. Heavy.

Lyra’s heartbeat thundered. “What did you say?”

Aren smiled again calm, sweet, deceptive. “A joke. Only a joke.”

But no one laughed.

Finn whispered, “Lyra, I’m scared.”

Mira murmured, “Same. His vibe is giving… serial killer disguised as motivational speaker.”

Aren bowed slightly. “I will return tomorrow at dawn. Think it over.”

He turned and walked into the forest, sunlight curling around him unnaturally, like it obeyed him.

When he vanished, the forest exhaled.

Kael grabbed Lyra gently but urgently by the shoulders. “You are NOT meeting him alone.”

Lyra nodded, breath trembling. “I know.”

Finn cleared his throat. “Guys..we are so doomed.”

Mira sighed dramatically. “At least let me die with cute hair.”

Lyra looked into the shadows where Aren had disappeared.

Her instincts whispered one thing clearly:

The real war hadn’t even begun.