The Moon's warning
1243 Words
The night air felt heavier than usual, thick with an energy I couldn’t name. I stood on the balcony outside my office, staring at the forest that surrounded my pack like a living wall. The moon was climbing above the treetops—full, bright, watching. Judging.
It felt like she was judging me.
Because of him.
Liam had been in my territory for two days now. Two days of tension. Two days of silence mixed with the faint hum of the bond that had begun to pulse between us like a heartbeat I couldn’t block out.
I hated it.
I hated him.
I hated how my wolf reacted every time his scent drifted near—fresh pine, storm winds, something wild beneath. A scent that should’ve belonged to an Alpha. But Liam was no Alpha. He was nothing. A wounded rogue with a broken past and no pack.
So why did the moon give him to me?
The handle of the balcony door clicked softly, and I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. His scent reached me before he did.
Liam stepped out quietly, moving slowly so as not to startle me—like I was the fragile one. His bandaged arm rested against his side, and bruises still touched the edges of his jaw. He looked exhausted, but those eyes… those silver-grey eyes held strength he didn’t even know he had.
“Alpha Selene,” he said gently. My title rolled off his tongue with a strange mix of respect and… something else I refused to name.
“Why are you out of bed?” I asked, keeping my voice firm. I refused to let him see how the sight of him standing there tugged at something deep inside my chest.
Liam hesitated. “I needed air.”
“Take it in your room.”
“That room feels like a prison,” he said quietly.
I turned to face him fully. “It’s a room in the Alpha’s house, not a cell.”
He held my gaze. “Then why does it feel like you’re keeping me at arm’s length?”
My jaw tightened. “Because I am.”
Liam’s breath caught, barely noticeable. He stepped forward until the moonlight brushed his face, highlighting the shadows beneath his eyes.
“You feel it too,” he whispered. “Don’t lie to me. The bond… it’s there. It’s pulling us together whether you want it or not.”
Of course I felt it. My wolf felt it so strongly she paced inside me, restless, irritated, desperate. But I couldn’t let him know that.
“The bond means nothing,” I forced out.
“It means everything,” he countered.
The wind rustled the trees below us, as if the forest itself listened.
I turned away from him again. “You know nothing about my world. Nothing about what it means to be bonded to an Alpha. You’re better off far from me.”
“You saved my life,” he said softly. “You keep saying you don’t want me here, but your actions say something different.”
I swallowed hard. “Don’t mistake duty for choice.”
He walked until he stood beside me, but kept a respectful distance. His presence still felt too close.
“For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “I didn’t ask for this either.”
His honesty cut deeper than any blade.
Before I could speak, a loud howl echoed from the forest—sharp, urgent, warning. My head snapped up, instincts firing.
Another howl answered.
Then another.
My Gamma, Zara, burst onto the balcony. “Alpha! Scouts spotted movement in the northern ridge. A group of wolves—unknown. They’re close.”
My blood heated instantly. The northern ridge was the border closest to our enemies—Shadow Fang Pack.
The same pack Liam said attacked him.
“Numbers?” I demanded.
“At least ten. Maybe more.”
I clenched my fists. “Prepare the warriors. I’m coming.”
Zara nodded and sprinted off.
When I turned back, Liam’s expression had changed. His jaw tightened. His eyes sharpened.
“My wolf recognizes their scent,” he murmured. “It’s them. The same wolves who chased me.”
“Then stay here,” I ordered. “You’re injured.”
Liam stepped forward. “I can fight.”
“No.”
“You need me.”
“YOU need to heal,” I snapped.
He didn’t back down. “If those wolves came into your territory, they didn’t come for me. They came for you.”
A cold realization slid through me. He was right.
“They’re testing your borders,” Liam continued. “And if their Alpha wants war… this won’t be the last attack.”
“All the more reason for you to stay inside.”
He shook his head, breathing hard. “Selene, I can help you. I know their fighting style—their weaknesses. I know how they think.”
“I said no,” I growled, my wolf pushing through.
He met my eyes without flinching. “I’ve survived them longer than most. Let me help you. Please.”
The last word hit something deep inside me.
But I couldn’t risk him.
“It’s not your place to stand beside me in battle,” I said quietly. “You’re not my Beta. You’re not my warrior. You’re not part of this pack.”
He looked hurt, but he didn’t step back.
“You’re right,” he whispered. “I’m none of those things.”
He paused.
“But I am your mate.”
The world seemed to stop.
My heart thudded hard, painful. The bond pulsed between us, fierce, alive.
I forced myself to breathe. “That doesn’t give you the right to follow me into danger.”
“It gives me every right,” he said, voice low, intense. “You think the bond is just emotion? It’s instinct. Protection. Loyalty. If you walk onto that battlefield, every part of me will follow whether you command it or not.”
His words shook me.
Because I knew he was telling the truth.
But I couldn’t let him get hurt. Not because he was my mate. But because losing someone—anyone—on my watch was unbearable.
And losing him…
That thought I couldn’t even touch.
I stepped closer, so close I could feel his breath.
“Listen to me,” I said softly but firmly. “If you step foot outside this house, I will lock you in the dungeons myself. Do you understand?”
His eyes widened. “Selene—”
“Do. You. Understand?”
He swallowed. “Yes.”
“Good.”
I stepped back, breaking the moment between us. My heart throbbed painfully.
I wasn’t sure what scared me more—
The attack coming for my pack…
Or the man who was slowly cracking open every wall I had ever built.
I turned away before he could see the confusion in my eyes.
“Stay inside,” I said one last time, then headed toward the stairs.
As I left the balcony, I felt his gaze on my back—heavy, frustrated, longing.
The moonlight caught on the railing, and for a moment, the bond tugged sharply, like it was warning me.
Or guiding me.
I ignored it and walked into the night.
War called.
And I would answer it.
- Writer
