Blood Moon Oath

Chapter 5 – The Escape

Selene was done waiting.

She had spent two days in this stone prison, pacing like a caged animal, feeling the mate bond tighten its grip on her with every passing hour.

Kael had barely shown his face, but she felt him. Everywhere. In the air she breathed, in the heavy weight of his presence pressing down on her through the walls.

It was suffocating.

And she refused to be tamed.

She knelt by the heavy wooden door, running her fingers along the edge of the lock. She had been testing it for hours, searching for any weakness. Shadowfang wolves were built for war, but they weren’t trained to guard against someone like her—someone who had spent a lifetime escaping.

The lock was old. Strong, but not indestructible.

Selene inhaled slowly, reaching inside herself for the power she had spent years suppressing.

A flicker of warmth sparked in her fingertips. A whisper of energy.

She exhaled and pressed her palm against the metal.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the lock snapped open.

She didn’t stop to think. She shoved the door inward and slipped into the dimly lit corridor. The torches cast flickering shadows along the stone walls, but the halls were empty.

Good.

Moving quickly, she padded down the corridor, her bare feet silent against the cold stone. She had memorized the patrol routes from the small window in her room—Kael’s warriors were disciplined, but predictable.

She just needed to reach the northern wall. If she could shift and clear it, she could disappear into the mountains before Kael even knew she was gone.

The bond tugged at her, trying to pull her back.

Selene ignored it. She had to.

The halls remained eerily silent as she slipped past an empty guard post. Something about the stillness made the hair on her arms rise, but she pushed the feeling down. She was so close.

She turned the final corner—

And crashed into a wall of muscle.

Selene gasped as Kael’s hands closed around her arms, holding her firmly in place.

His silver eyes burned as he looked down at her, amusement flickering beneath the storm of his fury.

"You’re fast," he murmured, his grip tightening. "But not fast enough."

Selene lunged, trying to twist out of his grasp, but Kael was faster. In one smooth motion, he spun her, pressing her back against the stone wall, caging her with his body.

Her heart pounded.

"You picked the lock," he said, his voice dangerously soft. "Impressive."

Selene glared up at him, refusing to let him see her fear. "Let me go."

Kael tilted his head. "I think we both know that’s not going to happen."

The heat of his body pressed against hers, his scent wrapping around her like a trap. Cedar, smoke, and something undeniably him.

Selene clenched her jaw. "You can’t keep me here forever."

Kael’s gaze dropped to her lips for the briefest second before meeting her eyes again. "I don’t plan to."

Her breath hitched.

"What—"

Before she could finish, Kael hoisted her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing.

"Put me down!" she snarled, kicking at him.

Kael didn’t even flinch. "You had your chance to leave peacefully. Now you deal with me."

Selene cursed, twisting, but it was useless. His grip was iron.

He carried her through the halls, completely unfazed by her struggling. Warriors passing by barely spared them a glance, as if this was just another day in the Shadowfang Pack.

Selene’s face burned.

Kael reached his destination—his chambers.

He pushed the door open and tossed her onto the massive bed.

Selene scrambled upright, her breath heaving, but Kael was already in front of her, his gaze dark.

"You want to run?" His voice was low, dangerous. "Then run. But next time, I won’t just catch you, Selene."

A shiver ran through her at the unspoken promise in his words.

The worst part?

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to escape at all.