His Bite My Ruin

Chapter 4

The heavy oak doors of the King’s private chamber swung shut with a resonant thud, sealing off the rest of the Midnight Eclipse Pack’s underground fortress. Golden sconces cast flickering light across walls lined with ancient tapestries depicting great hunts and bloody victories. The air carried the scent of aged leather, burning cedar, and raw power.

King Harlan Voss sat behind his massive desk of polished black wood, a crystal glass of aged whiskey in his hand. His silver-streaked hair caught the light as he leaned back, expression grim. Across from him, the Luna — Selene Voss — glided into the room like a storm wrapped in silk. She was elegance personified: tall and regal, with long raven hair pinned elegantly and piercing silver eyes that missed nothing. As Luna, she was the heart of the pack, the soothing balance to Harlan’s iron fist, yet no one doubted her own ruthless streak when it came to protecting their legacy.

“You summoned me urgently, my King,” Selene said, her voice smooth but edged with concern. She took the seat opposite him, folding her hands in her lap. “What has happened? The pack feels… unsettled tonight.”

Harlan set his glass down with deliberate force. “Our son has made a grave mistake. Or perhaps committed an act of reckless mercy. A turned human now walks our territory.”

Selene’s eyes widened fractionally — the only sign of shock she allowed herself. “A turned? In our city? How?”

“A rogue attacked a human girl last night in the eastern alleys. Kael was tracking the beast. The girl was bleeding out… and he bit her.” Harlan’s voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “Seer sensed her this morning. The signature carries traces of Alpha blood. Our bloodline. If the elders or rival packs discover this impurity, they will demand her head — and question Kael’s fitness to rule.”

Selene rose slowly, pacing before the desk. Her long gown whispered against the marble floor. “A turned human is unstable at best, deadly at worst. Most don’t survive the first full shift without going feral. If she does… she could expose us all.” She stopped, fixing her mate with a sharp look. “But Kael chose to save her. That is not like him. He has always upheld the laws of purity.”

Harlan’s jaw tightened. “Exactly. Which is why I ordered him to lead the hunt. He will find her, contain her, and deal with the threat quietly. The pack cannot afford weakness — not with the Silverfang sniffing at our borders and rogues growing bolder. Purity is what keeps us strong. Turned blood dilutes the ancient lines.”

Selene placed a hand on her mate’s shoulder, her touch both comforting and commanding. “Then let us hope our son remembers his duty. The Moon Goddess tests us all. If this girl becomes a problem, she must be silenced before she brings ruin upon the Midnight Eclipse.”

Harlan nodded, but a shadow crossed his face. In the depths of the pack, loyalty was absolute — yet even the strongest bloodlines carried secrets. For now, the Luna and Alpha would watch. Closely.

Meanwhile, high above in the rain-slicked streets of Eldridge City, Lila Evergreen moved like a ghost through the night. The fever had not broken. If anything, it had deepened into a constant, gnawing fire that made every breath feel labored. The black veins had spread further across her neck and collarbone, visible even under the high collar of her jacket. Her eyes — now flecked with unnatural amber — darted nervously at every shadow.

She had spent the afternoon in a frenzy of research on her dying laptop, cross-referencing old folklore sites, conspiracy forums, and blurry “eyewitness” accounts of strange attacks in Eldridge. Most were nonsense, but a few threads kept pulling her back: whispers of an underground elite that controlled the city from the shadows, families with old money and darker secrets, sightings of wolves where none should exist.

One recurring name fragment stood out — “Midnight” or “Eclipse” something. A private club? A company? She couldn’t pin it down, but the alley where she’d been attacked seemed like the only starting point.

Her legs carried her there almost against her will. The narrow passage still reeked of blood and rain, even hours later. Broken glass crunched under her sneakers as she swept her cheap flashlight beam across the ground. Her heightened senses picked up every detail: the faint copper tang of her own dried blood, the musky residue of wet fur, and something else — a clean, storm-like scent that made her stomach twist with confusing hunger.

She knelt, fingers tracing the spot where she had slumped against the wall. “What are you?” she whispered to the empty air. “Why did you do this to me?”

A distant siren wailed. Lila flinched, the sound piercing her skull like a knife. Her nails — longer and sharper than they had any right to be — dug into her palms. The bite mark throbbed viciously, sending another unwanted wave of heat cascading through her body. She bit back a moan as her skin flushed and her core clenched with aching need she refused to name.

This wasn’t just sickness. It was violation. Her body no longer felt like her own.

Determined, she straightened and began walking the perimeter of the alley, searching for any clue — a footprint, a scrap of fabric, anything. Her investigation was clumsy, born of desperation rather than skill. She didn’t notice the two figures watching her from the rooftops above.

Kael Voss crouched in the shadows, golden eyes locked on the girl below. The moment her scent hit him — rain-soaked fear mixed with the unmistakable trace of his own bite — his wolf surged forward with a possessive snarl. It was her. The one he had marked in that split-second decision. The one whose changing blood now called to him in ways that defied every law of the pack.

Beside him, his closest friend and future Beta, Ryker Blackthorn — son of the King’s Beta Marcus — tensed. Ryker was built like a tank, with cropped dark hair and sharp green eyes that missed nothing. “That’s her?” he muttered. “The turned one Seer sensed. s**t, Kael… she reeks of your bloodline. If your father finds out you created her—”

“He won’t,” Kael cut in, voice low and commanding. “Not yet.”

He watched Lila stumble slightly as another cramp hit her. Even from this distance, he could see the black veins crawling up her neck, the way her beautiful features twisted in pain and confusion. Long dark hair spilled from under her hood, framing a face that was far too striking for the suffering etched across it. His wolf howled internally, demanding he go to her, protect what was his.

But the pack would kill her on sight. Turned humans were abominations — weak, unpredictable, a threat to purity. His own father had made that law ironclad.

“I need time,” Kael said, more to himself than Ryker. “She’s changing too fast. If I bring her in now, they’ll execute her before she can control it. Or worse — use her to test my loyalty.”

Ryker rubbed his jaw. “So what’s the plan, future Alpha? You can’t exactly adopt a stray turned wolf.”

Kael’s golden eyes narrowed with decision. “We hide her. In plain sight. Inside the pack house. As my personal maid. No one questions the heir’s servants. You’ll help mask her scent — your family’s suppression runes are strong enough. We keep her locked down until I figure out what the bond… what the bite really means.”

Ryker whistled low. “Dangerous game. If the King or elders catch wind—”

“They won’t. Not if you do your part.” Kael’s tone left no room for argument. “She suffers because of me. I won’t let the pack tear her apart before I understand why her scent drives my wolf insane.”

Down below, Lila straightened suddenly, nostrils flaring. She caught a whiff of that same storm-pine scent — stronger now, closer. Her head snapped up toward the rooftops, but she saw nothing but darkness and rain.

“Show yourself!” she called out, voice trembling but defiant. “Whoever you are… whatever you did to me… I need answers!”

Her words echoed uselessly. The fever spiked again, forcing her to double over with a gasp. When she looked up, the alley felt heavier, as if eyes watched from every shadow.

Kael dropped silently from the roof, landing with predatory grace just out of her direct line of sight. Ryker followed, already murmuring ancient suppression words under his breath — runes that would dull her emerging scent to most wolves.

Before Lila could react, a strong hand clamped over her mouth from behind. Another arm banded around her waist like steel. She thrashed wildly, muffled scream vibrating against warm skin that smelled exactly like the shadow from her nightmares.

“Quiet, little wolf,” Kael’s deep voice rumbled against her ear, sending unwanted shivers down her spine despite the terror. “You’re coming with me. Fighting will only make the pain worse.”

Lila’s eyes widened in panic. She bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth, tasting blood. The man — impossibly strong, impossibly hot — didn’t even flinch. Instead, a low, approving growl escaped him.

Ryker stepped forward, pressing a cool rune-etched stone to her neck near the bite. Instant numbness spread through her senses, dulling the overwhelming smells and sounds. “That should hold for now,” he muttered. “Let’s move before anyone else senses her.”

Kael lifted Lila effortlessly as she began to sag, the suppression already draining her remaining fight. Her long hair spilled over his arm like dark silk. Up close, her beauty hit him harder — pale skin flushed with fever, full lips parted in confusion, those haunting amber-flecked eyes staring up at him with raw accusation.

“You…” she slurred, fighting unconsciousness. “You smell like the alley… the bite…”

“Sleep,” Kael commanded softly, his Alpha tone laced with something gentler than he intended. “I won’t let them kill you. Not yet.”

As her eyes fluttered shut, he carried her toward a hidden entrance leading down into the pack’s domain — a world she was never meant to enter.

Ryker fell in step beside him, scanning for threats. “Personal maid, huh? Bold cover. Hope you know what you’re doing, Kael. One wrong move and we’re both dead.”

Kael’s golden eyes burned as he looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms — the curse he had created, the secret that could destroy his future… or remake it.

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” he lied.

For the first time in his life, the future Alpha of the Midnight Eclipse Pack was playing a dangerous game with forces even he didn’t fully understand.

And the girl whose life he had shattered was now hidden at the very heart of the beast’s den.