Chapter 3 The Rouge Mercy

Darkness swallowed Elysia whole.

She was aware of movement-rough hands gripping her arms, the sensation of being lifted, carried. Her mind drifted in and out of consciousness, the throbbing pain in her wrist pulsing in time with her heartbeat.

A deep voice rumbled somewhere nearby.

"She's stronger than she looks."

Another voice, colder this time. "That's the problem."

A sudden jolt sent sharp pain through her skull, dragging her back to awareness. Her eyes fluttered open, but the world was still a haze. She felt the hard press of stone beneath her, the musty scent of damp earth filling her lungs.

She was underground.

Blinking against the dim light, Elysia forced herself upright. The space around her was a cavern, carved from rough rock, lit only by a single torch on the wall. A crude iron door stood across the room.

She was in a cell.

Footsteps echoed outside. A moment later, the heavy door swung open, and Kaine Valen stepped inside.

His presence filled the small space, the sheer weight of his gaze suffocating. He stood with the quiet confidence of someone who had nothing to fear-broad shoulders framed by the flickering firelight, golden eyes unreadable.

Elysia swallowed hard.

"Where am I?"

Kaine didn't answer. Instead, he stepped closer, crouching before her.

Her pulse hammered.

"You ran," he said, his voice deceptively calm. "Why?"

Elysia clenched her fists. "Because your wolves were hunting me."

His lips curled slightly, but there was no amusement in it. "They weren't hunting you. They were sent to retrieve you."

Her stomach twisted. "By who?"

Kaine tilted his head. "You really don't know, do you?"

Elysia's chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. "Know what?"

He studied her, silent for a long moment. Then, without warning, he reached forward and grabbed her wrist.

The Lunar Scar ignited with heat.

A gasp tore from her throat as raw energy crackled between them. Kaine's jaw tightened, his fingers flexing against her skin.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"You're not human."

Elysia stilled.

She tried to pull away, but he didn't let go.

"You've felt it, haven't you?" he pressed. "Something changing inside you. Something waking up."

She shook her head. "I don't-"

"The mark," Kaine interrupted, his grip tightening slightly. "It's not just decoration. It's a symbol. And it means one thing."

The firelight cast shadows across his sharp features as he leaned in.

"You," he murmured, "are Lunara."

The word sent a shiver down her spine.

Lunara.

She had heard the name before, buried in the myths of old. A being neither human nor wolf. Something more.

Something dangerous.

Elysia's breath caught. "That's impossible."

Kaine's expression didn't waver.

"The Council doesn't think so."

Her blood turned to ice.

"The Council?" she echoed.

"They're the ones who ordered your capture," Kaine said, finally releasing her wrist. "And once they find out what you are, they'll have you killed."

Elysia's heartbeat pounded in her ears. "Why?"

Kaine exhaled slowly, his golden gaze burning into hers.

"Because you were never meant to exist."

The words settled heavily between them.

Elysia's hands trembled as she clenched them in her lap. "Then why haven't you killed me already?"

For the first time, something flickered across Kaine's face-hesitation.

A pause. A beat too long.

And then, softly, he answered.

"Because I don't think I can."