Chapter 8 Kindling

Jamie's POV

The river glittered like shattered glass, its surface only wavering from the haphazard dance of moonlight. I sat beside Andrew, close enough to feel the warmth of his body but not close enough to place a hand on him.

Gods, he was beautiful.

Moonlight shaped him like a god' s-each scar telling a story, each muscle tensed with contained strength. He glowed like a creature hammered in legend, even covered with grime and dried blood.

And I? I was doing entirely miserably at not staring.

His jaw. The curve of his shoulders when he breathed in. Those scabbed over parallel scars above his ribs, scars worn like armor. Something burning and needy unwound inside me.

"Staring," he said, without looking.

My face grew hot all over. "I wasn't. I mean, not like-" I yanked a hand through my face. "Hell. I sound like a freak."

Andrew turned to regard me, dark eyes bottomless.

"Jamie."

He stepped forward. The space between us crackled.

"If you're going to stare," he breathed, his voice rough as gravel, "do it right."

Then-

He kissed me.

No hesitation. No gentle discovery. His lips slammed against mine like a storm bursting open, and I shattered.

I kissed him back like I'd been waiting a lifetime for it. His mouth was hot and demanding yet strangely reverent as if he was memorizing me. And when his tongue swept against mine

Fire.

A heartbeat that wasn't mine pounded in my ribs. My skin prickled, veins singing with golden heat. Deep inside, something wild and long-dormant stretched awake.

My wolf.

Andrew tore away, gasping. "You felt that."

I shook my head, shivering. "It's. Alive. Like it knows you."

His thumb stroked my lower lip, a quiet claim. "It is."

The wind shifted.

Andrew tensed. "Someone's here."

********

Unknown POV

Watcher in the Woods

They kissed.

The gentle crunch of flesh on flesh resonated louder than thunder inside my head.

The Moon had cursed them with a bond-and now they dared to participate in it? Here, out where the holy land spread to all horizons?

Blasphemy.

I clenched my teeth, hand clenching the hilt of my dagger. The boy-Jamie-was changing. I could see it in the way he stood. His scent, once muddled and feeble, was beginning to define itself. The wolf was coming out.

That could not be allowed.

Not like this. Not with him.

I crept back into the woods, silent as a ghost, to report what I'd seen.

Let the Elders decide on the punishment that befitted a love so bold as to go against the traditional path.

******

Back to the Lake

Andrew growled. Not at me. Because of me.

"We're not alone," he said to me, stepping in front of me guardedly.

My body is still shuddering-not of fear. Of the changing. My vision went in and out of focus. I felt claws beneath skin, ears quivering to smells I previously did not know existed.

"Andrew," I gasped, "what is happening to me?

He stared at me with fire in his eyes.

"Your wolf is rising. And after tonight." He took my hand again. "It's never sleeping again."

******

Jamie's POV

The moment had passed, but its echo lingered.

Despite Andrew's vigilance, eyes sharp on the woods, I could still feel the spectral touch of his lips on mine. Still taste the warmth of him. Still feel my own heartbeat pounding like it was no longer mine to control.

But that wasn't what was making me shake.

It was my wolf. My wolf.

It coursed under my skin with a presence so real, so alive, that I felt I could reach into my chest and touch it. My legs and arms felt foreign-numb, buzzing. Like static electricity and fire. I looked down at my hands; they convulsed, veins flashing gold briefly before settling back to normal.

Andrew had seen it, too.

He turned back to me, slowly, his voice low and serious. "You felt him... didn't you?"

I nodded. "It wasn't just a feeling. It was... him. He was here."

Andrew's throat bobbed. "He's waking. You're shifting."

"But it's not the moon..."

"No," Andrew said, stepping closer. "It's me."

I blinked. "You?"

He looked almost afraid to say it but did anyway. "Your wolf recognizes mine."

My breath caught.

Mate.

The word hung between us like a prayer-unspoken, yet felt.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. My world was tipping.

But before I could utter a word, a distant wail split the air.

Not a warning. Not a signal.

An alarm.

Andrew's eyes went wide. "They know."

"Who?"

He turned to the trees again. "The patrols. The Council. Someone saw us."

I grabbed his arm. "What now?"

He didn't answer.

He just pulled me close, forehead to forehead, and whispered, "We run."

*******

Council Grounds – Moments Later

Elder Maelin's POV

The fire crackled in the middle of the circle as five hooded figures stood in silence.

Until he staggered into the clearing.

"Elder Maelin!" the scout cried, kneeling, breathless. "They've done it."

Maelin, tall and gaunt, turned slowly. "Who?"

"The wolfless boy... and the Alpha's son."

The council hissed like snakes.

"They kissed. The boy's wolf-it stirred. The bond is real. The prophecy-"

"Enough," Maelin snarled.

He turned to the others. "He's awakened. Sooner than predicted. The Alpha blood has called to him."

Elder Oona stepped forward, her voice a steel blade. "That cannot be allowed."

"If the wolf awakens through love..." Maelin began, "...then the old ways collapse. The boy is more than a host. He becomes a threat."

"Then we sever the bond," one of the others said.

Maelin's eyes went cold. "We track them. We retrieve the boy. And we burn the mating thread before the full moon."

He looked into the fire, eyes narrowing.

"Before he remembers who he is."

*******

Back in the Woods

Jamie's POV

We were running.

Not from the pack. Not from the Elders. Not from the whispers of judgment that swept through the woods like ghosts.

We were running toward something.

Andrew's hand tightened on mine hard. "I know a place. Secret. Sacred. They won't find us there."

My legs burned. My lungs begged. But I didn't falter.

Because somewhere inside, something was calling me too. Urging me on. Leading me through the night, whispering words I didn't know I heard.

Words from my wolf.

"He's your mate. He is your fire. Let me rise.