Chapter 3 MATED BY MOONLIGHT

The full moon hung low and heavy in the sky, draped in silver mist as if the gods themselves watched from above.

All of Blackfang Hold buzzed with uneasy anticipation.

Inside the temple of the Moon Well, flickering torches cast shadows across walls carved with ancient glyphs-stories of bondmates, battles, betrayals. The scent of burning sage filled the air, mingling with crushed wolfsbane and wildflowers. A lone wolf's howl echoed in the distance.

Tonight, Alpha Kael Nightborne would take a Luna.

And no one-not even Kael himself-could predict what that would awaken.

---

Aria stood in the center of the ceremonial chamber, her breath calm, but her heart anything but.

She wore the formal colors of the Blackfang pack-midnight black trimmed with deep silver, her raven hair woven with strands of pale crystal. Her dagger, Kael's gift, was strapped to her thigh beneath the folds of her dress, cold against her skin.

Symbolic. Dangerous. Just like her new life.

The priestess approached, cloaked in silver, her face obscured.

"Have you come willingly, daughter of Mooncrest?" the woman asked, voice deep with age and power.

Aria's jaw clenched. "I have."

"Do you understand the vow you will take?"

"I do."

"To share breath, blood, and bond with the Alpha of Blackfang?"

"I do."

The words were iron on her tongue. Not for Kael-but for the weight of what this union represented.

Peace. Sacrifice. Control.

Still, she would not falter.

She was born of fire.

And fire did not bow.

---

Kael entered moments later, his black ceremonial armor lined with silver runes that pulsed faintly under the moonlight. The great wolf pelt over his shoulders looked more like a crown than cloth. His eyes-those sharp, storm-colored eyes-locked on Aria the moment he stepped inside.

The room hushed.

Two alphas. Two worlds. One bond.

Neither of them moved at first.

Then Kael stepped forward, stopping only when he stood a breath away from her.

"You're not afraid," he murmured.

"Should I be?"

He didn't answer. But his gaze dropped to her mouth-only for a second.

It was enough.

The priestess raised her hands.

"By the laws of the old moon and the promise of new blood, this union shall be sealed."

A silver dagger was handed to Kael.

He took it without flinching and sliced a clean line across his palm. The blood pooled dark and crimson, catching the light like a ruby.

Then he held the blade out to Aria.

She accepted it with calm grace-and did the same, slicing across her palm. Her blood was just as red. Just as bold.

The priestess brought their hands together, binding the bleeding palms with a strip of white cloth.

"Blood for blood. Power for power. From this night forward, let your souls be tied by moon and vow."

The cloth shimmered. Then glowed.

Magic.

Not the fire and flash of spellwork-but the older, quieter magic of the earth and stars.

Kael felt it like a pull beneath his ribs.

Aria felt it like a pressure in her chest, deep and coiling and warm.

The cloth dissolved into light.

And the bond settled between them.

Real. Unforgiving.

Unbreakable.

The room let out a collective breath. But the two newly bound alphas said nothing.

They didn't have to.

They felt each other now.

Not thoughts. Not emotions.

Just presence.

And the weight of a future neither had asked for.

---

Later, in the solitude of Kael's chambers, the silence between them was sharp as steel.

The fire crackled low in the hearth. The bed sat untouched, its furs and velvet robes undisturbed. Aria stood near the window, her arms crossed, her body wrapped in a robe of silver silk.

Kael watched her from across the room.

"You don't have to stay here tonight," he said finally.

"I know."

He waited.

"But I will," she added.

Surprise flickered across his face.

"You'd rather sleep beside an enemy than alone?"

"No," she said. "I'd rather sleep in the den of a wolf I understand than in the silence of a castle full of strangers."

Kael exhaled, low and rough. "You think you understand me?"

"No. But I will."

He crossed the space between them slowly.

"I don't want a mate," he said, voice hoarse.

Aria's gaze didn't flinch. "Neither do I."

"But now we're bound."

"Yes."

Kael looked down at her, the heat between them rising like smoke. "This bond-it changes things. You'll feel when I shift. When I rage. When I bleed."

"I already do," she whispered.

His hand rose-hesitant-then settled lightly against her arm. She tensed but didn't pull away.

"You should hate me," he said.

"I might," she replied. "Give me time."

Kael laughed, the sound dark and genuine. "You're dangerous."

"So are you."

He leaned in then-not with passion, not with urgency-but with something else. Curiosity. Tension. Hunger.

When their lips touched, it was brief. Testing.

When Aria responded, it was with fire.

They kissed like warriors. Like rivals. Like two storms meeting in the sky.

Then they broke apart, breathing hard.

She stepped back first.

"I'm not yours," she said softly.

"No," Kael agreed. "But you're mine to protect."

And in the flickering firelight, that vow felt heavier than the bond itself.

---

The days that followed were tense with transition.

The Blackfang wolves didn't know what to make of their new Luna-especially when she began walking the halls unescorted, speaking to guards by name, and showing up unannounced in war council meetings with questions that cut straight through layers of politics.

Kael didn't stop her.

He didn't encourage her either.

But he watched.

Always watched.

Especially when she trained in the courtyard with the warriors, sweat glistening on her skin, laughter escaping her lips after she bested them with unexpected finesse. She moved like she'd been born in battle.

She was nothing like the soft, simpering princess the elders had hoped for.

And Kael was realizing-he liked that.

Too much.

---

One evening, a raven arrived at the fortress gates.

A black envelope. Wax sealed. Marked with the blood-red crest of a long-dead house.

Kael read the letter alone.

His jaw clenched.

His eyes darkened.

"What is it?" Aria asked when he returned to the hall, noting the way his hand trembled around the parchment.

He said nothing.

But she saw it anyway.

Fear.

Real, raw, unhidden.

Not for himself.

For his people.

He passed her the letter.

She read it quickly-then looked up.

"This name... Lira. Who is she?"

Kael's voice was low and cold. "A ghost."

Aria met his gaze. "Then let's hunt her."

--