Chapter 4 Whispers in the Dark

The night pressed heavy over Silverclaw lands. Clouds smothered the moon, turning the forest into a restless sea of black. The air smelled of pine and damp earth, sharp enough to sting her nose. Rhea pulled her cloak tighter as she slipped past the garden wall. Each step was careful, her boots pressing into soft soil, her heart hammering too loud in her chest.

She shouldn't be here. She knew it with every part of her. Yet she kept moving, deeper into the dark.

Her body no longer felt like her own. Since that first look in the patrol yard, since her eyes had locked on the rogue's, something inside her burned and pulled with a force she couldn't fight. She hated it. She wanted it. The ache had only grown worse. Every breath was heavy, every night sleepless.

The bond.

It was a curse... and yet it was the only thing that had ever made her feel alive.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of Dorian. Her Alpha. Her mate in name, not in soul. When he touched her, her skin crawled. His voice was silk to others but poison to her. She had been chosen for this life, forced into it by the Goddess herself. But now, for the first time, she doubted if this was what the Goddess truly wanted.

Her hands clenched in her cloak as she pushed forward, the forest whispering around her. A low breeze stirred, carrying scents of moss, pine... and wolf.

Her heart stuttered.

It wasn't just any wolf. It was him.

"Rhea."

Her name, low and rough, broke the silence.

Her breath hitched. Slowly, she turned. And there he was.

Jace stepped out of the shadows, tall and sharp, silver eyes glowing faint in the dark. His shirt clung to his chest, torn at the sleeve. Dirt streaked his jaw, but nothing dimmed the raw power in his stance. He looked dangerous, untamed, and so alive that her pulse tripped over itself.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, her voice catching.

He moved closer, steady and unhurried. "Neither should you."

Her throat tightened. The pull inside her chest snapped taut, sharp as wire. Her body swayed toward him before she could stop it. He smelled of earth and smoke, wild and fierce, and her knees weakened under the weight of it. She pressed back against the nearest tree, needing space, needing air.

But Jace didn't give her either. He stopped a breath away, his gaze burning into hers. "You came looking for me."

Her lips parted. She shook her head fast. "No. I... I can't. I shouldn't."

His hand lifted, brushing the edge of her cloak. Even that faint touch sent fire rippling across her skin. "Then why are you here?"

Her chest rose quick, shallow. Her voice trembled out, no longer strong, only bare truth. "Because I can't stop it."

Jace leaned in, close enough that his breath warmed her lips. His eyes darkened, hunger flashing there. "Neither can I."

The space between them vanished. His lips brushed hers, soft at first, as if testing her, waiting for the rejection. But no rejection came. The moment his mouth touched hers, every wall inside her cracked. Heat exploded under her skin, sharp, aching, endless.

Her fingers clutched his shirt, pulling him closer. The kiss was deeper every second, hungry and desperate, every second pouring fuel into the fire. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin as though she was something precious. She melted into him, trembling, gasping against his mouth, her world shattering and rebuilding all at once.

When he pulled back, her breath tore free in ragged bursts. Her lips tingled. Her body throbbed. Her heart felt too big for her chest.

"You feel it," he said, voice low, steady. "The bond."

Her eyes burned, tears threatening. She pressed her forehead against his chest, her shoulders shaking. "It's going to destroy me."

His hand slid to the back of her neck, firm, grounding. "No. It's going to save you."

The words made her ache. She wanted to believe him, wanted to let that strength hold her. But she wasn't free. She was bound by vows and chains she could never escape. She was Luna to a man who owned her.

Her voice cracked. "You don't understand. If he finds out..."

"I'll kill him," Jace said, sharp as steel, without hesitation.

Her breath caught. She jerked back, staring at him. "Don't say that. You don't know what he's capable of."

"And you don't know what I'm capable of," Jace shot back. His jaw clenched, his eyes glowing brighter in the dark.

The air got quite thick, heavy with their words, with the bond pressing harder between them. Silence engulfed them, charged and dangerous.

Then a rustle cut through the night.

Rhea froze. Jace turned, body taut, ready to strike.

Voices drifted from the trees... rough, low, closing in. Too many. Too close.

Jace cursed under his breath. "They're tracking me."

Fear coiled tight in her stomach. "If they see us..."

"They won't." He caught her hand, his grip strong, sure. "But you need to trust me."

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Trust him? A rogue? A stranger? Yet her hand didn't pull back.

He tugged her into the shadows, weaving between trees, their steps silent but quick. Branches scraped her cloak. Her breath came hard, loud in her ears, as the voices faded behind them. They stopped in a hollow, shielded by thick pines.

Rhea leaned back against a tree, chest heaving. Jace stood close, his body tense, his gaze fixed on the dark.

Her hand still clung to his. She hadn't let go.

"Rhea," he said softly, finally turning toward her. "Whatever happens... you're not alone anymore."

Her throat ached. The words cracked something inside her, something she'd buried for years. She wanted to believe him. I wanted to step into that promise. But the truth was cruel. She was Luna to Silverclaw. She would always be chained.

Still... she didn't let go of his hand.

Then it came.

A howl split the night.

It ripped through the trees, long and sharp, answered by more in the distance.

Rhea's blood turned cold.

The hunters weren't gone.

They had found them.

And this time, they were close.