The eyes in the dark

The wind howled across the jagged cliffs of Enigma, carrying with it the scent of fate. Kael stood at the edge of the temple ruins, where the moonlight struck the ancient stone and shimmered like silver fire. His wolf clawed just beneath his skin — primal, possessive, hungry.

He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

For centuries, the prophecy whispered of a child born of moonlight and hidden among humans. A girl with divine blood, daughter of Selene, the goddess who once walked among wolves before fading into the stars.

She was his mate.Kael clenched his jaw. “Prepare the riders,” he commanded Dorian. “We leave at dawn.”

The Beta didn’t question him. “The Enigma Guard will ride with you.”

Kael’s voice dropped into something more dangerous. “No. Only me.”

There was no room for error. If Auron — the disgraced prince, Kael’s banished brother — caught even a whisper of her existence, the realm would burn. Kael had kept peace through dominance and strength. But Aria… she would be his only vulnerability.

Silverpine Forest — hours later

Aria woke in the underbrush, naked and shaking, her body sore and unfamiliar. Her hair clung to her face, damp with sweat, leaves in her curls. Her hands trembled as she reached for her hoodie — shredded. Her phone? Gone.

“What the hell just happened…” she whispered, trying to stand.

She remembered the wolf. The voice. The scream.

And then — the shift.

“Am I losing my mind?”

A rustle in the trees snapped her attention up. Something moved — fast, powerful, quiet. She turned slowly, her heart slamming in her chest.

And then… he stepped out.

Tall, muscular, dressed in black. Not just a man — something more. His presence filled the forest like a storm front. His hair was dark, his jaw sharp, and his eyes—

Glowing silver.

Aria stumbled back. “W-Who are you?”

He didn’t answer right away. He just looked at her. No, devoured her with his eyes. Like he’d been starving and she was the only thing that could satisfy him.

“You’re cold,” he said, pulling off his cloak and wrapping it around her. His voice was gravel and silk.

She stiffened. “You’re—one of them. You’re not human.”

“No,” he said. “And neither are you.”

Her breath caught.

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” she whispered. “I’m not like you. I can’t be.”

“You’re more,” he said simply. “You’re not just wolf. You’re divine. You feel it, don’t you?”

She shook her head, tears welling. “You’re crazy. This is crazy.”

He stepped closer, slow, careful. “I felt your awakening. Across realms. Across blood. You called to me, Aria.”

Her lips parted. “How do you know my name?”

Kael’s eyes darkened, the beast inside him rising.

“Because you were made for me.”

Later That Night

They camped in silence by a stream. Aria sat by the fire, still wrapped in his cloak, while Kael hunted and returned with cooked meat — deer, perfectly roasted without a single tool.

Aria watched him. Strong. Focused. Animal.

Yet something in her leaned toward him.

“I can’t stay here,” she said. “My parents—”

“They’re not your parents.”

Aria’s world tilted. “What?”

“Your mother is Selene,” he said, his voice low. “The Moon Goddess. She gave you to humans to hide you. You’re not safe now.”

Aria stood, shaking. “You’re insane.”

Kael didn’t move. But his words hit like thunder.

“You’re mine, Aria. Fated. Marked. I won’t let anyone take you from me.”

Her heart raced. “I didn’t choose this.”

He stepped forward, lifting her chin with a gentleness that warred with the heat in his eyes.

“Neither did I. But I’ve waited lifetimes for you. And I’ll wait longer if I must.”