The moon rose like a wound in the sky.
Bright. Unforgiving.
And it called to me like it always did — a pull that started deep in my bones and clawed its way to the surface.
I'd been holding it back all night. The shift. The instincts. The hunger.
But Aria's scent was still fresh on my skin — wild and warm and human — and that made it worse.
I told myself I could control it. That I was stronger than this.
But the truth? The beast was already awake.
I moved deeper into the woods, my steps silent but my pulse anything but. Every crack of a twig sounded too loud, every gust of wind carried too many scents. The forest itself seemed to hum under the weight of the full moon.
And somewhere in that hum, I heard them.
The others.
Low growls. Heavy footsteps. The pack.
They were close — closer than I wanted.
"Lucian."
The voice came from the shadows. I didn't turn. I didn't need to. Kane always made his presence known, just enough to get under my skin.
"You're late," he said, tone dripping with amusement. "Trying to play human again?"
"Not tonight," I muttered.
He chuckled. "No? Then why do I still smell her on you?"
My hands curled into fists.
"She's nothing to you, Kane."
"She's a liability," he corrected. "Humans don't just stumble into our woods and live to talk about it. You know the rules."
I did. But I also knew I couldn't follow them.
Not when it came to her.
"She's not your concern."
"Oh, but she is," he said, stepping closer, his eyes flickering gold. "Because when the others find out you've been protecting a human, they'll kill her. And they won't stop there."
Something inside me snapped.
I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against a tree.
"She's under my protection," I growled, my voice more beast than man.
Kane just smiled. "You're losing control, brother. She'll be the end of you."
He wasn't wrong.
The burn beneath my skin spread faster, hotter. My breathing quickened. My hands trembled. The change was coming — too soon, too strong.
The moonlight hit my face, and I felt my body start to twist against my will.
"Lucian?"
Her voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
No.
Not her. Not now.
I turned, and there she was — standing at the edge of the clearing, her expression shifting from confusion to horror as she saw what I was becoming.
"Aria, go," I said through clenched teeth. "Now."
"What's happening to you?"
"Please," I gasped, my voice breaking as my vision blurred. "Don't look at me."
The pain ripped through me. Bones cracked. My pulse thundered. The beast inside me howled for release, for blood, for her.
I fell to my knees.
The last thing I saw before my vision went black was her face — pale, terrified, and still not running.
Then everything went red.
---
End of Chapter 9.