Night falls on the village of Croc-Lune like a stretching beast.
Torches are lit, shadows dance against the rock walls, and the air fills with the smell of fire, leather... and wild animals.
Kael guides her across the stone terraces.
He no longer touches her, but stays close enough for her to feel his warmth.
As if he could catch her at the slightest sign of danger.
Or hold her back if she tried to flee.
The other lupins watch her pass in silence.
Some are curious, others suspicious, and still others... hungry.
Kael growls at every glance that is a little too insistent.
"They're not going to eat you," he whispers, without turning around.
"Oh. Great. What an improvement."
He ignores them, or pretends to.
They arrive at a circular platform overlooking a breathtaking panorama: the nighttime forest stretching as far as the eye can see.
A small stone hut stands there, isolated from the rest of the village.
"This is where you'll sleep," Kael says.
She frowns.
"And you? Where will you sleep?"
He crosses his arms, looking offended that she would ask the question.
"In front of the door."
She almost burst out laughing.
"Wait, no... really?"
— Yes.
"Why?"
— To protect what is mine.
She opens her mouth, ready to protest, then...
— Stop. No. Let's get something straight. I'm not "yours."
He looks at her for a long time.
Very long.
Then he shakes his head.
"Your Resonance affected me. It's instinctive. There's no arguing with it."
She runs a hand through her hair, lost.
"I'm literally scared. I don't understand what's happening to me. And you're acting like I'm... territory."
Kael slowly approaches her.
She takes a step back.
He stops.
"I won't touch you. Not if you don't want me to."
His voice is hoarse but sincere.
"But I can't ignore what you are. Or what you did to me."
He puts his hand on his chest, just above his heart.
"When you panicked earlier... everything stopped. The anger. The hunger. The urge to bite. Your power overwhelmed me."
He takes a breath, and his voice trembles slightly, something inconceivable for a werewolf.
"I am a Moonfang warrior. I never lose control. You took it from me... and gave it back.
Lunaya looked down, upset despite herself.
"I didn't mean to do that."
"I know."
He approaches her again, but more gently, like a tamed animal.
"But now that it exists, I have to tell you about it.
You have to understand the connection.
He leans in slightly, their foreheads almost touching.
"If another beastman touches you... he'll feel your Resonance too.
Perhaps even more strongly than me.
He will approach you. He will claim you.
And I...
He clenches his jaw.
"I'm not sure I can accept that."
A shiver runs down his spine.
"Kael..."
"I'm not talking about love," he says more sharply. Not yet.
He pauses.
"I'm talking about instinct. Ours is... brutal."
A distant cry suddenly echoes over the mountains.
Deep. Electric.
Not a wolf.
A low rumble fills the village.
Kael stiffens.
"A draconic," he whispers.
Lunaya feels her stomach knot.
"A what?"
"One of the Red Scales. If they're prowling near our lands... it's no coincidence."
He turned his head sharply toward her, his eyes shining with a fierce glint.
"They've sensed your presence."
She steps back, breathless.
"How is that possible?"
"Your arrival has shaken the entire Beastworld, Lunaya."
He takes a step back, his expression returning to that of a warrior.
"And if a draconic comes for you..."
He almost turns into a shadow.
"Then the real danger begins now."
He turns toward the stairs.
"Stay here. I'll be back when he's dead or gone."
— Wait! Kael!
But he's already leaping into the night, disappearing into the shadows like a flame swallowed by the wind.
The forest echoes with a titanic roar.
Then a shock that makes the mountain tremble.
Lunaya remained alone on the platform, her heart pounding, her throat tight, the moon lighting up her worried face.
And somewhere in the darkness...
a draconic comes for her.