The silence stretched between them, taut and unyielding. Rain could hear the faint rustling of leaves as the wind shifted, carrying the scent of damp earth and blood.
The moon loomed overhead, its crimson glow bathing them in an eerie light, illuminating the sharp angles of Nathaniel's face, the tension coiling in his frame like a predator ready to strike.
Lucian's smirk hadn't faded, but there was something else lurking beneath it—something calculating. He knew he held something they wanted, something that neither Rain nor Nathaniel could afford to ignore.
"You expect me to believe this?" Nathaniel's voice was low, dangerously quiet. "That our bond isn't just fate, but designed?"
Lucian tilted his head. "Believe what you want, Alpha King. But you feel it, don't you?" His gaze slid to Rain, sharp as a blade. "The way it burns. The way it takes. This isn't a bond, Rain. It's a claim. And if you don't fight it, soon, you won't even remember what it was like to be free."
Rain stiffened.
Nathaniel's growl rumbled through the air. "And you think you know how to stop it?"
Lucian let out a slow breath, as if savoring the moment. "No. But I know who does."
A muscle ticked in Nathaniel's jaw. Rain could see the way his hands clenched at his sides, his control barely holding.
"You expect us to follow you blindly?" Nathaniel's voice was thick with disdain. "You think I'll let you use Rain for whatever twisted game you're playing?"
Lucian chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "I don't need to use him. The bond is already doing that for me."
Rain's breath hitched, and Lucian's dark eyes met his.
"You've felt it, haven't you?" he murmured, almost like a whisper meant only for Rain. "The way it pulls—not just toward him, but toward something else. The way it changes you. The hunger. The heat. The need."
Rain's pulse pounded.
He had felt it. The bond wasn't just desire—it was something deeper. Something darker.
Something unstoppable.
Nathaniel took a sharp step forward, his hand shooting out to grip Lucian's throat. The force of it sent the rogue leader stumbling back against a tree, bark cracking under the pressure.
"You talk too much," Nathaniel growled, golden eyes flashing. "Give me a name. Or I swear, I'll rip it from your throat."
Lucian let out a low chuckle, his fingers wrapping around Nathaniel's wrist, but he made no move to fight back. Instead, his smirk deepened.
"You won't kill me," he said simply.
Nathaniel's grip tightened. "You sure about that?"
Lucian's voice was barely a whisper. "If you kill me, you'll never know how to break it."
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Rain could see the war waging behind Nathaniel's eyes, the sheer fury barely restrained.
Then, with a sharp exhale, Nathaniel released him.
Lucian coughed, rubbing his throat with an amused glint in his eyes. "See? You're already changing. The Nathaniel Castellan I've heard about wouldn't have hesitated."
Nathaniel's lips curled. "And the Lucian I've heard about isn't stupid enough to test me twice."
Lucian's grin widened. "Fair enough." He straightened, dusting off his coat. "The name you want? Althea."
Rain stiffened.
Nathaniel's gaze sharpened. "Althea?"
Lucian nodded. "She's the only one who knows what's happening to you. She's been studying this bond long before either of you were even born."
Rain exchanged a glance with Nathaniel, a silent conversation passing between them.
Nathaniel's voice was ice. "Where is she?"
Lucian smirked. "Now that is the real question, isn't it?"
Nathaniel's patience snapped. He moved in a blur, gripping Lucian's collar and shoving him back against the tree with a force that made the trunk groan.
"Enough games," Nathaniel snarled. "Where. Is. She?"
Lucian chuckled, the sound dark and knowing. "Oh, she'll find you. She's been waiting for you, Alpha King. For both of you."
A chill slithered down Rain's spine.
Lucian's smirk faded just slightly, his tone growing more serious. "You think this is just about you two?" His gaze flickered between them. "You have no idea what you've stepped into. The Blood Moon didn't just bond you—it chose you. And if you don't figure out why before it's too late, you'll wish I had let my rogues tear you apart tonight."
Nathaniel didn't move, his grip still tight on Lucian's collar. But Rain could feel it—the shift in the air. The weight of something much bigger than them settling over their shoulders like a noose.
Lucian exhaled. "I'll be in touch."
Nathaniel hesitated only a moment before releasing him.
Lucian adjusted his coat, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he stepped back. "Good luck, Alpha King. And you, Rain Silvano—try not to lose yourself too quickly."
Then, before either of them could react, he vanished into the shadows, his scent dissolving into the wind like smoke.
Silence fell between them.
Rain exhaled slowly, the night air thick with tension. He turned to Nathaniel, finding those golden eyes already locked onto him.
Nathaniel's voice was quiet. "Are you afraid?"
Rain swallowed, his pulse still racing. He met Nathaniel's gaze head-on. "No."
A muscle in Nathaniel's jaw twitched.
"Good," he murmured. Then, without another word, he turned and strode back toward the camp.
Rain hesitated for only a second before following.
The Blood Moon still hung overhead, burning red like an omen.
And in the distance, unseen and waiting, something watched.
Something that had been waiting for them.
To be continued...