[ Blackmoon territories ]
The red moon had shifted high above the mountains by the time Kieran returned to the Blackmoon stronghold.
The air felt sharper and cleaner somehow but it did nothing to clear his mind. His body burned…not particularly with desire, but with heat that came from under his skin, curling along his spine.A forced warmth. A forced heat.He couldn't tell the difference between natural and unnatural at the moment… his mind was too far gone.
The aphrodisiac Velor had fed him was taking root.
His hands trembled too, slightly, as he rode in. The taste of Velor's drink still lingered in his mouth.
He hadn't eaten all day.
But this fire in his blood? It wasn't hunger.
It was...need.A hunger of a different kind.
His guards were startled to see him back so soon.
"Alpha?" one of them stepped forward, brow furrowed. "Is everything…"
"Prepare the Binding Ritual pyre," Kieran said, voice low, distant.
The man stilled. "Alpha...?"
