I didn't sleep.How could I, when I knew he was coming? When every nerve in my body hummed with anticipation and dread? When the mark on my neck pulsed like a second heartbeat, counting down the hours until I saw him in flesh instead of dreams?Kael.The name had haunted me since I woke up screaming it into the darkness. Now it was about to become real.I watched from my window as the palace prepared for his arrival. Guards took positions along the walls. Servants rushed through corridors carrying fresh linens and provisions. The entire pack moved with nervous energy, like prey sensing a predator's approach.Xavier hadn't come to see me since the trial. I told myself I didn't care, that his absence didn't carve fresh wounds into my already bleeding heart. But the lie tasted bitter.When dawn finally broke, painting the sky in shades of amber and gold which were his colors, I realized with a shiver.I was already dressed. Not in the ceremonial white from yesterday, but in simple leathers that one of the Omega servants had brought. She wouldn't meet my eyes as she laid them out, too afraid of the cursed Luna who commanded fire.I was braiding my hair when the horn sounded.Three long notes that echoed across the valley, announcing visitors. My hands froze mid-braid, and my mark flared so hot I had to press my palm against it.He was here.I wasn't summoned to the gates. Instead, I was told to wait in the great hall with the other high-ranking pack members like a prized possession to be displayed when the Alpha deemed it appropriate.It grated against every instinct, but I went. Because I needed to see him. Needed to know if the connection I'd felt in my dreams was real or just another cruel trick of a Goddess who seemed to delight in my suffering.The great hall filled quickly. Warriors lined the walls, hands resting on their weapons. The Elders clustered near Xavier's throne, whispering among themselves. Ashlyn stood to Xavier's right, looking radiant in a gown of deep blue that made her golden hair shine like sunlight.She caught my eye and smiled a sharp and knowing smile and full of venom.I ignored her and took my place to Xavier's left. The Luna's position, though it felt more like standing on an executioner's block.Xavier didn't acknowledge me. His jaw was set, his eyes fixed on the massive doors at the hall's entrance. But I could feel his tension radiating like heat from a forge, could see the way his hands gripped the arms of his throne tight enough to leave marks in the wood.He knew what was coming. Knew what it might mean.The doors opened.My breath caught.They entered in formation. Warriors clad in crimson armor etched with symbols of flame and claw, moving with the precision of soldiers who'd trained together for years. Their faces were stern, focused, radiating barely leashed power.But it was the man at their center who stole every bit of air from my lungs.Alpha Kael of the Ember Claws.He was exactly as he'd been in my dreams and somehow more. Taller than Xavier, broader through the shoulders, moving with a predator's grace that made everyone in the hall unconsciously step back. His hair was dark as midnight, falling just past his collar. His skin carried the kiss of fire, the color of bronze and warm, like he'd been forged in fire rather than born.And his eyes.Gods, his eyes.Amber and molten gold, burning with an intensity that made my knees weak. They scanned the room with calculated precision, taking in guards, exits, threats, the assessment of a warrior and leader.Then they found me.The world stopped.The hall, the guards, the whispers, even Xavier beside me all faded into nothing. There was only him, only those amber eyes locking onto mine with recognition that went bone-deep and soul-wide.My mark erupted.Golden light blazed beneath my skin, so bright it was visible through my leather tunic. Heat flooded through me, not painful but overwhelming, like standing too close to the sun. I pressed my hand against my neck, trying to contain it, but the fire had a will of its own.Kael's eyes dropped to where my hand covered the mark. Something flashed across his face, triumph, hunger, something that looked dangerously close to possession.He knew. He saw what I was, what we were, and he wasn't afraid."Welcome to Shadow Moon territory."Xavier's voice cut through the charged silence. He stood, every inch the Alpha. Commanding, powerful, in control. But even his presence seemed to dim next to the raw power radiating from Kael.Kael tore his gaze from mine and inclined his head toward Xavier. The gesture was respectful but not subservient. An equal acknowledging another, not a subject before his king."Alpha Xavier." His voice rolled through the hall like distant thunder wrapped in silk. It was the same voice from my dreams, the one that had promised freedom and fire and destiny. Hearing it in reality made my entire body tremble. "Thank you for receiving me. I come in peace.""Peace," Xavier repeated, and I heard the skepticism in his tone. "Is that what you call arriving with an armed escort and demanding an audience with my Luna?"A ripple of tension ran through Kael's warriors, but he raised one hand and they stilled instantly. The control was absolute, instinctive."I requested, not demanded," Kael said smoothly. "And my warriors are for protection during travel, not threat. These are dangerous times, as I'm sure you know.""What I know," Xavier said, his voice dropping to something dangerous, "is that you claim my Luna carries a mark belonging to your bloodline. That's quite an accusation to make without proof."Kael's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Is it an accusation? Or merely an observation?" His eyes slid back to me, and the heat in my mark intensified. "Perhaps we should ask the Luna herself what she feels."Every head turned toward me. Xavier's gaze burned into the side of my face, but I couldn't look away from Kael. Couldn't deny the pull between us that everyone in this room could probably sense."I feel..." I started, then faltered. What could I say? That I'd dreamed of him? That his touch in my sleep felt more real than anything in my waking life? That the fire in my veins recognized him in ways that terrified and exhilarated me?"Confused," I finally managed. "I feel confused.""Of course you do." Ashlyn's voice cut through the tension like a blade. She stepped forward, her smile poisonous sweet. "The poor Luna has been through so much. First discovering she's not actually wolfless, then this trial yesterday, and now strange Alphas claiming she belongs to them. It's enough to turn anyone's head."The sympathy in her voice was so false it made my teeth ache. But before I could respond, Kael spoke."I've made no claim of belonging." His tone was mild, but there was steel beneath it. "I simply stated fact. The golden flame mark she bears…" He gestured toward where my hand still pressed against my neck, "is the blessing of the Fire Moon. It's passed through the Ember bloodline for generations. She carries it. That makes her..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "...of interest to my pack.""She is of no interest to your pack," Xavier snapped. "She is mated. Bound. Mine."The word "mine" echoed through the hall, a possessive claim that should have made me feel secure. Instead, it felt like chains.Kael's expression didn't change, but something flickered in those amber eyes. "The bond you speak of, was it chosen, or forced by circumstance and tradition?""How dare you—" Xavier started, but Elder Rowan stepped forward, his ancient face grave."Perhaps," the Elder said carefully, "we should discuss this matter more privately. The prophecy mentioned yesterday complicates things.""There is no complication," Xavier said through gritted teeth. "The prophecy changes nothing. She is my Luna.""Is she?" Kael's question was soft, but it carried through the hall like a shout. "Because from where I stand, that mark glowing gold beneath her hand suggests the Goddess has other plans."The tension snapped like a breaking rope.Xavier moved faster than I'd ever seen him, crossing the distance between his throne and Kael in three strides. Power radiated from him—the full weight of an Alpha's dominance, silver light crackling around his form.But Kael didn't flinch. Didn't back down. His own power rose to meet Xavier's—golden and fierce, fire meeting shadow in a clash that made the air itself tremble."You will not speak to my mate without my permission," Xavier growled."And you will not keep a Flameborn in chains she didn't choose," Kael replied, his voice dropping to something dangerous and primal.The floor beneath them cracked. The guards stumbled back, unable to breathe under the crushing weight of two Alphas releasing their full auras. The very stones of the palace seemed to groan under the pressure.I was caught between them—literally and figuratively. Silver light on one side, golden flame on the other, and me in the middle with a mark that pulsed in response to both."Stop!" The word tore from my throat, accompanied by a burst of my own power.Golden fire erupted from my skin—not wild or uncontrolled, but focused and sharp. It created a barrier between the two Alphas, forcing them apart.The hall went silent.I stood there, flames dancing along my arms, my mark blazing like a brand. Every eye was on me, but I only saw Xavier and Kael—both staring at me with expressions I couldn't quite read."This isn't a competition," I said, my voice shaking but firm. "I'm not a prize to be won or a possession to be claimed. I'm trying to understand what's happening to me without everyone treating me like I'm either cursed or sacred."I let the flames die, suddenly exhausted. "If Alpha Kael has information about what it means to be Flameborn, then I deserve to hear it."Xavier's face was a mask of barely controlled emotion. "You would trust him over me?""I would trust information over ignorance," I replied quietly.The words landed like a slap. Xavier's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.Elder Rowan cleared his throat. "Alpha Kael may stay as our guest. The Luna will be supervised in any interactions."Xavier looked like he wanted to argue, but finally nodded stiffly. "Fine. But he stays in the east wing. And he's watched at all times.""Agreed," Kael said easily.Because we both knew that distance meant nothing when we dreamed.
