Luna Everleigh's POV
***
I couldn't breathe.
Rhydian stood before me, his bare skin illuminated by the fractured moonlight, his presence overwhelming in a way that had nothing to do with his sheer size.
He was built like a warrior—lean muscle carved with precision, his body marked with old scars that told stories I didn't dare ask about. His dark hair was tousled, falling just over his brow, framing the sharp planes of his face.
But it was his eyes that caught me the most.
The same silver as before, but now unmasked—burning, knowing.
Like he could see straight through me.
I forced myself to swallow past the lump in my throat. Don't react. Don't let him see how much this shakes you.
But it did. It really did.
I had expected something monstrous. Something inhuman.
Instead, he was this—intimidating and impossibly beautiful, like something sculpted from the very night itself.
Rhydian took a slow step toward me.
I flinched.
His lips pressed into a thin line. "You are afraid of me."
I shook my head automatically. "No."
A lie.
His gaze flickered downward for a second—taking in the way my hands trembled at my sides, the way my chest rose and fell too quickly.
When his eyes met mine again, something dark swirled within them.
"You should be."
I sucked in a breath.
This man—this Alpha—was dangerous.
Not just because of his strength, but because of the way he looked at me.
Like he would burn down the entire world just to keep me in his hands.
My heart hammered violently against my ribs.
And then, without warning, he moved.
One moment, I was standing on my own, fighting to keep my balance. The next, his arms wrapped around me—strong, unyielding, lifting me with ease.
I gasped, my body tensing instantly, but his grip was careful despite the strength in it.
"What are you doing?" I demanded, struggling against him.
He didn't even flinch.
"Taking you somewhere safe."
My breath hitched. "Put me down."
"No."
His voice was calm, but absolute.
I fought harder, my fists pressing against his chest, but he barely seemed to register it.
"You can hate me all you want," Rhydian murmured, his lips dangerously close to my ear. "But you are mine, Luna. And I do not let go of what belongs to me."
I opened my mouth—to argue, to scream, to do something—
But before I could, the wind shifted.
And in a single, fluid motion, Rhydian leapt into the night.
Taking me with him.
—
(To be continued…)