Luna Everleigh's POV
***
Time slowed.
I saw the glint of his teeth. The ripple of his muscles as he leapt toward me.
I was going to die.
The realization came cold and absolute.
Then—
A blur of silver and black.
The rogue never reached me.
Instead, a massive shape slammed into him mid-air, knocking him aside like he was nothing. The force sent the rogue skidding across the ground, blood trailing in his wake.
I barely had time to process what had happened before my eyes landed on the creature standing before me.
It wasn't just a wolf.
It was Rhydian.
And he was magnificent.
His fur was black as night, streaked with silver along his back, as if the moon itself had traced over him with a careful hand. He was enormous, larger than any other wolf on the battlefield, his presence alone enough to send the rogues recoiling.
But his eyes—
They were still his.
Burning, untamed, locked onto me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
Then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he turned—launching himself back into the fray, tearing through the rogues like a force of nature.
I stood frozen, heart hammering.
And then—
A rogue slipped past the defenses.
Fast. Too fast.
It was on me before I could even scream.
Claws raked through the air, aiming straight for my throat.
I raised my hands instinctively—
And something exploded from within me.
A shockwave of energy, invisible yet powerful, burst outward. The rogue was flung backward with inhuman force, hitting the ground with a sickening crack.
Silence fell.
I gasped, staring at my hands—hands that had just done something impossible.
My whole body trembled.
And when I looked up—
Kael was watching me.
His expression unreadable.
But his eyes—
They were filled with something close to realization.
And just like that, I knew.
I wasn't just human.
And now… Kael knew it too.
***
(To be continued…)