Page 80 of Moonlit Fate

I paused. Here, in the wilderness, I allowed myself a second of vulnerability. It wasn’t just the safety of the Silver Claw and the unclaimed territories that weighed heavily; it was thedelicate balance of nature itself, the spiritual tapestry that was part of us all. I had its pulse in me, a rhythm as familiar as my own heartbeat. Every shifter had that pulse in them.

Once, I was the rogue who cared for nothing beyond the thrill of the hunt and being alone. But Aria—passionate, impulsive Aria—had awoken something in me, a capacity for a love that transcended the physical realm. Her spirit was intertwined with the very core of the forest, and by some twist of fate, I found that what she cherished, I cherished. My appreciation was no longer confined to those I held dear. It expanded, encompassing all life that thrived under the whispering leaves and starlit skies.

I moved quietly through the undergrowth. With each stealthy step, the distance between me and the clandestine meeting I’d just witnessed grew, but so did the urgency thrumming in my veins.

Abruptly, the crackle of underbrush shattered the peace. Crimson Fang scouts, wraiths honed by malice, spilled into the clearing. I’d gotten so wrapped up in my head that I’d let them find me.

“Thorne,” one said. “Thought you could skulk about unnoticed?”

I faced them, outnumbered yet unflinching. “Seems you’re mistaken,” I said coolly. “I have no interest in your petty squabbles.”

“Petty?” Another scout growled and stepped forward. “We know you heard everything, rogue. You won’t leave this forest alive.”

Their eyes glinted with a feral hunger, but mine were the eyes of a predator who had melded with the night itself. My shadow manipulation, a gift as innate as breathing, began to unfurl. Darkness pooled at my feet, tendrils of blackness creeping up my limbs.

“Try me,” I challenged.

A scout lunged, claws outstretched, aiming for my throat. I sidestepped the attack, the movement fluid, almost a lover’s dance. Shadows cloaked me, rendering me a phantom amongst men. I became the whisper of a thought, the trace of a doubt, unseen yet undeniably present.

Panic flitted across the scouts’ faces as they slashed at the air, finding nothing but void where I should have been. I had a surge of adrenaline, the rush of strategic thinking sharpening my senses. Here, in the darkness, I reigned, commanding the night to shield me as I plotted my escape route.

“Where are you?” one demanded.

“Everywhere,” I whispered.

In an instant, I seized the opportunity, darting past them like a gust of wind. They swung wildly, trying to catch what could not be caught, fight what could not be seen. Their frustration was music to my ears, and it raised my spirits.

As I slipped away, untouched and unseen, the very forest seemed to conspire with me, its magic humming along with mine. I left the Crimson Fang scouts to grapple with the shadows as I raced toward the safety of the night, toward Aria, and toward the destiny that awaited us both.

What I had learned about Larkin and the Crimson Fang’s nefarious plans played through my mind as I ran. As if to mirror the turmoil in me, the heavens unleashed their fury, the sudden deluge of rain melding with my sweat. Hailstones the size of marbles pelted down in a cold assault, stinging my exposed skin. The rumble from the sky seemed to emanate from the very belly of the beast we were up against.

“Fuck,” I grumbled.

Lightning forked across the sky, illuminating the pressing darkness. I pushed harder, muscles tensing and relaxing with practiced ease, though nothing could prepare me for the icy needles of hail that struck with ferocity.

This wasn’t just another confrontation, another enemy to best. It was a war for our very existence, and Aria was at the crux of it. She was the catalyst, the flame that could either illuminate our path or scorch us to oblivion.

I had to find her.

I ran into the storm, hoping against hope that she was safe, that she’d feel the pull of our bond and know I was coming for her. The thought of her being in harm’s way, vulnerable to the Crimson Fang’s twisted ambitions, clawed at my chest with agony.

And then, as if in response to my desperation, the forest gave way to a clearing, the violent weather creating a barrier between this hallowed ground and the rest of the world. Here, in the midst of nature’s wrath, was where I would find her. And when I did, I would shield her with my very being.

I’d made it to the manor’s grounds. There was no light on Aria’s balcony, no sign of her presence. Dread clenched my heart.

Slipping in through the servant’s entrance, I scanned the interior with predatory precision. The familiar sights and scents of the manor were there, but Aria’s was conspicuously absent. She had to have sensed the urgency of our predicament. Perhaps her intuition had guided her to my den.

Each drop of rain that kissed my skin said her name. I left the manor, some innate pull guiding me through the labyrinth of trees and underbrush. Fate was a fickle mistress, but tonight, she seemed to be in our corner.

And then, just as the storm reached its crescendo, the mysterious shack appeared. It emerged from the veil of the forest, as if my need to find Aria had summoned it. Relief, raw and overwhelming, surged through me. She had to be here. This place was our asylum from the chaos of our worlds.

“Please,” I said into the night, a prayer to whatever gods watched over star-crossed lovers and warriors alike. “Let her be here.”

I pushed the door of the shack open, and a gust of wind propelled me inside. My hair and clothes were drenched, and water pooled at my feet, but I didn’t care. The sight before me stole my breath.

Aria was safe. She stood there, deep in concentration, her luminescent eyes dancing with the light of discovery. Gloves protected her delicate fingers that moved with practiced grace as she mixed and measured, utterly absorbed in her alchemy. The soft glow of candlelight cast a halo over her, and the shadow of her chemist glasses only accentuated the sharp intelligence in her gaze.

“Atticus?” she said, not turning from her work but acknowledging my presence with that single utterance filled with warmth.

---