Dinner ends with tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
Kai keeps looking at me like I'm a puzzle piece that doesn't fit, and Aiden…
Aiden doesn't look at me at all.
Which somehow feels worse.
The moment I stand to leave the table, Kai says in a low voice, "Welcome to the pack, Luna."
Luna.
The title hits my spine like cold water.
I force a smile. "I think you're mistaken. This is just a contract marriage, Mr. Beta."
Kai's eyebrow lifts. "Alpha doesn't bring women he doesn't trust into the penthouse."
Behind him, Aiden's jaw tightens so sharply I hear the faint crack of tension.
He says nothing.
Typical.
I turn around and walk away before they can read my expression.
My footsteps echo softly as I move through the hallway back to my room.
I lock the door behind me, lean against it, and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Wolves.
Magic.
Secrets.
I'm sitting in the middle of everything I'm supposed to destroy.
A Strange Noise
It's past midnight when something wakes me.
Not a sound.
A feeling.
My magic stirs under my skin, restless like a cat that senses danger.
I sit up slowly.
The room is dark, the curtains half-open, moonlight slicing across the floor.
But that's not what alerts me.
It's the shift in energy.
Someone is awake.
Someone powerful.
I slip out of bed and tiptoe towards the door, opening it only a little.
The hallway is dim, lit by soft golden lights.
That's when I hear it—
a low, animal growl.
My heart slams against my ribs.
Not human.
Not normal.
A wolf.
Inside the penthouse.
I step out quietly. My bare feet make no sound on the floor.
The growl comes again, deeper, more frustrated.
I follow the sound down the hallway… toward the last door.
Aiden's room.
Of course.
I should turn back.
I should go to sleep.
But the moon is full, my blood is awake, my magic is restless…
And something inside me whispers:
Go.
See him.
See the monster you came to kill.
I move slowly until I'm in front of his room. The door is half-open.
Inside, it's dark—except for a faint blue glow.
I push the door open a bit more.
And I freeze.
The Alpha Unleashed
Aiden stands in the middle of the room, shirt off, back muscles tense, hands gripping the sides of a table as if he's trying not to tear it apart.
Sweat glistens down his spine.
His skin ripples—not normally.
Like something under it is moving.
Trying to break out.
A growl vibrates through his chest, deeper this time.
His head snaps up.
For a moment, I see his eyes.
Not grey.
Silver.
Glowing.
Wolf.
My breath catches.
So this is the real Aiden Black.
Not the billionaire.
Not the cold CEO.
The Alpha King.
His gaze locks onto me.
For one terrifying second, neither of us moves.
Then—
"Get out," he growls, voice thick, distorted.
I don't move.
Something in me—maybe stupidity, maybe curiosity, maybe my magic—pushes me forward instead.
"You're shifting," I whisper.
His jaw clenches. His fingers leave dents in the wooden table.
"I said…" His voice cracks, dropping lower, animalistic.
"…get out."
I swallow. "Full moon. You're fighting it."
His shoulders tremble violently. "I don't… want you to see this."
Why?
Because it shows he's not always in control?
Because it shows he's more beast than man?
Because it shows he's vulnerable?
My voice softens without my permission.
"Do you… need help?"
His head snaps toward me so fast I take a step back.
"Wolves don't need help," he snarls.
Another violent shudder.
His claws—actual claws—push out from his fingertips, slicing the wood.
My heart races.
His legs give out suddenly, and he falls to one knee, breathing hard, chest heaving like a trapped animal.
"Aiden—"
"Don't," he rasps. "If you come near me right now… I won't be able to stop myself."
I should listen.
I really should.
But witches don't run from wolves.
And I'm not just a witch.
I'm the Moonfire witch.
I step forward and kneel beside him.
His breath hits my neck—hot, wild, dangerous.
"Liyana…"
It's a warning.
A plea.
A threat.
I gently place my hand over his.
The moment my skin touches his skin—
fire explodes under my palm.
But it's not hurting.
It's… connecting.
His muscles stop shaking.
His breathing slows.
His claws retract slowly.
Our bond, whatever it is, reacts instantly—like moonlight snapping into place.
Aiden stares at my hand like it burned him from the inside.
"What did you do?" he whispers, voice almost human again.
"I calmed you down," I say softly. "Just a little."
"No one can calm an Alpha in shift," he growls. "Not even a Luna."
"I'm not a Luna," I say.
His eyes flick up to mine.
"No," he says slowly. "You're something else."
Before I can move, he reaches forward, fingers tracing the inside of my wrist where the moonfire mark burns faintly.
His touch is gentle, almost curious.
"What are you, Liyana?" he whispers.
The mark pulses under his fingers, glowing faintly like embers.
I jerk my hand back. "Nothing you need to know."
He stands slowly, breathing steadier now.
"You should leave," he says, voice back to cold, controlled tones. "Before the wolf changes its mind."
I back toward the door.
But before I leave, I pause.
"Aiden."
He looks at me—moonlight reflecting off his skin, eyes still too wild.
"You don't have to be afraid of your own monster," I say quietly.
His lips curve—not a smile, but something darker.
"I'm not afraid of the monster," he murmurs.
"I'm afraid of what it will do to you."
The room goes silent.
My heart trips over itself.
I turn and walk out quickly, shutting the door behind me.
Inside the room, I hear a low whisper from him—so soft I almost think I imagined it.
"Why do you smell like fire and moonlight…?"
Back in my room, I fall onto the bed, pulse racing.
My hand burns where I touched him.
My magic hums like it knows a secret.
And somewhere deep inside, a dangerous truth rises like smoke:
The Alpha I came to destroy…
…is the only man who can destroy me.