Darkness poured into the forest like a living tide.
Shapes formed inside the black mist—wolves, but not wolves. Their bodies were twisted by shadow energy, their eyes glowing with unnatural obedience. They weren't just fighters.
They were weapons.
Lucien's voice tightened. "They've been enhanced. This isn't natural evolution… someone is feeding them power."
My mark burned like fire against my skin, reacting violently. The closer the creatures came, the hotter it became, like it was trying to warn me—or awaken something deeper.
Kaiden stepped slightly in front of me again, his aura exploding outward like a storm breaking loose. "Then we cut the source," he said coldly.
The apex figure watched from behind its army, completely calm.
"You still don't understand," it said. "This isn't about winning a battle. It's about awakening destiny."
Before I could react, the shadow wolves attacked.
Everything became chaos.
Kaiden moved like a god of war, every strike precise, brutal, efficient. His power wasn't just strength—it was control. Authority. Every movement screamed Alpha.
And every time he fought near me, I felt our energies reacting.
Resonating.
My breathing became uneven. Why does it feel like our powers are connected?
A wolf broke through Lucien's barrier and lunged straight at me.
I reacted without thinking.
Light exploded from my mark.
Not a pulse.
Not a wave.
An explosion.
White energy erupted outward like a star being born, throwing every attacker back. The ground cracked beneath my feet as power surged through my body like lightning searching for a path.
The entire battlefield froze.
Even the apex took a step forward.
"Well… now that is interesting."
I stared at my glowing hands, breath shaking. "I didn't… mean to do that."
Kaiden turned toward me slowly. Not shocked.
Awed.
"You didn't lose control," he said quietly. "You stepped into it."
My chest tightened.
"I'm scared," I admitted.
His voice dropped softer than I had ever heard it.
"Good. That means you understand what's at stake."
Then he did something unexpected.
He reached up… and gently touched the glowing mark on my neck.
The moment his fingers made contact—
Power surged violently between us.
Energy spiraled around us like a bond being forged in real time. My heart slammed against my ribs as heat shot through my veins. For a second, everything else disappeared.
Just him.
Just me.
Just power.
Kaiden inhaled sharply like he felt it too.
"This connection…" he whispered.
Lucien stared in disbelief. "That's not just power resonance… that looks like a bond reaction."
The apex's smile widened.
"So it's true," it said. "The lost Luna bond has awakened."
My stomach dropped.
"Bond?"
Kaiden didn't answer immediately. His jaw tightened like he was realizing something dangerous.
Something inevitable.
Then the apex gave its final warning.
"Now you interest me even more," it said. "Next time… I won't be testing you."
The shadows suddenly withdrew.
The enhanced wolves retreated.
The apex vanished into the mist.
Silence returned.
But nothing felt the same anymore.
Kaiden slowly removed his hand from my neck, but the heat remained.
"What just happened?" I asked.
His answer came quietly.
"Something that will change the war."
His eyes locked onto mine.
"And us."