Page 18

Three days passed.

Three days of tension rippling through Crescent Fang like a low growl beneath every step.

The warriors stayed close to the borders. Mira doubled the patrols. And Kael barely slept, his instincts razor-sharp, his shoulders tighter than I'd ever seen.

Because we all knew Jace wasn't done.

And I knew exactly what he was coming back for.

?

When the call came, it echoed through the trees like a challenge.

A howl.

Low. Demanding. Familiar.

Jace was back.

This time, not alone.

He waited just outside the border, flanked by three of Ashmoon's warriors-each wearing the dark, high-collared uniforms that marked them as enforcers.

Kael stood beside me as we approached, Mira and two other Crescent warriors at his back. I didn't know if I was supposed to be afraid.

But I wasn't.

Not anymore.

Jace stepped forward. His eyes met mine first, not Kael's.

"You didn't even say goodbye."

"You made that choice for me," I said calmly.

He exhaled like it physically hurt. "I didn't come here to fight."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you here with armed wolves and no invitation?"

Jace's jaw tightened. "Because I want to speak with Luna. Alone."

Kael didn't even flinch. "No."

Jace turned to me, desperate. "Please. Just a minute."

I looked at Kael, who met my gaze. He didn't like it. But he didn't stop me.

Because Kael knew something Jace never did.

Trust isn't control.

It's freedom.

?

Jace led me a few feet into the woods, just far enough for privacy.

"You bonded with him," he said. "You really did it."

"I did."

"Why?"

"Because he didn't make me feel like I had to earn it."

He stepped closer. "Luna, I didn't know what I was doing when I rejected you. I was trying to protect you. Omegas aren't respected in Ashmoon. I thought... if I kept my distance, you'd be safer."

"Then why are you here now?" I asked. "If this isn't about power-why are you standing at the edge of Crescent Fang with warriors at your back?"

His face twisted.

"Because you belong with me," he said. "Not him. You're mine, Luna."

I froze.

There it was.

Not love.

Possession.

"Do you hear yourself?" I whispered. "You rejected the bond. You left me. You can't just come back now that someone else saw my worth and try to claim it."

"I'm not letting him take you."

"You already did."

His hand reached out like he might grab me-like he had the right.

I stepped back.

And shifted.

In an instant, my wolf stood where I had been-white-furred, eyes glowing, stronger than she'd ever been before.

She growled.

And Jace?

He finally saw me.

Not the omega.

Not the girl who once waited for his approval.

But the wolf who no longer needed it.

?

I returned to Kael's side minutes later, shifting back into my human form, chin held high.

"He's not leaving this alone," I said. "He's going to come back. And next time, he won't be asking."

Kael nodded slowly. "Then we prepare."

And just like that, peace slipped through our fingers.

Because Jace hadn't come to win me back.

He'd come to start a war.