Filed to story: When The Moon Hides Crown
“What the!” I thrashed once, but froze when an unexpected heat touched my skin. Ronan’s body heat.
Pinned beneath him, my eyes locked with his, I found he was already staring at me with an intensity burning in his gaze that made my breath catch.
It was like he could see through me-through my disguise-past Seth, straight to the real me.
Seraphina.
And then…
The black wolf’s muzzle dipped low, dragging hotly down the curve of my neck, over the skin exposed by my ruined shirt.
My muscles tensed.
I clenched my fists, nerves rattling.
What was he doing?
He inhaled deeply, the low rumble of his growl vibrating straight through my chest.
Despite myself, my breathing hitched
Our eyes met again-and in that moment, the world fell away.
The heat.
The earth beneath me.
The looming danger.
None of it mattered.
It was just him and me.
Phina, usually dormant, cold, and unbothered by any male’s proximity, suddenly surged to life inside me.
She let out a soft, whimpering growl, shaking the iron walls I had built around her for so long.
No.
No, no, no.
But it was too late.
For the first time in my life, my wolf responded. To a male.
My body betrayed me, arching slightly beneath him, drawn to the raw, wild dominance radiating from him.
And Ronan noticed.
His violet eyes darkened
A low, primal rumble escaped his chest, sending a shiver through me.
I was suffocating under the close proximity, the maddening pull of him
-the way his scent, wild and furious, wrapped around me, binding tighter than any chain.
A scent I shouldn’t have even been able to pick up through the heavy perfume I wore… yet I did.
For the first time ever…..
I didn’t know if I wanted to break free.
What’s happening to me?
Confusion, fear, longing…they all collided inside me.
Just as the air between us crackled with something dark and dangerous, something neither of us could name, a violent roar tore through the forest.
jerked my head toward the sound, heart hammering.
A massive shadow crashed through the trees, charging toward us with terrifying speed.
Huge. Snarling.
“It’s a bear!” I yelled, as it barreled straight for us.
Ronan’s wolf moved first.
With a savage snarl, he released me and hurled himself at the bear, teeth flashing in the dim light.
The two beasts collided with a sickening thud, snarls and roars exploding through the clearing.
1 didn’t wait. I couldn’t wait.
Heart pounding, I scrambled to my feet and sprinted into the trees, leaving the chaos behind.He could handle the bear.
1 had my own mission.
My prey was still out there. And my time was running out, it was already four in the morning.
I darted deeper into the forest, weaving through thick underbrush, keeping low, moving fast.
I forced myself not to look back
Not at Ronan.
Not at the bloody battle behind me.
This was my only chance.
I wasn’t going to waste it.
Half an hour bled away as I moved through the tangled wilderness, tracking faint hoof prints in the muddy earth, broken branches, and the heavy musky scent only one creature could leave behind