The Alpha's Stolen Luna

Kaya

Intruder? The word echoes in my mind as I strain to see whatever it is that Magnus has detected in the distance. His wolf senses must have picked up on something, something my duller human perception can’t quite grasp. I scan the trees, the rustling leaves, the shadows—but nothing seems out of place to me.

I mumble a question under his palm, my lips brushing against his skin. He flinches slightly, the muscles in his arm tightening before he finally lowers his hand from my face.

"What kind of intruder are we talking about here?" I ask more clearly now, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, still slightly breathless. "A rogue?"

"No," Magnus replies, shaking his head slowly, his eyes never leaving the forest. They sweep over the area with sharp focus, narrowed in suspicion. "I can’t quite place what I’m sensing... but it’s not a rogue."

That answer sends a chill down my spine. If someone like Magnus—so powerful and in tune with his instincts—can’t identify whatever presence is out there, then maybe it’s something more dangerous than a mere rogue.

Or something else entirely...

"Magnus!" I shout, my voice surprisingly loud as I lift a trembling hand and point behind him. My heart stutters in my chest.

There. Just beyond the clearing, a dark, elongated shadow slips between the trees like a serpent through grass, moving too quickly to be human, too fluid to be anything natural.

He spins on his heel instantly, his entire body snapping to attention. Muscles coil beneath his skin, the tension so strong it radiates off of him like a pulse. His gaze follows the shifting darkness, sharp and unrelenting.

Then he takes a single step forward, his jaw clenched, and growls over his shoulder, "Stay where you are."

I nod instinctively, even though I know he can’t see me. My throat feels tight, my breath stuck somewhere between panic and awe.