Chapter One: The Last Moonwhisper
The screaming had stopped an hour ago.
Aria pressed her back against the cold stone of the cave wall.
her heart hammering so loud she was certain it would give her away.
The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the mountain air, mixing with the acrid smoke that still rose from what used to be her home.
Don't look. Don't look. Don't look.
But she had already looked. She had watched from her hiding place as Alpha Kael Shadowbane had torn through her pack like they were nothing more than paper dolls. She'd seen her father—proud, strong Alpha Marcus—brought to his knees. She'd watched her mother's lifeless eyes stare up at the stars she used to sing about.
And through it all, she'd done nothing. Hidden like a coward while her family died.
"Come out, little omega."
The voice cut through the silence like a blade, smooth and dark as poisoned honey. Aria's breath caught in her throat. She pressed her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her dirt-stained cheeks.
"I can smell your fear. Sweet, pure fear." There was amusement in his voice now, like a cat playing with a wounded mouse. "It's quite lovely, actually."
Heavy footsteps crunched over broken glass and scattered stones. Getting closer.
"Your pack fought bravely, I'll give them that. Your father especially." A pause. "He screamed your name before I ripped his throat out."
*No. No, that's not true. Papa wouldn't—*
"He begged me to spare you. Said you were innocent. Pure." The footsteps stopped directly outside her hiding place. "I do so enjoy breaking pure things."
Aria squeezed her eyes shut, her whole body trembling. Maybe if she stayed perfectly still, perfectly quiet, he would move on. Maybe—
The boulder that had been concealing her was suddenly ripped away and hurled into the distance like it weighed nothing at all. Aria's eyes snapped open to find herself staring up into the face of a nightmare.
Alpha Kael Shadowbane was magnificent and terrifying in equal measure. Tall and broad-shouldered, with black hair that fell across his forehead and eyes the color of winter storms. Blood splattered his clothes and hands—her pack's blood—but he wore it like war paint. Like a badge of honor.
And those eyes... God, those eyes were looking at her like she was already dead.
"There you are," he said softly, almost gently. Then his nostrils flared, and something shifted in his expression. Confusion flickered across his features for just a moment before his face went completely blank.
The scent hit her then, overwhelming and undeniable. Pine and leather and something wild and dark that made her omega instincts sing even as her mind recoiled in horror.
*Mate.*
The word whispered through her consciousness like a prayer and a curse combined. This monster—this murderer who had just destroyed everything she'd ever loved—was her mate.
Kael's jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath his skin. "No," he growled, the word more felt than heard. "No, this is not possible."
But Aria could see the truth in his eyes. He felt it too. The pull. The connection. The bond that was supposed to be sacred, beautiful, perfect.
Instead, it was the cruelest joke the Moon Goddess had ever played.
"You're him," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You're my—"
"Don't." The word cracked like a whip. "Don't you dare say it."
He crouched down in front of her, close enough that she could see the gold flecks in his storm-gray eyes. Close enough that his scent wrapped around her like a chain. When he reached out, she flinched, but he only tucked a strand of her white-blonde hair behind her ear with surprising gentleness.
"Tell me your name, little omega."
"A-Aria," she stammered. "Aria Moonwhisper."
"Aria," he repeated, tasting her name like fine wine. "The last Moonwhisper." His thumb traced across her cheekbone, wiping away a tear. "How poetic."
She stared up at him, confusion and terror warring in her chest. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Meeting your mate was supposed to be magical, beautiful. He was supposed to love her, protect her, cherish her.
Instead, he'd killed everyone she'd ever loved.
"I should kill you," he said conversationally, his thumb still stroking her cheek. "It would be a mercy, really. Quick and clean."
"Then why don't you?" The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Something dark and terrible flashed in his eyes. "Because that would be too easy. Too... final." His hand moved to grip her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "The Moon Goddess thinks she's clever, binding me to the daughter of the pack I just slaughtered. Making me feel..." His grip tightened. "Making me want what I should destroy."
Aria's heart clenched. "I know you can feel it too. The bond. It means something—"
"It means nothing." But even as he said it, his thumb brushed across her bottom lip, and she saw the way his eyes darkened. "You know what I'm going to do to you, little Aria?"
She shook her head, not trusting her voice.
His smile was sharp enough to cut. "I'm going to keep you. Like a pet. A pretty, broken thing to remind me of tonight's work." He leaned closer, his lips nearly brushing her ear. "And every time you look at me with those hopeful eyes, every time you think that bond means I could love you... I'm going to make you remember that I'm the monster who murdered your family."
"No," she breathed, but even as she said it, she could feel the truth of his words settling into her bones.
"Yes," he whispered. "I'm going to break you so slowly, so thoroughly, that you'll beg me for death. And the beautiful part? The bond won't let me give it to you. Won't let me let you go."
He pulled back to look at her face, drinking in her expression like a man dying of thirst. "I'm going to make you love me despite everything I've done. And then I'm going to make you hate yourself for it."
Aria felt something crack inside her chest—not her heart, but something deeper. Something essential. Because even as he spoke those terrible words, even as she sat surrounded by the ashes of everything she'd ever known, she could feel it.
The bond. Singing in her blood. Telling her that this monster, this killer, was hers.
And God help her, some sick part of her wanted to believe she could save him.
Kael must have seen it in her eyes because his smile widened. "There it is," he said with satisfaction. "That beautiful, foolish hope. Don't worry, little mate. I'll take very good care of it."
He stood then, towering over her like a dark god. "Get up."
When she didn't move, he reached down and hauled her to her feet with embarrassing ease. His hand wrapped around her wrist like a shackle, and she knew with bone-deep certainty that she would never be free again.
"Welcome to your new life, Aria Moonwhisper," he said, his voice soft as silk and twice as dangerous. "I do hope you'll find it... educational."
As he began to drag her away from the ruins of her home, away from the bodies of everyone she'd ever loved, Aria looked back one last time. The moon hung full and bright overhead, the same moon her mother used to sing to her about. The moon that was supposed to bless mates with love and happiness.
Instead, it shone down on her destruction like a spotlight.
And somewhere in the darkness behind them, she could swear she heard it laughing.
