Chapter1

I am Kaelen Bloodfang, the sole heir of the North American Bloodfang Clan.

Three months ago, the Moonshadow pack slaughtered my clan. My father died fighting. My mother was torn to shreds. And I—I was struck with a bloodline curse by the old Moonshadow Alpha himself.

I can no longer shift.

But the last of my people died to buy me time to escape.

The snow lashed at my face, every flake feeling like a blade. I collapsed at the foot of the Moonshadow Sanctuary steps, drenched in my own blood. Three cracked ribs. A dislocated left arm. A gash on my right thigh that wouldn't stop bleeding.

The wounds were real. The weakness was real.

But collapsing here wasn't an accident—I needed a way to infiltrate the Moonshadow territory.

I closed my eyes and waited for her. Then, I heard it—the soft crunch of bare feet against the snow.

I forced my eyes open.

Silver-white hair glowing under the moonlight. A sheer nightgown clinging to her curves. Selene Moonshadow stood over me. Her pupils dilated instantly; her breathing hitched.

It wasn't pity in her eyes. It was raw desire.

"Who... who are you?" she whispered, crouching down. Her trembling fingers brushed against the blood on my cheek.

Her fingertips were burning hot. The heat sent my blood boiling. I saw the undeniable spark in her gaze—a spark that made my heart hammer in my chest.

"Kaelen."

"Kaelen..." she breathed, tasting my name. Her voice carried an emotion I couldn't entirely read.

She dragged me inside the sanctuary. In front of the roaring fireplace, she used warm water to clean my wounds. Her touch was feather-light, incredibly gentle, yet I could feel her trembling. When her fingers traced the scars across my chest, I heard her sharp intake of breath.

She wanted me.

And I wanted her.

Moonlight and firelight danced across us. Her body pressed flush against mine—warm, yielding, intoxicating. Her hot breath fanned my ear, laced with quivering desire. Our heartbeats synced into a single rhythm as her nails dug into my back.

I had only meant to use her.

Infiltrate the Moonshadow pack. Find a way to break my curse. Get my revenge. She was supposed to be nothing more than a pawn in my game, a convenient tool.

But as she trembled in my arms, as she moaned my name, I felt something entirely alien.

Absolute surrender.

Every touch sent electric shocks through my veins. Every soft whimper sent my pulse off the charts. That night, I forgot the hatred. I forgot the vengeance. All I wanted was to hold her and never let go.

That night, we both surrendered to the madness.

When dawn broke, reality crashed down. I saw the panic, the bitter regret flashing in her eyes. She scrambled into her clothes and turned her back to me. "Last night... nothing happened. Do you understand?"

Staring at her trembling shoulders, a bitter wave washed over my heart.

What was she so afraid of? She was the high-and-mighty Luna, and to her, I was just a filthy, lowly rogue. But I knew she had felt it too—that suffocating, undeniable soul-deep pull.

"I understand."

But my heart no longer belonged entirely to revenge.

She turned back to look at me, a storm of conflicting emotions in her gaze. I knew she felt the lingering ache of our mutual desire. I knew she wanted to deny it, but her body betrayed her lies.

"You can stay," she said, her voice wavering. "But you must remember your place."

I nodded.

I would stay by her side. On the surface, I was the grateful wretch she had saved. In the shadows, I was the spy hunting for a way to break my curse. But now... now I had a third reason.

I loved her.

It was no longer just a scheme. It was a raw, agonizing craving. Since that night, everything had shifted. Cold, calculated use had melted into genuine, terrifying devotion.

She assigned me the lowest rank possible. I was thrown into a cramped storage room, tasked with cleaning the pack's royal estate.

But I took it willingly.

Because this way, I could see her every single day. I could watch over her. I could bide my time.

"Remember your place. Don't entertain thoughts of things that don't belong to you," she had told me coldly. But I hadn't missed the flicker of turmoil in her eyes.

I knew what terrified her. I knew why she had to build these walls. But I also knew the truth of what we shared that night—the explosive, undeniable hunger.

Time would reveal the truth.

I would wait. I would protect her. And eventually, I would make her realize—that night wasn't a mistake. It was destiny.

At the same time, I wouldn't stop searching for a way to break my bloodline curse. The Moonshadow Sanctuary was bound to hold ancient secrets. I just needed the time to unearth them.

Vengeance was still my ultimate goal. But now... she was the woman I swore to protect.

The contradiction was tearing me apart, but I was utterly powerless against my own heart.