The tavern smelled of wet fur and whiskey.
Selene sat in the darkest corner, cloaked in charcoal black, her snow-white hair tucked beneath a hood. She sipped a bitter herbal tea, listening to the drunken ramblings of the pack wolves who didn't know they were sharing the room with the ghost of the White Wolf Luna.
"...they say she was marked by the Moon itself," a young Omega whispered over a mug of ale. "That her blood turned silver the night she was cast out."
The older wolf beside him scoffed. "Fairy tales. No she-wolf could survive that cliff. Even the crows don't go near it anymore."
Selene smiled faintly beneath her hood.
Let them doubt. Let them forget. That made what came next even easier.
A shadow moved beside her. A figure slid into the seat across from her with no sound no scent. Just presence.
He wore a black leather coat, unmarked by rank or pack. His eyes were gold, glowing faintly even in the dim light. Dangerous. Controlled. Unreadable.
"Selene of the White Moon," he said, voice smooth like smoke. "I've been searching for you."
She didn't flinch. "That's a terrible idea."
The corner of his mouth lifted. "Perhaps. But I make a habit of chasing dangerous things."
She studied him in silence. There was no fear in this man. Only a deep calm, like he'd seen war—and walked away from it with blood on his hands and peace in his soul.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I go by many names," he said. "But you can call me Kael."
Kael. The name echoed somewhere in her memory—stories of a rogue Alpha who never bowed to any council. A ghost among packs. A legend among assassins.
"You're supposed to be dead," she murmured.
"So are you," he replied, raising a brow.
Touché.
The tavern door creaked open. A group of warriors in Bloodfang colors stepped inside, looking for someone.
Kael didn't move. His gaze sharpened, and Selene caught the flick of his fingers beneath the table.
"Three of them," he said quietly. "They're here for you."
She finished her tea calmly. "Then they came to the wrong place."
What happened next was swift and silent.
A crash. A snarl. A flash of white and black.
By the time the dust settled, the Bloodfang wolves were unconscious on the floor, broken and groaning. The tavern patrons had vanished.
Kael leaned back in his seat like nothing happened. "You're faster than the rumors say."
"You're quieter than most Alphas."
"I'm not most Alphas."
Selene stood, flipping her hood up again.
"Then stay out of my way."
But Kael stood too. "I can help you reclaim what's yours. You need a pack. I need a Luna."
She froze.
He stepped closer, not touching her, just close enough for her to feel his heat. "Not as a bond. Not yet. As an alliance. We both want the same thing."
"And what's that?"
"Blood," he said, voice ice-cold. "And justice.