BENEATH THE MOON'S BITE

RAFE POV The cell was exactly what I thought it would be. Stone, damp and cold, chains thick and silver-laced, bolted to the wall, clasped tight around my wrists. The smell of mildew, stale water, and my own blood. My left eye was swollen, nearly shut from the guard's fist, my ribs ached with every breath, but the pain was just light, the only thing that mattered was the bond. It was still there, a steady and humming warmth in my chest, Luca was alive. He was scared, but alive. I focused on it, letting it feed my anger, using the anger to burn through the cold and the hurt. They'd thrown me in here hours ago, after the fight in the tunnels. I'd taken three of Caleb's goons down before a fourth got a lucky hit with a silver-weighted club. The world had gone dark, and I'd woken up here. The door was solid iron, with a small slot at the bottom for food. No window. The only light came from a flickering torch somewhere down the hall, casting weak, dancing bars of orange through the grate. I'd tested the chains, they were solid. The silver in them burned if I pulled too hard, tearing my skin. I had to stop testing. Instead, I listened and breathed deep, sorting through the scents. Damp stone rat droppings the musky, wild smell of rogue wolves. And underneath it all, faint but crushed violets and moonlight, Luca. He was above me. Not far away. The bond tugged gently in that direction. Up. I pulled at the chains again, ignoring the fresh burn. I had to get to him, the thought of Caleb anywhere near him, breathing the same air, made my wolf snarl inside my head. The sound of boots echoed down the hall. Heavy, confident. Not the slow steps of the guard who brought the watery sop they called dinner. The boots stopped outside my door, and a key turned in the lock. I straightened up as much as the chains allowed, squaring my shoulders. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me beaten. The door swung open. Caleb stood in the doorway, a smirk already on his face, he'd cleaned up. The bruise I'd given him on his jaw, had started fading. He leaned against the doorframe, looking me over like I was a piece of meat at a market. "Comfortable?" he asked. I said nothing. I just stared back, letting my Alpha energy roll off me, even chained. It wasn't much, but the air in the cell grew heavier. Caleb's smirk didn't falter. He stepped inside, the door staying open behind him. "I just came from seeing your little mate. He's adjusting well." A growl ripped from my throat before I could stop it. "You stay away from him." "Or what?" Caleb spread his hands, laughing. "You'll rattle your chains at me?" He took another step closer, well within striking distance if my arms were free. "He's fascinating you know, I offered him a place at my side." He smiled, drawing his words slowly. "A chance to be more than an Omega. He told me to shove it." He sounded almost admiring. "Stupid, but brave." Relief battled with fury. He'd said no. Of course he'd said no. But Caleb knowing he'd said no was dangerous. "He'll never be yours." I said, my voice low and rough. "See, that's where you're wrong." Caleb crouched down in front of me, his dark eyes level with mine. "He'll be exactly what I need him to be, because I have you." Fear and cold trickled down my spine. "What?" "The Moon Trial is tomorrow, if he passes, the rogues keep him, they'll protect their precious Lunar Omega. If he fails..." Caleb's smile turned vicious. "They will give him to me, so I made him a new offer, a simpler one, all he has to do is fail the trial. And in exchange, I let you live, and even set you free." The world narrowed to Caleb's smug face, I felt like punching the smirk out of his ugly face. He'd backed Luca into a corner with my life as the bargaining chip. Luca would do it, I knew he would. He'd sacrifice himself in a heartbeat. "He won't believe you." I spat out. "He doesn't have to believe I'll let him go, he just has to believe I'll kill you if he doesn't obey." Caleb reached out, and before I could jerk back, he tapped a finger against the silver chain around my right wrist. It sizzled against my skin. "And I will, it would be easy and it would be a shame, for a made Alpha like you, to be snuffed out." He said, clicking his teeth. The words landed like blows, a made Alpha. He knew, of course he knew. He'd probably read the same records I was looking for in the archives. The shock must have shown on my face. Caleb's eyes lit up. "Oh, you didn't know? You thought you were just special?" He laughed, a mean, cruel sound. "You're a science project Rafe, my father's little experiment, he took the power of a dead rogue Alpha and stitched it into a weak Beta pup." "He created you, a custom-built Alpha, designed for one purpose." He leaned in, his voice dropping to a poisonous whisper. "To control the Lunar Omega, to be his leash." My breath seized abnormally, the memory of the bite in the forest, the instant, overwhelming need to claim Luca... was that even me? Or was it just my programming kicking in? No. The feelings were too real. The bond was too real. I shut the doubt down, clinging to the warmth in my chest. Luca. "You're lying." I snarled, but it sounded weak. "Am I?" Caleb stood up, looking down at me with pity. "Why do you think your bond formed so fast? So perfectly? It's what you were made for, you're not his fated mate, you're his handler." He walked toward the door. "Think about that while you're sitting here. Tomorrow, your little Omega is going to fail his test to save your pathetic life, and then he'll be mine, because that's what you made him do, his sacrifice will be your fault." He stepped out into the hall. "Wait!" The word tore out of me. He paused, glancing back. "Don't make him do this." I said, the plea tasting like ash. "He doesn't deserve your games." Caleb's expression softened into something truly terrifying, something almost like sympathy. "It's too late for that, the game is already in motion." The only move left is his." He signaled to someone in the hall. "Make sure he's ready for the trip." Two large rogues stepped into view. They carried a thick, black hood and a set of heavier manacles between them. Panic kicked in."Ready for what? Where are you taking me?"