When the Moon Slept

The forest had gone still. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Kael and Riven stood on opposite ends of the clearing-two predators locked in silence.

Luna could feel it, the pull between them, like gravity fighting itself. The air shimmered faintly, charged with the remnants of something ancient and dangerous.

Her voice broke the silence.

"Tell me the truth. Both of you."

Kael's jaw tensed. Riven's eyes gleamed with dark amusement.

Kael spoke first, his tone sharp. "You shouldn't have come here, Luna."

"Too late," she said, stepping between them. "You both keep talking about curses and bonds-then tell me what really happened."

Riven smirked. "He won't, because it makes him the villain in this story."

Kael's eyes flashed gold. "Don't push me, Riven."

"I think I already did," Riven murmured.

Lightning cracked in the distance. The scent of ozone filled the air.

"Enough!" Luna snapped. "I don't care about your feud. I just want to know who I am."

The mark on her wrist pulsed again-once, twice-then flared bright gold, forcing both men to look at her. The energy hummed in her veins, alive and angry.

Kael's gaze softened. "You were everything, Luna. My Luna. Until he-"

Riven cut him off. "Until she chose me first."

The words landed like a strike.

Kael's breath hitched. "That's not how it happened."

"Then tell her," Riven taunted.

Kael's eyes met hers. "You were part of my pack. We trained together, fought side by side. You were strong, reckless, alive. I loved that about you." He hesitated. "But he wanted you too."

"I didn't want her," Riven said, his voice low. "I needed her. You both did. That's why the Moon chose her to bear the dual mark."

"The what?" Luna asked.

Riven's expression softened just a fraction. "The mark of two Alphas. A balance the Moon rarely allows."

"She couldn't survive it," Kael said bitterly. "The bond tore her apart."

Luna's chest ached. "So you fought over me?"

"Not for you," Riven said. "For what you represented. Power. Unity. The chance to merge two packs that had been at war for generations."

Kael's voice turned cold. "And she paid the price for our ambition."

Her knees weakened. "I died?"

Kael caught her before she fell. "Almost. You stopped breathing under that moon. When the bond broke, your memories went with it."

Riven's eyes flickered with something almost like regret. "I tried to save you. He thought I cursed you."

"You didn't deny it," Kael growled.

"Would you have listened if I did?"

Luna looked between them-two men bound by blood and guilt, both telling fragments of a shattered truth.

"So which one of you is lying?" she whispered.

Kael's hand cupped her cheek. "I would never hurt you."

Riven's voice came from behind her, soft but certain. "He already did."

Thunder split the sky. The mark on her wrist burned brighter, as if responding to both voices, both hearts.

Her head spun. She tore herself free and stumbled back. "I need to think."

Kael reached for her. "Luna-"

But she was already running, the forest swallowing her whole.

Behind her, she heard Riven's low voice. "She'll remember everything soon. And when she does..."

He glanced at his brother.

"...let's see which of us she chooses."