Chapter 3: The Edge Of The Unknown

Celeste's heartbeat pounded like war drums in her ears. The air was thick, charged with a tension she could feel pressing against her skin. She barely had time to process what she had just seen—Elias Blackwood, no longer fully human.

His hands, now clawed, flexed at his sides, poised like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Across the room, his attacker emerged from the shadows.

Lucian Thornwood stepped forward, his movements too fluid, too controlled—inhuman in the same way Elias was. He was leaner than Elias but equally lethal, with sharp, piercing amber eyes that flickered in the dim light. His dark hair was tousled, giving him an air of calculated chaos.

"You shouldn't have interfered," Lucian murmured, his voice dangerously smooth.

Elias didn't answer right away. His shoulders tensed, every muscle coiled like a beast barely restrained.

Celeste could feel the energy crackling between them, something old and unspoken. Rivalry. Hatred.

And she had no idea why.

"Leave," Elias finally said, his voice like a low growl.

Lucian let out a humorless chuckle. "You know I can't do that. Not when you have something that belongs to me."

Celeste's pulse stuttered.

Was he talking about her?

Lucian's gaze flickered toward her, and in that instant, she knew.

He was.

A shiver ran down her spine, but she forced herself to keep her expression blank. She didn't know what game these two were playing, but she refused to be a pawn.

"I don't belong to anyone," she snapped, surprising even herself.

Lucian's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Oh, you really have no idea what you've walked into, do you, little journalist?"

Celeste hated the way his voice slithered around her, wrapping around her like an invisible leash.

"I don't need to understand to know I want nothing to do with you," she shot back.

Lucian laughed, a sound that sent a chill down her spine. "Oh, but you will."

He took a step toward her.

Elias moved faster.

In the blink of an eye, Elias was between them, his body a solid wall of heat and raw power.

"Touch her, and I will tear you apart," Elias growled, his voice reverberating with something not human.

Lucian tilted his head, studying Elias with something close to amusement. "Interesting," he mused. "So you've already figured it out."

Celeste frowned. Figured what out?

Lucian's gaze flicked back to her. "I was only going to warn her, Blackwood."

Elias' claws flexed, his breathing controlled but dangerous. "You don't warn, Thornwood. You manipulate."

Lucian smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

"Then consider this a gift," he said smoothly. "Celeste Vaughn, you're standing at the edge of a world you don't understand. And if you're not careful…" His amber eyes gleamed. "It will devour you."

Then, just like that, he was gone.

One moment he was standing in front of them, the next, the air shifted, and he disappeared into the darkness.

Celeste let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

The room was silent, save for the slow, steady sound of Elias' breathing.

Then, slowly, he turned toward her.

For the first time, she saw it clearly—the wolf just beneath his skin.

His silver eyes burned with something raw and unfiltered, his muscles still coiled, his breathing deliberate as he reined himself back in.

Celeste knew she should be afraid. She should be running.

But she didn't.

Instead, she took a step closer.

"Elias…" she whispered.

His gaze locked onto hers, searching. Testing.

"You were going to kill him," she said, not a question—just a fact.

His jaw tightened. "Yes."

"Why?"

Elias was silent for a long moment.

Then, he exhaled.

"Because he would have taken you."

Something cold wrapped around her chest.

"Taken me where?" she demanded.

Elias hesitated. His hands had returned to normal, his claws now gone, but the predator inside him hadn't disappeared. It was still watching her.

"Home," he finally said. "To his pack."

Celeste felt the blood drain from her face.

Pack.

Her stomach twisted. She had suspected something supernatural, but this confirmed it. Werewolves.

And somehow, she was tangled up in all of this.

Elias turned away, running a hand through his hair as if trying to steady himself.

"You need to leave, Celeste," he said.

She stiffened. "What?"

He didn't look at her when he spoke. "This isn't your fight. Walk away before it's too late."

Anger flared in her chest. "You think I can just pretend none of this happened?"

Elias finally turned back to her. "I think you should," he said, his voice unreadable.

Celeste's heart pounded. He was pushing her away.

But why?

Everything in her screamed that this wasn't just about protecting her. There was something else, something deeper.

And she wasn't leaving without answers.

"No," she said.

Elias' silver eyes flashed. "Celeste—"

"You just admitted Lucian would have taken me." She took a step closer, her voice unwavering. "That means I'm already part of this, whether I like it or not."

Elias exhaled sharply, dragging a hand over his face. Frustrated. Torn.

"You don't understand what you're saying."

"Then explain it to me."

He stilled.

And for a moment, Celeste thought he would shut her out completely.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"You're Moonbound."

The word sent a shiver through her, foreign yet familiar, as if it had been waiting for her to hear it.

"What does that mean?" she whispered.

Elias' gaze darkened.

"It means you belong to me."