Chapter 4: Beneath the Silver Light

The night swallowed Elara whole as she stumbled after Kael, her boots sinking into the frost-crusted earth, her breath puffing in jagged clouds. The observatory shrank behind them, its dome a fading beacon against the ridge's dark spine. She clutched her notebook to her chest like a shield, the flashlight in her other hand casting wild arcs of light across the pines. Kael moved ahead, a shadow among shadows, his bare feet silent despite the twigs and stones littering the forest floor. He'd grabbed a tattered jacket from somewhere—ripped, blood-streaked, barely covering his broad frame—but it did little to hide the raw power in his stride, the predator's grace that marked him as more than human.Her arm throbbed where the wolf had grazed her, the makeshift bandage damp with blood, but adrenaline kept her moving. Questions churned in her mind, a storm of variables she couldn't solve: wolves that weren't wolves, a man who'd been a beast, an attack that made no sense. And Kael—his name rolled through her thoughts like a comet, bright and uncharted. He'd saved her, fought for her, but why? She didn't know him, didn't understand the weight in his golden eyes when he'd looked at her, the hesitation in his voice when he'd stopped himself mid-sentence."Where are we going?" she called, her voice sharp against the forest's hush. It trembled more than she'd intended, betraying the fear she'd shoved down.Kael glanced back, his face half-lit by her flashlight—scarred jaw tight, eyes glinting like coins. "Somewhere they won't find us. Not tonight." His tone was gruff, clipped, but there was a thread of something softer beneath it, a flicker of concern she couldn't place."They," she echoed, tripping over a root and catching herself. "Those… things back there? What were they?""Wolves," he said, slowing to let her catch up. "Like me. But not like me.""That's not an answer." She stopped, planting her feet, the flashlight beam pinning him in place. "You turn into a wolf. They tried to kill me. You fought them off. I deserve more than cryptic grunts."He turned fully, crossing his arms, the jacket straining over his shoulders. Blood still seeped from the gash on his side, dark against his skin, but he didn't flinch. "You're right," he said, surprising her. "You deserve to know what you're in. But it's not a short story, and we're not safe here. Keep moving. I'll talk."Elara hesitated, then nodded, falling into step beside him. The forest thickened around them, pines giving way to gnarled oaks, their branches clawing at the sky. The moon hung above, gibbous and unyielding, its light filtering through the canopy to dapple the ground in silver patches. She adjusted her glasses, smudged lenses catching the glow, and waited for him to begin."I'm a werewolf," Kael said after a long silence, his voice low, resonant, like the growl she'd heard earlier. "Born, not made. My kind's been around longer than your cities, tied to the moon by blood and oath. We shift, we hunt, we live by laws you wouldn't understand.""Try me," she shot back, her scientist's curiosity flaring despite the absurdity. "I've got three degrees and a telescope that's seen things you wouldn't believe. I can handle laws."A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, gone before she could be sure. "Fair enough. The Lunar Covenant—it's what binds us. Keeps us from turning feral, from tearing the world apart. Every wolf answers to it, to the moon's pull. Alphas enforce it, packs follow it. I used to be one of them.""Used to?" She stepped over a fallen log, her flashlight catching a glint of frost on its bark. "What happened?"He didn't answer right away, his gaze fixed on the path ahead—a narrow trail winding deeper into the ridge. "I was an alpha," he said finally, the words heavy. "Led a pack up north, strong one. Then Darius came. Another alpha, bigger, meaner. He challenged me, killed half my kin to prove his point. I fought, lost, ran. Been a rogue ever since."Elara's chest tightened, the weight of his story sinking in. "A rogue," she repeated. "That's why those wolves attacked? Because you're… what, an outcast?""No." He stopped, turning to face her, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath hitch. "They weren't after me. They were after you.""Me?" She laughed, a brittle sound that echoed off the trees. "I'm nobody. An astronomer in a shack, chasing math problems. Why would they care?""Because of what you're chasing." He nodded upward, toward the moon. "You've seen it, haven't you? The shift. The anomaly."Her mouth went dry. She clutched her notebook tighter, the pages crinkling under her fingers. "How do you know that?""I felt it." He tapped his chest, over his heart. "In here. The moon's off, and it's waking things up—old things, dangerous things. Those wolves back there, they're scouts. Darius's dogs. They scented you, your work, and they came to stop it.""Stop it?" She shook her head, pacing a small circle, her flashlight beam jittering. "That's insane. I'm not a threat. I'm just tracking orbits, plotting data—""You're more than that," Kael cut in, stepping closer. "You don't see it yet, but I do. The way you looked at the sky, the way you looked at me. You're part of this, whether you want to be or not.""Part of what?" Her voice rose, frustration boiling over. "Your werewolf war? I didn't sign up for this, Kael. I didn't ask for wolves to break down my door or—or for you to turn my life upside down!""I know." His tone softened, and he raised a hand, then dropped it, as if unsure what to do with it. "I didn't ask for it either. But it's here, and we're in it together now.""Together?" She stopped pacing, staring at him. The word hung between them, heavy with implications she couldn't untangle. "Why do you care what happens to me?"He looked away, jaw clenching, and for a moment, she thought he wouldn't answer. Then he met her eyes again, and something raw flickered in his gaze—something that made her pulse stutter. "Because I can't not care," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "You're… important. To me."The words hit her like a shockwave, simple yet seismic. She opened her mouth to argue, to demand clarification, but the forest interrupted—a rustle, sharp and close, snapping her attention to the left. Kael tensed, head whipping toward the sound, his nostrils flaring. "Get behind me," he growled, stepping in front of her, his body a wall of muscle and heat."What is it?" she whispered, peering around him, flashlight trembling in her grip."More of them." His voice was a low rumble, the beast rising beneath it. "Stay close."Before she could respond, shadows moved—three, four, five wolves, their eyes yellow slits in the dark, emerging from the trees with a predator's silence. They were smaller than the ones at the observatory, leaner, but no less deadly, their growls a chorus of hunger. Elara's heart slammed against her ribs, her mind racing for options—run, hide, fight—but Kael was already moving.He didn't shift fully, not like before, but his hands flexed, claws sprouting, his eyes glowing brighter. "Go!" he barked at her, pointing to a cluster of boulders up the trail. "Now!"She bolted, legs pumping, the flashlight bouncing as she ran. Behind her, snarls erupted, flesh tearing, a symphony of violence she didn't dare look back to see. The boulders loomed ahead, jagged and moss-slick, and she scrambled behind them, crouching low, her breath ragged. She peeked out, unable to stop herself, and saw Kael in the fray—a blur of claws and fury, holding off the pack single-handedly.One wolf lunged at his back, and she shouted, "Kael, behind you!" without thinking. He spun, catching it mid-air, slamming it to the ground with a sickening crunch. The others hesitated, then scattered, melting into the forest as fast as they'd come. Kael stood, chest heaving, blood dripping from his claws, his eyes scanning the trees before locking onto her."You okay?" he called, voice rough but steady.She nodded, stepping out, her legs shaky. "You?""Fine." He wiped his hands on his jeans, the claws retracting, though the blood remained. "They're testing us. Won't be the last.""Testing?" She approached him, flashlight beam catching the sweat on his brow, the fresh cuts on his arms. "For what?""To see if you're worth killing." He met her gaze, unflinching. "Or keeping."Her stomach twisted, but she forced herself to hold his stare. "And you? What do you think I'm worth?"He didn't answer right away, his expression unreadable. Then he stepped closer, close enough that she felt the heat rolling off him, the scent of pine and blood filling her senses. "More than they know," he said quietly. "More than I can say."Her breath caught, a spark igniting in her chest—fear, yes, but something else too, something warm and reckless. She didn't know what to make of it, of him, but the night pressed in, and there was no time to think. "Where's this safe place?" she asked, breaking the moment.He pointed ahead, to a rise where the trees thinned. "Cave. Half a mile. Can you make it?""Yeah." She adjusted her coat, squaring her shoulders. "Lead on."Kael nodded, and they moved together, the moon watching as they wove deeper into the ridge. The cave came into view—a low gash in the rock, hidden by overhanging vines. He pushed them aside, gesturing her in. The air inside was damp, cool, the walls rough under her fingers as she ducked through the entrance. It widened into a chamber, lit faintly by cracks in the ceiling where moonlight seeped through."Sit," Kael said, pointing to a flat stone. He rummaged in a corner, pulling out a battered pack—blankets, a canteen, a flint. "Been using this place a while."Elara sat, setting her notebook beside her, and watched him build a fire. His movements were practiced, efficient, the flint sparking until flames licked the dry wood he'd stacked. The light danced across his face, softening the scars, highlighting the tension in his jaw. She pulled her coat tighter, the chill seeping into her bones, and cleared her throat."Tell me more," she said. "About the Covenant. Darius. All of it."He sat across from her, the fire between them, and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "The Covenant's old—older than me, older than Darius. It's a pact with Selene, the moon goddess. She gave us the shift, the strength, but it comes with rules. Loyalty to the pack, obedience to the alpha, balance with the human world. Break it, and you pay.""Pay how?" She leaned in, the scientist in her hungry for details."Madness, mostly. The beast takes over, no coming back. Or death, if the pack catches you first. Rogues like me—we're supposed to fade out, die alone. But I didn't.""Why not?" Her voice was soft, probing.He stared into the fire, flames reflecting in his eyes. "Stubborn, I guess. And I had something to prove. Darius—he's not just an alpha. He's a tyrant. Took the pack, twisted the Covenant to fit his rules. Kills anyone who defies him, rogue or not. Those scouts? They're his eyes, his claws. He's hunting something big, and you're in the way.""Because of the moon," she said, piecing it together. "The anomaly.""Yeah." He looked at her, sharp and searching. "What've you found?"She hesitated, then opened her notebook, flipping to the pages of equations and sketches. "It's off orbit—a fraction of a degree, but consistent. Started weeks ago, subtle enough most wouldn't notice. I've been tracking it, cross-referencing old data. It's not gravitational, not planetary. It's… deliberate.""Deliberate?" He frowned, leaning closer."Like something's pulling it." She tapped a graph, her finger trembling slightly. "I don't know what yet. But it's real, and it's accelerating."Kael's eyes darkened, a storm brewing behind them. "Selene," he muttered. "Or something worse.""Selene?" Elara's brows shot up. "You're saying a goddess is messing with my data?""Not your data. Us." He gestured between them. "The moon's tied to us, to the Covenant. If it's shifting, it's not just your puzzle—it's ours.""Ours," she repeated, the word sinking in. She studied him, the firelight carving shadows across his face, and felt that spark again—dangerous, magnetic. "Why do I matter to this, Kael? Really?"He held her gaze, the silence stretching taut. "You're starborn," he said at last, the word heavy with meaning she didn't grasp. "I don't know how, or why, but I feel it. The moon does too. That's why they came for you.""Starborn?" She shook her head, exasperated. "That's not a thing. I'm human, Kael. Flesh and blood, no magic.""You sure about that?" He tilted his head, studying her. "You see things others don't. You feel them. That cut on your arm—it's already healing faster than it should."She glanced down, peeling back the bandage. He was right—the shallow gash was scabbing over, too quickly for normal. "That's… impossible," she breathed."Not for you." He reached across the fire, his hand hovering near hers, then pulling back. "Not with me here."Her heart stuttered, a thousand questions colliding, but exhaustion hit her like a wave. She slumped against the stone, the notebook slipping to her lap. "I don't understand any of this," she admitted, voice small."You will." Kael's tone was firm, a promise. "Rest. I'll keep watch."She wanted to argue, to demand more, but her eyelids drooped, the fire's warmth lulling her. She curled up, coat as a pillow, and watched him through the flames—golden eyes steady, guarding her in a way that felt ancient, inevitable. As sleep claimed her, the moon's light filtered through the cave, and she swore she heard it whisper her name.