CHAPTER 68

**An Intimate Disclosure**

The chamber was filled with lengthy shadows as the moonlight poured through the pack house's huge windows. Unspoken tension pervaded the air, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. Since the rogue's warning and the eerie murmurs that reverberated in my chamber, I had hardly slept. My heart pounded my ribs, my mind raced, and my power, uncontrolled and wild, thrashed under my skin.

Like a lifeline, Kai's voice broke the stillness. "Come with me, Luna."

Startled, I turned to find him standing in the common room doorway. His golden eyes caught the moonlight in a manner that made him seem otherworldly, and his face was inscrutable. I felt my chest tighten because of something in his face, something vulnerable yet determined.

"Where?" My question was hardly audible above a whisper.

He held out his hand and said, "Somewhere we can chat."

After a moment of hesitation, I took it, and as he led me outdoors, his warmth grounded me.

After the frenzy of the previous several days, the customary activity had subsided, and the packed grounds were peaceful. Kai led me to the forest's edge, where towering trees stood like quiet guardians. I hardly sensed the cool night air biting my flesh. The intensity emanating from Kai, as if he were bearing the weight of the whole universe, dominated my thoughts.

The silvery moonlight illuminated a little clearing where we were when we eventually came to a halt. Nestled away from the main routes, it was a site I had never seen before, and its tranquility was almost unearthly.

Kai's jaw clenched as he turned to me. His voice was firm and quiet as he said, "I have been wanting to speak to you about something."

I took a deep breath. "This seems like a severe situation."

"It is."

He moved in closer, and I could feel the heat of his body as the distance between us dwindled. His unwavering eyes were loaded with an emotion I could not quite put my finger on.

With a voice hardly audible above a whisper, he said, "Luna, I think you are my destined partner."

It seemed like the world was tilting on its axis. As my mind raced to comprehend what he had said, my breath caught.

"What?" My voice was shaking as I managed to pronounce it.

Kai's jaw tightened as if he was trying to maintain his composure. At first, I was unaware of it. I just assumed when you arrived at this bundle... I believed it to be a coincidence. But my certainty has grown the more time I have spent with you.

He hesitated, looking for a response on my face. I was unsure of what to think or say. The concept was too big, too unattainable.

He went on to say, "I have felt this draw for you from the time we met." And everything began to make sense after the vision you recounted, the one pertaining to your previous existence. I believe you are the friend I lost.

Like a tidal wave, his words struck me. The sacrifice, the overpowering love and sadness, the memories of my vision came flooding back. Is it possible? Is it possible that I am the soul he has been longing for?

"However?" My question was hardly audible above a whisper. "I do not even recall my identity. How do you know for sure?

Kai took a step toward me and looked into my eyes. Because my wolf knows who you are. It is instinct, not simply a sensation. And I feel entire again whenever I am with you.

His comments left me reeling, but they were also like a salve to my broken spirit. It altered everything, if what he stated was accurate.

With a shaky voice, I responded, "Kai," "I am not sure if I can be who you need me to be." I have no idea who I am.

His fingers brushed my face as he stretched out. It was a comforting, soothing touch. "Luna, you do not have to be anybody else but yourself. Who you are today is more important than who you were in the past. And you are a remarkable person now.

His voice was so sincere that it broke my heart. I have questioned my position in this world and my value for a very long time. However, I saw acceptance, belief, and something more profound in Kai's eyes than I had dared to dream for.

We were both startled and alerted by a quick stirring in the woods before I could reply. Kai stiffened as he tried to defend me, his protective instincts taking over.

His voice was stern as he continued, "Stay behind me."

As the rustling increased in volume, I nodded, my heart pounding. I briefly believed it to be another outlaw as a dark figure appeared out of the woods. However, when they entered the moonlight, I recognized it as a member of the pack.

Lucas was the one.

His voice was rough, but there was a sense of urgency in his gaze as he replied, "Sorry to interrupt." "We have a problem."

Kai's face hardened as he straightened. "What is it?"

Lucas turned back to Kai after giving him a quick look. The border patrol is responsible. They have discovered something—something significant. You must see this.

Kai's eyes shifted back to me, his face displaying worry. "Remain here," he firmly urged.

To my own surprise, I responded, "No." "I need to know whether this is serious. I also belong to this bundle.

After a moment of hesitation and clenching his jaw, Kai nodded. "Remain near me."

The tension in the air was so heavy that a knife might pierce it as we followed Lucas into the woodland. Every step I took made my pulse race, and the shadows all around us seemed to move and change.

The sight before us as we arrived at the border chilled me to the bone.

Guarded by a line of warriors, they confronted the darkness beyond the woods with stern looks. And there was a huge gang of outlaws just across the border.

They were not assaulted, however.

They waited.

One of the fighters said, "They have been standing there for the last hour." "They seem to be waiting for someone or something."

Kai's wolf was obviously tense as his eyes narrowed. "What are they seeking?"

The warrior gave a headshake. They refuse to say. However, they have said unequivocally that they would not go until they get it.

I took a step forward, staring at the outlaws. Their attitudes were predatory, their eyes gleaming with hatred. Then one of them moved forward as if he could sense me.

It was a lady, with untamed, black hair and a piercing grin. My blood raced cold as she met my gaze.

She shouted out, "Luna," her voice echoing into the darkness. "We had been anticipating your arrival."

My thoughts were racing, and my breath caught. How was my name known to her?

With a deep growl in his voice, Kai shifted out of her line of sight. "You are not approaching her at all."

The sound of the woman's laughter was unsettling. "Oh, Alpha, you are not getting it. You do not have to defend her. We own her.

I felt the weight of the words pushing down on my chest, sending a shudder through me. Although I could see Kai's anger boiling next to me, my own anxiety was what was threatening to overwhelm me.

The lady stepped back into the darkness, her grin growing. "Luna," she continued, "we will come back." "And you will come voluntarily when we are."

Subsequently, the outlaws vanished into the forest, leaving a foreboding hush behind them.

Kai turned to face me with a worried and angry look on his face. "Luna, what do they mean? Why are they interested in you?

"I am not sure," I said, my voice trembling.

ling.

However, I secretly worried that the reality was something far more deadly than I could fathom.