Chapter 10 He want her

Chapter 10 He want her


Chapter Ten

Tiara’s POV

We moved quickly through the woods, following the narrow trail that wound along the northern ridge. Maxie walked ahead of us, every line of his body taut, his senses stretched thin like a wire ready to snap. Leo stayed behind me, watching our trail, brushing away footprints with silent precision.

The forest felt different now.

As if it knew something was coming.

Branches sagged lower than before. The air grew colder. Even the moonlight dimmed, swallowed by clouds that crept across the sky like a warning.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the trembling. “Maxie,” I whispered. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer at first. He kept moving, pushing aside branches with his forearm, scanning every shadow.

Finally, he stopped and turned back toward me.

“To safety,” he said. “But not the river cabin.”

Leo frowned. “Then where?”

Maxie’s gaze flicked to him, then to me. “The old sanctuary.”

Leo inhaled sharply. “You cannot be serious.”

“I am,” Maxie said.

Leo ran a hand through his hair. “It is off-limits for a reason.”

“Which makes it perfect,” Maxie replied. “No one will think to search a place we swore never to use again.”

My heart quickened. “What sanctuary?”

Maxie walked back toward me, his voice lowering. “A place built by the first Lunas of our pack. A place only marked wolves were allowed to enter.”

A shiver crawled up my spine. “Marked. As in the Moon Mark.”

“Yes.”

“And if I do not remember how to activate anything there?” I asked, voice cracking slightly.

“Your wolf will,” he said gently. “She remembers even if you do not.”

Leo exhaled heavily, crossing his arms. “The sanctuary was locked after the war with the Bloodline Packs. The magic there is unpredictable, Alpha.”

“Everything about tonight is unpredictable,” Maxie said. “Including the King. I will not risk her in any open space.”

Leo looked away, jaw tight. “Very well. But we will have to move fast.”

Maxie nodded. “Exactly.”

He turned to move again, but I caught his arm. “Maxie.”

He paused, looking down at my hand gripping his sleeve.

I swallowed. “What if I truly am the reason this is happening? What if the King is right? What if I was never meant to return?”

His eyes softened with a pain so sharp it made my breath catch.

“You were meant to return,” he said quietly. “I do not know why the Moon took you or why She gave you back. But I know you did not come back by accident.”

I stared up at him, searching his face. “How can you be so sure?”

He touched my cheek, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Because the bond woke the moment you stepped into my pack’s borders again. It may be broken. It may be weak. But it is still there.”

My chest tightened. “And that means what?”

“That fate is not done with us,” he said.

My breath faltered.

Leo cleared his throat loudly. “We should keep moving.”

Maxie pulled back reluctantly, but his fingers brushed mine before he stepped away, a small touch that sent warmth rushing through me.

We continued deeper into the trees, the path sloping downward until the sound of rushing water reached us. A narrow creek cut through the woods, glimmering faintly under the moon.

Leo jumped across first, landing silently on the other side. Maxie gestured for me to go next.

I shook my head. “I cannot jump that.”

“Yes, you can,” he said, stepping closer. “You survived a two-story fall tonight.”

“That was instinct,” I said. “And fear. Mostly fear.”

He smiled faintly. “Then let fear guide you again.”

I hesitated, staring at the water. It wasn’t wide, but the rocks beneath the surface gleamed dangerously, sharp points waiting for one wrong step.

“Tiara,” he said softly, “I am right here.”

I took a breath, backed up a step, then jumped.

My feet barely hit the opposite bank before I slipped.

Maxie caught me instantly, one arm around my waist, steadying me against his chest. The air rushed out of me at the sudden closeness. His heartbeat thundered under my palm. His scent wrapped around me like warmth after a storm.

“You are alright,” he murmured.

I nodded, unable to speak.

Leo cleared his throat again. “We should move.”

Maxie gently let me go, though my skin ached where his hands had been. We pressed forward, deeper into the woods.

The trees grew thicker, their branches weaving overhead until the moon could barely break through. Then, ahead, something shifted in the darkness. A faint shimmer. A ripple of silver light.

The air changed.

Maxie slowed, raising a hand.

“We are here,” he said.

I stepped forward, heart pounding. The sanctuary stood between two ancient pines, a stone archway covered in thick vines. Symbols were etched into the rock, glowing softly with pale light.

The closer I got, the louder my wolf became inside me. Not afraid. Not restless.

Awake.

She nudged the inside of my mind, urging me closer.

“Only those touched by the Moon can see its true form,” Maxie said behind me. “To anyone else, it looks like an ordinary ridge.”

I swallowed. “What do I do?”

“Step inside.”

My hands shook. “And if something happens?”

Maxie moved behind me, his breath warm against my ear. “Then I will be right behind you.”

Leo stayed back. “I will patrol the perimeter.”

I nodded, gathering my courage.

One step.

Two.

The moment my foot crossed the threshold, the archway pulsed with a sudden burst of silver light. The vines retracted. The symbols glowed brighter.

A soft hum filled the air.

Then the ground shifted beneath me, and warmth spread through my chest, deep and familiar, like a heartbeat I had forgotten.

My knees buckled.

Maxie lunged forward, catching me before I fell. “Tiara?”

“I am alright,” I whispered, even though my pulse raced uncontrollably. “Something is happening.”

He held me upright, steady and grounding, as the sanctuary responded to my presence.

The stone walls brightened.

The hum deepened.

And then Maxie’s breath caught sharply.

I looked down.

A faint symbol glowed on my skin just above my heart. A crescent moon, forming slowly as if waking from a long sleep.

Maxie stared, eyes widening. “The mark.”

I touched it, trembling. “What does it mean?”

His voice lowered, thick with both fear and awe.

“It means your power is waking.”

I swallowed hard. “And the King?”

Maxie’s jaw tightened.

“He will feel it.”