CHAPTER 68

**A revelation in the moonlight**

The woodland was calm once again, but the rush of adrenaline from the fight was still pulsing through my veins. Before I heard his voice, I could smell Kai's scent—a familiar, anchoring blend of musk and pine.

With a boulder-like weight on my chest after what had just transpired, I had gone back to the camp's edge to collect my breath. I could still hear the creature's scream, but what really disturbed me was the expression in Kai's eyes when I had looked at him earlier—a combination of pride, dread, and something more profound.

"You were in danger of dying." Like the snap of a tree under your feet, his voice pierced the quiet.

As I turned, I saw his tight demeanor as he emerged from the shadows. He had powerful features with silver streaks from the moonlight that streamed through the trees.

Even though my pulse was pounding at his proximity, I added, "And yet, here I am," in a purposefully casual tone.

With his hands on his hips as if to stabilize himself, Kai let out a quick breath. "You realize how careless that was?" Taking on the task by yourself?

I arched an eyebrow. It worked, reckless or not. The prisoners are secure.

His jaw tensed, and I briefly believed he was about to dispute. Instead, he took a step toward me and met my gaze with his sharp eyes. "You should not have had to deal with it on your own."

I pointed to the camp where Marcus and the others were assembling the rescued packmates to remind him that he was not alone. "There was Marcus."

Kai bridged the space between us with a thin line of his lips. His eyes were so intense that I gasped.

“Luna,” he continued quietly, “that’s not what I mean.

His tone changed, and I scowled, perplexed. "So, what are you referring to?"

He remained silent for a long time. Rather, he examined me, his eyes following every facial line as if he were looking for something.

"Kai?" My voice was softer now as I asked.

He raked a hand through his black hair and moaned. "I have been trying to dismiss it and tell myself it is only a coincidence, but..."

"But what?" My stomach curled with a combination of fear and eagerness as my heart thudded in my chest.

After hesitating, he moved closer, his words almost audible above a whisper. "I think you are my destined partner. The person I lost a long time ago has returned.

The words were weighty and electric as they hovered between us.

My thoughts spinning, I blinked. "What are you discussing?"

Kai's typically stern countenance softened, revealing a brief moment of weakness. "Like you, I had a healer for a mate before I became Alpha. She was ferocious and gentle. During a rogue assault, she gave her life to protect the pack. He turned aside as if the recollection still hurt, and his voice broke a little.

Unsure of how to take in what he was saying, I swallowed hard. Kai, I'm... I am not her.

With a quiet intensity that made my skin tingle, he turned back to face me and said, "No." "You are not her. However, there is something... familiar about you, your power, your soul. As if she were living inside of you.

Trying to make sense of his statements in light of what I already knew about myself made my stomach turn. There is no logic to it. I did not know you before I joined this pack.

"Perhaps not in this life," he said. "But in another?"

His belief weighed heavily on me, and I felt myself backing off and shaking my head. "That is not feasible, Kai. You are clinging to the dark.

"Am I?" he said in a firm voice. “Think about it, Luna. The way you fight, the way you care for others—it’s like you’ve done this before. As if it were automatic. Does not that have any significance for you?

I paused, his words igniting something within of me. A recollection of being in a moonlight clearing, a link that seemed impenetrable, a memory that was faint and ephemeral, like a whisper on the wind, and then anguish.

I shook my head, attempting to push the idea away. "What does it matter now, even if that is true? The person you lost is not me.

"No," he answered with a tone of calm assurance. "However, you could be the one I am looking for."

I could not take my eyes off of him as the air between us brimmed with unsaid feelings. His face showed the intensity of his emotions in a manner I had never seen before—raw and unprotected.

"Kai..." My voice trailed off as I started.

He moved in closer, reaching up to remove a lock of hair from my face. Despite the gentleness of his touch, I felt a surge of warmth.

He whispered, "I am not asking you to believe me." "Not just yet. However, I need you to understand how I feel. How I have felt ever since I first met you.

For a brief moment, I let myself lean into the connection between us as his words encircled me like a warm embrace.

Then, however, the weight of reality fell once more.

I took a step back and put my arms around myself, saying, "This is too much." "Kai, I can not handle this right now."

He nodded, but it was hard to ignore the glint of pain in his eyes. "I get it. Go slowly. But know that I am here. Always for you.

I felt a twinge of remorse as Kai turned to go. Something inside of me wanted to reach out and tell him that his remarks had caused me to feel uneasy. However, a ruckus broke up from the camp before I could say anything.

Our senses sharpened as we both turned and hurried to where the commotion was coming from.

With packmates running for cover and warriors yelling commands, the camp was in disarray. Marcus stood in the middle of it all, his eyes wide with terror and his face pallid.

His voice was shaking as he continued, "They are coming."

"Who is coming?" With his Alpha presence slicing through the terror, Kai ordered.

"The outlaws," Marcus said. And they are not by alone. They have that thing with them.

I felt the weight of Kai's stare on me as the words chilled my spine.

Despite the anxiety that was churning in my gut, I forced a sarcastic grin and added, "Looks like our chat will have to wait."

There was a little grin on Kai's lips. "There is no other way I would have it."

I kept thinking that this was only the beginning as the pack got ready for the next assault. I could still hear the creature's scream, and I could not get Kai's confession out of my head.

A wave of resolve swept over me as I stood at the edge of the camp. I would confront whatever happened next.

However, a recognizable figure loomed among them, shrouded in darkness, as the first shadows formed in the distance.

My breath caught in my throat as I froze.

It is not possible.

And yet there th

ey were, smiling icily as they stepped forward.

The figure said, "Hello, Luna," in a voice full of hate.