Chapter 6 Wounds and Whispers

The night after Damian’s intrusion hung like a wound over the pack.

No one spoke of what they’d seen in the Luna’s garden, but the whispers crept through the halls like smoke. Aiden could feel the weight of every glance, every half-spoken word. The pack had always treated him like dirt, but now there was something new behind their looks—suspicion.

He kept to the edge of the territory, where the forest met the cliffs. The air smelled of rain and pine, clean and sharp enough to sting. He came here whenever he needed to breathe.

That was when he heard it—a thin, desperate cry cutting through the silence.

Aiden froze. It came again, softer this time, somewhere beyond the ridge. He followed the sound down a narrow path choked with roots and brambles until he reached a thicket near a fallen tree.

There, half-hidden in the mud, was a tiny wolf pup.

Its fur was matted with blood, one leg twisted at a wrong angle. The scent of fear was thick around it. Aiden’s heart clenched. It couldn’t have been more than a few months old.

“Hey there, little one,” he whispered, crouching low. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The pup growled weakly, baring its baby teeth. Aiden smiled despite the ache in his chest. He remembered being that small, that scared.

Slowly, he reached out. “Let me help.”

The pup trembled, but when his fingers brushed its fur, it didn’t bite. He tore a strip from his sleeve and wrapped the injured leg, humming softly under his breath—a tune his mother had sung long ago, before the pack had broken everything that was gentle.

When he finished, the pup licked his fingers, a faint, fragile gesture of trust.

“You’ll be all right,” he murmured. “You’re stronger than you think.”

Behind him, a branch cracked.

Aiden turned sharply, expecting a guard—or worse, Damian.

Instead, he saw her.

Selena stood a few paces away, cloaked in silver, her expression unreadable. The moonlight turned her eyes into twin mirrors of light.

“Luna,” he breathed, standing quickly. “I didn’t— I was just—”

“I saw,” she interrupted, her gaze flicking to the small bundle of fur in his arms. “You found a stray.”

“It was dying,” Aiden said quietly. “I couldn’t just leave it.”

For a long moment, she said nothing. Her eyes softened, barely. “Most Omegas would have walked away. Mercy is a luxury our kind rarely afford.”

Aiden looked down at the pup, now sleeping against his chest. “Maybe that’s why I can’t stop offering it.”

Something shifted in her then—a faint crack in the ice she wrapped around herself. She stepped closer, the scent of moonflowers surrounding him again. “You care too much,” she murmured. “That kind of heart doesn’t survive long here.”

“I don’t know how to be any other way.”

Selena’s fingers brushed the pup’s fur. The touch was careful, reverent. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen gentleness in this pack.”

He dared a glance up at her. “You could change that.”

Her eyes met his, and for one heartbeat the world stilled. There was warmth there now, small but real—an ember fighting against the cold.

“Maybe,” she whispered. “Or maybe kindness is the first thing power kills.”

Aiden wanted to tell her she was wrong, that she didn’t have to carry that weight alone. But before he could, the pup stirred, whimpering softly. Selena knelt beside him, pressing her palm gently over the tiny creature’s chest. A faint silver glow spread from her hand, and the pup’s breathing eased.

“You healed it,” Aiden said, awe in his voice.

“Not completely,” she replied, standing again. “The rest depends on whether it wants to live.”

He looked at her, something fragile and fierce burning in his chest. “Like us.”

Selena blinked, startled by his honesty. Then she turned, hiding whatever emotion had flickered across her face. “You should go back before someone notices you’re gone.”

“And you?” he asked.

“I’ll stay a while.” Her tone was soft. “The Moon feels quieter here.”

Aiden hesitated, then handed her the sleeping pup. Their fingers brushed—just a whisper of contact, but the spark that jumped between them was undeniable. They both froze, eyes locking once more.

“Luna…” he began, voice low.

“Don’t,” she said quickly, but there was no anger in it this time—only fear.

Before either could say more, a howl tore through the forest. Deep, commanding. Damian.

Selena’s head snapped toward the sound. “He’s close.”

Aiden’s pulse spiked. “He’s tracking me?”

“No,” she said grimly, clutching the pup tighter. “He’s tracking us.”

She turned toward him, silver light flickering around her hands. “Go, Aiden. Now.”

He wanted to stay, to protect her, but the urgency in her voice left no room for argument. He backed away, heart pounding. “Be careful.”

Selena’s eyes met his one last time. “I always am.”

Aiden disappeared into the trees, the darkness swallowing him whole. The last thing he heard before the wind carried him away was the faint growl of an Alpha’s voice—angry, searching, much too close.

And somewhere behind it, the quiet whimper of the pup…

and Selena’s whispered plea.

“Please, Goddess, don’t let him find us.”