LUCA

Rafe froze mid-step, his shoulders squared and he folded his fists like he was ready to fight the door itself. The knock came again. It echoed like war drums in the silence of the room.

"Stay here," he said, his voice went low, and lethal, that wasn't a suggestion.

I sat up slowly, the bed sheets slipping from my chest, and my heart pounding as I strained to hear more. I didn't imagine it, that voice, it was rough, older, and familiar in the worst way possible, and now it had clawed its way out of my memories and slammed itself into the present.

My brother was dead.

I saw the coffin....I saw the blood.

I remember screaming myself hoarse while they lowered it into the ground.

Rafe reached the front door and paused, sniffing the air like it might offer answers. His knuckles hovered over the handle.

"Rafe....wait," I whispered, fully sliding out of bed. My legs were weak, and still trembling from earlier, but I couldn't sit still. "What if it's not real? What if someone's messing with me?"

He didn't respond. His whole body was like a statue, but the energy rolling off him was Alpha level.

Then he opened the door.

A man stood there, tall, broad, and draped in a black hoodie soaked from the night drizzle, his eyes locked onto mine over Rafe's shoulder.

And my breath left my lungs.

"Zayne," I croaked in shock, as the memories hit me like a sick realization.

There were bruises under his eyes and a fresh scar across his cheek.

"Hey, little brother," he muttered.

Rafe stepped forward, deliberately blocking the doorframe, "Explain, now."

Zayne gave him a long, slow once over, then looked past him again. "It's not your business, big dog, I need to speak to Luca."

Rafe growled, literally growled. His body shifted slightly, enough that the light caught the faint shimmer of fur crawling up the side of his neck. He was close to snapping.

"Rafe," I said quickly, coming up behind him and grabbing his arm. His skin was burning, and tense. He didn't look at me, but I felt the restraint in him, I felt it unraveling.

"It's okay," I murmured, squeezing his arm, "Let him in."

He didn't move at first. Then, with a noise that sounded like a curse, he stepped aside.

Zayne walked in like he owned the place, dripping water all over the hardwood, and his eyes never leaving me, "You look older, taller and you smell....different."

Rafe let out a warning sound and I threw him a quick glare and turned back to Zayne.

"You died," I said in anger or confusion, I couldn't quite place how I felt.

"They wanted you to think that and I let them, it was the only way to keep you safe."

"From what?"

Zayne ran a hand through his hair, then looked at Rafe again. "Can you give us a minute?"

"Not a chance," Rafe bit out.

I stepped between them, the tension was making it hard to breathe. "Zayne, just talk, why now? Why come back now?"

His eyes softened, just a little.

"Because the protection I gave you is wearing off and you...you're triggering something, Luca....oh and it's big, whispers and rumors are spreading fast. Packs are on their edge, the moment you turned, they felt it and it wasn't just your first shift that rang the alarm. It was something else."

My mouth went dry, "What do you mean by that?"

Zayne's gaze turned to Rafe again, "He didn't tell you yet?"

Rafe looked away and refused to say anything making his silence thunderous.

Zayne's expression darkened, "You didn't tell him what he is?"

Rafe's voice dropped to a whisper. "It's not your place."

I looked between them, and felt my stomach twist, "Tell me what?"

No one answered.

Zayne folded his arms. "When did it happen? I mean the shift."

"Last night," I said. "In the woods, I blacked out and Rafe brought me back."

Zayne swore under his breath. "Then we don't have much time. The others....our kind, they'll start coming. They'll sniff you out and know you're different."

"Different how?"

Neither of them spoke, for the second damn time, Rafe finally turned away, pacing, and running a hand through his hair, he only does that when he is freaking out.

Zayne narrowed his eyes back to me, "You didn't answer my earlier question."

"What question?"

He stepped closer, "You smell different. What did you do? Who did you bond with?"

I flushed, and suddenly my throat felt tighter, "What are you talking about?"

Zayne sniffed the air again, then let out a bitter laugh. "You didn't just shift last night, you mated."

My heart skipped.

I looked at Rafe, and he wasn't denying it, he was just standing there, staring out the window like if he didn't look at us, the truth would eventually vanish.

Zayne cursed again, "Do you know what you've done?"

"Don't talk to him like that," Rafe snapped, now stepping forward.

"Then you talk to him," Zayne shot back. "He's not just any omega, He's..."

"Don't," Rafe barked, but his voice was shaky.

Zayne shook his head slowly. "You should've told him, he has the right to know."

I grabbed Rafe's arm, "Know what? Rafe, please."

He looked at me, he really looked at me and I saw it then, the storm in his eyes, it was fear, pure fear.

"You're an omega, Luca. But not just that, I've heard of it in the old tales, thought by the packs to be extinct."

I swallowed. "What are you saying?"

Before he could answer, Zayne's head snapped toward the window. "We've got company boys."

Rafe was already moving, "Get him to the basement, now."

"What....why?" I asked, my heart going up again like a loud gong in my chest.

"Because if they see you," Rafe said darkly, "it won't matter who your brother is, you'll be hunted."

Zayne grabbed my hand, "Move."

I looked over my shoulder as Rafe turned to face the door, his eyes were already shifting.

And in that moment, I realized that whatever I was... it wasn't safe anymore.

RAFE

The forest had never felt so loud.

Each crunch beneath my boots was a threat, and every rustle of leaves screamed a warning. I kept glancing over my shoulder, my instincts screaming at me that we were being followed even though we hadn't seen anyone since we left my house.

Luca walked a step ahead, his hood was pulled low, and his shoulders seemed tense. The moonlight made his hair glow silver, he didn't speak, but I could hear his heartbeat, fast, uneven and matching mine.

I wanted to reach for his hand, to ground us both. But that wasn't an option anymore, not with the way our scents had changed.

We reeked of bond.

It clung to us....faint, but wrong and different. Anyone with a nose would notice it soon, and once they did, we were dead.

Zayne's sudden return hadn't helped. He trudged behind us now, silent as a shadow. His presence gnawed at me, it felt alive, changed and haunting.

He hadn't said much when we left, just that we needed to move, and fast.

Now, I couldn't stop thinking about what he'd muttered when Luca wasn't listening:

"Caleb is hunting you both, not just Luca, you too, Rafe, he's been told of what you are."

I didn't ask who because, I already knew.

"Stop," Zayne said, his voice was low but urgent.

Luca and I froze, my body tensed, wolf rising. I tilted my head, listening. There was a second heartbeat, maybe two and it was far but closing in.

"They've picked up your trail," Zayne whispered, "And I'm not sure they're alone."

"How many?" I asked.

"Three I can sense. But Caleb... he's smart, he wouldn't come without a plan."

I cursed under my breath. "We have to move."

"No," Zayne countered, "We need to hide."

Luca turned to him. "Why should we trust you?"

Zayne flinched, then looked at me instead. "Because I didn't die like everyone thought. I was captured and the only reason I escaped was because someone else needed you alive."

His gaze flicked to Luca.

I stepped in front of him, my wolf bristling, "What does that mean?"

Zayne shook his head. "Later, because right now, we either run or fight."

A howl tore through the air, close enough to make my blood chill.

They'd found us.

"Run," I snapped, grabbing Luca's arm. "Now."

We broke into a sprint, branches whipped past, roots grabbed at our feet, and the forest became a blur of shadows. Behind us, footsteps thundered....closer, heavier.

Luca stumbled. I caught him before he hit the ground. His eyes were wide, panicked, and glowing faintly.

That stopped me cold.

His eyes, they were glowing.

Omegas didn't glow, not unless...It can't be true.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered, voice shaky. "I feel... off."

"Not now," I said, pulling him upright. "Later, keep running."

We cut through a clearing, moonlight drenching us, bad move.

A growl echoed across the trees, and suddenly, he was there.

Caleb.

His wolf leapt from the shadows, black as pitch, his eyes locked on Luca, his growl vibrated through my bones.

I shifted mid-air, fur erupting, bones snapping, landing between him and Luca with a snarl.

He lunged.

We collided with brutal force, claws raking, and teeths snapping. Pain bloomed down my side, but I held firm, I wouldn't let him touch Luca, not now, not ever.

Zayne appeared from nowhere, slamming into one of Caleb's flanking wolves causing a blur of motion and blood.

"Get Luca out of here!" he yelled.

I turned to Luca, his face pale, and shaking. "Run, don't stop, head for the river, I'll find you."

"No," he said, voice breaking. "I won't leave you..."

Another wolf crashed out of the underbrush, charging straight for him.

That's when it happened.

Luca screamed, not in fear, but in fury and the air around him trembled.

The attacking wolf froze mid-strike, his eyes widening. Then he yelped, his spine arching unnaturally, and was thrown backward by something I couldn't see.

A force, a blast.

Luca stared at his hands, in horror.

"What did I....?"

"Go!" I roared, my own fear mixing with awe.

He ran, and the forest seemed to move with him, shadows bending, trees shivering. Whatever he'd unleashed, it wasn't normal and it definitely wasn't Omega.

I turned back to Caleb, barely avoiding his claws. He was laughing now, blood dripping from his mouth.

"You're protecting a monster," he spat, shifting back mid-fight. "He's not just an Omega, you feel it, don't you? He's wrong, he's a curse"

"You're the curse here," I growled, fur bristling. "You and your twisted rules."

"You think you can outrun the Purge?" he sneered, "You think you can protect him when the entire pack system turns on you?"

I hesitated only for a second.

He slashed my shoulder open.

Pain blinded me, but I forced my wolf to push through. One last shove sent him crashing into a tree.

I didn't wait to see if he got up, I ran.

The forest blurred and my wounds burned, but I didn't stop. I followed Luca's scent, wild and bright and terrified. I needed to get to him, now.

Then I saw him.

Luca was standing by the river, staring into the trees like he was waiting for something or someone.

And then I felt it too.

A ripple in the air, power, cold, ancient, and foreign.

This wasn't Caleb, it was something worse. Figures emerged from the trees, hooded, unfamiliar, and scentless.

Rogues.

But not ordinary ones. These were marked, ritual-burned, feral and controlled.

They hadn't come for both of us.

They'd come for Luca.

I stepped forward, but one of them spoke first, his voice sounded deep, and inhuman.

"There he is," he said. "The Lunar Omega."

Luca backed up, eyes darting to me. "Rafe...?"

I started toward him.

Then a dart flew from the shadows, silver-tipped, soaked in wolfsbane and hit Luca square in the side.

He gasped and tumbled.

I screamed his name.

He collapsed into the river's edge, convulsing.

The last thing I saw was one of the rogues lifting his limp body over his shoulder, and stepping into the shadows.

And then they were gone.

Rafe's Pov

My wolf wanted to howl. It wanted to tear, to break, to sink its teeth into something and not let go.

The silence after the rogues took Luca was worse than the fight. It was loud ringing sharply in my ears, a cold dread filled my heart, where the bond had been. But I could still feel him a thin, silent drag pulling northeast but it felt fragile and stretched.

The river washed the blood from my shoulder but couldn't touch the fury. I crouched, snatching the silver dart from the mud, its tip was coated with silver Wolfsbane, not for killing but for capture.

"Rafe."

Zayne called as he stepped out from the tree line, his voice sounded hoarse,and there was a fresh cut above his brow.

His eyes swept the clearing, the dart in my hand his face twitched, but he didn't ask, he already knew.

"Kindred Rogues." He said, nodding his head sadly.

"They are the marked ones, Rafe, they don't hunt for sport. They hunt for power."

"They took him." My voice sounded strange, it was filled with fear and bitterness for my mate.

"I know."

"They called him something, Lunar Omega."

Suddenly there was a flicker in Zayne's eyes,

"So it's starting." He murmured to himself, but the wind blew it to my ears.

"What's starting?" I asked curiously and took a step toward him.

The wolf in me was a chaos of rage and fear. "What did they mean? What is he?" I roared in anger.

Zayne didn't flinch, he just grunted with a lopsided smile. "Hope and a death sentence, depends on who gets him first."

"Stop talking in circles!" The snarl ripped out of me.

"Where is my mate?"

"Your mate?" Zayne's laugh was short and bitter.

"You bit him? Of course you did. You just painted a target on his back twice as bright as the moon" He cursed and ran a hand over his face.

"The Kindred believe in prophecies, they think a 'Lunar Omega' is a key to power. To break curses. They'll want to test him. To use him."

The word 'use' made me furious. "Where, Zayne?"

He looked toward the dark line of mountains, and pointed to nothing. "They could be anywhere Rafe, anywhere."

"The old mines. A stone labyrinth. They could be anywhere in there. And they won't be the only ones looking for him now. That title... it's a beacon."

The bond gave a sudden spike of pain, sharp and bright, that wasn't physical. It was like the inner body was thrown into a world of pains, but the pain wasn't mine, it was Luca's.

"He's hurt." I muttered, grimly as the pain filled the bond.

"No," Zayne said, his voice dropping low.

"That's not pain, that's shock." He paused, his gaze turning frightened and wary.

"They've already taken him to the heart of it, to the only prisoner they keep alive down there."

"Who?"

Zayne met my eyes, I could see pains and secrets in his eyes, they looked heavy and awful.

"Our mother, Rafe."

My world stood on a standstill for a while, disbelief flooding my heart. "She's dead, Zayne. The rogues killed her years ago."

"That's what everyone was supposed to think. What he was supposed to think." Zayne replied, tightening his jaw.

"They didn't kill her! They took her. For the same reason they just took Luca. Because of what they are."

The ground suddenly felt unsteady under my feets. Luca's mother. Alive. A prisoner. All this time. "Does he know?"

"He doesn't, but he will the second he sees her, or smells her." Zayne's face was grim.

"And when he does, that shock you just felt? That's nothing. It will break him wide open. His control, his power, everything will spiral. And the Kindred will be right there to catch the pieces."

A new kind of fear, cold and slick, filled my heart. It wasn't just about rescue anymore. It was about containment. About reaching him before his own heart broke him apart.

"We have to go now."

"It's a trap Rafe, and you thoughtlessly want to fall into it." Zayne warned, but he was already shrugging off his pack.

"You're leaking blood and bond-scent. You'll lead every hunter straight to him."

From his pack, he pulled a jar of foul-smelling paste. "Scent mask. It'll block everything. Your trail. Your emotions. Your bond." When he saw my protest, he smiled gently but it seemed eerie.

"You'll still feel him, but it'll be very faint, like listening through a wall. It's the only way we can get close."

I stood rigid as he smeared the cold, greasy stuff on my neck, my pulse points, over my wounds. The vibrant world of scent died around me.

The pine, the earth, the water all muted. Worse, the brilliant, guiding thread of the bond faded to a faint sound.

I felt blind.

"Stay close, step where I step. We don't speak unless we have to." Zayne's orders were sharp and short. He moved into the trees, like a shadow among shadows.

The journey was silent, every snap of a twig was a threat.

The muffled bond was a constant panic in my blood. I couldn't tell what he was feeling, only that he was feeling too much.

"Why didn't you tell him?" The question left my lips before I could stop it.

Zayne froze ahead of me, his shoulders tense he didn't turn. "Tell him what?" That his mother was alive in a hole because of what she was? That he was the same? "It would have been a death sentence." He hissed.

The only chance was to let him be weak, let him be overlooked, until I could find her and get her out, I faked my death to find her." He glanced back, his eyes weary and sad.

"But I failed, and now they have them both."

We reached the foot of the mountains. The entrance was a black tear in the rock, veiled by thorny growth, firelight licked the edges, casting long, dancing shadows.

We crouched behind a ridge of rock, my heart was thumping rapidly. The quiet bond in my chest gave a strange, fluttering sound. It felt like confusion. Then, her voice, thin, worn. But unmistakable.

"You will not touch him."

Then, came Luca's voice, not a shout but a broken frail sound. It sounded as both a plea and a prayer.

"Mom?"

The muffled bond shattered.

It didn't just return. It exploded. A flow of emotion joy, agony, bewilderment, and fury blasted through the bond link between us, it was so intense like a physical burn in my chest. I gasped, my hand flying to my throat.

Zayne grabbed my arm, his fingers digging in. "Rafe, don't."

But it was too late. The explosion of feeling was a signal my own wolf couldn't ignore. A low, protective growl vibrated in my throat before I could choke it back.

The murmur of voices in the tunnel stopped.

Complete silence from within.

Zayne's eyes widened. We were done for.

I shifted my weight, ready to spring toward the entrance, to run into the dark after that feeling.

But before I could turn, I felt the cold kiss of a silver blade pressed against the base of my skull.