Chapter 4: Run With Me

I avoided him for the rest of the day.

It wasn’t easy. Kael had a way of filling a space even when he wasn’t physically there. His scent lingered in the grove like the memory of a touch. His voice, low and commanding, echoed somewhere at the back of my mind every time someone said my name. And the wolves who looked at me now—packmates, elders, even the pups—did so with an edge of reverence.

Like I was already Luna.

But I wasn’t.

Not yet.

And if I had anything to say about it, maybe not ever.

The sun dipped behind the trees, and twilight spilled across the village in bands of silver and violet. The kind of night that made everything feel suspended. My skin itched. My wolf clawed at the inside of my chest, pacing, irritated.

I couldn’t stay here.

Not with him so close.

Not with the bond humming in my blood like a second heartbeat.

I left without a word, slipping between the huts and out into the trees, my breathing uneven. As soon as I was out of sight, I let the shift come.

Bones cracked. Skin rippled. Heat rushed through me like a fever breaking, and then—

My wolf was free.

Midnight-black fur, silver-striped paws, powerful limbs made to run. She didn’t hesitate.

She sprinted into the woods like she’d been starving for it.

We flew across moss-covered earth, over tangled roots and starlit clearings. The wind tasted like pine and frost, and the rush of speed dulled everything else—grief, fear, lust, uncertainty. My lungs pulled deep, cool air. My thoughts scattered like leaves behind me.

We ran until it felt like nothing could touch us.

Until the wind changed.

Until I felt him.

A second presence. Not just a scent—Kael. I didn’t see him, but my whole body knew.

His energy crept through the trees, threading through the air like smoke.

I didn’t stop.

I ran harder.

But I should’ve known.

He caught up. Of course he did.

A growl rolled through the night, low and rumbling. Then a flash of movement beside me—gold and shadow—and Kael’s wolf broke through the trees like a thunderclap. Larger than mine, sleek and broad, with golden eyes that glowed in the dark. He moved like he owned the forest. Like it bent for him.

I growled and veered sharply to the right, cutting toward the river. He didn’t falter.

He matched my stride, breathing easy. Showing off.

He nipped at my flank, playful.

I snapped back, tail slashing. He only let out an amused snort, pacing me like a lover in pursuit.

We hit the shallows of the riverbank together, water splashing under our paws. For one breath, I forgot myself.

It felt… good.

Running with him felt right.

Not in the romantic, tender way that stories spoke of. But in a visceral, bone-deep, terrifying way. Like our wolves had known each other for lifetimes. Like we’d fought and hunted and fucked under moonlight long before we were born.

I stopped fighting the pace.

And then, I stopped running.

We reached a clearing—a wide stretch of soft grass bathed in silver light. The moon hung overhead like a crown.

I slowed, heart pounding, body vibrating with the shift hovering just beneath my skin.

Kael slowed with me, coming to a halt in perfect sync.

He shifted first.

The change rippled through him in seconds, fluid and powerful, fur giving way to skin, limbs elongating until he stood before me—naked, bare-chested, golden and burning with restraint.

His chest heaved. His eyes never left mine.

I hesitated.

And then my bones reshaped, fur melting into skin, claws into fingers. The cold air hit me all at once.

I stood up straight, naked under the moon, breathing hard.

He didn’t look away.

Neither did I.

We were alone. Nothing between us but distance and the unbearable truth we both already knew.

“You followed me,” I said, voice rough.

He stepped closer. “No. You called me.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t—”

“You did.” His voice was soft, sure, almost tender. “Your wolf led you straight to me.”

He began to circle, slow, deliberate. Every step made my skin prickle. “You’re still fighting it. Pretending you don’t want this.”

“I’m not ready,” I said. The words stuck in my throat like thorns.

“I know,” he murmured. “That’s why I haven’t taken you.”

He came to a stop behind me. His voice lowered to a near whisper, brushing the back of my neck.

“But you will be. One night soon, you won’t run from this.” His breath warmed my shoulder. “You’ll run into it.”

I shivered.

My wolf whimpered deep in my chest, aching.

He didn’t touch me.

Not at first.

Then his fingers grazed my shoulder—just the pads. No pressure. No demand. Just contact. And I nearly buckled.

Goosebumps rose along my arms. My thighs pressed together instinctively, my core pulsing with need I didn’t want to feel.

“I hate how you make me feel,” I whispered.

“No,” he said, sliding his fingers down my arm, until they hovered at my hip. “You hate that you can’t stop feeling it.”

I turned to face him. Slow. Controlled. Mistake.

He was so close.

The heat of him, the scent, the hunger behind those gold eyes—he radiated it all. My breath caught. His arousal was blatant, heavy, impossible not to see.

“Kael—”

He stepped into me, not touching, but near enough that my breasts brushed his chest with each ragged breath.

He cupped my jaw.

“I will never force you,” he said, his voice raw velvet. “Not your hand. Not your heart. Not your body.” His thumb brushed my lower lip, slow and reverent. “But gods, Lyra… I ache for you. Every second I don’t touch you is a war.”

I leaned forward—not for a kiss.

Just to breathe him in.

He smelled like pine and danger. Like wildfire barely held back.

His hand slid into my hair, tilting my head gently. Our mouths hovered, almost touching.

“I won’t kiss you unless you ask me to,” he said.

I didn’t.

But I didn’t move away.

He stood there, holding himself back with a strength that should’ve scared me.

It didn’t.

It thrilled me.

“I thought I’d be afraid of this,” I whispered.

“And are you?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “I’m afraid of how badly I already want it.”

His gaze flared. “Then tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“That you’ll let me have you. That you’ll let go.”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

He inhaled like it hurt.

I stepped back, my entire body shaking with restraint and want.

“Then you’ll wait,” I said.

He nodded once, jaw tight. “I’ll wait.”

A beat.

“But not forever.”