---
Luna stood on the balcony of her chambers, overlooking the kingdom she had built from nothing. The night sky was vast above her, the twin moons casting a soft glow over the Eclipse Clan's lands.
It had been two days since she returned from the Sun Clan, and Kael's signature on the agreement still felt too easy.
Something wasn't right.
She tapped her fingers against the cold railing, lost in thought.
"You're thinking too hard again," Ahava's voice interrupted her musings.
She turned to see him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, his usual smirk in place.
Luna rolled her eyes. "If I'm not thinking, who will?"
Ahava walked forward, standing beside her. "Maybe the prince is simply that desperate for an alliance. Or maybe…" His eyes twinkled mischievously. "He just wanted another excuse to see you."
Luna scoffed, though she couldn't ignore the flicker of heat in her chest. Kael was trouble, and yet, she found herself drawn to the way he burned—fierce, stubborn, intoxicating.
"He hates me," she muttered.
Ahava smirked. "Are you sure about that?"
Luna didn't answer.
---
The Invitation
A messenger arrived at dawn.
Luna sat on her throne, Ren by her side, as the soldier from the Sun Clan kneeled before her, offering a sealed letter.
She took it, breaking the wax seal with a flick of her finger.
The note was short.
Meet me at the border in three nights. Come alone.
There was no signature, but she didn't need one.
She could almost hear his voice in the ink.
Kael.
---
Three Nights Later
The wind was sharp against Luna's skin as she arrived at the meeting point, the border between the Sun and Eclipse Clans.
She felt him before she saw him.
Kael stepped from the shadows, golden eyes gleaming like molten fire in the dark.
"You actually came," he drawled.
Luna crossed her arms. "You asked, didn't you?"
His lips twitched in amusement, but there was something else in his gaze—something darker.
She noticed the way his jaw clenched, the way his fingers flexed.
The celestial mark on his chest—hidden beneath layers of fabric—was burning him alive.
Luna tilted her head. "Why are we here, Kael?"
He stepped closer, the air between them crackling with something neither of them understood.
"I want to make something clear," he murmured, his voice dropping into something low and dangerous. "I don't trust you. I don't like you."
Luna arched a brow. "Yet you signed the agreement."
His smirk was humorless. "Call it a necessary evil."
She laughed softly. "And what is this?" She gestured between them, to the invisible force that always seemed to pull them together.
Kael's jaw tightened. "A mistake."
Luna's smirk widened. "Then why do you look at me like that?"
His hand shot out, fingers curling around her wrist.
Heat.
A surge of celestial energy pulsed between them.
Kael hissed, his grip tightening, and for the briefest moment, his control cracked.
Luna gasped as he yanked her forward, their bodies nearly colliding.
His breath was hot against her skin.
"I hate you," he whispered, voice rough.
Luna's fingers trailed up his arm, barely grazing the fabric of his tunic. "No," she murmured, her lips curving. "You don't."
Kael's breathing turned ragged, his golden eyes clouded with something primal. His hands flexed against her skin as if he was fighting himself.
And then—
He shoved her away.
Luna staggered back, her heartbeat unsteady.
Kael turned sharply, his fists clenched at his sides.
"Leave," he gritted out.
Luna stared at him for a moment before stepping closer once more.
Her fingers brushed against his tunic, just over his chest—over the glowing mark he tried so desperately to hide.
Kael sucked in a sharp breath, every muscle in his body locking in place.
Luna leaned in, her lips just a whisper away from his ear.
"One day," she murmured, "you'll beg for me to stay."
And with that, she turned, walking away without another word.
Kael remained frozen, his breath coming in short, shallow bursts.
His chest ached. His mind screamed. His body burned.
And the worst part?
He knew she was right.
---