As I ran toward them, Soren grabbed me from behind before I could even understand what was happening, wrapping his arms around my body and stopping me from moving. I stomped down on his foot with all my strength—hard enough to feel as if I might crush bone—but he didn't react as if he had felt anything at all. All of his focus was locked on the fight unfolding in front of us. When I turned my head, I saw Kongar gripping the black wolf's open jaws with both hands; his fingers strained to keep that massive mouth shut, while the collar around his throat gleamed with an ominous light.
I struggled several times within Soren's iron-like hold, twisting and thrashing in an attempt to break free, but it was useless. I was sick of being held back, of having my movements controlled. The anger building inside me tangled with fear, rising higher and higher until it lodged in my throat.
"Let me go!" I shouted.
My voice came out far louder and sharper than I expected; as its echo spread through the forest, everything seemed to freeze for a moment. Everyone around me—including Soren, even the wolves encircling us—stopped moving and turned toward me. Before I could make sense of the sudden silence, a dark blur rushed past me, tearing through Soren's grip with a force that wrenched me free.
The abrupt release threw me off balance; my knees slammed hard against the ground, and I pitched forward involuntarily. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. Bracing my hands against the earth, I forced myself upright and quickly checked my body. Somehow, I wasn't hurt. At least… I wasn't bleeding.
When I lifted my head and looked back toward the fight, I realized the black wolf that had been there only moments ago was gone. In its place stood Kongar. He rose quickly to his feet as if he hadn't just been on the brink of death, brushed the dust from himself, then adjusted his suit. Finally, he lifted his head and looked at me—smiling, just as he always did.
Seeing him like that brought a brief sense of relief… but at the same time, a question lodged itself in my mind.
After that kind of violence… how could he still smile?
"Alpha, I wasn't hurting Luna. Please, calm down," Soren said.
My gaze shifted toward his voice. The black wolf—Arkan—was on top of him, its head lowered, teeth bared as it growled directly into his face. The depth of that growl was enough to make the air tremble, and that vibration stirred something inside me, something I couldn't control.
As Arkan continued to growl, the sound deepened, sharpened, turning increasingly threatening with every passing second. It should have made me tense, should have forced me to step back—but instead, a strange warmth began to spread through my body. The feeling clashed completely with fear. Trying to understand it, I found myself moving toward him without even realizing it. My eyes were locked onto those blue eyes; I couldn't look at anything else.
I don't know when I ended up standing right in front of him. Soren was still on the ground, and there was a trace of relief on his face, as though he had momentarily slipped out of the tension. The black wolf lowered his head slightly and nudged me, pulling my full attention back to him. There was a clear expectation in that movement—as if he was waiting for a response from me.
Not knowing what I should do, I hesitated, then slowly raised my hand toward his head. He looked at my hand first; those bright blue eyes traced over my fingers for a brief moment. Then he lowered his head slightly, allowing my touch.
The moment my fingers brushed against his fur, I flinched at the unexpected sensation. It was far softer than I had imagined—warm, alive. Though I hadn't fully shaken off my tension, my hand began to move on its own.
"You have beautiful fur," I murmured, my voice almost dissolving into a whisper.
I slowly moved my hand from his head down to his neck, my fingers sinking into the thick coat as I continued to stroke him. At the same time, I could feel Soren's body, still beneath him, tensing. That reaction stirred a flicker of hesitation inside me.
Was I doing something wrong?
As that thought echoed in my mind, a deep rumble rose from Arkan's throat, pulling my attention back to him. This sound was different from his earlier growls—lower, heavier, and… almost carrying a sense of satisfaction. He tilted his head slightly to the side, giving me better access to his neck, as if inviting me to continue.
That movement was unexpectedly… endearing.
Not that he really needed to make space; his body was already massive. My hands were nearly disappearing into his fur, and with every touch, that strange feeling inside me deepened.
"Kayra."
I flinched the moment I heard my name. That single word shattered the strange haze that had settled over me. I pulled my hand back quickly. The black wolf responded with a dissatisfied rumble and nudged his head toward my hand again, as if refusing to accept the loss of my touch. But I had already torn my attention away from him, scanning my surroundings to see who had called out to me.
Every wolf surrounding us was looking in the same direction.
Kongar.
His hand was wrapped around the collar at his throat. He was looking at me. His eyes had darkened again, that familiar yet unsettling shadow rising to the surface. His body trembled slightly. The wolves had begun to grow restless; the circle around us tightened, and the growls rising among them thickened the air. Despite all of this, the black wolf remained at my side, still brushing his head against me as if none of it mattered.
Kongar tightened his grip on the collar. The glow intensified in an instant, becoming almost blinding. The moment his eyes met mine, he yanked it with a sharp motion.
I didn't even hear it break.
The collar shattered—yet before it could fall to the ground… it vanished. It truly vanished, dissolving into nothing as if it had never existed. For a moment, I wanted to think about it, to understand it—but I gave up. I had already gone far beyond the point of being surprised… or at least, I thought I had.
Kongar began walking toward me with slow, deliberate steps.
"Let's go home," he said.
His voice was deep—heavier than the tone I was used to, more… possessive. His hand was extended toward me.
The black wolf beside me suddenly stopped rubbing against me. His body tensed. I could feel his muscles harden, his breathing shift. The change was so abrupt it stirred unease inside me. Wanting to calm him, I reached out again to stroke his head.
But this time, the reaction was different.
With a low, threatening growl, he turned his head, directing all of his attention toward Kongar. In the next instant, his muscles tightened as he prepared to lunge forward. Acting on instinct, I reached out and grabbed his fur.
The moment I did, I regretted it.
The black wolf turned on me immediately. His expression had completely changed. The softness from before was gone, replaced by something sharp and dangerous. My eyes widened in fear, and my hands began to tremble where they held him.
He lowered his head toward me and growled into my face.
That sound… hurt.
For a reason I couldn't understand, I wanted to pull him into an embrace in that moment, as if wrapping my arms around him would ease the strange ache growing in my chest. The thought rose suddenly and powerfully, so real that it almost forced me to act. For a brief second, I truly felt like I would move—but I stopped myself at the last moment.
Instead, I slowly withdrew my hand and took a step back, trying to keep some distance between us.
With that movement, his growl cut off abruptly, replaced by a lower, stranger whine. The sound sent an unexplainable tremor through me. I kept my eyes on him as his body suddenly tensed, then began to twist and contort.
He was shifting.
This time, it didn't take as long. His movements were faster, sharper, more… uncontrolled. I could almost feel his bones shifting, hear those strange cracking sounds as they moved beneath his skin. I held my breath, frozen where I stood.
A few seconds later, he was standing in front of me again.
This time in human form, upright in all of his unsettling presence.
But I couldn't look.
I turned my head sharply and faced away.
"Ah… we should have left some clothes here," Soren's voice said. I heard the rustling of branches as he grabbed something from a tree.
"You can wear these, Alpha," he continued. "They might be a bit tight, but I think they'll fit."
Even with my back turned, I heard the deep growl rising behind me. The sound sent a thin shiver down my spine, but I didn't turn.
"I don't think she'll look at you if you don't," Soren added, his voice lower this time.
There was a brief silence. Then came the sound of fabric shifting, of something being pulled on. I knew he was getting dressed, but I still waited a few more seconds before turning.
Finally, I slowly faced them again.
My eyes dropped on their own.
He was still bare above the waist… but at least now he was wearing shorts.
The tension inside me hadn't fully faded—but it was… manageable.
"You have to come with us, Luna," Soren said, gesturing toward Kongar. "That being is dangerous—"
"Kongar… his name is Kongar," I cut in. My voice was clearer this time, sharper. I turned to Soren, frowning. "And who is Luna? You keep saying that name."
As I spoke, my gaze shifted without my permission. I noticed Kongar moving slowly and silently behind Arkan. There was a deliberate caution in his steps; he measured each movement, calculating the distance. When he reached a certain point, he stopped.
Because Arkan growled.
That sound… was a warning.
"That— I mean, Kongar," Soren corrected himself, a trace of tension slipping into his voice, "is a creation of witches."
A dry smile crossed my mind.
Great… just what we were missing. A witch.
"What is it doing in my territory?" Arkan asked.
His voice was low, but the weight behind it was unmistakable. He took a step forward, and even that small movement was enough to tighten the tension in the air. Soren's shoulders stiffened; he instinctively took a step back.
"It was declared a form of dark magic, and an order was given to collect them," Soren said, his eyes flicking briefly toward Kongar. "We were informed that one of them was missing. We… were hoping to find it before it was activated."
His words echoed in my mind.
Dark magic.
My gaze drifted toward Kongar without meaning to. I didn't know what to think. But he… was the same as always. He was looking at me, as if nothing else around us mattered, as if all of his focus existed only for me.
"If it has already been activated, we were told to put the collar on it," Soren continued. "But you saw how it broke it."
His voice was calm.
What he was saying was not.
"It's bound to you now," he said, turning his gaze to me. "It may listen to you, but we don't know how long that will last, Luna—"
"Kayra," I cut in.
My voice was sharper this time. Clearer.
"Call me Kayra."
My brows drew together slightly. That name… didn't belong to me. Every time he said it, it left behind a strange sense of unease, as if something that wasn't mine was being forced onto me.
"Kayra, you can't go back home," Soren said.
I parted my lips to object, but he didn't give me the chance to speak.
"Wherever you go… it will follow you."
As his words continued to echo in my mind, I found myself thinking of Kongar without meaning to. Being in the same place as him… was it truly safe, or was I unknowingly stepping into something far more dangerous? I could no longer tell the difference.
"Come with me," Arkan said.
His voice was low, but sincere. He held my gaze as he extended his hand toward me.
"… I won't let anyone hurt you," he added, his voice deepening into a low growl toward the end.
Those words stirred a strange warmth inside me. My eyes drifted, unbidden, to the hand he was offering. It was strong. Steady. And yet… dangerous.
But in that moment, no matter which direction I chose to step toward, I could feel it—Kongar's gaze would not leave me, would not release me from where I stood. Even without looking at him, I could feel it with every part of my being.