The moon's chosen

Chapter 6

Aria’s scream tore through the forest.

“Kael!”

She ran blindly, branches whipping at her face, the echo of the rogue’s roar rolling through the trees. Her lungs burned, the cold air slicing her throat as she sprinted toward the sound of splintering wood and snarling fury.

She found the place where the beast had dragged him, broken shrubs, blood on the bark, Kael’s blade half-buried in the mud. The tracks veered downhill, deeper into bushes.

“Don’t do this,” she whispered to herself, but her feet were already moving.

It felt like time was suspended. Her heart thudding in her ears as she stumbled over roots, calling his name again.

A faint rustle sent her head swerving to the right. Then a groan.

She quickly changed direction, following the sound.

Her boots slid in the mud as she stumbled into a clearing. Kael lay a few feet ahead, half-buried under the msssive body of the beast. It wasn’t moving. Its chest was split open, black blood spilling across the dirt. Kael’s breathing was shallow, his shirt torn and his side bleeding.

“Kael!” Aria dropped beside him, pressing her hand over the wound. He groaned, his eyes opening just enough to see her. “You…you…”

“You… didn’t listen,” he muttered hoarsely.

“You were carried off by a monster,” she shot back. “What was I supposed to do?”

He gave a weak smirk. “Run.”

She pressed harder on his side, shaking her head. “You’re lucky it didn’t kill you.”

“I’m fine,” he said, even as blood soaked through his shirt. “It takes more than a half-shifted brute to kill me.”

Aria exhaled shakily. She wanted to be angry at him, to yell, but all she could feel was relief that he was still alive. “Can you walk?” she asked.

“I'm sure I could manage.”

Together, they stumbled away from the clearing. The forest grew quieter as the night deepened, the only sound their uneven steps and Kael’s labored breathing. Eventually, he slowed, pointing toward a narrow crack in the hillside, hidden by brambles and vines.

“There,” he said. “We’ll rest.”

The cave was small but dry. Aria cleared a spot near the wall while Kael sank against the stone, his hand still pressed to his side. She found dry branches and managed to start a small fire. She sat back, watching the way the flames lit up his face, her fingers tracing idle patterns on the dirt floor. “You always act like you don’t care if you live or die.” She said, looking away.

He glanced up, his eyes boring into the side of her face. “That’s because it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.”

That made him pause. For a heartbeat, neither spoke. The fire crackling softly between them.

Aria broke the silence first. “This was all my fault,” she murmured. “If I hadn’t—”

“Stop.” His voice was firm, quiet but final. “Don't feel guilty, none of this was your fault. And blaming yourself won’t change anything.”

“But it’s true,” she said, her voice breaking. “If I hadn’t gone to that dumb ceremony, if I had just stayed in my place… The I wouldn't have met Lucien and none of this would’ve happened. You wouldn’t be bleeding because of me.”

Kael’s gaze sharpened. “I'm bleeding because of the half-shifted mutt that attacked us, not because of you.” He said, his tone cutting.

He exhaled slowly, trying to calm down, “Aria, If you keep thinking like that, you’ll never survive. You didn’t choose this. The Moon did.”

She frowned. “You talk like that’s supposed to make me feel better.”

Aria kicked at the dust, embarrassed by the sting in her eyes. “Being chosen, doesn’t make it easier.”

“I never said it would be easy, did I?” She didn’t answer, wrapping an arm around herself as she watched the light from the fire, dance across the stone walls. Her heart still hadn’t settled.

“Nothing worth living through ever is.” He leaned forward, poking the fire with a stick. “Get some rest,” he said, sitting back to close his eyes. “We leave early tomorrow.”

When Aria woke, the fire had burned down to ash. The early light was already creeping through cracks in the rock. Kael was already awake, sitting at the mouth of the cave with his back to her.

“Morning,” she murmured.

He turned. “You shouldn’t sleep so deeply. The woods don’t stay quiet for long.”

She rubbed her eyes. “You’re bleeding again.”

“I’ve had worse.” He slung his pack over his shoulder. “Come on. We need to move.” Kael rose, and she followed without complaint.

The forest grew denser as they walked. The ground was slick, the smell of rain thick in the air. Kael’s stride was long and steady, despite his injury, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, as though expecting another attack. Aria trailed a few paces behind, huffing and puffing to keep up with him.

Every few minutes, she caught herself glancing at him. “Do you ever stop?” she asked.

He didn’t answer.

Aria sighed, half jogging to keep up. “You could at least slow down.”

“Then we’ll never make it.”

She frowned but said nothing. Her muscles ached, and her legs felt like lead. She stumbled once, catching herself just in time from faceplanting into the dirt. Kael looked over his shoulder at her, unimpressed. “Weak,” he stated simply.

Aria scowled, pushing herself up. “You’re impossible.”

“Careful,” he said flatly. “You fall behind, I’m not carrying you.”

“I didn’t ask you to,” she muttered under her breath.

They walked in silence for another hour before the sound of rushing water grew louder. The trees parted, revealing a river that wound through the valley, its surface silver and cold. Beyond it, a narrow waterfall spilled over black rock and into a small pool, surrounded by rocks and wild ferns.

Kael stopped at the edge of the water. “We’ll rest there,” he said, pointing toward a small cave tucked behind the falls. “It’s hidden. Safe enough for the night.”

Aria dropped her pack, exhaustion catching up with her. “You said that last time.”

He glanced at her. “This time I mean it.” But when  she passed him, he muttered something like ‘I hope so’ under his breath. She chose totally ignore it.

They worked in a quiet rhythm, settling far from the cave’s entrance where the sound of the falls muffled everything else. Kael disappeared into the forest to hunt and gather wood while Aria cleaned the cave, her thoughts spiraling. Every bruise, every breath reminded her how far she was from the maid who used to hide behind kitchen doors.

When Kael returned, his arms were full of dry wood and two fresh fish. His hair was damp, his expression unreadable. He didn’t say anything at first, just started the fire.

“Are you all right?” Aria asked after a moment.

He nodded, but didn’t look at her. “Just tired.”

She thought she saw something flicker in his eyes, something that looked like grief, but she didn’t push. They ate quietly, the warmth of the fire slowly seeping into her bones.

That night, sleep refused to come. Aria sat near the mouth of the cave, watching the rain as it fell insoft drizzles. The Rune beneath her skin thrummed softly, like a song she couldn’t forget.

By dawn, they were back on the trail. The air was colder now, filled with fog that drifted low over the ground. Aria tried to focus on the sound of their boots crunching through wet leaves, anything to drown out the unease sitting heavy in her stomach.

Kael led, fast and focused, cutting through the underbrush quickly. This time, Aria really struggled to keep up, her breath catching, and then the hem of her dress snagged on one of the branches.

“Wait up!” she called.

He didn’t slow.

She tugged, the fabric catching tighter around a root. “Kael!”

“Damn it,” she muttered, bending to free herself. The fabric tore with a soft rip just as a sound rippled behind her.

A low growl.

She froze.