The rogue leader didn’t even have time to finish his command.
Before the last word left the man’s mouth, Kaelen moved like a blur of dark leather and flashing steel.
The heavy broadsword swung in a lethal, horizontal arc, cutting through the damp fog with a brutal whistle.
The leader barely brought his iron axe up in time to block.
CLANG!
The force of Kaelen’s strike shattered the wooden haft of the axe instantly.
Metal fragments flew into the dark, and the rogue leader staggered backward with a pained roar, his arms numb from the sheer pressure of Alpha strength.
“Left!” Soren shouted, not wasting a single heartbeat.
Two rogues flew out of their sides to attack them from the shadow of a clear large rock,with their blades bared.
Because of the three-foot crimson chain linking their left and right wrists, Soren was dragged along with every sudden shift Kaelen made.
But instead of fighting the momentum, Soren used it.
As Kaelen pivoted to drive his shoulder into the leader, Soren dropped low to the ground.
He slid across the slick grass beneath the swing of a rogue’s curved hunting blade.
With a flick of his wrist, Soren thrust a pair of long silver needles directly into the rogue’s exposed thigh, striking the pressure point with exact precision.
The rogue collapsed instantly with a strangled cry, his leg buckling like paper.
“Nice aim,” Kaelen grunted, in a dangerous growl as he swung his broad sword backward, slamming the heavy hilt of the sword directly into the face of another attacker coming up behind Soren.
Teeth and blood sprayed into the mist.
“Pay attention to your own side!” Soren shot back, springing back to his feet.
The remaining three rogues hesitated, their green eyes widening in sudden realization as they took in the metallic scent of pure Alpha blood in the air and watched the fluid, terrifying synchronization between the pair.
They were bound together, yet they moved like a single, lethal storm.
“He’s…
he’s an Alpha,” one of the rogues stammered, backing away toward the treeline.
“That’s Kaelen Blackthorn!”
“Run!” another yelled.
They didn’t wait for a second invitation.
Abandoning their fallen leader and the groaning man on the ground, the remaining three rogues scrambled back into the deep dark of the forest, their heavy boots fading rapidly into the distance.
Kaelen didn’t chase them because they still have more things to do.
He wiped his bloody blade cleanly on the cloak of the unconscious rogue leader, his chest heaving slightly, though his posture remained completely calm.
He flicked his wrist, sheathing the heavy sword with a smooth, practiced click.
“Messy,” Soren remarked, wiping a stray drop of blood off his cheek with the back of his sleeve.
He looked down at the chain between their wrists.
It was humming softly, warm and untangled.
Kaelen turned to look at him, his golden eyes glowing brightly in the dark before slowly fading back to their rich hazel hue.
He reached out, his thumb catching Soren’s chin lightly to tilt his head up, checking him for hidden wounds.
“Are you hurt?” Kaelen asked, his voice dropping into that quiet, surprisingly gentle tone.
Soren’s heart gave a traitorous little jump at the touch, but he pulled his face away instantly, glaring.
“I used to survive in rogue territories long before I met you, Alpha.
A few bandits aren’t going to break me.”
Kaelen chuckled softly, letting his hand drop.
“Good.
Because the real trouble is inside.”
They stepped past the wide, yawning entrance of the Sunken Caverns, leaving the misty moonlight behind.
The air inside the cave instantly changed and became freezing cold, carrying the sharp scent of wet limestone, stagnant water, and ancient magic.
“Hold still,” Soren murmured.
He brought his free right hand up, pinching his thumb and index finger together.
He whispered a quick, ancient syllable under his breath and snapped his fingers.
A soft, brilliant blue orb of cold magical flame burst into existence above his palm, hovering gently to illuminate the pitch-black cavern.
The light revealed a towering underground world with Massive icicle-shaped mineral formation, hangs tightly from the ceiling of the cave like stone teeth, dripping water into invisible pools down below.
The path spiraled downward, slick with black algae and loose pebbles.
“You really are full of tricks,” Kaelen said, eyeing the floating blue flame as they began their slow descent down the slippery path.
“It’s basic illumination magic,” Soren replied, keeping a careful eye on his footing.
“Though I suppose your pack scholars are too busy reading dusty history books to teach you anything useful.”
“My scholars teach war and strategy, spell-cutter,” Kaelen said smoothly, his large hand instinctively hovering near the small of Soren’s back as the path grew steeper, ready to catch him if he slipped.
“They don’t usually worry about light spells.”
“Well, war strategy won’t help you harvest a delicate dark-element flower without ruining its petals,” Soren retorted.
As they walked deeper into the earth, the temperature dropped drastically.
The air grew so cold each step that their breath bloomed into white clouds in front of them.
Even with the heavy fur-lined cloak Kaelen had given him, Soren began to shiver, his teeth threatening to chatter.
The black-veined curse mark on his collarbone began to throb with a faint, dull ache—a warning sign that the cold environment was feeding the dark magic curse in his blood.
Kaelen noticed the slight tremor in Soren’s shoulders.
Without saying a word, the Alpha closed the distance between them, wrapping his right arm firmly around Soren’s waist and pulling him tight against his side.
“What are you doing?” Soren hissed, trying to shove against Kaelen’s solid chest.
“Shut up and stop fighting me,” Kaelen commanded, though there was no real malice in his voice.
“Your body temperature is dropping.
The curse reacts to extreme cold.
Use my heat.”
Soren opened his mouth to deliver a sharp comeback, but as Kaelen’s overwhelming warmth flooded through the thin fabric of his tunic, the agonizing ache in his neck instantly receded.
Soren let out a soft, involuntary sigh, his body betraying him as he subconsciously leaned a little closer into Kaelen’s side.
“Satisfied?” Kaelen asked, a quiet smirk evident in his voice.
“I am only tolerating your presence for medical necessity, nothing MORE” Soren muttered, turning his face away to hide the flush creeping onto his cheeks.
They continued downward in silence for another twenty minutes until the narrow path suddenly opened up into a massive underground chamber.
Soren stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with awe.
The cavern floor opened into another underground lake, that had a crystal clear water that was still like glass.
I’m short steps they surrounded the edges of the dark water were hundreds of strange, bioluminescent fungi that cast a soft, ethereal violet glow across the entire chamber.
And right in the very center of the lake, sitting on a tiny, isolated mound of black stone, grew a single, breathtaking plant.
It had deep midnight-purple leaves and a sharp, rough stem, and at the top sat a closed bulb, pulsing with a faint, dark red light like a beating heart.
“The Blood-Moon Lotus,” Soren whispered, his voice echoing softly against the cavern walls.
“It’s closed,” Kaelen observed, stepping toward the edge of the water.
“How do we make it bloom?”
“It blooms only when it tastes dark blood-magic,” Soren explained, stepping up beside him.
“The problem isn’t making it bloom.
The problem is reaching it.
Look at the water.”
Kaelen narrowed his eyes, looking down at the tranquil lake.
Beneath the crystal surface, shadows were moving.
Dozens of long, serpent like forms —underground water worms, were swimming in slow, predatory circles around the stone mound that beared the flower.
They are blind creatures, but their sharp, exposed fangs and massive length made it clear that stepping into the water meant instant death.
“Kill them off.”
“No,” Soren said quickly, grabbing Kaelen’s forearm.
“Water drakes react to vibrations and blood in the water.
If you cut one, the scent will cause a feeding frenzy and shatter the stone mound.
The lotus will sink to the bottom and drown.”
“Then what’s your genius plan?” Kaelen asked, looking down at Soren’s hand on his arm.
Soren took a deep breath, letting go of Kaelen.
“We don’t cross the water.
We bring the magic to the flower.”
Soren knelt on the damp stone at the edge of the lake.
He pulled a small piece of red chalk from his satchel and quickly drew a focused channeling circle on the ground, placing his hands flat in the center.
“Kaelen,” Soren said, looking up.
“I need your power.
I’m going to project a bond of blood-magic across the lake to unlock the lotus, but it requires more energy than I currently have.
I need you to anchor me.”
Kaelen knelt immediately behind him, his broad knees framing Soren’s hips.
He reached around, placing his large hands directly over Soren’s hands, locking their fingers together over the chalk circle.
“Do it,” Kaelen murmured near his ear.
“I’ve got you.”
Soren closed his eyes.
Pushing aside the distracting sensation of Kaelen’s chest pressed against his back, he tapped into his core.
He pushed his magic through their linked hands, mixing Kaelen’s raw, heavy Alpha strength with his own delicate spell-cutting technique.
A brilliant crimson thread of light shot out from Soren’s fingertips, skimming across the surface of the silent lake like an arrow.
The water drakes beneath hissed, thrashing as the magical vibration passed above them, but they couldn’t catch the light.
The red thread hit the dark bulb of the Blood-Moon Lotus directly in the center.
HUMMMMM.
A low, melodic vibration filled the entire cavern.
The crimson bulb shuddered, and then, slowly, petal by petal, the dark lotus blossomed, with a blinding, magnificent scarlet light that erupted from the flower’s center, illuminating the deep cave in a wave of warm, pure energy.
A sweet, intoxicating fragrance filled the air—the smell of pure lunar magic.
“It worked,” Soren breathed, a genuine, rare smile breaking across his pale face as he watched the flower bloom.
He turned his head slightly to look at Kaelen—and found the Alpha already looking right at him.
Kaelen wasn’t looking at the rare, priceless lotus.
His golden eyes were fixed entirely on Soren’s face, tracing the soft curve of his lips and the bright, triumphant spark in his blue eyes.
The distance between their faces was barely three inches.
Soren’s breath hitched in his throat, the triumphant smile fading into a sudden, thick tension that made his pulse skyrocket.
The air around them felt suddenly charged, heavy, and hot.
Kaelen’s gaze drifted down to Soren’s mouth, his hand tightening slightly around Soren’s fingers.
“You really are incredible, little spell-cutter,” Kaelen murmured, his voice low and raspy.
Soren swallowed hard, his mind suddenly going completely blank under the intensity of the Alpha’s stare.
“Kaelen…”
Before Kaelen could answer, a sudden, violent shriek echoed from the high ceiling above them.
SCREECH!
A massive, shadowy figure dropped from the cave formation created by mineral deposits that had gathered above, spreading leathery bat-like wings that cut off the light.
It was a massive Cave Wyvern, disturbed by the lotus’s bright bloom, dove straight toward them with its poison-dripping talons outstretched.
“Watch out!” Kaelen roared, shoving Soren behind him as he drew his sword in a single, fluid motion.