Haunted by You

Chapter 8

KAEL

I watched her as she stared into the void where the figure had disappeared, her face pale, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Luna was unraveling, and she didn’t even know it. The pull of darkness around her was unmistakable, and as much as she wanted to deny it, I could see it growing stronger every time we were together.

I had spent my life in the shadows, clawing my way through darkness to claim the power I now held as Alpha of the Darkhaven pack. I was no stranger to the darkness or the secrets it whispered. But Luna—she was different. She wasn’t supposed to be tangled up in this mess. She was light. Purity. Everything I wasn’t.

But there was something inside her, something deeper than she understood. That figure—whatever the hell it was—knew it too. And now I had to figure out what they wanted with her.

“Kael…” Her voice was fragile, like she was barely holding it together. The strength she usually carried in her voice, that fire I admired, was barely a flicker.

“Don’t,” I said, cutting her off before she could start apologizing, or worse, denying everything. “I know you feel it, Luna. The darkness, the pull. Stop pretending it’s not there.”

She flinched at my words, and for a moment, I regretted the harshness of my tone. But there was no time for coddling. If she kept running from the truth, it would swallow her whole. And if I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure I could let that happen.

I had spent most of my life detached from emotions, keeping everyone at arm’s length. But Luna… Luna had wormed her way into my thoughts, my instincts. I couldn’t get her out of my head, no matter how much I tried to tell myself she was just another pawn in this game.

“Why do you care so much?” she asked, her voice trembling. Her blue eyes searched mine, desperate for answers.

I clenched my jaw, looking away for a second. That was a question I didn’t want to answer, not yet. Hell, maybe not ever.

“Because I can’t afford to lose,” I said instead, sidestepping her question. “And you’re tied up in something bigger than both of us. If you fall, it’ll drag me down with you.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either.

Luna shook her head, stepping back from me. “That’s all this is to you, isn’t it? A power struggle. A way to stay on top.”

I closed the distance between us in two steps, my hand gripping her arm before she could move any further. “You think I don’t see it? You’re terrified, Luna. And it’s not just of what’s out there—it’s of yourself.”

Her breath hitched, her eyes wide as they locked onto mine. She didn’t deny it. She couldn’t.

“Let me help you,” I said, my voice softer now. “I’ve been where you are. Lost in the dark, trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not. You can fight it all you want, but it’s inside you. And the more you push it away, the more dangerous it becomes.”