Luna enters the forest searching for her missing sister-but the woods are alive with secrets.
A hidden cabin.
A mysterious man with strength no human should have.
A connection she can't explain.
Kade knows the forest better than anyone... and he kno...
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The air felt different the moment Luna stepped past the last row of houses. The forest wasn't quiet—it breathed, like something alive was waiting deeper inside. She pulled her jacket tighter, her heart thudding harder than she wanted to admit. Her sister's name sat heavy on her tongue, but she didn't call out. Not yet. She needed to be brave. She needed to be steady. She needed to find her.
A branch cracked somewhere ahead.
Luna froze.
Something—or someone—was out there.
She continued her quiet walk, trying not to make a sound—not even a squeak. She was on a journey to find her sister, to bring her home, to make things right. But there it was again—that thundering noise. Louder now. Bump bump. Thump thump. Each beat echoed through the trees like a warning. Luna's fear rose with every heavy step that drew closer. Her breath caught as she searched desperately for a hiding place. She had one mission, and she refused to let anything — or anyone — stand in her way.
Luna ran until her lungs burned, until the trees blurred around her, until she stumbled upon an old abandoned log cabin—or at least, that's what it looked like. She rushed to the door, knocking hard, praying someone might answer. A savior. A witness. Anyone. But when she twisted the doorknob and stepped inside, the cabin was empty. Too empty. Too quiet. Too strange to be sitting alone in the middle of the woods.
She barely had time to question it before she heard footsteps approaching. The doorknob turned. Luna's pulse spiked. She scanned the room, desperate for a hiding place, and slipped into the closet behind a large wooden chest. Her heart pounded like a drum. Her palms were slick with sweat. She was beyond terrified. Through the thin cracks in the chest, she tried to catch a glimpse of whoever — or whatever — had followed her inside.
The door creaked open—and Luna saw a massive shadow spill across the cabin floor. A tall, broad figure stepped inside, moving with a slow, deliberate heaviness that made her breath catch. Fear wrapped around her like cold fingers. Through the cracks of the chest, she watched him search the room, his movements sharp, his senses alert, as if he already knew someone was hiding.
Her mind raced. Think, Luna. Think.
She had to be ready—ready to fight, ready to run, ready to survive. Her father's training echoed in her memory. She had spent her whole life preparing to defend herself from predators. And tonight, she might have to prove it. Her mission was clear: find her sister and bring her home. Failure was not an option.
The figure moved closer—and Luna felt something was off about him. She could sense it, smell it, and feel it humming in the air around her. But she couldn't quite place it. What is so different about him? Why can't I look away? The way he moved, the way his tongue brushed across his lip, the way he pressed his hand to his forehead like he was thinking through his next move—it all pulled at her in a way she didn't understand. And she hated to admit it, even silently, but something about him was... a turn‑on.
He was getting closer to her hiding place.
"Get yourself together, Luna," she told herself. I don't know what it is about him, but you better be ready to fight your way out. Her heartbeat pounded louder and louder, crackling through her chest like lightning. It wasn't fear—not exactly. It was something else. Something deeper.
The shadowy figure reached for the closet door. The knob began to turn. Tension coiled tight inside her.
Who is he?
The closet door swung open, and Luna's hiding place behind the chest was exposed. She came face‑to‑face with him—a towering figure whose presence filled the entire doorway. His voice boomed through the cabin. "Who are you, and why are you in my cabin?"
Luna reacted on instinct, kicking him hard in his rock‑solid abs. He didn't flinch. He didn't stumble. He didn't even blink. Who is this guy? No one had ever taken her kicks without collapsing. She was the strongest warrior in her village—trained since childhood to fight predators.
She threw another kick, but this time he caught her leg mid‑air and dragged her out of the closet. "Let me go!" she screamed.
"I will—if you stop kicking me," he said, calm but firm.
"Fine. I won't kick you again," she muttered, forcing a smile.
He released her leg, and instead of kicking—because she had promised—she punched him square in the face with all her strength. He staggered back a step, but again, he didn't fall. Luna's shock grew. Her punches were supposed to break ribs, not bounce off like nothing.
She tried again, but he caught her fist and tossed her onto the sofa. "Enough!" he roared. "Who are you, and why are you in my cabin?"
Luna swallowed hard. "My name is Luna. I didn't know someone lived here. I'm searching for someone—my sister. She was taken. I heard something in the woods and ran for cover. I knocked, but no one answered."
"So you let yourself in," he said.
"Well... yes. Someone was out there following me," Luna replied. "Was that you? Were you following me?"
"I live here," he said. "I was out hunting. So no—I wasn't following you."
Luna stared at him. "You know my name," she whispered. "So tell me yours... and why you live out here alone."
He didn't answer. He just looked at her—hazel eyes sharp, unblinking, piercing straight through her. The way he held her gaze made her chest flutter as she waited for him to finally speak.
He finally spoke, his voice low and rough, like gravel sliding over stone. "My name is Kade."
The name hit her harder than his strength ever did. Something about it tugged at her chest, pulled at her breath, and made her pulse skip. She didn't know why—but she felt it. Deep. Strong. Wrong. Right. All at once. There was an energy between them she had never felt before. Raw. Unnatural. And she didn't want it to stop.
Even the way he said his own name felt powerful. His words wrapped around her, warm and dangerous. She felt flustered, fluttery—like a schoolgirl staring at her first crush. But she forced herself to remember why she was here. She had a mission.
"So," she said, steadying her voice, "why have you secluded yourself from society?"
She tried not to stare at him, but it was impossible. Every time her eyes met his, heat rushed through her body in ways she didn't understand. She had never felt this drawn to a man before. Who exactly is Kade? And what is he hiding? No man had ever made her feel like this—and she didn't even know him.
"I'm still waiting," she said. "Why are you living in this rundown cabin?"
He smiled—slow, confident, with glistening pearly‑white teeth that made her stomach flip. You could lose yourself in that smile.
"What's rundown to you, princess," he said, "might be a mansion to me."
Princess.
Her heart skipped.
How does he know who I am? I didn't tell him anything.
"Princess?" she asked. "Why did you call me that?"
"Because you're acting high and mighty, talking about a man's home," Kade replied.
"I wasn't trying to do that. I apologize," Luna stated.
He nodded, accepting it.
"But you still didn't answer my question," she said. "Why are you living here in seclusion?"
"Maybe I just like being alone for no reason... princess," Kade answered.
"Will you stop calling me that? My name is Luna."
Kade's lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile. "I know exactly who you are."
