Chapter : 5.

A few warriors, driven by instinct or perhaps curiosity, broke off from the group and shifted back into their wolf forms, chasing after the rogues as they fled toward the border. Elara watched as they ran, disappearing into the forest in pursuit of answers.

But most of the Crescent Moon wolves stayed behind, their faces etched with confusion as they gathered in the clearing, talking amongst themselves in hushed tones.

Elara’s gaze flicked toward the direction where the strange wolf had vanished, her thoughts still consumed by the encounter. She had been so sure, for just a moment, that it was Luka. But now, standing in the aftermath of the battle, she knew something far more complicated was at play.

And then, through the crowd of warriors, she saw him. Luka.

He stood near the edge of the clearing, his muscular frame still in wolf form, but he wasn’t fighting or talking. He wasn’t even moving. Instead, his silver eyes were fixed on the spot where the other wolf—the one who looked just like him—had disappeared into the forest. His body was tense, his gaze locked on the darkness beyond the trees, as if he were trying to decipher some hidden message in the night.

Elara’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at him. Luka’s posture, his expression—it was all wrong. There was no confusion on his face, no shock at the sudden retreat of the rogues. Instead, his eyes were filled with something else. Something darker.

A mix of emotions swirled in his gaze—anger, fear, and something that looked suspiciously like guilt.

He knows, Elara thought, her heart pounding in her chest. He knows exactly who that wolf was.

A surge of frustration and determination welled up inside her. Luka had been distant, cold, and secretive for months now, but this—this was different. Whatever was happening, whatever this strange wolf was and why he looked like Luka, Elara was certain of one thing: she deserved to know the truth.

Without wasting another moment, she pushed her way through the crowd of pack members, ignoring the murmurs and confused glances that followed her as she made her way toward Luka. Her mind was racing, a thousand questions swirling in her head, but she forced herself to stay focused.

Luka shifted back into his human form as she approached, his expression unreadable as he finally tore his gaze away from the forest and looked at her.

“Luka,” Elara called out, her voice firm despite the whirlwind of emotions inside her. “We need to talk.”

For a moment, Luka didn’t respond. He simply stared at her, his silver eyes clouded with whatever thoughts had been running through his mind. But then, he nodded once, curtly, as if he had expected this conversation all along.

“Elara,” he said, his voice low and rough, the weariness in his tone unmistakable. “Now’s not the time.”

“Not the time?” Elara’s frustration bubbled to the surface, and she shook her head, incredulous. “Luka, our pack was just attacked, and you expect me to ignore the fact that one of the wolves looked exactly like you? I saw him, Luka. I know you did too.”

Luka’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I said now’s not the time,” he repeated, his voice harder this time, as if he were trying to close the door on the conversation before it could even begin.

But Elara wasn’t having it. She stepped closer, her green eyes blazing as she met his gaze head-on. “No, Luka. This is exactly the time. You’ve been keeping things from me for months now. I’ve been patient, I’ve tried to understand, but this? This is too much. I deserve to know what’s going on.”

Luka’s eyes flickered with something—anger, perhaps, or maybe guilt—but he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze back toward the forest, as if searching for the wolf who had vanished into the night.

“Elara…” he began, his voice trailing off as if he were struggling to find the right words.

But she wasn’t about to let him brush her off again. She stepped closer, her frustration boiling over. “Don’t ‘Elara’ me, Luka. That wolf—it wasn’t just some random rogue. I could feel it. He looked like you, smelled like you, and I could even feel the mate bond between us. But it wasn’t you.”

Luka stiffened at her words, his eyes snapping back to hers with a sharp intensity that made her heart skip a beat. “You felt the bond?”

“Yes,” Elara said, her voice firm. “I felt it. Just for a moment. But I know it wasn’t you.”

The silence that followed her words was heavy, thick with tension. Luka’s expression hardened, and for the briefest of moments, Elara thought she saw something flicker behind his eyes—fear.

He’s hiding something.

Luka took a step back, his body tense, his eyes flickering between her and the forest as if weighing his options. “It’s complicated, Elara,” he finally said, his voice low and strained. “There are things you don’t understand. Things I haven’t told you.”

Elara’s heart pounded in her chest, her frustration giving way to a gnawing sense of unease. “Then tell me,” she demanded. “Stop shutting me out, Luka. Whatever’s going on, I deserve to know the truth.”

For a moment, it looked like Luka might relent, like he might finally open up and tell her everything. But then, his face hardened, his silver eyes growing cold and distant once more.

“Not now,” he said, his voice flat. “We’ll talk later. After the pack has recovered.”

Elara felt a surge of anger rise in her chest. “Later? You keep saying that, Luka. But there’s always something more important than us, always something that keeps you from telling me the truth. I can’t do this anymore.”

Luka didn’t respond. He simply stared at her, his expression unreadable, before turning and walking away, his back rigid with tension.

Elara stood frozen, her heart sinking as she watched him go. She had hoped—no, she had needed—him to open up, to finally tell her what was going on. But once again, he had walked away, leaving her with more questions than answers.

The rogue wolves had retreated, the battle was over, but the real war between her and Luka was just beginning.

The pack gathered in small groups in the aftermath of the battle, their voices low as they discussed what had just happened. Elara could hear the confusion in their tones, the uncertainty that hung over them like a dark cloud. No one understood why the rogues had suddenly retreated, why they had stopped fighting without warning.

And no one had seen the wolf that looked like Luka.

Except for her.

Elara’s mind raced as she stood among the warriors, her gaze drifting back to the forest where the strange wolf had disappeared. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something much bigger at play, something that Luka was deeply involved in.

She thought back to the way he had looked at the forest, the way his eyes had filled with a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite place. He knew. He knew exactly who that wolf was, and he knew why the rogues had retreated.

But he wasn’t telling her.

Elara clenched her fists at her sides, her frustration growing with each passing moment. She had always known that being Luna came with challenges, but this—being kept in the dark, being lied to—it was too much.

She couldn’t keep living like this, constantly wondering what Luka was hiding from her, constantly questioning the bond between them.

Something was missing. And until she found out what it was, she wouldn’t be able to move forward.

Elara’s gaze drifted to the edge of the forest, where the shadows seemed to deepen, hiding whatever secrets lay beyond. Whatever was going on, she was determined to find out.

And this time, she wasn’t going to let Luka keep her in the dark.