Blood dripped from Sylus's fingers as the last hunter's body crumpled to the forest floor. The wet snap of breaking bone still echoed in his ears – a sound that should have brought satisfaction. Instead, he felt nothing. Just another day defending the Bloodmoon Pack's borders from idiots who thought they could test their luck.

"Pathetic," he muttered, wiping his hands on his jeans. His warriors – the elite of the most feared pack in North America – barely broke a sweat. Some were already lighting cigarettes, trading jokes about how these hunters had practically killed themselves.

"Alpha!" Kyle's voice cut through the post-fight banter. His Beta was sprinting towards him, face flushed with something between excitement and horror. "You need to see this. They've got... there's someone down there. A wolf."

Sylus's lip curled. Probably some rogue they'd captured for sport. He'd give them a quick death, at least. Better than whatever these sadists had planned.

The underground chamber hit him like a physical blow – the stench of decay, blood, and something worse. Pain. Fear. His wolf, Dredge, usually as indifferent as Sylus himself, stirred restlessly.

And then he saw her.

One hundred and fifty years of existence, and nothing had prepared him for this moment. This broken figure chained with silver, barely breathing through lips stained with blood. His wolf's reaction was primal, instant, visceral: MATE.

The word thundered through his mind as fury exploded in his chest. Rage boiled up inside him. These pathetic hunters had dared to hurt what was his. Silver chains bit into her delicate wrists. The scent of Wolf's Bane poison tainted the air around her, explaining why her wounds hadn't healed.

"The key," he growled, his voice carrying enough power to make the stone walls tremble. "NOW."

While Kyle scrambled to search the room, Sylus knelt beside her. This close, he could see every mark they'd left on her, every wound that should have healed but couldn't. His touch, when he finally dared to brush her cheek, was softer than anyone would have believed possible from the notorious Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack.

"You're safe now, little one," he whispered. "Tell me your name."

Her eyes fluttered open – just barely. She breathed, before consciousness slipped away from her like water through fingers.

Kyle returned with the key, his hands shaking as he freed her from the chains. The moment she was loose, Sylus gathered her into his arms like she was made of glass.

"Alpha?" Kyle ventured, his voice uncertain. "Are we—"

"She's my mate." Sylus's voice left no room for argument. "Your new Luna."

Kyle's face split into a grin. "After all this time? That's..." He looked down at her unconscious form, his expression sobering. "We need to move. The Wolf's Bane... It doesn't look good."

Back at the pack house, the healer worked for hours while Sylus paced like a caged animal. Every whimper of pain from her felt like a knife in his chest and made his wolf growl. Finally, the healer stepped back, exhausted but satisfied.

"She'll live," she announced. "The poison's clearing. Her wolf is weak, but fighting. Good thing you found her when you did. Another day in that place..." She left the thought unfinished.

Alone with her at last, Sylus settled into a chair by her bed. She was tiny, delicate – everything he wasn't. His wolf, still restless, urged him to claim her, mark her, keep her safe forever. But for now, he simply watched her breath, his fingers ghosting over her cheek.

"Rest, little mate," he murmured. "You're home now. You’re mine. And nothing in this world will ever hurt you again." His words were a promise. A threat. One he would keep no matter what.