Chapter 5
The first alarm sounded just after nightfall.
It was not loud—Crescent Pack did not believe in panic—but the low vibration that rippled through the tower was enough to set every instinct on edge. Kai felt it in his bones before he heard it, a pressure behind his eyes that told him something had crossed the perimeter.
Not an accident. Not a mistake.
An intrusion.
He was already moving before the second pulse echoed through the halls, boots striking stone as he headed for the outer district. Pack members emerged from side corridors, Alphas shifting into formation, Deltas slipping ahead like shadows, Betas already murmuring into communicators.
And through it all, Kai felt it.
The Enigma.
Their presence flared at the edge of his awareness, sharp and sudden, like a stormfront colliding with still air.
"Perimeter breach," Jiro reported as he fell into step beside Kai. "Night Pack scouts. Three, maybe four. They didn't try to hide."
That made Kai's jaw tighten. "They're testing us."
"Or testing them," Jiro said carefully.
Kai didn't respond, but his pace quickened.
They found the Enigma standing at the edge of Crescent territory, moonlight spilling over the rooftops and painting silver lines across the concrete. The Night Pack scouts were already retreating, melting back into the darkness—but not before one of them made the mistake of lingering too long.
Too close.
The Enigma hadn't moved. Not visibly.
Yet the air warped.
Kai felt it—a sudden compression, like the world drawing in a breath it couldn't quite release. The Night Pack scout froze mid-step, eyes wide, body locked as if reality itself had forgotten how to let them move.
"Enough."
Kai's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
The pressure snapped. The scout collapsed, gasping, scrambling away in blind terror before vanishing into the night.
Silence followed.
Every Crescent member present stared.
Some in awe.
Some in fear.
Kai stepped forward slowly, placing himself—deliberately—between the Enigma and the rest of the pack.
"That," he said quietly, "was unnecessary."
The Enigma's gaze flicked to him, something unreadable passing through their eyes. "They were going to signal their pack."
"I know," Kai replied. "And you still didn't have to do that."
A murmur spread behind him.
The Enigma studied him for a long moment, then—unexpectedly—laughed softly.
"You're defending me," they said. "In front of your pack."
"I'm preventing escalation," Kai corrected, though his pulse betrayed him. "There's a difference."
"Is there?" the Enigma asked, stepping closer. Close enough that Kai could feel the hum of power beneath their skin. "Your heart doesn't seem to think so."
He stiffened. "Don't."
"Don't what?" they asked quietly. "Tell the truth?"
Kai turned sharply, addressing the others before he could say something unforgivable. "Stand down. The threat has retreated. Increase patrols. I want no pursuit."
There was hesitation—but no one challenged him.
When the pack dispersed, the night grew quiet again. Too quiet.
Kai exhaled slowly and finally looked back at the Enigma. "You can't do that again."
"I can," they said calmly. "And I will, if necessary."
"That kind of power terrifies them."
The Enigma's expression softened—just slightly. "Does it terrify you?"
Kai didn't answer immediately.
"No," he admitted at last. "It… unsettles me."
"That's honesty," the Enigma said. "I appreciate that."
They turned as if to leave.
"Kai," they added over their shoulder. "You stepped in front of me without thinking. Why?"
The question lingered in the space between them, heavy and fragile.
Kai clenched his fists. "Because if they fear you too much, they'll destroy you."
The Enigma stopped.
Slowly, they looked back.
"And if protecting me puts you at odds with everything you are?" they asked.
Kai met their gaze, heart pounding. "Then I'll deal with that when the time comes."
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
The Enigma smiled—not teasing this time, not playful. Something quieter. Something real.
"Be careful, Kai," they said softly. "You're already choosing."
And then they were gone, dissolving into the night like a dream that refused to stay forgotten.
That night, alone in his quarters, Kai realized the truth he had been avoiding since the moment the Enigma arrived.
This was no longer a forbidden curiosity.
It was a line being crossed.
And the world had begun to push back