Chapter 8
The city did not sleep after the Moon Rite.
It fractured.
By morning, Crescent territory was thick with tension—whispers curling through corridors, scents sharp with fear and ambition. Neutral factions sent observers. Lesser packs began choosing sides. And above it all, the Enigma's name spread like a forbidden prayer.
Kai stood before the Crescent Council, spine straight, jaw tight.
"You embarrassed us," Elder Rael said, fingers steepled. His voice was calm, which made it worse. "The Rite was meant to reassert order. Instead, you displayed sympathy."
"I displayed justice," Kai replied.
A low murmur rippled through the chamber.
"Justice is a luxury of the dominant," Rael said coolly. "Not of contradictions."
Kai felt it then—the familiar, suffocating weight of being an Omega-born Alpha in a room full of those who never let him forget it.
"You defied the Night Pack publicly," another elder added. "They will retaliate."
"They already have," Kai said. "The Rite was the retaliation."
Rael's gaze sharpened. "And it will not be the last."
Silence fell.
Then Rael spoke the words Kai had been dreading.
"We must consider separation."
Kai's breath caught. "From the Night Pack?"
"From the Enigma."
The room stilled.
"The Enigma destabilizes our alliances," Rael continued. "They invite scrutiny. Fear. War. Handing them over to a neutral authority may preserve Crescent."
"You mean sacrifice," Kai said flatly.
"Call it strategy."
Kai's pheromones flared before he could stop them, the air vibrating with suppressed dominance. "They are not a bargaining chip."
"They are a liability."
Rael stood. "And you are compromised."
The accusation cut deeper than any blade.
Kai realized then that this council was no longer debating policy.
They were measuring him.
---
The Enigma sensed the shift before Kai reached them.
They always did.
"You argued," they said quietly as he entered their quarters. "With the elders."
"Yes."
"They want me gone."
Kai didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
The Enigma rose slowly, suppressive cuffs still in place, though their glow had dimmed. "How long?"
"Soon," Kai admitted. "They'll cloak it as diplomacy."
The Enigma nodded once. No panic. No fear.
Only acceptance.
That frightened him more than anger would have.
"You could leave," Kai said suddenly. "Before they decide."
The Enigma tilted their head. "Run?"
"Disappear," he corrected. "I'll help you. I'll—"
"Break the law?" they asked softly. "For me?"
"Yes."
The word came out without hesitation.
The Enigma stepped closer. Their presence pulled at the air, reality humming faintly beneath Kai's skin. "And what would that make you?"
Kai swallowed. "Free."
The Enigma studied him, eyes unreadable. Then, gently, they reached for his hand.
The touch was electric.
A warning screamed through Kai's instincts.
Enigmas were unstable under emotional influence.
And this—this was too much.
"You shouldn't," he whispered.
"I know."
They didn't let go.
For a moment, the world bent.
Not visibly. Not catastrophically.
Just enough for Kai to feel it.
Time slowed.
The walls pulsed.
The Enigma gasped, clutching their head, stumbling back as the suppressive cuffs flared violently.
Kai caught them before they fell.
"I'm sorry," they breathed. "I lost control."
Fear slammed into him—sharp, immediate, overwhelming.
This was what the elders feared.
And what they would use as justification.
---
That night, an unauthorized message reached Kai's private channel.
FROM: DELTA FACTION – INTERNAL
We know what the Crescent Council plans.
We know what the Enigma is.
And we know what you are willing to risk.
Kai stared at the final line.
Meet us. Or lose them.
The sender was untraceable.
Delta involvement meant escalation.
War.
But ignoring it meant certainty.
Kai looked toward the Enigma's quarters, heart pounding.
The fractures were widening.
And soon, something was going to break.