Blood Moon Bound

4 - The Vampire Who Feared the Dawn

(Rhaelyx, Vampire POV)

The hollow was cold, yet for the first time in centuries, I did not feel it. Lycara sat close enough that her warmth brushed the air between us. I could feel her heartbeat through the bond, steady, resilient, stubborn in the way only a wolf’s heart could be. The bond tugged stronger each moment she remained near, weaving invisible threads between our breaths.

She should have been afraid of me. Any sane creature would have been.

A cursed vampire. Weak under the Blood Moon. Barely holding back the feral instinct that clawed at my chest.

Yet Lycara looked at me with calm eyes, silver as moonlit frost. The sight of her steadiness made something inside me unravel.

I had survived centuries. Empires had risen and fallen while I walked in solitude. Kingdoms crumbled. Wars ignited. Time carved scars across my soul until I believed nothing could touch me again.

Then one wolf appeared, and everything began to c***k.

The curse stirred beneath my skin. It pulsed in my veins like molten iron. Every breath took effort.

Lycara noticed. Her hand hovered near my arm. Not touching, but close enough to remind me that she wanted to help. “Is the pain worsening?” she asked.

“No,” I said. “It simply never stops.”

She frowned. “Does it ever ease?”

“It eases when you are near,” I admitted.

Her breath caught. I felt her pulse skip through the bond. “You said that before,” she whispered. “Why?”

I turned my eyes toward the hollow’s darkened ceiling. “My curse is tied to magic that predates our world’s boundaries. It responds to ancient forces. The Blood Moon is one of those forces. And now there is you.”

“Me?” She blinked in confusion. “What do I have to do with it?”

Everything, I thought.

But I chose my words carefully.

“The bond between us connects my blood to yours. It stabilizes the curse. It gives my body something to anchor itself to.”

“So being near me keeps you alive.”

“Yes.”

She inhaled deeply. “Then I am not leaving your side.”

Her certainty shook me. “You say that now.”

“I say that because I choose to,” she replied. “Not because fate forces me.”

Her choice made my heart stutter in a way it had not done in centuries. I turned my head to study her. The faint red glow of the Blood Moon outside slipped between the vines and lit her silver hair with hints of gold. Her expression was firm, resolved. She meant every word.

“You would risk yourself for a vampire?” I asked.

Her lips pressed into a line. “For you.”

My breath faltered. The bond pulsed again, stronger this time. A warm current flowed between us, weaving emotion through air and bone.

I looked away, overwhelmed. If she knew the weight of the curse I carried, she would not bind herself to it so easily. The bond that pulled us together was powerful, but the force that hunted my blood was older and far more merciless.

“You do not understand what you are choosing,” I said quietly. “If the vampires discover that a wolf weakened my curse, they will see you as an abomination. And if the wolves discover that I am your mate, they will tear you apart.”

She leaned closer. “They will not discover anything.”

“They almost did,” I reminded her.

Her gaze flickered. “Fenris. He nearly caught your scent.”

“Yes,” I said. “And he will not stop watching you.”

Her jaw tightened. “He is loyal to my father. Too loyal.”

The way she said it revealed more truth than she intended. I fixed my eyes on her. “He is protective of you.”

“Protective,” she echoed. “Or possessive.”

Something cold twisted in my chest. “He sees himself as a potential mate?”

“Many do,” she admitted quietly. “The blood of the Alpha is sought after.”

A growl rose in my throat before I could stop it.

Lycara blinked at me. “Was that jealousy?”

I looked away sharply. “It was instinct.”

“It sounded like jealousy.”

“It was instinct,” I repeated, possibly too quickly.

Her lips curved in a faint smile. “Instinct is interesting.”

“Do not tease me,” I muttered.

“Why not?” She tilted her head. “You react more when you are flustered than when you are in pain.”

“I do not get flustered.”

“You do,” she insisted.

The banter felt strange. Foreign. Welcome. Something warm settled in my chest, cutting through the pain for a moment.

But the moment was short.

Outside the hollow, the forest grew quiet. Too quiet.

Lycara stiffened. Her ears sharpened to the sound of shifting leaves. “Someone is close.”

I strained my senses. My curse dulled my instincts, but even I felt the shift in the air.

Not wolves.

Not prey.

Something quieter.

Something heavier.

“Rhaelyx,” she whispered, “stay still.”

“I cannot do much else.”

She stepped closer to the hollow’s entrance, her movements soundless. Her jaw tightened. “It is only one scent.”

“And?”

“It is familiar.”

A shadow moved at the edge of the vines. Lycara braced for attack, body ready to shift if needed.

Then a soft voice called her name.

“Lycara.”

The tension melted from her shoulders. Relief flickered across her face. “Auron,” she breathed.

The man who stepped through the vines looked nothing like the warriors in her pack. He was slender, dark-haired, and carried the scent of healing herbs. His eyes were soft brown, gentle and warm.

A healer.

“You disappeared from the search formation,” he said. “Fenris is furious. Your father is worse.”

Lycara swallowed hard. “Auron, I needed space.”

Auron looked at her with concern. “The Blood Moon is dangerous. The Alpha is afraid that something might happen to you.”

Lycara hesitated. I felt her worry through the bond. She trusted this man. He was safe. But not safe enough to reveal me.

“I am fine,” she said. “I simply needed a moment to breathe.”

Auron reached out and gently placed a hand on her arm. “I have known you since we were children, Lycara. Your scent is heavy with fear. What happened?”

Her throat bobbed. “Nothing.”

He studied her. “You are lying.”

Lycara flinched.

My body tensed. If he stepped even a little farther into the hollow, he would see me. If he smelled me, even faintly, everything would collapse.

I watched Lycara’s expression shift. Conflict. Determination. Fear. Then her eyes hardened with resolve.

“You have to leave, Auron.”

Auron froze. “What?”

“I need you to go,” she repeated.

He looked hurt. “Lycara, I am only trying to help you.”

“I know,” she whispered. “But you cannot be here.”

Auron’s gaze drifted toward the vines behind her. “You are hiding something.”

Her pulse spiked.

I felt it through the bond.

Auron stepped forward.

Lycara blocked his path instantly. “Stop.”

“Move,” Auron said gently. “I am your friend. You do not have to keep secrets from me.”

“Please, Auron,” she whispered, “go back to the pack.”

Auron’s eyes softened again, but now with sadness. “Something is wrong. I can see it. You are trembling. You are terrified. Please let me help.”

Lycara’s voice cracked. “You cannot help.”

Auron reached out and touched her cheek in a brotherly gesture. “Whatever you are afraid of, we can face it together.”

Lycara stepped back. “No. I cannot drag you into this.”

Auron opened his mouth to speak again. His foot moved an inch closer to the vines.

No.

My instincts surged.

I moved before thought. The curse made me slow, but the bond made me fast.

My hand shot out and grabbed Lycara’s wrist. It was the only part of me I could move without collapsing.

But Auron saw the motion through the vines.

His eyes widened. His jaw dropped. “Someone is in there.”

Lycara cursed silently.

Auron took a step back. “Who are you hiding? Lycara, what have you done?”

“It is not what you think,” she said quickly.

Auron’s expression shifted. Confusion. Shock. Fear. “Lycara, move.”

“Auron,” she pleaded, “please do not call the pack.”

“I have to,” he whispered. “If you are in danger, they must know.”

Lycara’s entire body trembled. Not from fear.

From choice.

From the impossible position she was trapped in.

I tightened my grip on her wrist. She turned to look at me.

Her eyes said everything.

Auron will expose you.

My pack will kill you.

I have to stop him.

No.

No, she did not.

I forced my voice out, low and weak. “Lycara.”

She knelt beside me instantly, Auron forgotten for a moment. “You should not move. You will worsen your wounds.”

“Listen to me,” I said. “There are moments in life when one choice can break you forever. Do not make the choice that destroys your heart.”

She blinked rapidly, overwhelmed. “What do you mean?”

“Do not harm him.”

Her breath stilled. “I would not.”

“You almost did.”

Her pulse stuttered. Her eyes glistened. “I would not hurt Auron. He is like family.”

“Then let me take the burden.”

She looked confused. “How?”

I braced my hand on the stone and pulled myself upright. Pain tore through my veins but I ignored it.

Auron’s eyes widened in horror as I emerged from the shadows.

“A vampire,” he whispered. “Lycara, you are hiding a vampire.”

Lycara inhaled sharply. “Auron, listen to me.”

Auron’s voice trembled. “You cannot be with him. He is your enemy.”

Lycara stepped between us. “He is my responsibility.”

Auron stared at her, disbelief twisting his features. “Lycara, he could kill you.”

“No,” she whispered.

“Why?” Auron demanded. “Why are you protecting him?”

Lycara’s lips parted.

The bond pulsed.

The truth hovered.

The forest held its breath.

I answered for her before she could speak.

“Because I am her mate.”

Auron staggered back as if struck. “No. That is impossible.”

“Impossible,” I agreed quietly, “yet true.”

Auron looked at Lycara, eyes wide with devastation. “Tell me he is lying.”

Lycara’s silence answered for her.

Auron’s breath broke. “Lycara, what have you done?”

Lycara reached for him. “Auron, do not run. Please.”

But Auron stepped away. “Your father must know. The elders must know.”

Lycara’s body tensed. “Auron, do not.”

Auron took another step. His decision was clear.

He would expose us.

And then he turned.

And he ran.

“Lycara,” I whispered, “let him go.”

She looked torn. “He will doom us.”

“Then we will face it,” I said. “You are not a murderer.”

Her breath shook. She hesitated, then lowered her hand. Her shoulders trembled with the weight of the decision.

Auron’s footsteps faded into the forest.

A terrible silence settled over the hollow.

Lycara looked at me with eyes full of fear and guilt. “Rhaelyx. What have I done?”

I reached for her hand.

“You saved me,” I whispered. “Now let me save you.”