Fated By Blood and Moon

Chapter 10: Ties That Bind

The forest was quiet now, but I couldn’t breathe easy.

Even after the wolves disappeared, I felt their eyes on us. Watching. Waiting. The energy thrumming through me hadn’t faded but had only grown stronger and sharper.

Alex led me back to the cabin, moving like a predator fully awake, senses alert. My own pulse pounded in rhythm with his steps. The tether between us hummed with something dangerous and exhilarating.

When we stepped inside, my dad was pacing. He stopped abruptly when he saw me, eyes wide. “Sophia… what happened?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but Alex raised a hand. “She’s learning control,” he said. “And we just had a visitor.”

My dad’s brow furrowed. “A wolf?”

Alex shook his head. “A pack. Testing her.”

I shivered, remembering the way the energy had surged through me. The way my hands had glowed. The way the wolves had backed away like they’d seen something they weren’t ready for.

“I… I didn’t mean to,...” My voice broke.

“You didn’t,” Alex said again, voice soft, grounding me. He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him. “But you did. And you will.”

Something in his tone made my chest tighten. Something in the way he looked at me, like he saw all of me, the power, the fear, the heart pounding beneath my ribs.

My hands itched to reach for him, but I didn’t. Not yet. Not while the world outside wanted to tear us apart.

Alex studied me for a long moment, then finally said, “We need to talk about what comes next.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “What… what do I do? I can’t control this fully yet. What if I hurt someone?”

He shook his head. “You won’t. Not if you trust yourself. And trust me. The bond,...” He hesitated, eyes flicking to mine. “It’s stronger than either of us realized. It can guide you, keep you safe… but it comes with a price.”

“What price?” I whispered.

“Everything,” he said simply. “Your life, your heart… your choices. Nothing is the same once it binds.”

I felt the weight of it settle over me. The bond wasn’t just magic. It was real, tangible, pulsing in my veins alongside my own power.

And as much as I wanted to fight it, I couldn’t.

Alex reached out, brushing my hair back again, lingering just a second too long. “You’re not alone in this, Sophia. And I won’t let you face it without me.”

My stomach flipped. The air between us felt electric, charged with danger and desire. I wanted to reach for him, wanted to feel the tether between us pull tighter.

But the sound of snapping twigs outside froze us both.

Alex’s head snapped toward the window, eyes narrowing. “They’re back,” he said.

My heart thudded, but I felt a strange thrill. My first battle wasn’t over. The world wanted to test me.

And with Alex by my side, I realized something terrifying and exhilarating:

I wanted to fight it.

I wanted to fight with him.

Even if it meant risking everything.