Blood Bound Luna

CHAPTER SIX - THE CEREMONY OF BROKEN SOULS

“Your wolf wants to meet me?” Selene forced herself to straighten, to meet those inhuman eyes. “Then let him. I’m not afraid.”

It was a lie. She was absolutely terrified.

But she’d be damned if she showed it.

Dorian’s expression twisted shock, fear, something that might’ve been awe.

“Selene, you don’t understand—”

“Then help me understand.” She grabbed his wrist, the one still pressed to her mark. “Let him out. Let’s get this over with.”

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then Dorian threw his head back and roared.

The sound wasn’t human. It was pure animal rage and power and ancient magic given voice. The wolves lining the walls howled in response, a chorus that shook the foundations of the fortress.

Dorian’s body began to change.

His bones cracked, reforming. His skin rippled, dark fur spreading across his shoulders, down his arms. His face elongated, became something caught between man and beast, beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.

But he didn’t complete the shift. He stayed suspended in that in-between place, half-human, half-wolf, all predator.

And his eyes … god, his eyes locked onto Selene like she was prey.

Like she was everything.

“Run,” someone shouted. Maybe Kira. Maybe Thalia. Selene couldn’t tell.

She didn’t run.

Dorian’s wolf circled her slowly, his movements liquid and predatory. She could hear him breathing, could see the barely contained violence in every line of his body.

He was going to attack.

Every instinct screamed at her to move, to fight, to do something.

But Selene stood perfectly still.

“Go ahead,” she said quietly. “If you’re going to break me, then do it. But I’m not going to make it easy for you.”

The wolf stopped.

He tilted his head, studying her with those impossible eyes. Then he moved faster than she could track, suddenly there, his hand clawed, dangerously wrapped around her throat.

Not squeezing. . Just there.

Selene lifted her chin, baring her throat further.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she lied.

The wolf’s eyes narrowed. He leaned in close, so close she could feel his breath against her skin. His claws pressed just slightly, not breaking skin but close.

Then he did something she didn’t expect.

He laughed.

It was rough, more growl than sound, but unmistakably amused.

“Liar,” he rumbled, his voice barely human. “I can hear your heart. It’s racing.”

“Fear and respect aren’t the same thing,” Selene managed.

“No,” the wolf agreed. “They’re not.”

He released her throat, his hand trailing down to rest over her heart. She could feel her pulse hammering against his palm.

“You’re strong,” he said, and now there was something else in his voice... approval? Curiosity? “Stronger than the others. They all begged. Screamed. Broke.”

“I’m not them.”

“No.” His clawed thumb brushed her collarbone, almost gentle. “You’re not.”

The bond between them pulsed, and suddenly Selene could feel what he felt hunger, yes, but also… loneliness. A loneliness so profound it made her chest ache.

He’d been alone for so long. Trapped in this curse, watching mate after mate die, losing pieces of his humanity with each one.

“You’re tired,” she whispered.

The wolf’s eyes widened, just slightly. Like no one had ever seen that before.

“I’m always tired,” he admitted.

“Then stop fighting,” Selene said. “Not me. Not this. But… let me help you.”

“You can’t help me.” His voice turned bitter. “You’re human. Fragile. You’ll break, just like all the rest, and I’ll-” He stopped, something raw flickering across his face. “I’ll have to watch you die.”

“Maybe,” Selene said. “Or maybe I’ll surprise you.”

They stared at each other, the bond crackling between them like electricity.

Then, slowly, the wolf began to recede.

Dorian’s bones shifted back, his fur retreating, his face becoming human again. But his eyes stayed gold, and when he finally stood before her fully human, he looked… different. More vulnerable. More real.

“The bond is complete,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse.

Selene could feel it the connection between them, no longer fighting to establish itself but there, solid and unbreakable. She could sense him in the back of her mind, a presence that was both foreign and strangely familiar.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

Selene considered. The pain had faded to a dull ache. The mark on her back had stopped burning. And she felt… alive. More alive than she ever had.

“Like I just went ten rounds with a supernatural fighter,” she said. “But I’m standing.”

Something like a smile ghosted across Dorian’s face. “You are.”

The surrounding wolves began to disperse, the ceremony apparently over. But Selene and Dorian stayed frozen on the dais, staring at each other.

“What happens now?” Selene asked.

Dorian’s expression shuttered. “Now we wait. And hope you survive what comes next.”

He turned to leave, but Selene caught his hand.

“Dorian.”

He looked back.

“Your wolf,” she said. “He’s not a monster. He’s just… hurting.”

Dorian’s jaw clenched. For a moment, she thought he might actually respond. Might let her in.

Instead, he pulled his hand free and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.

Leaving Selene alone on the dais, bound to a man she barely knew, marked by a curse she didn’t understand.

But still fighting. Still alive.

Kira appeared at her side, eyes wide. “Holy s**t,” she breathed. “You just did the impossible.”

“What?”

“You made Dorian’s wolf hesitate.” Kira grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. “Do you understand what that means? No one’s ever..he always just claims and dominates and but you he actually listened to you.”

Selene’s legs finally gave out. She sat down hard on the dais, adrenaline crashing.

“I think I’m going to pass out,” she said.

“No no no, stay with me.” Kira knelt beside her. “You did it, Selene. You survived the bonding. That’s… that’s huge.”

“It doesn’t feel huge. It feels like I just barely scraped by.”

“That’s because you did.” Thalia appeared, her expression unreadable. “But ‘barely’ is better than everyone else managed. Come on. Let’s get you back to your room. You need rest.”

Selene let them help her up, let them guide her back through the corridors. But the whole way, she could feel Dorian in the back of her mind distant but present.

And she wondered if he could feel her too.