Chapter Three: The Bond Awakens
842 Words
The weight of Damian’s name lingered in the air, wrapping around Elise like a whisper of something ancient and powerful.
A shiver ran down her spine. She should have been afraid—every instinct told her this man was dangerous, that the unnatural glow in his golden eyes and the way his wounds had vanished overnight were not human things.
But fear was not what she felt.
Instead, it was something else. Something far more confusing.
A pull.
Like an invisible thread had wrapped itself around her the moment she touched him, binding them in ways she didn’t understand.
Damian was watching her now, his expression unreadable. Assessing. Calculating.
Elise swallowed, curling her fingers into fists. “You can’t leave.”
He arched a brow, clearly unimpressed. “You think you can stop me?”
“I saved your life,” she countered. “The least you can do is tell me the truth.”
Damian’s jaw tensed. He stepped forward, his presence towering, overwhelming. Predatory.
“You don’t want the truth, little healer.” His voice was low, edged with warning.
Elise didn’t back down. “Try me.”
A flicker of something—annoyance? Amusement?—crossed his face before it vanished.
Then, he did something unexpected. He lifted his hand, palm up.
The mark.
The strange, glowing symbol that had appeared when she touched him in the forest. It was identical to hers—its faint golden light pulsing in the dim room.
Elise’s breath hitched.
“What… is this?” she whispered, her own hand instinctively brushing over the same mark on her skin.
Damian’s gaze darkened. “A mistake.”
The words hit harder than she expected.
Something in her chest tightened, though she didn’t understand why.
“A mistake?” she echoed, voice barely above a whisper.
His golden eyes bore into hers. “It shouldn’t have happened. You shouldn’t have touched me.”
Elise’s mind raced. This mark—it meant something to him. Something important. And he didn’t like it.
She straightened her shoulders. “Well, forgive me for trying to help an unconscious man bleeding out in the forest.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“No, I don’t. Because you won’t tell me.”
Damian exhaled sharply, frustration evident. But before he could speak, a sound cut through the tension.
A howl.
This time, it was closer.
Damian’s expression shifted instantly—his entire body going rigid. Alert. On edge.
“They’ve found me.” His voice was quiet, but laced with something dangerous.
Elise’s heartbeat thundered. “Who?”
Instead of answering, Damian moved—fast. Too fast. One moment he was near the bed, the next he was by the window, peering out into the night with unnatural stillness.
Elise swallowed. That was not human.
She stepped closer, careful. “Damian… what are you?”
For the longest time, he didn’t respond. Then, without looking at her, he murmured:
“Something you shouldn’t get involved with.”
A shadow flickered outside, barely visible in the darkness. Elise’s breath hitched.
Something was out there.
Damian turned, his gaze locking onto hers. “You need to leave.”
Elise shook her head. “I’m not leaving you here.”
“I can handle this.”
“You were dying a few hours ago.”
Damian’s lips pressed into a thin line, as if he didn’t like being reminded of that. “I’ll be fine.”
Another movement outside. Elise barely caught the gleam of eyes in the dark.
Then—
A growl.
It sent a chill straight through her bones.
Elise’s breath quickened. “That… wasn’t a wolf, was it?”
Damian’s gaze sharpened. “No.”
A heartbeat of silence.
Then—
BANG!
The door shook violently, as if something massive had slammed against it.
Elise jumped back, heart racing.
Another snarl, followed by heavy claws raking against wood.
She turned to Damian, panic rising. “They’re trying to get in.”
His expression remained unreadable. But then, something shifted.
A change.
The air around him thickened, humming with an unseen force.
His breathing deepened, his muscles tensing. And then—
His golden eyes glowed brighter, flickering between human and something otherworldly.
Elise stumbled back, her stomach twisting in realization.
“You’re not human,” she whispered.
Damian’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile.
“No, I’m not.”
The door shuddered again, the wood splintering.
Elise’s mind raced. Who was after him? And why?
More than that—why did she feel like she was somehow tangled in this?
The mark on her hand burned.
Another growl came—this time closer, louder. The creatures outside were getting impatient.
Then, Damian turned to her, his golden eyes sharp. “Listen to me carefully.”
Elise nodded, pulse hammering.
“When the door breaks, stay behind me. No matter what.”
She swallowed. “Damian—”
CRACK!
The door burst open.
And the night came alive with monsters.
- Writer
