Bound to the witch

Chapter One. Selene. Elise was at it again, braiding my hair as the sun dipped below the hills. She snuck up on me earlier, her dress the same shade of green as summer leaves. I sometimes wondered if she owned any other color. "Do you always have to do this?" I muttered, grimacing when her fingers tugged too tightly at my scalp. "And do you always have to complain?" she shot back, not missing a beat. "I've been doing this for as long as I can remember." I sighed, my gaze drifting to the dusky sky. "Tonight's a full moon." Elise paused, her fingers hesitating for the briefest second before resuming. The full moon. My magic would surge the wrong way again—as it always did. I was Selene, daughter of Nadir. The last descendant of the Moonfire Clan—witches who wielded forbidden sorcery and were deemed dangerous to humans. "Should I leave now?" Elise asked quietly, gathering the braids to weave them into one thick plait. I shook my head. "Not yet." "Tell me something I don't know," I said, forcing a lightness into my voice. "About Vaun. Something an outcast like me wouldn't know." She sighed, once, then again before launching into her stories. At first, hesitation laced her words, but before long, enthusiasm took over, and she spoke with a sparkle in her eyes. Lady Llora—my wretched aunt's name—spilled from her lips more times than I cared to count. "You respect Lady Llora that much?" I asked, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. Elise's smile turned shy. She grasped my hands, her eyes twinkling. "Yes," she breathed. Her voice grew softer as she recounted her favorite memory. "A witch had used forbidden magic and gone mad. They said he tried to harm a weak maid. The whole village was drowning in sorcery and fear. No one could stop him—until Lady Llora came. She channeled all her magic and drained him completely of his power." Elise shook her head with a hint of sadness. "Poor man. He died right there." I had heard the story more times than I could bear, and still, I struggled to believe it. My father, gentle, kind-hearted Nadir, would never have practiced sorcery to harm a soul. He had loved humans far too deeply for that. But the memories of that night five centuries ago were a blur. Even magic couldn't recover them. A sudden chill seized my fingers, turning my nails stark white. I turned to the window. The moon had risen. "Elise..." I hissed, pain tearing through my body. She nodded, understanding immediately, and darted toward the door, but she lingered, her heart unwilling to leave me. "Go now!" I screamed, staggering to my feet. I barely managed to stumble out of the hamlet, my only thought to reach the stream before it was too late. The stream had always been my place of quiet, sacred, untouched by the council’s laws and my aunt’s scrutiny. I wasn’t supposed to come this far past dusk, but the full moon tugged at me, like it always did. I needed a moment to breathe. But something was wrong. The air stank of blood and something darker—rot, rage, and wet fur. My steps slowed as I neared the stream, and then I saw him. A man slumped at the base of the tree, crimson pooling beneath him like spilled wine. For a heartbeat, I just stared. Not out of fear. Out of knowing. Something in me… recognized him. He was tall, even folded on the ground, with dark hair tangled across his forehead and blood dripping from torn armor. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths. I rushed to him, kneeling beside his body, fingers trembling as they hovered near his chest. He was alive. Barely. Thank heavens. And then, the sky darkened and the trees shook. Wisps of blue smoke surrounded us. What was this? I felt a tug from him—a thread from him to me. It felt like I was bonding with him, an ancient kind of bond. It felt… no! My heart stumbled. No. I couldn't be bound to someone I didn't know. I wasn't to be mated to anyone. I was a disaster—everyone in the village of Vaun knew this. So, this couldn’t be real. But there it was, pulsing faintly between us. I hadn’t known his name, hadn’t known he existed. But my soul had. What cruel fate tied him to me? I pressed my hands to the deepest wound and closed my eyes. Magic surged forward, wild and reluctant, spilling from my palms in golden light. I hadn’t healed anyone in months. Not since the last time I tried to save a rabbit and Aunt Llora nearly burned my hands raw. But this was no rabbit. A force was compelling me to save his life. What connection was this? The bond flared as the magic worked, stitching flesh, calming blood, repairing bone. It hurt me as much as it helped him. Every beat of it stole breath from my lungs. Still, I didn’t stop. I couldn't until he stirred. My heart in my mouth as I desperately pleaded with him to survive. I could feel his pain with every touch. I was certain I didn't know him. I knew no werewolf. His eyelids twitched. Then, they opened. Golden eyes met mine, stormy, confused, beautiful. “Who…?” he rasped. “You’ll live,” I whispered. He blinked slowly, registering the pain, the place, the blood. “What are you?” Not who. What. I stood, pushing back the ache from the drain of magic. “You don’t want to know.” He tried to move. I almost told him to stop, but the look in his eyes was sharp. He wasn’t the kind to lie still. “You healed me.” “Yes.” “Why?” “You were dying. The poison was too strong for you to heal.” He looked at the tree behind him, then at the blood still wet on the ground. He was trying to make sense of what happened—of me. I turned to leave. “You should go. It’s not safe here. And next time, don’t fight rogues alone.” He got to his feet, slowly, staggering as he tested his weight. “Wait.” I paused. “What’s your name?” he asked. I looked over my shoulder. “Selene.” He nodded, almost to himself. “I’m Kael.” And then, like smoke on wind, he vanished into the forest, leaving a name behind to haunt me.