13.
998 Words
Kael let go of my wrist immediately.
Like he realized too late what he had done.
But the damage was already done.
Or maybe damage wasn’t the right word.
Because even after his hand disappeared from my skin, I could still feel the warmth lingering there—deep beneath the surface, inside the fractured bond itself.
And judging by the expression on Kael’s face…
He felt it too.
The entire forest had gone silent again.
No one moved.
No one even seemed to breathe.
The warriors behind Kael looked completely unsettled now, shifting uneasily as they watched us. Some looked confused. Others looked nervous.
But all of them understood one thing now:
The rejected bond was reacting like it was alive.
Theron’s expression had darkened considerably.
“That should not have stabilized her that quickly,” he muttered.
Kael’s gaze snapped toward him instantly.
“What does that mean?”
Theron looked irritated by the question.
“It means the synchronization rate is increasing.”
I frowned immediately.
“The what?”
Theron looked at me carefully.
“The bond is adapting faster than expected.”
Cold settled in my stomach.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It isn’t.”
Kael crossed his arms slowly, but his attention remained entirely on me.
“Explain properly.”
Theron exhaled quietly.
“The more the bond synchronizes, the more both wolves begin responding instinctively to each other.”
Kael’s jaw tightened slightly.
“We already knew that.”
“No,” Theron corrected calmly. “You understood the emotional effect. Not the biological one.”
The forest became painfully quiet again.
I didn’t like the sound of that sentence.
At all.
Theron continued.
“Moon-Blood bonds don’t behave like ordinary mate bonds. They adapt for survival.”
My pulse slowed uneasily.
“Survival?”
“If the bond determines separation threatens either wolf…” He paused briefly. “…it begins forcing stabilization through instinctive dependence.”
Every word somehow made things worse.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re saying the bond itself is evolving.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
The kind that made the air feel difficult to breathe.
I wrapped my arms around myself tightly.
“No.”
All three men looked at me instantly.
“I’m not becoming dependent on him.”
The bond pulsed sharply.
Pain flickered through my chest again.
Not unbearable.
But enough to warn me.
Kael noticed immediately.
His expression darkened.
“Stop fighting it emotionally.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You do not get to say that to me.”
Something shifted in his face instantly.
Guilt.
Real guilt this time.
Small.
Controlled.
But there.
The bond reacted to it too.
Warmth spread faintly through my chest before I could stop it.
I hated that.
I hated that I could feel him now.
Not clearly.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to know when his emotions slipped through the cracks in his control.
Theron suddenly looked toward the trees.
Alert.
“We don’t have time for this.”
Kael noticed immediately.
“What now?”
“The other packs won’t stay away once they confirm her scent.”
My stomach tightened again.
Kael’s posture shifted instantly.
Protective.
Again.
And this time he noticed himself doing it.
I saw the exact second realization crossed his face.
His wolf had fully stopped treating me like a rejected mate.
Instinctively, I was becoming something else to him now.
Something he wanted close.
Something he no longer trusted the world around.
That realization clearly unsettled him.
Good.
It should.
One of the warriors stepped forward nervously.
“Alpha… if the other packs learn about this—”
“They won’t,” Kael said coldly.
The warrior hesitated.
“With respect, Alpha… they already are.”
Kael fell silent.
Because he knew the warrior was right.
Moon-Blood.
Silver wolf.
A bond that survived rejection.
Rumors like that spread faster than blood in water.
Theron looked directly at Kael.
“You need to decide quickly.”
Kael’s gaze sharpened.
“Decide what?”
“Whether you protect her…”
A pause.
“…or become another threat she survives.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Kael’s expression hardened instantly.
“You think I would harm her?”
I laughed softly before I could stop myself.
Bitter.
Sharp.
The sound made Kael look at me immediately.
And for the first time since the ceremony—
He looked affected by my anger.
Not irritated.
Affected.
“You already did,” I said quietly.
Silence crashed down again.
The bond pulsed painfully between us.
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
And somehow…
That hurt worse than if he defended himself.
Because he knew it was true.
A cold wind moved through the forest.
The silver beneath my skin flickered again, but weaker this time.
Unstable.
Theron noticed instantly.
“She’s exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped automatically.
“You’re barely controlling the transformation pressure.”
Kael’s attention sharpened instantly.
“Transformation?”
Theron cursed softly under his breath like he revealed too much.
My stomach dropped.
Kael noticed immediately.
“What transformation?”
No one answered.
That was enough.
His expression darkened.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
The bond pulsed harder again.
Unease spread through me instantly.
Theron looked genuinely reluctant now.
But before he could speak—
Pain exploded through my spine.
I gasped sharply.
My knees nearly gave out.
Every muscle in my body tightened violently as heat ripped beneath my skin.
The silver light burst brighter.
Too bright.
The warriors stumbled backward immediately.
Kael moved toward me instantly.
“Lira!”
Another wave of pain hit harder.
Bones.
Pressure.
Something shifting inside me.
Wrong.
Too fast.
Theron’s expression turned serious immediately.
“No…”
Fear slammed into my chest.
“What’s happening to me?”
Theron looked directly at Kael.
And the answer in his eyes made my blood run cold before he even spoke.
“She’s about to shift.”
- Writer
