Moon Bounded

Chapter 10 Azerin POV

I leaned heavily against the rough bark of a pine, my chest heaving as I tried to steady my breath. The forest felt eerily quiet tonight, as if even the trees held their breath after what had just happened. My limbs ached, my head throbbed, and my hands—God, my hands—were a mess of dirt, blood, and trembling fingers.

But I was alive.

The transition had passed. The wolf had receded, leaving behind the familiar hollow ache and the faint taste of iron in my mouth. I didn't want to think about what I'd done, what I might have destroyed this time.

Instead, my thoughts drifted, unbidden, to her.

Elara.

Her name felt like a splinter lodged in my chest, impossible to ignore and painful to touch. I pressed a hand to my ribs as if I could push the thought of her away, but it was no use. Even now, I could see her face in my mind—those wide, questioning eyes, that quiet strength in the way she stood.

And the hurt.

I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw, trying to shut out the memory of how I'd left her. The sharp edge of my words, the way I had turned my back on her, pretending like she didn't matter. Like she wasn't the one thing keeping me tethered to myself.

I exhaled shakily and pushed off the tree, my legs unsteady but moving forward anyway. My body carried me before my mind could catch up. I needed to get home, shower and change.

I walked up about a mile up this hill bending down and sticking my hand inside of this hollowed out tree stump. Feeling around for my duffel bag of clothes I keep here for moments like this, so I don't have to wonder around the forest naked. I'm far enough from town that I shouldn't run into anyone but the last thing I need is someone finding me naked in the woods covered in dirt and dried blood.

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The cabin wasn't far now, just past the ridge. I shouldn't be going back. I had told myself to stay away—for her sake as much as mine. But here I was, trudging through the shadows, torn between a thousand reasons to stay hidden and one singular need to see her.

Maybe she wouldn't want to see me. Hell, maybe she shouldn't.

The thought didn't stop me.

When the cabin came into view, my chest tightened. It looked the same as always, nestled against the trees, the faint golden glow of light seeping through the curtains. She was awake.

I froze just beyond the tree line, my heart thudding in my ears. I told myself I'd only look, just long enough to know she was safe. That was all. I didn't deserve to cross that threshold, not after what I'd done.

But my feet didn't listen.

I took a step forward, then another, until I was close enough to see the faint outline of her moving through the cabin. Her shadow passed across the window, and something in me twisted. I wanted to knock, to call her name, to fall at her feet and tell her everything.

But what would I even say? Sorry for breaking your trust? Sorry for being this... thing? Sorry for leaving you to wonder if I was even coming back?

I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. I couldn't drag her into this—not the curse, not the wolf. She deserved better than me. Better than whatever shattered pieces I had left to give.

And yet, my hand lifted, almost of its own accord, toward the door.

"Elara," I whispered, the word catching in my throat.

The door loomed before me, solid and unyielding. My hand hovered over the wood, trembling. One knock. One word. That was all it would take to shatter the fragile distance I had tried to build between us.

But I couldn't move.

Instead, I let my hand fall to my side, my head bowing under the weight of everything I couldn't say. The wolf stirred faintly within me, a low growl of disapproval.

I took a step back. Then another.

And just as I turned to disappear into the shadows, the door creaked open behind me.

"Azerin."

Her voice stopped me cold.