The Rosebound bond
718 Words
The Rosebound Bond
The rain had ceased by morning, but the forest still hissed with steam where the flames had tried—and failed—to conquer it. The Thorn Seal had burned a path halfway to Alaric’s sanctum before retreating as if repelled by something older, deeper, and more sacred than fire.
Peter stood near the edge of the cave, sweat glistening on his brow, his shirt clinging to his chest. The transformation had left him exhausted, but he felt something awaken inside him. Not just raw power—but clarity.
He remembered everything now: the scent of Melinda’s skin, the chill in the air that night, the moment Marcus’s soul surrendered and his own took root. The voice that called him to the moon… was hers.
“She’s calling to you,” Alaric said, stepping beside him.
Peter didn’t deny it.
“What is she?”
“The Rosebound,” Alaric said, almost reverently. “And you—the Moonbound. Two sides of the same prophecy. We thought it a myth. But now?”
Peter clenched his fists. “If she’s in danger—”
“She is,” Mira cut in, limping toward them. “One of our scouts saw Cosmos’s men. They’re getting bolder, closer. He’s not just hunting us—he’s hunting her.”
Peter’s jaw clenched. “Then we fight.”
---
Meanwhile, in Ravencroft, Melinda stood in the town’s ancient archive—a dusty, forgotten hall buried beneath the old cathedral. The librarian, a pale woman named Lys, had let her in only after seeing the rose-shaped birthmark on her shoulder.
Now, she pored over scrolls older than the town itself.
She found it on a brittle page inscribed in Latin:
"When Moon and Rose are bound by blood and breath, the curse shall end or begin anew."
Her breath caught. Her fingers trembled.
She understood now. The dream she had of Peter—of Marcus—of wolves and fire—it wasn’t just a dream.
It was a memory.
Someone behind her cleared their throat.
She turned sharply—only to see Gideon, Cosmos’s right hand, standing there with a forced smile.
“You’ve been busy,” he said, eyes flicking to the open scroll.
Melinda backed away. “I know who you are.”
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said, hands up. “I came to warn you.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Cosmos is planning something big. A ritual. He thinks he can sever the bond between the Moonbound and Rosebound.”
Melinda’s voice was ice. “Why would he want that?”
“Because together, you two are stronger than him,” Gideon said. “He’s afraid. And desperate.”
Melinda hesitated. “Why are you telling me this?”
Gideon’s face darkened. “Because I’ve seen what he becomes when he loses control. I’ve seen what he did… to my sister.”
Melinda’s heart sank.
Gideon gave her a folded piece of parchment. “This is where they’ll strike next. You need to get to Peter. Fast.”
Before she could reply, he vanished into the shadows.
---
That night, Melinda ran.
She drove through the woods, following the map Gideon had given her, heart racing with fear—and hope.
When she reached the glade, the moon broke free of the clouds, bathing the world in silver.
And Peter stepped out from the trees.
She gasped—not because of fear, but because it was him. The man she’d loved. The man she’d lost. The boy with a broken past and wolf’s fire in his eyes.
“Peter?” she whispered.
He nodded slowly. “Melinda.”
She ran to him. They collided in a desperate embrace, holding on like the world would tear them apart again.
“I remember everything,” he murmured into her hair. “I remember us.”
She pulled back, tears in her eyes. “Then you know what we are?”
He nodded. “Moonbound. And Rosebound.”
As they kissed beneath the silver light, something bloomed in the sky—a radiant halo around the moon. Their marks glowed faintly, answering the celestial call.
And for a moment, there was no Ravencroft, no prophecy, no Cosmos.
Just Peter and Melinda.
Together again.
- Writer
