BOND OF THE FULL MOON

Chapter 2 Elis

It was that time again -the time when the curse takes charge. The one I had grown used to but never fully learned to endure. The Alpha’s meeting had just concluded, the deliberation of pack matters still lingering in the air, when the first wave of pain struck. It came like a tide, unexpected and relentless. My skin burned with heat, and my head spun with torment, the pressure of it crushing my chest.

I tried to fight it, to push it back, but there was no controlling it. It had been years, and yet every time felt like the first - excruciating, all-consuming, and disorienting. This wasn’t something I could allow anyone to witness. Not my Alphas, not my betas, not anyone. The last thing I needed was to appear weak in front of them.

With a sharp motion, I excused myself from the conference room, stepping into the hall as quickly as I could without drawing attention. My beta, Douglas, called after me, but I barely heard him over the thundering pulse in my veins. I didn’t want him to see me like this.

I couldn’t take it anymore. My feet carried me toward the woods just beyond the estate’s territory, as if the trees would offer me some solace. But they didn’t. Nothing ever did. The moment I stepped into the forest, the agony hit me full force.

My vision dimmed, and the burning in my muscles grew worse with each passing second. My wolf, the beast I had worked so hard to keep in check, thrashed inside me, desperate to break free, to howl, to run. But I could barely keep hold of myself, let alone let the wolf loose.

Minutes turned into what felt like hours. My paws hit the ground hard, but it didn’t matter. The pain didn’t relent. It never did. My wolf growled in frustration, fighting for release. Every muscle in my body screamed, and yet, the only thing that could soothe me - could soothe us - was to keep moving. To lose myself in the run.

But where was I headed? I didn’t know. I just ran.

At every full moon, the heat appeared. Right now, it coursed through me, an unbearable ache that seized my body and twisted my mind. But the curse… the curse refused to let me feel the presence of a mate. I had been in this state countless times, but tonight, the pain was sharper, more relentless. The fire in my veins burned so fiercely that it felt like my very bones were being scorched.

Shifting into my wolf form was never easy, not under the curse. It was like a wall that blocked the bond between me and my true nature, forcing me to remain human even when every part of me screamed, to release the beast within. My wolf howled because he was trapped, a prisoner within my own body.

The curse was a nightmare no one in my lineage had ever survived. Now the last in my bloodline, I was certain I wouldn’t break the cycle. The pain and heat tore at me, overwhelming my senses, weakening my limbs. Eventually, I collapsed to the ground, my body crumpling under the weight of it all. The forest around me blurred as I tried to focus, tried to find some release, some escape from the agony that consumed me.

And that’s when I sensed it.

At first, I wasn’t sure what it was. My head was spinning, the heat blanking everything, but then, the scent hit me. It was faint at first - like a whisper in the wind - but as it grew stronger, a jolt of recognition struck through me, and I froze.

The realization came crashing over me. How was this possible?

My mind struggled to comprehend it. How could I sense a female human in this condition? I had never been able to sense a she-wolf before, let alone a human. The curse had always blocked me from experiencing the mate bond. I had never been able to find my true mate, never been able to feel the warmth of that connection. So how could this be happening now?

I sniffed harder, my wolf growling restlessly inside me. The bond between us was still hindered by the curse, but the scent… the scent was undeniable. My wolf, desperate and yearning, fought against the restraints put on it. There was something here. Something I couldn’t ignore.

The scent was a mix of lavender, wildrose, and something else - something wild, untamed, like the forest itself. The sharpness of the scent cut through the fog of my pain, pushing me to move.

I staggered to my feet, my limbs weak but driven by the instinct of my wolf. The heat was unbearable, but this… this scent, this presence - it was a mystery that I couldn’t resist. My wolf howled, eager to run and eager to track this elusive scent.

Without thinking, we began to move, crashing through the woods, the scent pulling us in. It was a strange pull, like a magnet I couldn’t escape. And though I had no idea who - what - this scent belonged to, I knew one thing: I was going to find out.

The scent worsened the heat, which worsened the curse’s agony. My body burned, my limbs weakening, blood slipping from a wound I hadn’t noticed. I collapsed onto the forest floor, struggling to breathe as pain consumed me. The scent - lavender, wildrose, and something else - pulled at my senses, dragging me deeper into madness.

And then, my wolf saw her.

The moment I sensed her, I knew she was my mate. It wasn’t just instinct - it was like fire searing through me, binding us together in a way I couldn’t explain. Why now? Why tonight, under the cursed full moon? The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Crouched beside a tree, I saw her notice me. I watched her approach, terrified by the depth of her kindness. She was too young, too pure for this. For me. She fussed over me despite the fear in her eyes, her trembling hands betraying her courage. “I can’t leave you here all by yourself. You need help,” she insisted, her voice soft but unyielding.

She didn’t understand. The closer she came, the more the beast within me stirred. My instincts screamed to protect her, but the monster wanted something else entirely. I fought to hold it back, forcing out words to frighten her, to make her run. Finally, she bolted, and relief swept over me. She was safe.

Or so I thought.

At the breaking point of my shift, when my body gave way to the agony of transformation, I saw her again. She stood there, clutching her basket, her wide eyes fixed on me, terrified.

“No,” I tried to rasp, but it was too late.

The shift failed - leaving me caught between man and beast.