BOND OF THE FULL MOON

Chapter 4 Elis

Lily led me to her humble cottage, a small yet warm place that seemed to radiate a strange, comforting energy. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I felt something shift inside me. Her scent, which had already captivated me, intensified within the walls of her living space. It was intoxicating, filling the air with a sweetness that stirred both my heart and the wolf inside me.

Tika, my wolf, became restless, thrashing against my control. He wanted her desperately. I wanted her too, but her kindness, her selfless concern, rendered me weak. It was a different kind of weakness, one that softened the constant edge of my curse and made me feel human again, if only for a moment.

She brought me a cup of her herbal tea, her hands trembling slightly as she offered it to me. There was something magical about the concoction - its warmth coursed through my veins like a balm, easing the excruciating pain of the curse. The agony that had gripped me for hours began to fade, replaced by an unfamiliar calm.

I couldn’t stop watching her as I drank. Everything about her was enchanting. She was the most beautiful being I've ever seen. Her eyes- those deep, mesmerizing eyes - held something I couldn’t decipher. Power, compassion, and a pull so strong it threatened to undo me entirely. My wolf, too, felt it. Tika’s growl echoed in my mind, low and insistent. He saw her as ours, our mate.

But I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t let her be drawn into the darkness of my world.

At some point, the tea and the sheer exhaustion lulled me into sleep. It was a brief reprieve, but when I woke, she was still there, sitting beside me, watching. Her gaze was unwavering, filled with fascination, or perhaps something deeper. It stirred a higher heat inside me that I couldn’t control.

My wolf surged forward again, his voice louder than ever. Take her. She is ours.

“No,” I muttered under my breath, but the word felt hollow. How could I deny what was written in her scent, in the way her eyes held me captive? How could I fight what I was made to crave?

But I had to. I had to protect her.

The curse was not merciful - it had never been. It had already destroyed the lives of those I held dear, snuffing out the light of every mate it had touched. I couldn’t let Lily face the same fate. She was too precious, too pure.

With every ounce of willpower I had left, I stood. The ache in my muscles screamed in protest, but I ignored it. Her eyes widened as I rose, her lips parting to ask something, but I didn’t hear her speak. I couldn’t.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice weak with emotion. “I can’t stay here.”

Before she could respond, I turned and walked toward the door. The moonlight poured in through the windows, bathing the room in its silvery glow. Tika howled inside me, furious at my decision, but I pushed him down.

Her voice called after me, soft and pleading. “Elis, wait. Don’t go.”

I hesitated for the briefest moment, my hand on the doorframe. Her words tugged at my soul, but I couldn’t look back. I stepped into the cold embrace of the moonlit woods, leaving her behind, against my every desire.

As I walked deeper into the forest, her scent still lingered on me, haunting and impossible to escape. My heart felt as though it was being torn in two. I wanted nothing more than to turn back, to hold her, to protect her.

But I knew better. The curse had already claimed too much. If I stayed, it would claim her too.

Behind me, her voice echoed faintly through the trees, growing softer with every step I took. I clenched my fists, ignoring the pain of leaving her. It was better this way. It had to be.

Or so I told myself.

I had just reached a clearing beneath the canopy of low-hanging trees, the ground soft with a carpet of lush grass. The moonlight spilled through the gaps in the foliage, casting the scene in a divine glow. I tried to steady myself, to find some measure of control, but it was a losing battle. Her scent lingered, filling my senses and pulling me back to her like an invisible tether.

Then I heard it - soft, hurried footsteps against the forest floor. My heart tightened, and before I could react, she appeared, her figure illuminated by the moonlight. Lily.

She was running, her breath labored as she came to a stop in front of me. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair slightly tousled, and her wide eyes shone with both determination and vulnerability. Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed my hand, her touch igniting a jolt of electricity that shot straight through me.

“Why are you running away from me?” she asked, her voice breathless yet steady.

Her words, her touch - it was too much. Tika stirred restlessly within me, his growls resonating in my mind. Her presence overwhelmed every reserve I had, and my fragile control shattered.

I couldn’t hold back any longer.

Before I realized what I was doing, I pulled her close, my hands gripping her arms gently but firmly. The warmth of her body pressed against mine was intoxicating, and I could feel the rapid beat of her heart matching my own.

Her lips. I couldn’t stop my eyes from lowering to them - soft, inviting, and slightly parted as she caught her breath. I leaned in, my resolve crumbling entirely, and kissed her.

The moment our lips met, the world around us disappeared. At first, she froze, her body stiff with surprise. But then, after a heartbeat, she melted into me, her hands clutching my shirt as she returned the kiss with an intensity that matched my own.

The kiss was frantic, filled with a hunger I couldn’t explain but felt deep in my core. It wasn’t just desire - it was something far more powerful, primal, and consuming.

Tika’s voice echoed in my mind, a satisfied growl, she wants us too, he said, his voice dripping with approval.

Her scent wrapped around me and the feel of her lips moving against mine sent shivers through my entire being. For a fleeting moment, nothing else mattered - not the curse. not the danger - it was just me and her, locked in this fiery unstoppable connection.

It was my first time - to feel the lips and passion of a female and I knew it was hers too.

But even as the kiss deepened, a small voice reminded me of the truth I couldn't ignore. This wasn't safe - not for her, not for either of us. Yet as her fingers tightened on me and I felt the heat of her closeness, I knew one thing was certain, this bond between us would be impossible to break.

“Elis,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she pulled away just enough to meet my gaze. Her hands remained on my chest, her fingers curling slightly into the fabric of my shirt as if afraid to let go. “Don’t leave. Don’t stay away from me. Let me help you. You need me.”

Her words pierced through the haze in my mind, cutting through the primal instincts that had overtaken me. I froze, my breath catching in my throat as the weight of what she was saying settled over me.

She meant it. Every word.

Her wide, earnest, sea- blue- eyes searched mine, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, the chaos within me stilled. Tika, usually restless and demanding, grew quiet, listening. The bond between us hummed with undeniable energy, pulling me toward her in ways I didn’t fully understand.

“I won’t leave you,” I heard myself say, the words slipping from my lips before I could think. My voice was raw, unsteady, but there was no hesitation. “I promise.”

And in that moment, I meant it more than anything I’d ever said.

Spontaneously, I carried her up and laid her gently beneath the trees, on the soft clearing carpeted with grass. The moonlight filtered through the branches above, casting silvery patterns on her face as she gazed up at me with wide, unblinking eyes.

As I settled beside her, the world around us seemed to quiet, as though even the forest was holding its breath. My heart pounded in my chest, a rhythm I swore she could hear, and yet there was a calmness - a rightness - in being here with her.

I reached for her hand, my fingers brushing against hers and then intertwined, and in that single contact, something changed. The air seemed to hum softly, a faint energy wrapping around us like an invisible thread. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt it deep within me - a connection, a tether binding us in a way I hadn’t known was possible.

Her gaze never wavered, and I could see something in her eyes - a reflection of what I felt. “Elis,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, yet it resonated in every part of me. “Don’t leave.”

“I won’t,” I replied, the words escaping before I could think. But I knew they were true. There was no leaving now, not after this.

An hour later, we lay there tangled together, without clothes, the stillness of the moment gave way to an overwhelming warmth. It was as if the forest itself acknowledged that something sacred had taken place, though neither of us fully understood it.

And just as the thought crossed my mind, something subtle but unmistakable happened - a fleeting shimmer in the moonlight, a sensation that left me breathless. Lily gasped softly, her hand tightening around mine.

“What was that?” she asked with a trembling voice.

I didn’t have an answer. But as I stared at the sky, I knew, without a doubt, that whatever had just occurred would change everything.