Chapter 8
423 Words
Ezra Without a Bond
Nothing felt right back in Nightfang territory.
Ezra noticed the change immediately.
Not in obvious ways, not at first.
Then, without warning, he started to feel the differences between the life he knew with her and now.
The pack still functioned.
Orders were still followed.
Life continued.
But something fundamental within him had shifted.
The air felt heavier.
The wolves were quieter.
Respect had not disappeared.
But it had changed.
And beneath it— Something else had taken root.
Fear.
Ezra stood at the edge of the training grounds, watching as two of his wolves sparred with more aggression than was necessary.
“Enough,” he snapped and stepped in to stop the fight.
They stopped instantly, however neither of them looked satisfied with the result.
That was new, like everything felt… off.
Unbalanced.
And he knew the reason why, but he just refused to name it.
Lylah.
The absence of the bond gnawed at him in ways he had not expected because he had thought rejecting her would sever the connection.
Cleanly, but it hadn’t.
It had left something behind.
A hollow.
A constant, low ache that he could not ignore.
At night, it was worse.
Silence pressed in around him, thick and suffocating, and he found himself standing outside more often, staring into the forest beyond his territory.
He fully why he did it.
Just listening.
As though expecting— Something, or someone.
“You made the right choice.” Seraphine’s voice broke through his thoughts one night.
Ezra didn’t turn yet replied. “That remains to be seen.”
“She was hiding things from you, things you needed to know about,” Seraphine continued, stepping closer. “And you saw it yourself. She cannot be trusted.”
“I saw what you showed me, and against my better judgment, I believe you,” Ezra responded. That alone earned him a reaction from Seraphine, who paused.
Then— A soft laugh escaped from her, as though that comment did not take her by surprise.
“You doubt me now? Wow, that hurts,” she spoke as she pretended to be hurt.
Ezra finally looked at her. “I don’t know what I think, but I'm hoping I have not made the biggest mistake of my life by my actions against the moon by rejecting the fate she chose for me.”
And that was the truth.
For the first time in his life— Uncertainty had taken hold of his thoughts, his feelings and his heart.
- Writer
