Bound by Moonlight and Magic

The night air is still, the only sound the soft rustling of the trees outside the cabin. I can feel his body, solid and heavy, pressed against mine, his breath warm and slow against the nape of my neck. Every inch of him feels like fire, and the craving inside me is too strong to deny, even though every instinct tells me to run—to flee from this forbidden, dangerous union. I should’ve left the moment he fell asleep. I should’ve cast a barrier spell, called upon the winds to carry me far away from here. The truth burns hot in my chest: he is my fated mate, and I am his sworn enemy. His arm tightens around me, pulling me closer as if he can sense my turmoil, and despite my best efforts, my body responds. My pulse quickens, the heat between us rising again. My mind screams at me to stop—he’s an Alpha, a wolf, the natural enemy of my kind—but my heart, my body, they want him. I can’t fight this, not anymore. His lips brush against the sensitive spot just below my ear, and a shiver races down my spine. I gasp, biting my lip to stifle the moan threatening to escape. His growl reverberates through my body like a low thunder, and before I can process it, his hands are everywhere—on my hips, my chest, lifting me against him as if he wants to drown in me, take every part of me into his world. "You're still here," his voice is hushed, dark, as if the words themselves are a threat, a promise. His eyes gleam with the glint of his animal, of the wolf inside him, and for a moment, I forget who we are. Forget the centuries of hatred between our kind. All I can focus on is the heat, the undeniable magnetism that binds us together. My heart hammers in my chest, each beat a reminder of the truth I’ve been trying to ignore. I cursed him. Years ago, when I was just a child, I cast a spell—a spell meant to protect my people from the ravenous wolves that hunted us, the alphas who viewed us as nothing more than prey. But the spell wasn’t just protection. It was a binding, a link between me and whoever the Moon Goddess had chosen to be my mate. I never expected it to be him. His lips find mine again, this time with more urgency, more desperation. It’s raw, primal, and the line between hate and desire blurs into a twisted, intoxicating mix. His tongue slips past my lips, demanding, possessive. He tastes like danger, like something I should never want, and yet here I am, lost in the taste of him, unable to pull away. When he finally pulls back, his golden eyes search mine, as if he’s looking for something—an answer, a reason why I’m here, why we’re drawn to each other like this. The wolf in him is wild, untamed, searching for the mate he never knew he was destined to claim. “Tell me,” he murmurs, his voice low and gravelly. “Why does my wolf know you?” I swallow hard, the truth lodged in my throat, burning. He can’t know. Not yet. Not until I’m ready to face the consequences of my past. I bite my lip, gathering the courage to speak, to confess the sins I’ve buried deep inside me. But before I can answer, the sound of footsteps in the hall pulls us both into alertness. My blood runs cold. Someone’s here. He tenses, his grip on me tightening. His eyes flicker toward the door, the wolf in him taking over. “Stay quiet,” he orders, his voice laced with a dangerous calm that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I don’t need to be told twice. I slip from the bed, moving silently to the window, trying to peer through the cracks in the curtains. But I don’t see anyone. Who is it? The door creaks open slowly, and the air in the room thickens with tension. I turn back to look at him, my heart racing. His eyes are glowing now, the wolf inside him just barely contained. He takes a step toward the door, his movements fluid, predatory. “Stay here,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. I nod, though a part of me wants to run. Something isn’t right. I can feel it in the air, like a storm about to break. The door opens fully, and I freeze. Standing there in the doorway is a figure I never expected to see again—my sister. Her eyes are wide with shock, her lips parted in disbelief as she takes in the scene before her. For a moment, neither of us speaks, the silence stretching on, thick with the weight of everything left unsaid. I want to run to her, to explain, but the words are stuck in my throat, and the truth of what’s happening here feels too dangerous to reveal. The Alpha steps forward, his body tense, every muscle coiled with the promise of violence. “What do you want?” His voice is colder now, his eyes never leaving my sister. Her gaze flicks between us, confusion and something darker flashing in her eyes. “I— I was sent to bring you back,” she says, her voice shaking. “The pack… they want to know where you’ve gone. They’re—” She pauses, looking at me for the first time since entering the room. “You shouldn’t be here, witch. You’re not safe.” I can feel the tension in the room escalate, like the crackling of electricity in the air. My sister knows who I am. She knows what I am. And I know that if she reveals the truth to him, everything will change. The Alpha steps closer to her, his voice low and dangerous. “Leave. Now.” I open my mouth to speak, but the words catch in my throat. I can’t do this. Not like this. Not with everything hanging in the balance. But my sister doesn’t move. Instead, she reaches for the small pendant around her neck, the one that signifies her allegiance to the coven of witches. It’s a symbol of power, a promise of protection. She pulls it off, tossing it to the floor with a clatter. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not anymore.” The pendant clinks against the wooden floor, the sound sharp and final, a symbol of an irrevocable decision. My sister’s gaze is hard now, determined, as she takes a step closer to the Alpha. Her voice, when she speaks, is steady, though a flicker of something darker lingers behind her eyes. “You don’t understand,” she says quietly, almost too softly for the words to carry. “None of us do. The prophecy… it’s changing. The fates are shifting, and we’re all caught in the middle of it.” I can feel the tension in the air thickening, an invisible storm building. The Alpha’s wolf stirs beneath his skin, restless, sensing the danger that lies in my sister’s words. His eyes flicker toward me, and for a moment, I see something unfamiliar—something almost tender—before it vanishes, replaced with cold calculation. “You’re playing a dangerous game,” he growls, his voice low and dangerous. My sister doesn’t flinch. “I know,” she replies, her tone defiant. “But I’m not the one who started it.” The Alpha steps forward, his imposing presence filling the room, casting shadows over us both. His eyes burn with the intensity of his wolf, the predator that’s always lurking beneath the surface. “Then finish what you’ve started, witch,” he snaps, his voice a whip of command. “What game are you playing? Why are you here?” For a moment, silence hangs between us like a heavy shroud. My sister looks at me, her gaze unreadable, then back at the Alpha. Her lips press into a thin line as she makes a decision. “Because,” she says, her voice now hard and unyielding, “you’re not the only one who’s fated. She is, too.” I feel the blood drain from my face as her words hang in the air, a heavy weight that settles over us all. The Alpha’s gaze shifts between us, his brow furrowing as he processes what she’s just said. There’s a flash of something—recognition, realization—before it all clicks into place. “She’s the one,” he murmurs, almost to himself. Then, more sharply, “You—she’s the one the Moon Goddess spoke of. You’re her.” I want to speak, to deny it, but the words catch in my throat. The Moon Goddess? The prophecy? What is she talking about? My heart races in my chest, my mind whirling with confusion and fear. What did I get myself into? But my sister doesn’t wait for me to respond. She steps forward, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “It’s not just her, Alpha,” she says, her voice steady, each word filled with the weight of some ancient knowledge. “It’s all of us. We are bound to the prophecy, whether we want to be or not. And now, you—” she points at him, her finger trembling ever so slightly, “—you are, too.” The Alpha doesn’t move. His expression is unreadable as he takes a step back, eyes narrowing as he processes her words. I can see the inner struggle in him, the fight between the Alpha who leads his pack, and the man who doesn’t want to accept what’s been set in motion. My mind is spinning. The prophecy? What prophecy? My sister looks at me again, her eyes softening just for a moment, before she turns her gaze back to the Alpha. “It’s not just about you two anymore,” she says quietly. “It’s about all of us. The magic between your kind and mine… it’s been building for centuries. And now… it’s coming to a head.” The weight of her words settles over me like a storm cloud, pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I don’t understand. What does this mean for me? For us? The Alpha growls low in his throat, a sound that echoes like a warning. He steps forward again, his presence towering, dominating. “Explain. Now.” My sister shakes her head slowly, the smallest of smirks playing at her lips, but it’s one full of knowing. “I wish I could. But it’s not for me to say. Not yet.” I feel the Alpha’s anger flare, his wolf pushing to the surface, but then he seems to force himself to rein it in. His eyes move between us both, a flicker of uncertainty passing through him. It’s rare to see him vulnerable, especially when he’s on his home turf, surrounded by power and the blood of his pack. But there’s something else in the air now. Something darker than either of us can fathom. Then my sister turns to me, her eyes soft but filled with a sorrow that I didn’t expect. “You need to leave. Now.” I don’t respond immediately. The command in her voice is clear, but something in me refuses to listen. I can feel the pull, the connection, the bond that’s been forged between the Alpha and me—so strong, so impossible, that leaving feels like leaving a part of my soul behind. “I can’t just leave,” I whisper, though the words come out barely audible. “I don’t know what’s happening. What’s going on?”