Bound: Betrayed by the Heart

The first howl had barely left the mountain when Lyra’s wolf went wild. She froze in the middle of the crowd. Around her, hundreds of wolves stood beneath the silver moon, gathered for the most important night of the year. The Wolf Festival was supposed to be a night of celebration, but the moment the sacred howl began, something inside Lyra snapped. Her wolf pushed against her mind. Go. Lyra swallowed. “Not now.” Go to him. She frowned. “Who?” Her wolf answered with another violent pull. Lyra stumbled forward. A girl beside her caught her arm. “Lyra, are you okay?” “I’m fine.” She wasn’t. Her heart was beating too fast, and she couldn’t understand why. Her wolf had never disobeyed her before. They had always been in control together. Tonight was different. Another howl rose from the mountain. Lyra’s body jerked forward again. She pulled herself back. “No.” Her wolf growled. Lyra tightened her jaw. “I said no.” But her feet moved anyway. The crowd slowly noticed. People turned to look at her. “Where is she going?” “She’s heading toward the other side.” Lyra followed their eyes. The rebel clan. Her stomach tightened. They stood apart from the other packs, just as they always did. They had refused to stand with the main clans during the ceremony. They had their own territory, their own laws and their own way of doing things. Everyone knew better than to approach them. The rebel clan was feared throughout the region. They were the wolves who took what they wanted. They forced weaker packs to submit to them. They took warriors from smaller territories and made them serve their clan. Some wolves whispered that entire families had disappeared after refusing their orders. Lyra’s own pack had not escaped their reach. She had seen what fear did to her people. She had watched grown wolves lower their eyes whenever the rebel clan came near. She had heard the words whispered whenever their Alpha’s name was mentioned. Kael. Their Alpha. The youngest Alpha to take control of the rebel clan, and according to the stories, one of the most dangerous. Lyra had never met him. She had never wanted to. Yet her wolf was dragging her straight toward him. “Lyra!” She stopped for half a second. Someone from her pack hurried toward her. “Don’t go there.” Lyra looked at him. “Why?” “You know why.” She glanced toward the rebel clan. The wolves around them were watching nervously. “It’s Kael,” the wolf whispered. “You can’t just walk into his territory.” “We’re at the festival,” Lyra replied. “It’s not his territory.” “That doesn’t matter.” Lyra pulled her arm free. “I’m not afraid of him.” The wolf stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “You should be.” Maybe she should. But Lyra was tired of being told what to fear. She turned away and continued walking. Across the clearing, Kael stood among his wolves. He had noticed her. At first, he simply watched. A young woman from one of the weak packs was walking directly toward his clan while everyone else seemed terrified to even look in their direction. His eyes narrowed. “Who is she?” One of his warriors followed his gaze. “Lyra. She’s from one of the smaller packs.” Kael’s attention returned to her. She didn’t look frightened. That was strange. Most wolves became visibly uncomfortable whenever his clan entered a gathering. They moved aside. They lowered their heads. They avoided eye contact. Lyra did none of that. She kept walking. Kael almost smiled. Then his wolf suddenly slammed against his mind. Mate. Kael’s expression disappeared. “No.” His wolf growled again. Mate. Kael took a sharp breath. Something was wrong. He had never felt this before. Not with Lisa. Not with anyone. He had been engaged to Lisa for months. Their relationship was respectable, their families approved of it, and she cared about him. But there had never been this. This pull. This need. This certainty. Kael looked at Lyra again. She was getting closer. His wolf pushed harder. Go to her. Kael clenched his fists. “Stay where you are.” His wolf ignored him. His body moved forward. One step. Then another. The warrior beside him noticed. “Alpha?” Kael didn’t answer. The wolves around them began whispering. “Why is he moving?” “Is he going after her?” “Get back.” Lyra heard the whispers too. She finally stopped. Kael was standing several feet away from her. They stared at each other. The festival seemed to disappear. Lyra could hear her own heartbeat. Kael could hear his wolf. Mate. The word echoed through his mind. Lyra’s wolf suddenly became frantic. She pressed a hand against her chest. “What is happening to me?” Kael heard her. “I don’t know.” His voice was quieter than she expected. She looked at him properly for the first time. He was not what she had imagined. He was intimidating, yes. Tall. Broad. Powerful. But there was something uncertain in his expression now. Almost as if he was just as confused as she was. Lyra took a small step backward. Her wolf pulled her forward. “No.” She shook her head. “I don’t know you.” Kael’s jaw tightened. “I know.” “You should stay away from me.” His eyes darkened. “I’ve been trying.” Lyra stared at him. Then another howl rose from the mountain. Everything changed. A sharp pain shot through Lyra’s chest. She gasped. Kael grabbed his own chest at the same time. The wolves around them fell silent. Lyra looked down. A faint light was glowing beneath her skin. Kael saw it too. His eyes widened. “What is that?” “I don’t know.” The glow spread slowly across Lyra’s chest. Across from her, the same strange light appeared on Kael. Someone screamed. “Look!” Every head turned. The elders stepped forward. One of them stared at the two glowing marks. His face drained of color. “No.” Another elder whispered, “After all these years?” Kael looked toward them. “What are you talking about?” Nobody answered. Lyra’s fear finally surfaced. She looked at the mark glowing on her chest. Then she looked at Kael. Their eyes met again. Her wolf surged forward with so much force that Lyra nearly fell. Kael staggered too. “Control your wolf!” one of his warriors shouted. Kael’s breathing became heavier. “I am trying.” Lyra heard the strain in his voice. She tried too. “Stop,” she whispered to her wolf. “Please.” Her wolf didn’t listen. Neither did his. The glowing marks suddenly became brighter. A strange pressure filled the clearing. The wolves began moving backward. Even the rebel clan looked unsettled. Kael took another step toward Lyra. She wanted to move away. But her body wouldn’t obey her. Their wolves were taking over. Kael’s eyes changed first. His pupils narrowed. His body tensed. Lyra’s breath caught. “No…” She felt her own wolf rising. Her bones began to shift. A cry escaped her as the change took over. Kael’s transformation happened at the same time. The festival erupted in panic. Wolves scattered from the center of the clearing. Some dropped to their knees. Others ran. But Lyra couldn’t move. Neither could Kael. They were trapped in the pull between them. Two wolves stood where the Alpha and the girl had been. One belonged to the most feared clan in the region. The other belonged to a pack everyone considered weak. And beneath the silver moon, the same mysterious glow burned over both their hearts. The elders stared at them in complete silence. Then one elder whispered the words that made everyone freeze. “They’ve found each other.”