Bloodbound Vows

Chapter Three

The Shadow of the Past

My heart pounded in my chest, my breath shallow as the growl from the forest grew louder. I could feel the presence of Kade’s wolf—close, powerful, relentless. The ground trembled beneath my feet, as though even the earth could sense the weight of what was coming. But it wasn’t just Kade I had to worry about now. It was the man standing in front of me.

Damon.

I turned my head slowly, meeting his eyes. They were still dark, unreadable, but there was a flicker of something else. Concern? Sympathy? I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t want to be sure.

He stepped in front of me, his body blocking the path to the clearing, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them. His gaze never wavered, locked on me with a strange intensity that made me want to both run and stay, all at once.

“You need to listen to me,” Damon said, his voice low and urgent. "You’re not safe here. Not with him."

I barely heard him, my senses already focused on the growls that were growing closer. Kade’s wolf was coming. There was no escaping it.

“I don’t need your protection,” I snapped, my voice sharp, even though my heart was still racing. I didn’t want to need anyone—not after Kade had betrayed me so completely. I wasn’t about to let this rogue alpha think he had any claim on me.

Damon’s lips curled slightly at the edges. It wasn’t a smile, but it was enough to make me feel unsettled, as though he could see right through me.

“You don’t have to want it,” Damon replied quietly, “but you do need it. Because Kade isn’t the one you need to fear right now.”

I furrowed my brow, trying to make sense of his words, but just then, a massive figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the clearing.

Kade’s wolf.

I froze. The sheer size of him was enough to take my breath away. His coat was midnight black, gleaming in the moonlight, his eyes a brilliant green, wild and untamed, but filled with something else. Regret.

Kade’s wolf didn’t growl anymore. He stood still, his eyes locked on me, watching me with an intensity that made my heart tighten. My mate, even in this form, was still my mate—at least, he had been. But now... now, he was the one who had turned his back on me. And I wasn't sure I could ever forgive him.

“Kade,” I whispered, my voice breaking. I didn’t know why I said his name. I should hate him. He had rejected me. But something in the way he stood there, silently watching me, made my chest ache. My wolf, still raw with the sting of betrayal, responded to the call of his spirit, longing for the bond that had once been ours.

But there was no going back.

Damon stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder, grounding me with his presence, though his touch was light, almost delicate.

“No,” Damon said firmly, as if reading my thoughts. “You’re not going back to him. Not like this.”

My gaze flickered to Damon. “I don’t need you to protect me.”

“You don’t understand.” Damon’s voice dropped, becoming cold, distant, like a storm cloud gathering on the horizon. “Kade is not the one who will destroy you. He may have rejected you, but he’s still part of the game. You think that’s the worst of it? Think again.”

Before i could respond, there was a sudden shift in the air, a sharp, metallic scent that made my blood run cold. Kade’s wolf growled again, louder this time, but the sound was different. Angry. Terrifying.

I turned back to Kade, but his eyes weren’t filled with regret anymore. They were filled with something darker, something that sent a chill through my spine. His wolf was no longer the mate she had known. He was something else entirely.

“Kade?” I whispered, my voice faltering. “What’s going on? Why are you—”

He took a step forward, his wolf’s eyes never leaving my face, and I saw it—the faintest glimmer of something black and sinister moving beneath his skin. His fur shifted, rippling like it was alive with something far more dangerous than just a wolf.

My heart lurched in my chest. “What are you—?”

“Stay away from her.” Kade’s voice was low, a growl that rumbled from deep within his chest. But it wasn’t his wolf speaking anymore.

It was him. But not the Kade I had known.

The darkness was consuming him.

Damon stepped forward, his body tensing. He didn’t seem afraid—he seemed prepared. Like he had been waiting for this moment. “You can’t control it, can you, Kade?” Damon called out, his voice cold and unforgiving. “You’re slipping.”

Kade’s wolf snarled, the sound echoing through the trees, and for the briefest moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something human in his eyes. Desperation? Regret?

But then, that flicker was gone, replaced by a look of pure fury.

And in that instant, everything changed.

Before I could move, Kade lunged—but it wasn’t toward Damon. It was toward me.

My heart raced as I instinctively stepped back, but there was nowhere to go. His massive form closed the distance between us with inhuman speed. His jaws were open, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight, a flash of silver as he aimed for my throat.

Everything slowed. My mind raced. My body didn’t react fast enough. I could feel the cold breath of his wolf on my skin, hear the snarl building in his throat, the force of his movement almost too much for me to process.

But then—

A sharp, blinding pain shot through my side, and i cried out in shock and agony.

It wasn’t Kade who had caused the pain.

It was Damon.

Damon’s eyes flashed, his wolf’s power surging through him as his hand pressed firmly against my shoulder, pulling me back just in time. The pain was from the force of his grip, the way he shielded me from Kade’s attack, but not in a way that I expected.

He had pushed me out of the way—but not to protect me.

Instead, Damon shoved me aside, his dark eyes gleaming with something

i couldn’t place.

And then, before i could even speak—

He turned on me.