Bound By The Moon

CAEL ‎ ‎They say you can’t eat your cake and have it, but I never wanted to eat mine. I only wanted to stare distant, safe from the edge of desire. ‎ ‎Only, I couldn’t. ‎ ‎Not with him in the same world. ‎ ‎Roman. ‎Every whisper of his name was a current under my skin. Every rumor his strength, his beauty, his coldness fed something dangerous in me. I’d seen him once, years ago, when his convoy passed through the valley. The ground itself had seemed to bow under his weight. ‎ ‎He was the kind of Alpha carved by the gods when they were showing off broad shouldered, dark-eyed, with hands that looked capable of both ruin and salvation. A living temptation draped in discipline. Even the air had changed around him. ‎ ‎He was everything I could never touch. Everything my wolf shouldn’t crave. ‎ ‎“Cael! Come down it’s time for the ceremony!” ‎ ‎My mother’s voice cut through the fog of fantasy. ‎ ‎I blinked, breath shallow, pulse skittering. “Coming!” ‎ ‎When I reached the kitchen, Mum was laughing at something Dad said, their foreheads pressed together. I stopped for a second at the doorway. Their bond shimmered like light on still water familiar, gentle, whole. My chest ached. ‎ ‎Maybe today the Moon would grant me that too. Or maybe she’d remind me I wasn’t meant for it. ‎ ‎“You’re not eating?” Mum asked, watching me twist my fingers around the edge of the table. ‎ ‎I shook my head. “If I do, I’ll throw it all back up.” ‎ ‎Her eyes softened. “Nerves are good luck,” she said, brushing a curl off my forehead. ‎ ‎I tried to smile, but it trembled halfway through. I hugged them both tightly, inhaling the warm scent of pine and honey that always clung to her. Then I ran before she could see my hands shake. ‎ ‎Outside, the wind slapped my face, sharp with the chill of dawn. It carried the mingled scents of earth and fur, of anticipation and fear. ‎ ‎On the path, Lyra appeared her braid bouncing, her wolf pacing just beneath her skin. She was always braver than I was. ‎ ‎“You ready?” she asked. ‎ ‎“Define ready,” I said, forcing a grin. ‎ ‎She gave me a look. “My wolf’s been pacing since sunrise. Either she senses him... or something’s off.” ‎ ‎“Mine too,” I admitted quietly. ‎ ‎Only mine wasn’t pacing. She was hiding. My wolf lived behind layers of silence no scent, no aura, a phantom inside me. She had come to me one night in a dream, her voice soft and female, when every other boy’s wolf had howled deep and masculine. I’d kept her secret. I had to. ‎ ‎“Cael? You hearing me?” ‎ ‎I blinked. “What?” ‎ ‎Lyra rolled her eyes. “You drifted again. I said maybe your wolf shows up today and shuts them up for good.” ‎ ‎“Doubt it.” ‎ ‎“Still, it’d be nice.” ‎ ‎I chuckled, masking the weight in my throat. “Yeah, nice.” ‎ ‎But my stomach turned as we neared the gathering ground. The scent of too many wolves pressed heavy in the air dominance, lust, pride all the things I didn’t belong to. ‎ ‎Sorry, Lyra. You wouldn’t understand. Not yet. ‎ ‎ ‎--- ‎ ‎THORNE ‎ ‎The council chamber reeked of incense and impatience. I paced before the long table, the words of the old seer still echoing. The moon will grant you a bond when you least seek it. ‎ ‎Damien, my Beta, stood a careful distance away. ‎ ‎“The prophecy,” I muttered, the word tasting like rust. “That’s all anyone speaks of anymore.” ‎ ‎“My Lord,” he began, but I cut him off. ‎ ‎“I’m tired, Damien. Tired of riddles and dead ends.” My voice bounced off the stone walls, sharp enough to make even my wolf flinch. ‎ ‎Ralph stirred within me steady, grounding. Easy, he murmured. Not every hunt ends in blood. ‎ ‎I ignored him. “Cancel the next search party. I need peace, not another promise that leads nowhere.” ‎ ‎“But, my Lord, the Rose Circle Pack awaits your presence. Alpha” ‎ ‎“Then let him wait.” I sank into my chair, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “I gave him too much of my time already.” ‎ ‎Damien hesitated. “Should I inform Beta Fabian to..” ‎ ‎“Do what you must.” ‎ ‎When he left, silence filled the chamber like smoke. I leaned back, closing my eyes, listening to Ralph’s low growl in my head. ‎ ‎Every Alpha has a mate by now, he said softly. But we… we are still waiting. ‎ ‎Waiting. Always waiting. The word coiled in my gut. ‎ ‎I opened my eyes to the empty throne before me. Gold, heavy, and cold like everything else I’d built. What use was a kingdom without someone to share its weight? ‎ ‎Ralph huffed amusement. You talk like an old wolf. Don’t forget, today’s Lyra’s ceremony. She’s of age now. ‎ ‎A faint smile ghosted across my lips. That girl has more spirit than sense. ‎ ‎And her Alpha promised to host you, Ralph reminded me. ‎ ‎I sighed, rising. “Fine. But we’re going casual. No royal robes.” ‎ ‎That’s the spirit. ‎ ‎When I stepped out, Damien was waiting again, ever loyal. ‎ ‎“This will be the last visit, Damien,” I said quietly as we walked through the corridor. “If the Moon denies me again, I’ll stop chasing ghosts. Perhaps I’ll marry a human.” ‎ ‎He flinched at the thought. “My Lord” ‎ ‎“Enough.” ‎ ‎We reached the forest edge, and the tension in my chest eased. The shift came easy this time muscles stretching, bones cracking, fur tearing through skin. Ralph burst forward, dark and magnificent, his paws pounding against the soil. ‎ ‎The wind howled through the trees as we ran. Every breath burned clean. Every heartbeat echoed like thunder. ‎ ‎When we crossed the border into Rose Circle, the air changed sweeter, charged. ‎ ‎Ralph slowed, nose twitching. Do you feel that? ‎ ‎“What?” ‎ ‎Something… familiar. Not danger. Something else. ‎ ‎He didn’t explain further, just pushed harder, running toward the rising sound of drums the ceremony had begun. ‎ ‎My pulse quickened for reasons I didn’t yet understand. ‎ ‎Easy, I warned him, but Ralph’s growl rolled through me, low and eager. ‎ ‎She’s close. ‎ ‎“She?” I whispered aloud, breath catching. ‎ ‎But Ralph didn’t answer. ‎ ‎He only ran faster. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎