Savage Bond

Savage Bond Epi 4

Chapter 17: Teeth in the Silence Taissa

Ashmoor was buzzing with politics.

Whispers in the halls. Subtle glances. Pack leaders arriving under the guise of diplomacy, but I could feel the weight of suspicion in every introduction.

Dominic moved like a storm cloaked in calm, always composed, always watching. But I could see it in his shoulders—the burden, the pressure, the war looming just beneath the surface.

Calista kept close, guiding me through the intricacies of the pack's inner politics. There were houses here—old bloodlines, each with loyalties and grudges passed down like heirlooms. Some accepted me. Others barely concealed their hostility.

"They think you’ll upend everything," she whispered during one meeting. "And maybe you will. That’s not always a bad thing."

Later, I found myself on the cliffs overlooking the eastern woods. My wolf paced within me, restless.

He’s calling to us, she said.

I didn’t have to ask who.

That night, Dominic came to me in the old courtyard. He said nothing. Just shifted.

It took my breath away again. His wolf was massive—black as shadow, streaked with silver at the shoulders, golden eyes glowing.

My wolf lunged forward inside me.

Run with him, she said. Run until the world fades.

I shifted.

Bones cracked. Fire rushed through my spine. When I landed on all fours, I was something else.

My fur was a deep, dark red. Crimson like coals. My same striking green eyes glowed brighter in this form.

The wolves in the clearing turned.

Dominic took one look and growled low—not a threat, but something primal. Recognition. Desire.

He howled.

And I answered.

We ran.

Through the trees. Over the river. Past the world.

It wasn’t just a run. It was a language. Each step, each breath, a question and answer. Challenge. Trust. The bond a ribbon between us.

We found the others already gathered for the hunt.

The ritual.

Wolves from every bloodline circled the clearing. Old as the moon, this was their unity. Their law.

Dominic stood at the center. I joined him.

Mara approached, her silver-gray wolf bowing. You run with fire, she said. Let them see what it means to burn.

And when we lunged into the woods, the world fell away. There was only hunger. Power. Pack.

I brought down a stag. He took a bear. Blood stained the snow, and no one questioned our place.

Later, as we lay beneath the moonlight in fur and silence, our wolves curled together, I heard a whisper in the back of my mind.

He is more than King. He is the other half of our soul.

And I knew then—we were not just fated. We were echoes.

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Chapter 18: Ashes in the Bloodline Dominic

She was changing everything.

Taissa walked through Ashmoor now like she belonged to the stones. And the stones agreed.

The wolves felt her presence. They followed. They feared.

And some... they plotted.

"House Veyr sent another letter," Calista told me. "They want to discuss a succession challenge."

"They can discuss it with my claws."

Calista rolled her eyes. "You can't claw your way out of diplomacy, Dom. You know that."

"Diplomacy is for cowards with clean hands."

She sighed. "You’re lucky you’re scary enough to get away with that crap."

I kept the old scrolls locked in my private study, but lately, I found myself opening them more often.

The legends spoke of a bloodline split by a war that nearly tore the world. Of two wolves—Moon and Flame—fated to return when the balance tipped.

My line had held Moon.

Hers... Flame.

We were made for this.

I hadn’t told her yet.

Because part of me feared prophecy. Feared she’d see it as another chain.

But the bond between us wasn’t just desire anymore.

It was pull.

We felt each other across the castle.

She would be walking in the garden, and I’d feel it in my ribs. She would touch a stone wall, and I’d taste fire.

Our wolves had stopped pacing.

Now they circled.

Waiting.

Corin pulled me aside after a meeting.

"You need to talk to her," he said.

"About what?"

"About who you are. Where you come from. The Moon doesn’t burn by accident."

He was right.

I found her outside the west tower, sitting under the stars.

"You ever wonder who you were before the fire?" I asked.

She glanced up. "Every day."

I sat beside her. "My great-grandmother spoke to the moon like it was a god. She said our line would end with either salvation or fire."

She leaned her head on my shoulder. "Sounds like both showed up."

Chapter 19: Stormsong Taissa

I was dreaming again.

Not of fire. Not of death.

Of him.

Dominic. And his wolf. And mine.

A forest with golden trees. A moon that burned instead of glowed. We circled each other in silence. I shifted, not to human, but to something older. Something between. My fur blazed. His shimmered.

Then he touched me.

And the world changed.

I woke gasping.

My wolf was restless.

We are close, she said. Close to remembering who we were.

I wandered into the training yard, where Corin was already sparring with younger wolves.

He stopped when he saw me. Nodded.

“Ready to bleed again?” he asked with a smirk.

“You say that like it’s a reward.”

“It is. Means you’re still learning.”

I spent hours bleeding in the dirt, breaking bones and mending them.

Corin was patient. Brutal, but fair. “You want to lead beside him? Earn it.”

I did.

Later, Calista joined me in the baths.

“You’re changing,” she said.

“So are they.”

We soaked in silence, steam curling around our skin.

“I saw something,” I said. “When I ran with him. Something deeper than the bond.”

She leaned in. “You saw your future.”

I nodded. “And it terrifies me.”

That night, I found Dominic on the terrace.

He looked over his shoulder, voice low. “You look like a storm I wouldn’t mind drowning in.”

I laughed. “You’re terrible at flirting.”

“I’ve never needed to. Until you.”

We didn’t speak again.

Just stood shoulder to shoulder, wolves pressing against our skin.

And when he finally turned to me, his eyes burning, I didn’t run.

Because I knew now:

This wasn’t just fate.

It was war.

And we were the ones who would end it.

Chapter 20: Hollow Promises Taissa

Politics tasted like metal in my mouth. Always sharp. Always ready to cut.

More wolves had arrived at Ashmoor. Representatives from outer territories, allies we hadn’t seen in years. The council was trying to flex muscle, mask fear. I could smell it on them like sweat.

But I wasn’t playing politics. I was watching. Listening. Every sideways glance, every whispered name.

They thought I was Dominic’s weakness.

They didn’t know I was his sword.

We met in his war room that morning. Maps covered the walls. Red pins, black strings. Territories fallen. Threats rising.

Dominic was pacing. Calista stood to the side, arms folded, eyes unreadable.

“They’re testing us,” Dominic said. “Smaller packs being picked off. No survivors. Same mark left each time.”

I stepped closer to the table. “They want us to react. Force our hand.”

He nodded. “Or distract us from something bigger.”

I felt the heat rise behind my eyes. My wolf stirred, growling.

“I want to hunt them down. Burn every inch of what they’ve built.”

His eyes met mine. “We will. But not tonight.”

He pulled me aside when the meeting ended.

“You’ve been running on rage and instinct for weeks. You need a night to remember you’re more than this war.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you asking me out?”

“I’m ordering you to spend one night not trying to save the world.”

I smirked. “Good luck with that.”