The bond that built me

Don’t scream. Not even if you see death.” Her mother spoke those last words just before the sky suddenly went red. The Ash Moon Pack was burning. Flames climbed up trees like wild beasts. The night air was filled with smoke and blood. The night had a smell of smoke and blood. Wolves cried in the dark woods. Some were asking for help, but for many, it was already over. Liana, who was just seventeen, hid low behind a broken tree, her body shaking, with her hands pressed over her mouth. Her wolf hadn’t awakened. She had no claws, no strength, no speed. She was prey. “Mama,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Her mother immediately grabbed her arm. “Don’t speak. Don’t move.” They were hidden behind branches and leaves, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Nightfall Pack was here. She had heard stories about them. Ruthless. Cold. Powerful. No survivors. No mercy. Her mother squeezed her arm again. “When I say run, you run. Don’t turn back. Don’t cry out.” Liana didn’t answer. Fear made her throat feel tight. A sharp snap sound suddenly echoed through the forest. Heavy footsteps followed. Slow. Steady. Sure. The kind of steps that didn’t run. The kind of steps that hunted. Then silence. Only the fire crackled now. Liana held her breath. A figure appeared through the smoke. He walked with no fear, no urgency, just power. Tall. Bare-chested. Ash smeared his skin. His golden eyes burned like the sun behind a storm. Alpha Kael. The one wolf whispered about like he was death itself. He stopped right where the clearing ended. His eyes scanned everything with deadly calm. When he turned, his gaze landed on her mother. Her mother stood up slowly. “No,” Liana whispered. Her hand grabbed her mother’s wrist. “He’ll find us either way,” her mother said softly. “Run when I say. You hear me?” “Mama, don’t, please.” Her mother turned and gave her one last look. “I love you.” She stepped into the clearing. Kael just stared, not blinking. He tilted his head, studying her closely. “I don’t want to fight,” her mother told him. Let my daughter go. I’m the only one you want. Kael said nothing. He shifted. It happened in one breath. One blink. His bones cracked. Black fur burst out. His body grew larger, monstrous. He hit the ground as a massive black wolf, glowing eyes locked on his target. And then he lunged. Blood sprayed through the air. Liana screamed. Her mother’s body crumpled, lifeless, red soaking into the dirt. It happened so fast Liana didn’t move. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. “Mama.” Kael’s wolf turned. Their eyes met, and everything stopped. A wave of heat shot through her chest. Her eyes went blurry. A tug deep inside her made her shake. His golden eyes widened. ‘Mate.’ She heard it. Not aloud, but in her bones. Kael stopped moving. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her entire body felt like it was getting pulled closer. Then Kael’s expression changed. His lips curled. He shifted back to human form. His claws dripped blood. He stood there, tall and naked, showing no care. “I don’t want a cursed weakling as my mate,” he said. Liana’s chest shattered. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t cry. He saw her. He felt the bond. Still, he rejected her. He didn’t even blink. “Kill her too,” he told the warrior behind him. Liana didn’t hear her heartbeat anymore. Her body went cold. Her eyes lost focus. She tried to drag herself away, but her arms just shook too much to move. The warrior started coming toward her, growling, his claws already half out. That’s when it happened. Pain slammed through her spine. She gasped. Her body jerked forward. Her skin burned as something inside her ripped free. Her back arched. Her scream tore through the trees, loud and wild. Bones snapped. Her arms twisted. Her jaw cracked. Her wolf was coming—for the first time. The pain was worse than anything she had ever known. But she didn’t die. She didn’t stop. Her body changed, shifted, broke and rebuilt itself under a flood of silver light. The warrior stopped, stunned. Kael turned again, confused. The light grew brighter like the moon had exploded inside her. The ground trembled. And then she was gone. The light vanished. The clearing went silent. There was no trace of her. And then, in a moment… Somewhere far away… Liana slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on cushiony moss inside a glowing cave. The air felt fresh and cool. Overhead, the ceiling lit up with a soft blue light. Her body ached all over, like she’d been ripped apart and then put back together. She tried to sit up and groaned. Her fingers shook. Her legs were heavy. Her memory returned in pieces: the fire, her mother, Kael, the rejection. The bond. The pain. And now this. She looked down at her hands. They weren’t the same. Her nails were sharper now. Her skin had a faint shimmer. A strange throb started under her skin, like a powerful energy itching to break free. “You’re awake,” a voice came from the shadows. Liana jumped, her heart suddenly racing. An old woman stepped into view, supported by a wooden staff with strange marks cut into it. Her long, white hair was tied loosely, and her eyes, a pale gray, seemed unseeing yet full of knowing. “Where am I?” Liana asked. “Safe,” the woman said. “For now.” “Who are you?” “My name is Maelis. I’ve been waiting for you.” “Waiting?” Liana asked, confused. “You weren’t supposed to shift. Not yet. Your wolf was still sleeping. But you survived.” “I don’t know how,” Liana whispered. “The bond awakened you. Or maybe the pain did. Either way, you’re alive, child. You’re more alive than you’ve ever been.” Liana’s eyes filled with tears. “My mom… she’s gone,” she whispered. Maelis lowered her head. “I’m sorry. She was brave.” Liana turned away, pressing her face into her arm. “I should’ve died with her.” “No,” Maelis said firmly. “You are alive for a reason." You were born for more than grief.” “I’m no one,” Liana said. He said I was cursed. He rejected me. Like I was nothing. Maelis stepped closer. “Kael saw only what he feared. What he didn’t understand. But I do.” Liana turned toward her. “What am I?” Maelis’s lips curled slightly. “You are the last daughter of the Moon Seers. Your blood carries both sight and power. That’s why your shift was different. Why does your light burn silver.” “I don’t want to be special,” Liana whispered. “That’s too bad,” Maelis said. “Because your life just changed. Whether you want it to or not.” Liana lowered her eyes. Her body was still aching. Her mind was full of smoke and screaming. Maelis sat beside her. “You have choices now. You can give up. Let the bond control you. Let the pain crush you. Or…” “Or what?” “You can learn. Train. Become what you were born to be. And one day return.” Liana blinked. “Return?” “To Nightfall. To Kael. Not as a frightened girl but as something he’ll never see coming.” The words stirred something sharp and dangerous in Liana’s chest. She thought of Kael’s cold eyes. “I’ll never go back to him,” she said. “You might not have a choice,” Maelis said. “Fate has already chosen you. But you can decide how the story ends.” Liana sat up fully now. Her hands curled into fists. She had nothing left. But maybe she could take something back.