The Forbidden Bond
1447 Words
Chapter 5: The Forbidden Bond
The air outside the Vault was thicker than before. As Kairo stepped back into the twilight-struck woods, the weight of what had just happened began to settle on his shoulders. The name Kaelen echoed in his thoughts like a ghost’s whisper. A secret brother. A traitor. A bloodline wrapped in curses and shadows.
The sky was bruised with storm clouds as he made his way toward the hidden perimeter of Mooncrest’s outskirts. But the storm wasn’t just in the sky—it raged within him.
Suddenly, his wolf stirred. Not with rage this time… but with longing. Something—or someone—was close.
Back at Mooncrest Pack
Amara paced the edge of the training grounds, her fingers twitching with anxiety. Since the oracle’s last prophecy, she hadn’t been able to sleep. Her father, Beta Gareth, had warned her to stay quiet. But how could she, when the moon itself had whispered to her dreams?
"The cursed one walks under the blood moon’s rise. He will bring ruin… or redemption."
She had never known who the prophecy meant—until she saw the black wolf in her vision last night. Eyes burning gold, fur darker than shadows, surrounded by the ghost of someone she couldn’t name.
Her heart had recognized him.
And that terrified her.
Elsewhere: Kaelen’s Domain
Far beyond the crumbling border of the kingdom, deep in the Forbidden Barrens, Kaelen stood at the edge of a ravaged altar, his cloak whipping in the wind. The ancient magic pulsed beneath his feet—dark, old, and forgotten by most. But not by him.
He stared into the blackened waters of the Seer's Pool, watching as Kairo discovered the truth.
“So… little brother,” he murmured, his voice like ash over fire, “you’ve found the Vault.”
His eyes narrowed. He turned to the robed figure beside him.
“Send word to the Wraith Pack. Tell them the bloodline has been awakened.”
The figure nodded and disappeared into smoke.
Kaelen’s lips curved.
“This time, Mooncrest will burn.”
Mooncrest - Kairo and Amara Meet
Kairo moved silently through the trees until he caught the unmistakable scent of wild roses and silver ash—Amara.
He watched her from the shadows, fighting the instinct to approach. But then, she turned sharply.
“I know you’re there,” she said, voice calm but firm. “You’ve been watching me for three days.”
He stepped out.
Their eyes locked—and time stopped.
Amara gasped softly. “You…”
Kairo didn’t know why he’d come. Maybe to understand why his wolf kept pulling him here. Maybe to see if what Kaelen said—about the Moonborn—was true. But one thing was clear now: Amara was not just Beta's daughter.
There was power in her—ancient and awakening.
“You’re like me,” he said.
She frowned. “I’m nothing like you.”
“You’ve seen things. Visions. Dreams. The Vault.”
She stiffened. “How do you—?”
“It’s in your blood. Like mine.”
They stood in silence, the night growing heavier with their shared truth.
Amara’s voice trembled. “The prophecy… says we’ll destroy each other.”
Kairo stepped closer. “Or save everything.”
Before she could respond, a deafening howl tore through the woods—followed by fire.
Mooncrest was under attack.
Kaelen’s eyes glimmered with something unreadable—a mix of sadness, defiance, and curiosity—as he finally stepped into full view. The torchlight framed his features, casting shadows that danced across his sharp cheekbones and the crimson cloak draped around his shoulders.
Unlike Kairo’s hardened expression, Kaelen’s face bore the wear of restraint, as if each word he wanted to say had been buried beneath years of silence.
"You came alone," Kaelen murmured, almost disappointed.
“I had to,” Kairo replied, his voice edged with warning. “You’re the ghost of a betrayal that tore everything apart. I needed to see you with my own eyes before I believed the stories.”
Kaelen chuckled softly—a dry, tired sound. “And what do your eyes tell you now? That I’m a villain? A coward hiding beneath thorns and dust?”
“No,” Kairo growled. “You’re worse. You’re the piece of the past they erased—because the truth of you is more dangerous than any lie.”
Kaelen’s gaze darkened. “Then you don’t know the whole truth.”
The room around them pulsed with tension, thick with history. The Vault’s walls whispered through the cracks—ancient runes glowing faintly, as if stirred by the confrontation.
Kaelen turned and slowly walked toward one of the stone altars, his fingers brushing over a rusted metallic crest etched into its surface. "Do you know what this is?" he asked without looking back.
Kairo stepped closer. The symbol was identical to the medallion his mother once wore—an emblem of the Bloodsworn, a defunct order that protected the werewolf royals centuries ago.
“That can’t be…” Kairo whispered.
Kaelen nodded. “They tried to bury us, Kairo. The Bloodsworn weren’t just protectors—they were bloodline sealers. They carried the deepest truths of the Moon Howlers, even those the High Council feared.”
Kairo’s fists clenched at his sides. “You mean to tell me our family was part of them?”
“No,” Kaelen said grimly. “Our family was them. Our father was the last Keeper. That’s why they turned on him. That’s why they hunted me and sent you away. We’re not just sons of Alpha Varian—we’re heirs to a curse they swore would never rise again.”
The room suddenly dimmed, the flames flickering as if reacting to the weight of Kaelen’s revelation. A low hum began to rise from beneath the altar, like something ancient and alive stirring from slumber.
Kaelen reached beneath the altar and drew out a scroll—aged leather, sealed with silver threads that shimmered as he held it to the torchlight. “This is the Chronicle of Binding. The last piece of truth left untouched.”
Kairo eyed it warily. “What does it say?”
Kaelen gave a sad smile. “That the Alpha King’s line was never meant to rule alone. That one son would carry the wrath of vengeance, and the other... the blood of redemption.”
Kairo’s heart pounded. Was that what this was? A prophecy? Or a carefully crafted manipulation?
“Why are you showing me this?” Kairo asked. “If this is all true—if you're the one with the truth—why hide for so long?”
Kaelen’s shoulders sagged. “Because I wasn’t strong enough to face what came after. Because I saw what they did to our mother… to everyone who knew what we were. I thought hiding would protect what was left. But now…” His gaze locked onto Kairo’s. “Now the curse is waking. And only we—together—can stop it from consuming everything.”
A tremor passed through the Vault floor, dust sifting from the ceiling. Somewhere deep below, a howl echoed—distant, yet deeply primal. It didn’t belong to any known pack.
Kairo turned, his instincts prickling. “What was that?”
Kaelen’s expression twisted in pain. “The Firstborn. He’s stirring.”
“The what?”
Kaelen swallowed. “He’s the origin of our line—the first Bloodsworn. They locked him beneath this Vault, thinking the magic would hold him forever. But the moment your blood touched the Vault... it awakened him.”
Kairo took a staggering step back. “Are you telling me I released a monster?”
“No,” Kaelen replied. “You released our ancestor. And he doesn’t forget betrayal.”
A thick silence settled between them as the Vault seemed to breathe—slow, dark, and ancient. Every step they took was now on borrowed time.
Kairo finally spoke, his voice grave. “Then tell me what needs to be done.”
Kaelen’s lips tightened. “We go to the Tomb of Echoes. That’s where the final piece of the Chronicle rests. If we don’t get there first, the Council will. And if they rewrite the prophecy again… we may not get another chance to stop what’s coming.”
Kairo nodded once. “Then we leave tonight.”
The brothers stood side by side now—n
ot as enemies, not yet as allies—but as sons of a bloodline steeped in forgotten power, ready to face the war whispered about for generations.
- Writer
