MOONBOUND

What he refused to feel

Rowan did not move. Not even when the clearing erupted in chaos—wolves barking, elders shouting, young wolves scattering. His eyes were fixed on her.

Lyra knelt beneath the moonlight, silver glow brushing her skin, her hair a dark halo against the crimson-tinted moon. She was breathtaking, not just because of the power rising in her, but because even in fear, she carried a fragile beauty that refused to hide.

Every instinct told him to reach for her, to shield her, to claim her. And every ounce of training, duty, and pride told him to deny it.

“Escort her to the holding chambers,” his father commanded.

Rowan swallowed and stepped forward. Lyra’s head snapped up. Her eyes, wide and luminous, found his. For a heartbeat, she looked at him not with fear, but a quiet question: Why does it feel like you’re both here and away?

He ignored the question. Ignored the pull. Locked it deep.

Chains, cold and unforgiving, were brought forward. Rowan hated them. Hated that she would be bound. Hated that he couldn’t reach for her and tell her it wasn’t deserved.

“Stand,” he ordered. His voice was cold, disciplined.

Lyra rose. Even shackled, she seemed to float—her hair catching the moon, the lines of her face soft but determined. Every step she took, her beauty seemed unintentional, a quiet defiance against the fear and power surrounding her.

As he fastened the cuffs, their fingers brushed. Just barely. But it was enough. His chest ached with awareness he refused to name.

The holding chambers were stone and shadows, quiet and heavy. Lyra’s chains clinked softly. She dared to look at him again, eyes searching, lips trembling.

“Why won’t you look at me?” she whispered.

Because if I do, I’ll see everything.

Because if I feel, I’ll lose control.

Because wanting you is forbidden.

He turned away first, locking the door between them. And yet, every step he took echoed in his mind like a drum: she was beautiful, radiant, impossible, and his.

Rowan walked into the darkness, heart tied in chains, even as the moon watched her, and him, and the unspoken bond neither dared name.