BOUND THE CURSED ALPHA

chapter 13

The moment Luna stepped forward…

Everything shifted.

The air itself seemed to tremble, as if the world recognized what she was becoming. The ground beneath her feet cracked slightly, thin lines spreading like veins through the soil.

Power.

Raw.

Unstable.

Uncontrollable.

Kael felt it instantly.

His chest tightened as the curse inside him reacted violently—not in pain… but in recognition.

“Luna…”

Her name left his lips like a warning.

Or a plea.

But she didn’t answer.

Her eyes…

They weren’t the same.

The warm hazel he knew had dimmed, replaced by something brighter… something glowing faintly with an unnatural light.

Not human.

Not entirely.

The enemy in front of them smiled wider.

“Yes…” it whispered, voice echoing like multiple souls speaking at once. “That’s it… let it consume you…”

Kael’s instincts roared.

Danger.

Not just from the enemy—

But from her.

“Luna, listen to me,” he said, stepping toward her slowly, cautiously. “You need to stop. Right now.”

Her breathing was slow.

Too slow.

Controlled in a way that didn’t feel natural.

“I can feel it…” she murmured.

Her voice sounded distant.

Like she was somewhere far away.

“It’s not pain anymore…”

The energy around her intensified, swirling like invisible flames licking across her skin.

“It’s power.”

The enemy laughed.

“Of course it is. That is what you were meant for.”

Kael’s patience snapped.

“I said shut up.”

He lunged forward with terrifying speed, his dagger flashing as he struck.

But the creature blocked him effortlessly.

The impact sent a shockwave through the air.

Kael slid back several steps, boots digging into the dirt, jaw clenched as he regained balance.

Stronger.

This one was far stronger than the others.

And Luna—

She was still standing there.

Unmoving.

“Luna!” he barked this time.

Her head turned slowly toward him.

Their eyes met.

For a brief second—

She was there.

“I’m okay…” she whispered.

But Kael shook his head immediately.

“No, you’re not.”

Because he could see it.

The cracks.

Not just on her arm anymore.

They had spread.

Faint glowing lines crawling slightly up toward her shoulder.

The same pattern as his.

The same curse.

His heart pounded harder.

Too fast.

Too soon.

“This isn’t supposed to happen,” he muttered under his breath.

The creature tilted its head.

“Oh, but it is,” it said softly. “You just never understood the truth.”

Kael’s eyes darkened dangerously.

“What truth?”

A pause.

Then—

“The curse was never meant for just one.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Sharp.

Luna’s breath caught.

“What… does that mean?”

But the creature didn’t answer her.

It attacked again.

Faster.

More violent.

Kael barely blocked the strike this time, the force pushing him back hard. Pain shot through his arm.

This wasn’t a normal fight anymore.

This was survival.

“Stay back!” he shouted at Luna.

But she didn’t move.

Because now—

The energy inside her was growing.

Expanding.

Demanding more.

“I can help…” she whispered.

“No!” Kael snapped. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

That hit her.

Her eyes flickered.

A mix of confusion… and something darker.

“Then teach me!” she shot back, her voice suddenly stronger.

The ground trembled again.

The creature grinned.

“Yes… let the emotion guide you.”

Kael cursed under his breath.

This was exactly what he feared.

The curse feeds on emotion.

Fear.

Anger.

Desire.

And right now—

Luna was feeling all of it at once.

“Luna, listen to me,” he said, softer now, stepping closer despite the danger. “If you let it take over, you won’t be able to come back.”

Her breathing hitched.

“What if I already crossed that line?”

His heart clenched painfully.

“You haven’t.”

A beat.

“But you’re close.”

The creature attacked again—

But this time—

Luna moved.

Instinctively.

She stepped in front of Kael.

Her hand lifted.

And the moment the attack reached her—

It stopped.

Frozen mid-air.

The energy around her pulsed violently, holding the strike in place like an invisible wall.

Kael’s eyes widened.

Impossible.

She wasn’t just reacting anymore.

She was controlling it.

Slowly…

Very slowly…

She clenched her hand.

The energy crushed the attack—

And sent the creature flying backward with explosive force.

The forest shook from the impact.

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Unreal.

Luna stood there, breathing hard.

Her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“I… did that…”

But her voice…

It wasn’t filled with relief.

It was filled with something else.

Something dangerous.

Kael stepped toward her carefully.

“Luna…”

She didn’t turn.

“I can feel everything,” she whispered. “The energy… the strength… even your power…”

His heart skipped.

“What?”

She finally looked at him.

And this time—

It sent a chill down his spine.

Because she wasn’t just feeling her power.

She was feeling his too.

“The bond…” she said softly. “It’s not just connecting us… it’s merging us.”

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Not like this.

Not so fast.

The creature started laughing again from the distance, slowly rising from the ground.

“Yes… now you see it.”

Kael’s attention snapped back to it instantly.

“This ends now,” he growled.

But before he could move—

Luna grabbed his arm.

Her grip was firm.

Stronger than before.

“I’ll handle it.”

His eyes widened.

“No.”

She stepped forward anyway.

The glow around her intensified again.

“Luna, stop—!”

But she didn’t.

Because now—

The power felt too good.

Too strong.

Too addictive.

“I won’t lose,” she whispered.

And then—

She unleashed everything.

A massive surge of energy exploded from her body, tearing through the forest, shaking the trees, splitting the ground beneath them.

The creature tried to resist—

But it was overwhelmed.

Destroyed in seconds.

The force of the blast echoed into the distance…

Then silence.

Total silence.

The forest stood still.

Dead quiet.

Luna stood in the center of it all.

Unmoving.

Breathing slowly.

Too slowly.

Kael’s heart pounded violently as he approached her.

“Luna…”

No response.

He stepped closer.

“Luna.”

Still nothing.

Then slowly…

She turned.

And when he saw her eyes—

His blood ran cold.

They were glowing completely now.

No trace of the girl he knew.

Only power.

Only the curse.

“I feel… unstoppable…” she whispered.

Kael froze.

This was it.

The moment he feared.

She was losing herself.

“Luna, listen to me,” he said carefully, stepping closer. “You need to come back.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“Come back?”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“Why would I want to?”

His heart dropped.

Because that wasn’t Luna speaking anymore.

That was the curse.

And for the first time—

Kael didn’t know if he could save her.