Bonded by moonfire

The lair of shadows

The bond burned hotter with every step. It wasn’t just a pull anymore—it was a voice, a heartbeat echoing against his own. Elias was close.

Kieran crouched in the underbrush, golden eyes scanning the ruins ahead. The rogues’ lair was an old fortress, stone walls crumbling, torches casting twisted shadows across jagged towers. Dozens of wolves prowled the perimeter, their eyes gleaming in the dark.

His pack had followed him this far, but their unease was heavy in the air. Warriors shifted nervously, whispers flitting through the ranks. Some feared the prophecy more than the rogues.

Kieran stood tall in his human form, blood and dirt streaking his body, his presence radiating raw dominance. “Tonight we end this. They stole one of ours. They stole my mate.” His golden eyes blazed, silencing every doubt. “We take him back—or we die trying.”

The warriors lowered their heads, a unified growl of loyalty rumbling through them. Whatever doubts lingered, their Alpha’s fury burned brighter.

Kieran’s wolf clawed at his chest, begging to tear into the rogues immediately. But his human mind kept him steady—barely. He needed to think, to strike with precision.

As the warriors fanned out, Kieran slipped closer, his gaze fixed on the heart of the fortress. The bond throbbed harder there, Elias’s presence like a fire in the dark.

But with the heat came pain. A sharp lance through his chest that stole his breath. Kieran staggered, vision flashing red—chains, silver, Elias crying out.

The rogues were hurting him again.

Kieran’s claws slid free. His wolf howled within, the sound ripping through his throat until it became a real roar across the battlefield.

Every rogue froze.

And then the Alpha struck.

He tore into the first guard, golden fur blazing in torchlight, his fury so savage even hardened rogues faltered. Behind him, his pack erupted, a storm of claws and teeth. The night filled with the thunder of battle.

But Kieran barely noticed. The bond was all he felt, all he followed—dragging him deeper into the fortress, toward his mate.

Toward Elias.