Bonded by moonfire

Blood in the shadow

The attack came at dawn.

Kieran woke to the sound of alarm bells ringing through the camp. He was on his feet instantly, his wolf snarling as he threw open the door of his cabin. Smoke curled into the sky. Warriors shouted. The scent of blood—sharp and fresh—tainted the morning air.

Rogues.

By the time Kieran shifted into his wolf, chaos had already broken out at the perimeter. Shadows darted between trees, wolves clashing with brutal snarls. Kieran tore through the battlefield like wildfire, golden eyes blazing, his claws raking down the side of a rogue who dared cross his path.

But even as he fought, he felt it. The bond. His mate. Elias.

His wolf howled inside him, desperate to find him. The pull was so strong it nearly blinded him to the battle around him. Then—he caught Elias’s scent, sharp with sweat and blood, laced with danger.

Kieran sprinted toward it, heart hammering.

He found Elias surrounded by three rogues, his gray wolf snapping with ferocity but slowing from exhaustion. Kieran’s blood ran cold at the sight of his mate cornered, claws digging into the dirt, teeth bared.

With a snarl that shook the trees, Kieran launched himself into the fight. His jaws closed on one rogue’s throat, crushing bone. Another he slammed into the ground with a crack of ribs. The third fled under the Alpha’s blazing fury.

Elias staggered, shifting back into his human form. Blood streaked his shoulder, his breaths ragged. Kieran shifted too, his chest heaving, hands already reaching out.

“You’re hurt,” Kieran growled, grabbing him by the arm.

“I can handle it,” Elias snapped, though his voice shook.

Kieran’s grip tightened, his golden eyes burning. “You could’ve died.”

Elias glared back, gray eyes flashing. “Then maybe the bond would stop tormenting you.”

The words cut deeper than claws. For a moment, Kieran couldn’t breathe. His wolf howled in protest, furious, aching.

Before he could respond, another horn blasted through the air—long and low. The rogues were retreating, fading back into the forest. But their message was clear: this wasn’t over.

The pack had been tested. And their Alpha’s bond with his Beta was no longer just gossip.

It was a weapon their enemies would use against them.