Bound By The Moon

Chapter 5 — The Beast Beneath the Skin

(Adrian’s POV)

The moon rose like a wound in the sky.

Gold, full, and heavy with hunger.

I could feel it before I saw it — the pulse under my skin, the heat crawling up my spine. Every full moon was the same: the burn, the ache, the beast whispering just beneath the surface.

But tonight was worse.

Because tonight, she was here.

Elena.

The name alone was enough to fracture my control.

I gripped the railing of the balcony outside my room, metal bending slightly under my hand. The night wind bit cold against my skin, but inside me, everything was burning.

Down below, the forest waited.

It called to me — to the part of me I could never cage.

I should’ve gone already. Should’ve been miles from this house before the moon climbed this high.

But I couldn’t move.

Because she was only a few doors away. Sleeping. Dreaming.

Or maybe not sleeping at all.

Maybe she was awake — feeling it too. The pull.

The bond.

I shut my eyes, jaw locking tight.

She doesn’t know.

She can’t know.

The last time I lost control, I almost killed someone. I swore I’d never let the beast near another human again. But Elena wasn’t just human, was she? Not to me.

The first day I saw her — the scent of her skin, the way her heartbeat stuttered when our eyes met — the bond clicked into place like it had always been there, waiting.

I’d spent my life hearing stories about mates — wolves bound by blood and instinct. I thought it was just myth. Something ancient wolves clung to.

Until her.

And now, every time she’s near, my wolf rises like it recognizes her as home.

---

A knock sounded behind me.

I turned sharply.

“Adrian.”

It was Liam — my beta, my oldest friend, the only one who knew what I was holding back.

He stepped into the moonlight, his eyes faintly glowing silver.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly. “The pack’s waiting. You’re late.”

“I know.”

Liam’s gaze flicked toward the house. “You’re not avoiding the run because of her, are you?”

I didn’t answer.

“Adrian.” His tone hardened. “You can’t play both sides. Either you accept the bond or you reject it — but this? Stalking her shadow? It’s not safe. Not for her.”

A muscle in my jaw twitched. “I’m not stalking her.”

“Then why can I smell her scent all over you?” he shot back. “You’re losing control, brother. She’s human. Fragile. One wrong move—”

“I would never hurt her,” I snapped, too sharp.

Liam stared for a long moment, then sighed. “Tell that to the wolf.”

He was right. That was the problem.

I wasn’t sure the wolf cared what I wanted.

---

Later, when I finally made it to the woods, the others were waiting — forms half-hidden in the shadows, the air thick with the musk of fur and pine.

The pack bowed their heads slightly as I stepped into the clearing. Alpha instinct. It came with the bloodline.

“Rough night?” someone murmured.

I ignored them, pulling off my shirt, letting the cool air hit my fevered skin. The ache was spreading — bones shifting, senses sharpening.

“Stay out of the north side,” I ordered. “Close to the mansion. It’s off-limits tonight.”

Liam raised a brow. “Because of her?”

I glared, and he lifted his hands in surrender. “Fine. Your call.”

Then the moonlight hit, full and merciless.

Pain tore through me — familiar, brutal. My spine arched, ribs cracked, the world blurred. My senses exploded — scent, sound, everything amplified until I could barely breathe.

And then… the shift.

The world came back in shades of silver and blood.

Four legs instead of two. The night air sharp against fur. The forest alive around me.

I threw back my head and howled — not in pain, but in release.

The wolf was free.

---

Hours blurred into instinct. Running. Hunting. The rhythm of paws against soil. The scent of the night.

But no matter how far I went, the pull stayed.

Her scent.

Her heartbeat.

Her name echoing like a curse through the trees.

It dragged me back — closer, closer to the mansion I’d sworn to stay away from.

I tried to fight it. Gods, I did. But every step brought me nearer. Until I stood at the edge of the clearing, the mansion glowing faintly through the trees.

And there — by the window on the second floor — movement.

Her.

She was awake. Watching.

I froze in the shadows, golden eyes locked on hers.

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

For one terrifying, perfect second, our worlds collided.

The beast in me went still — not in threat, but recognition.

Mate.

I could hear her heart from here — wild, fast, scared.

I should’ve turned away. Should’ve vanished before she saw too much. But I stood there, caught between the boy I was and the monster I became.

Then, from deeper in the woods, a growl.

I turned sharply. Another wolf — large, dark, not from my pack. Rogue.

The intruder stepped from the shadows, teeth bared, challenging.

I snarled low in my throat. Not here. Not near her.

The rogue stood near the stream, his eyes glowing amber.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I growled, voice distorted by my muzzle.

He sneered. “Word spreads fast. Alpha’s son has a human mate under his roof.”

A low snarl ripped through me.

“Say that again.”

“She smells divine, doesn’t she?” he mocked. “Bet the little thing doesn’t even know what you are.”

The rogue lunged. I met him midair, claws flashing, the world exploding into motion.

We crashed through the underbrush, a blur of fur and fury. His teeth sank into my shoulder — pain, fire, blood. I drove him back, slamming him into a tree, snapping at his throat until he yelped and fled.

By the time I turned back toward the house, the window was empty.

She was gone.

Relief and regret warred inside me. Good. She shouldn’t see me like this.

But still… the sight of her, standing there bathed in moonlight, would haunt me forever.

---

By the time I shifted back, dawn was breaking. The fight had drained me. My body ached, my hands still streaked with dirt and blood.

I slipped through the back door silently, praying she was still asleep.

The scent hit me first — lavender shampoo and something soft, warm. Her.

Then the creak of a floorboard.

“Elena.”

She stood in the hallway, eyes wide.

Barefoot. Wearing one of those oversized T-shirts that somehow made her look both innocent and dangerous.

“What happened to you?” she whispered, eyes dropping to the blood on my arm.

I froze. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” she repeated, stepping closer. “You’re bleeding.”

“I said it’s fine.”

Her voice softened. “You don’t have to lie, you know.”

I wanted to tell her the truth — that the blood wasn’t mine, that there were monsters in the woods who’d kill her if they knew what she was to me.

But I couldn’t.

Instead, I whispered, “Go back to bed, Elena.”

“I heard something last night,” she said quietly. “Howling. Fighting.”

“Stay out of it.”

Her eyes flashed with frustration. “You can’t keep telling me that. I live here too, Adrian. I deserve to know what’s going on.”

My control cracked just a little. I stepped closer — too close — until I could see the flecks of green in her eyes.

“You don’t understand,” I said hoarsely. “There are things out there you’re not ready to believe in.”

The moment I moved, her eyes fluttered shut — not in hesitation, but surrender. It was as if some unseen force was pulling her toward me, something darker than desire, something neither of us could resist.

“Try me.”

For a heartbeat, I almost did.

Then her pulse quickened, and my senses betrayed me — the sound, the scent, the taste of her heartbeat in the air.

Before I lost control, I forced myself to step back. Every nerve in my body burned, the heat crawling beneath my skin like a punishment I couldn’t escape.

“Don’t,” I rasped. “Just… don’t.”

Her breaths were uneven, each one laced with a scent that pulled me deeper into the chaos I was trying to escape. For a fleeting second, she looked away — but then her gaze returned, locking with mine, and the world went utterly still.

She looked at me — confused, hurt, curious. “What are you so afraid of?”

“You.”

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

Her eyes widened. “Me?”

I turned away, running a hand through my hair. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, Elena.”

Silence.

Then , softly she said," Maybe you should tell me ".

I looked at her, the pale morning light tracing the curve of her face like it had chosen her alone. For a heartbeat, I was lost—completely undone by the quiet beauty of that moment.

“I think you need to think again,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Because I’m your stepsis… and this— whatever it is between us— we can’t just accept it.”

And then she spoke, and her words sliced through me, cruel and precise, dragging me back to reality.

And the beast inside me stirred — a low growl rumbling in my chest. I bit it back, stepping away before the scent of her made me lose everything.

“Don’t ever say that again,” I interrupted, my tone low but burning. “You’re not my si… you’re my mate. And it’s not me speaking—it’s the thing inside me, the part that’s been screaming your name a thousand times. So stop… before I can’t.”

“Stay away from the woods,” I said again, forcing the words through clenched teeth. “And stay away from me.”

Her voice trembled. “Why?”

“Because if you don’t…” I met her gaze — helpless, hungry, already lost.

“I won’t be able to.”

---------

That morning, as she stood in the hallway watching me leave, I realized something terrifying.

The wolf in me didn’t just want to protect her.

It wanted to claim her.

And the worst part?

So did I.