Bound By The Moon

Chapter -3 The Wolf Inside /A Human Mate

(Adrian's POV)

The moon hung low tonight.

Full. Heavy. Silver light spilling through the trees like it was searching for something.

Or maybe… for her.

I can still smell her.

Even now, long after she’s gone upstairs — that soft scent of rain and wildflowers clings to my skin like a curse.

Elena.

I knew her name long before she ever spoke it to me.

Because the moment I saw her in that school hallway months ago — the first time our eyes met — my wolf whispered one word.

Mate.

I didn’t believe it at first.

Didn’t want to.

Mates were rare - sacred. And dangerous.

Especially for someone like me.

Because I’m not just any werewolf.

I’m the next in line for the Crescent Ridge Pack - the Alpha’s son.

Bound by rules, by blood, by power.

And she… she’s human.

Or at least, she’s supposed to be.

So I stayed away.

Watched from a distance.

Tried to drown that pull every time her heartbeat spiked near me, every time her eyes searched for mine and quickly looked away.

But the bond doesn’t fade. It grows.

Like roots twisting around your heart until you can’t breathe without it.

And now she’s here - in my house.

In my world.

Sleeping just a few walls away.

It feels like the moon is laughing at me.

---

I lean back against the railing of my balcony, staring out at the woods. The night is alive — the wind carrying whispers of movement below the trees. My pack patrols the borders tonight, but even from here, I can sense it - the unease.

Something’s out there. Watching. Waiting.

A faint growl slips from my throat before I can stop it. The wolf inside stirs, restless. He wants to move. To hunt. To find her.

I run a hand through my hair, trying to calm the storm building in my chest.

It’s useless.

She’s everywhere - in my thoughts, in my senses, in the rhythm of my pulse.

When I close my eyes, I see her face - pale skin glowing in moonlight, lips trembling when I whispered mate.

She thinks I’m insane.

Maybe I am.

Because every part of me - human and wolf - wants to claim her.

And yet, I can’t.

Not now. Not like this.

Not when she doesn’t even know what I am.

---

I remember the day I found out.

It was the night before she moved in.

My father had called me into his office, his voice sharp with the weight of command.

“Your stepmother and her daughter arrive tomorrow. I expect you to behave, Adrian.”

Behave.

That word has always tasted like iron.

I nodded, said nothing.

He didn’t notice the way my jaw clenched or how my fists tightened.

Because hours earlier, I’d caught her scent near the border of the forest - faint, but unmistakable.

Wildflowers and rain.

It hit me like lightning.

My wolf went berserk, clawing to get out.

Mate.

I’d followed the trail for nearly half a mile before it vanished near the main road.

And when I returned, the truth hit me - that scent was coming from the direction of the city. From her.

The same girl who’d haunted my every thought for months.

I almost shifted right there in the woods - torn between fury and disbelief.

Fury, because fate had chosen her.

Disbelief, because fate was cruel enough to make her my stepsister.

---

Now, as I stand here staring at the moon, I can’t stop thinking about the look in her eyes earlier tonight - confusion, fear, maybe something else. Something she doesn’t understand yet.

She felt it.

I know she did.

The bond hums between us like static.

Even now, I can hear her heartbeat upstairs, uneven, restless.

She’s not asleep. She’s feeling it too.

A low growl rumbles in my chest. The wolf in me is pacing, restless, whispering one word again and again.

Mine.

“Not yet,” I whisper to the night. “She’s not ready.”

---

The forest stirs again.

Branches rustle.

And then, a familiar voice breaks the quiet.

“Talking to yourself now, brother?”

I turn sharply.

Liam steps out from the shadows - my second-in-command, best friend, and the only one who knows about her.

He’s tall, dark-haired, eyes glowing faintly silver in the moonlight.

And he’s smirking. Always smirking.

“You’re early,” I mutter. “Patrol’s not done yet.”

“Yeah, well, when the Alpha’s son starts growling loud enough to wake half the forest, someone’s gotta check what’s wrong.” He leans against the railing. “So… new family settled in yet?”

I say nothing.

His grin widens. “Let me guess. The human girl you can’t stop thinking about?”

I glare at him. “Don’t start.”

“Oh, I’ll start,” he says lightly. “Because the last time I saw you look this messed up was when we got cornered by the Ridge Pack — and even then, you didn’t look this dangerous.”

“She’s my mate, Liam.”

The words come out like a growl, low and rough.

And the moment they’re spoken, the air thickens.

His smirk fades. “You’re serious.”

I nod.

“Damn.” He whistles softly. “A human mate? That’s… complicated.”

“Understatement of the year.”

“What does your father know?”

“Nothing. And it stays that way.”

Liam studies me for a moment. “You can’t hide a bond like this forever, you know. The pack will sense it. So will she.”

“I’ll deal with it.”

He shakes his head. “You’re playing with fire, Adrian. The council won’t approve. You bring a human into the pack, and it’s not just your title on the line — it’s hers.”

I already know.

That’s the worst part.

Because if the council finds out, they won’t stop at forbidding it. They’ll erase her — make sure no human ever learns what we are.

“I’ll protect her,” I say quietly.

Liam sighs. “Just don’t lose yourself trying.”

He turns to leave, but pauses at the edge of the balcony. “By the way - something’s off in the northern woods. Fresh scent. Rogue territory.”

My head snaps up. “Rogues? This close to town?”

“Yeah. Be careful, Alpha. The last thing we need is trouble near your… family.”

And with that, he’s gone - melting back into the shadows.

---

The woods fall silent again, but my mind doesn’t.

Rogues.

If they’ve crossed the border, that means someone’s hunting — or hiding.

Either way, it’s too close to her.

I glance back toward her window.

The light’s still on. She’s awake.

Of course she is.

The bond keeps her restless, just like it keeps me half feral.

I grip the railing until my knuckles ache.

“Damn you, moon,” I whisper. “You could’ve given me anyone. But you gave me her.”

My wolf answers with a low, eager growl.

Ours.

---

Hours pass.

The house quiets.

But I don’t move. I stay on the balcony until dawn begins to break - until the first rays of sunlight spill over the treetops.

When I finally head inside, I catch one last sound before closing my door.

Her heartbeat, faint and uneven.

And I know one thing with absolute certainty:

No matter how much I fight it - the bond between us isn’t going away.

And soon, something out there will test it.

Because fate doesn’t just tie souls together.

It sets them on fire.