Bound By The Moon's Curse

Chapter Six

Arielle’s POV

It was like a fire raging inside me.

The air around us crackled as Damon’s storm-gray eyes pierced into mine. His gaze held something primal, something undeniable. My heart raced, hammering against my ribs as if trying to break free. I couldn’t look away from him, couldn’t escape the magnetic pull that tied me to him. My breath stilled, every nerve alive, waiting.

The moment his fingers brushed mine, the spark ignited. It wasn’t a metaphorical jolt, it was real, raw heat, searing and spreading through my veins. I sucked in a sharp breath as if I’d been burned, my body betraying every ounce of resistance I tried to muster.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” Damon’s voice was low, gravelly, and dangerous.

I couldn’t lie. I nodded, feeling my throat constrict.

“Say it,” he murmured, the demand laced with something feral.

“I—I feel it,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

And then he was there, closing the space between us. His hands cupped my face, and before I could react, his lips crashed against mine. It wasn’t gentle; there was nothing soft about it. It was claiming, consuming, a kiss that stole the air from my lungs and set every inch of me on fire.

I gasped against his mouth, but he didn’t stop. My fingers dug into his shoulders, trying to steady myself as his hands slid down to grip my waist, pulling me flush against him. The hardness of his body pressed into mine, and it was too much,too overwhelming and not nearly enough.

“Tell me to stop,” he groaned, his lips brushing mine, his breath hot against my skin.

I didn’t. I couldn’t.

Instead, I pulled him back to me, surrendering. The moment I did, something inside me snapped. There was no room for thought, no space for doubt. The mate bond, the firestorm between us, took over.

His mouth didn’t leave mine as he guided me backward, his movements purposeful but frantic, as though he was unraveling. I felt the edge of a door against my back before it swung open. Damon pushed inside, shutting it behind us with a swift kick, the sound echoing in the silence.

Everything blurred—his hands gripping my hips, lifting me off my feet as if I weighed nothing. My legs wrapped instinctively around his waist as he carried me to the bed. His lips left mine only long enough to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses along my jaw, down my neck, and across my collarbone. I tilted my head back, a strangled sound leaving my throat as I gripped his hair, pulling him closer.

“You’re mine,” he growled, the words vibrating against my skin, his tone rough, possessive.

I felt that claim all the way down to my bones.

Clothes fell away,his shirt, my dress. His hands roamed with a gentleness that belied the hunger in his eyes, his touch leaving molten trails on my bare skin. My breath hitched as his mouth followed, his lips exploring, worshipping every inch of me.

I trembled beneath him, caught in the onslaught of sensation. He paused only once, hovering above me, his stormy gaze locking onto mine. “Are you sure?” he rasped, his voice so quiet it was almost broken.

“Yes,” I breathed. “I’m sure.”

What followed was chaos and beauty. Damon moved with an urgency that matched the wild pounding of my heart. His touch was firm but tender, his lips everywhere, his name escaping my mouth in gasps I couldn’t control. Every kiss, every caress, every whispered word made me feel claimed, wanted, cherished.

Time ceased to exist as we gave ourselves over to the bond, to the pull that neither of us could fight. My body trembled against his, overwhelmed by the raw, unfiltered passion that consumed us both. When we finally fell into a tangled heap of limbs, my skin slick with sweat, my mind blissfully hazy, I thought… this was it.

This was home.

The soft glow of dawn stirred me awake. Damon’s arms were still wrapped around me, his warmth blanketing me in a way that felt… right. I smiled faintly, my heart swelling as I shifted to face him. He looked peaceful, almost boyish in his sleep. For a moment, I allowed myself to believe this was real,that he could be mine, that I could be his.

But then his eyes opened.

The warmth that had lingered vanished, replaced by an icy detachment that made my stomach drop. He pulled his arm away, sitting up without a word. The sheets fell from his torso as he turned his back to me, the muscles in his shoulders taut with tension.

“Damon?” I whispered, my voice hoarse.

“Get up.” His tone was clipped, devoid of any trace of the man who had held me so tenderly hours before.

I blinked, struggling to understand. “What?”

“This was a mistake,” he said coldly, standing to gather his clothes.

His words hit me like a blow. “A mistake?”

Damon turned, his face blank, his eyes empty. “I, Damon Blackwood, reject you, Arielle, as my mate.”

Pain exploded in my chest, a physical agony that tore through me like claws. I gasped, clutching at my heart as the bond splintered. “No, no, Damon, please,” I sobbed, my voice cracking.

But he didn’t look back. “Forget it ever happened,” he said before walking out, leaving the door ajar, leaving me shattered.

I don’t know how long I stayed there, curled up, sobbing into the sheets that still carried his scent. When the door finally burst open, Aunt Liliana stormed in, her face twisted with fury.

“You shameful girl!” she hissed, grabbing my arm and yanking me upright. “Sleeping with an Alpha, do you realize what you’ve done?”

“Aunt please,” I begged, but she slapped me hard across the face. My cheek stung, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

“You’re a disgrace,” she spat. “Guards! Take her out. She’s no longer part of this pack.”

Two guards seized my arms. I screamed, struggling against them, my tears blinding me. “No, Aunt Liliana, please! Don’t do this!”

But they dragged me out, my bare feet scraping against the dirt as they hauled me to the border. The wind was cold against my skin, the forest looming dark and unforgiving.

“Stay out,” one guard growled, shoving me forward. I fell to the ground, the sharp gravel digging into my palms.

I turned, watching them disappear into the distance, leaving me a

lone, broken, rejected, and cast out.

The bond was gone, and with it, so was my heart.