Bound by the Moon

Oaths of Hatred

The Moonveil pack gathered in the Great Hall, the air thick with smoke, grief, and fury. Torches flickered along the stone walls, casting long shadows that mirrored the mood. Wolves with bandaged arms and bloodstained clothes filled the benches, their eyes hard, their teeth bared.

At the head of the room stood Alpha Darius—Aria’s father. His voice boomed like thunder, commanding the room.

“They think they can take from us. Chain our wolves like dogs. Spill our blood. Humiliate us.” His gaze swept the hall, landing on Aria, who stood tall despite the exhaustion pulling at her bones. “But we are Moonveil. And Moonveil does not bow.”

A chorus of snarls and growls rippled through the pack. Wolves slammed fists to the table, claws scratching into wood.

Aria’s father turned to her, his steel-grey eyes proud. “Tell them what you swore, Aria. Tell them what you’ll do to Shadowfang.”

All eyes turned to her.

Aria’s heart hammered, not from fear, but from the weight of expectation. She had freed their warriors. She had stood toe to toe with Kael. Her pack saw her as their champion, their hope.

She raised her chin, letting her wolf’s power seep into her voice. “I swore on blood and bone that I will never yield to Shadowfang. Not to Kael, not to his warriors, not to his lies. I will fight until every last one of them burns.”

The hall erupted. Wolves howled, fists pounded, the room alive with rage and unity. Aria’s chest ached with pride—but somewhere deep, her wolf whined, uneasy, as though mourning something it could not name.

⸻

Across the forest, in Shadowfang

Kael stood before his own pack in the shadowed courtyard of their fortress. The night sky was bruised with clouds, the moon a thin sliver above.

Shadowfang wolves crowded around him, their golden eyes gleaming, their blood still hot from battle. His Beta, Coren, stood at his side, his expression grim.

Kael raised his clawed hand, and silence fell.

“They think us weak,” Kael growled, his voice carrying like a blade. “They think they can slip into our den, steal from us, humiliate us.”

Murmurs of rage rippled through the pack. Wolves snarled, tails lashing.

Kael’s gaze sharpened. He could still smell her—the storm-scent of Aria clinging to his skin. He shoved it down, burying it under the weight of his oath.

“I swore this once, and I swear it again now: Shadowfang will not rest until Moonveil is ash. Until their Alpha kneels. Until their wolves are broken.”

The pack roared, their howls shaking the fortress walls. Coren clapped Kael’s shoulder, his voice low. “They believe in you. But don’t let her cloud your judgment.”

Kael’s jaw clenched. “She doesn’t. She won’t.”

But the lie burned his throat.

⸻

Later that night

The forest was quiet, hushed under the sliver of moon. Mist curled around the trees, silvering the branches.

Aria slipped away from the stronghold, her chest heavy, her wolf restless. She told herself she was patrolling. Clearing her head. Anything but the truth.

But the bond pulled her like a chain, and she knew—knew—he would be there.

Kael stepped from the shadows before she even reached the clearing, his golden eyes catching the moonlight. His presence filled the air, his scent wrapping around her like smoke.

They stood in silence for a long moment, the weight of their packs and their oaths pressing down on them like stones.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Aria said at last, her voice sharp to hide the tremor in it.

His lips curved, not in amusement this time, but something darker. “And yet here we are.”

Her claws flexed. “Go back to your den, Kael. We swore tonight. We made our choice.”

“I made mine,” he said, stepping closer, his voice rough. “But that doesn’t stop my wolf from clawing at me every time you’re near. Doesn’t stop me from waking with your scent in my lungs.”

Her breath caught, but she forced a bitter laugh. “Poor Alpha. Addicted to his enemy.”

He closed the distance between them until their chests almost brushed. “Enemy,” he murmured, his gaze locked on hers. “Mate. Which is it, Aria?”

Her heart hammered. Her wolf howled. She wanted to say mate. She wanted to say enemy. Instead, she bared her teeth.

“I hate you.”

The words cut through the clearing like a blade.

Kael’s jaw tightened, his wolf flashing golden in his eyes. For a moment, she thought he’d strike. Instead, he leaned in, his breath warm against her lips, his voice a growl.

“Then hate me. Hate me until it burns you alive. Because no matter what you swear, no matter how loud you scream it—I’m in your blood. You’ll never be free of me.”

Her body trembled, torn apart by fury and desire. She shoved him back with a snarl, her claws grazing his chest.

“Stay away from me.”

She turned and stormed into the trees, her chest aching, her throat raw. Behind her, Kael stood in the clearing, fists clenched, eyes burning with rage and longing.

Both had sworn their oaths. Both had chosen hate.

And yet, as the moon slid behind the clouds, both knew the truth they couldn’t speak.

The war between their packs was nothing compared to the war between their hearts.