Bound by the Moon’s Call

Chapter 5: The First Signs of Magic

The day after he left the library, Lena found herself distracted. She tried to settle back into her usual routine—sorting books, answering the occasional question from a patron, enjoying the stillness of the library—but her mind kept wandering back to him. The man with the amber eyes. The one who felt like a storm that had walked into her world and left it unsettled.

The strange man.

He hadn’t introduced himself, but something about him lingered. His presence, the weight of his gaze, and the strange feeling she got when their fingers had brushed. The electricity that ran through her, the pull deep in her chest—it was like nothing she had ever felt before. It wasn’t just an attraction; it was something else, something raw and ancient that she couldn’t put into words.

And the word he had used. Leyline.

That, more than anything, had stayed with her. The leyline was a legend, an old story her grandmother had whispered about when she was a child. A tale told to frighten those who dared to wander too far from Ashen Hollow. But Rylan had said it with such certainty, like it was a fact, not a myth. And when he’d spoken about it, Lena had felt something stir inside her—a pull, a connection, something she didn’t understand.

The rest of the day passed in a haze, her thoughts spinning as she tried to make sense of what was happening. But by the time evening rolled around, she was no closer to any answers.

The library was quiet now, as it always was near closing time. Lena stood by the large front windows, looking out at the street. The fog had rolled in again, thick and unrelenting, making the town feel more isolated than usual. She let her fingers rest on the glass, tracing invisible patterns as she watched the mist swirl in the dim light.

And then, suddenly, everything changed.

Her vision blurred. The room seemed to tilt and shift, the edges of her reality warping and bending like a dream. She stumbled back, her heart pounding in her chest, as a sharp surge of something foreign washed over her. Power. She could feel it pulsing through her veins, hot and fast, like fire licking at her skin.

The world around her melted away, and in its place, she saw something else. A vision.

She stood in the forest, the same forest from her dreams. The trees loomed tall and dark, their branches twisted and gnarled. The fog was thicker here, curling at her feet, hiding the ground beneath. In the distance, she heard the howl of a wolf—deep, mournful, calling to something she couldn’t see.

Lena’s breath came faster, her heart racing as the vision pulled her deeper into its grasp. She wasn’t dreaming this time. This was real. Or at least, it felt real.

The howling grew louder, and the forest around her seemed to shift. The shadows deepened, the trees groaning under the weight of something ancient. And then, from the darkness, they appeared.

Wolves.

They moved silently through the mist, their eyes glowing in the darkness, their bodies sleek and powerful. Lena’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched them circle her, their eyes never leaving her. She wanted to run, but she couldn’t move. Her feet were rooted to the spot, her body frozen in place.

One of the wolves stepped forward, larger than the others, its amber eyes glowing with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine. It stopped just a few feet from her, its gaze locked onto hers, and for a moment, she could feel it—a connection.

A pull.

The wolf bared its teeth, a low growl rumbling deep in its chest. Lena gasped, stumbling back, and as soon as she moved, the vision shattered.

She was back in the library, her body trembling, her breath coming in ragged bursts. The glass window was cold beneath her hand, and the fog outside was as thick as ever, but the wolves… they were gone.

Lena pressed a hand to her chest, her heart still racing as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t her imagination. It was real. She had felt it—like the magic from her childhood stories had come to life inside her, crackling beneath her skin, ready to tear free.

She stumbled away from the window, her legs weak beneath her. The power was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but it was quieter now, as though it had retreated back into the depths of her body. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that it would return, stronger next time, harder to control.

What the hell was happening to her?

Outside, hidden in the shadows at the edge of the town, Rylan watched.

He had sensed the surge of magic from across town, the moment it flared up inside her. It had been faint at first, a flicker of energy that rippled through the leyline, but then it had grown stronger—so strong that he could feel it vibrating in his bones.

She’s the one.

There was no doubt now. Lena Morrigan was the key to everything. She was connected to the leyline, bound to its power in ways she didn’t yet understand. But the magic inside her was waking up, and it was only a matter of time before it fully emerged.

Rylan leaned against the tree, his eyes fixed on the library where he knew she was still inside. He could feel her emotions from here—the confusion, the fear, the raw intensity of what she had just experienced. And the bond between them pulsed faintly, a reminder of the inevitable connection that would soon draw them together.

The mate bond.

It was undeniable now. The moment he had seen her in the library, he had felt it. The pull, the magnetic force that bound them. His wolf had recognized her instantly, and ever since, he had been fighting the urge to approach her, to close the distance between them and claim what was his.

But he couldn’t. Not yet.

She didn’t know what she was, who she was. She didn’t understand the power that lived inside her or the role she would soon play in the coming war. If he revealed himself too soon, it would only scare her. She wasn’t ready for the truth. Not yet.

So he watched from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to make his move. To protect her. To guide her. To show her what she truly was.

And as he watched, he could feel the leyline pulsing beneath the ground, its energy stirring, restless. The balance of power in Ashen Hollow was shifting, and the town’s fragile peace wouldn’t last much longer.

Lena was the key to it all. She just didn’t know it yet.

Inside the library, Lena paced the floor, her mind still reeling from the vision. She could feel the magic simmering beneath her skin, as though it was waiting for her to acknowledge it, to let it in. But she wasn’t ready. How could she be?

Everything she knew about herself, about her life, was slipping through her fingers. She had always felt different, always sensed something strange about Ashen Hollow, but this… this was something else entirely.

What did it mean? And why was it happening now?

Her thoughts raced back to Rylan. The stranger with the intense eyes and the unsettling presence. He had come into her life like a storm, stirring up everything she had worked so hard to ignore. And then he had mentioned the leyline. Had he known? Could he sense it too?

A wave of fear and excitement washed over her. What if he was connected to this? What if everything—the dreams, the magic, the wolves—was somehow tied to him?

Lena sank into the chair behind the counter, her hands shaking. She needed answers, but she didn’t know where to find them. All she knew was that something was waking up inside her, and whatever it was, it was only going to get stronger.

She had to figure it out—before it consumed her.

Outside, Rylan stepped deeper into the shadows, his gaze lingering on the library for a moment longer before turning away. He could sense her confusion, her fear, and it tugged at him in ways he couldn’t explain.

But soon, she would understand.

Soon, she would realize that they were bound by something far greater than either of them could control.