Chapter 6 THE BOND
The Alpha of Silverfang Pack had not slept.
Kael stood on the balcony of his stone-walled fortress, the night wind heavy with rain and pine. Below, warriors trained in silence, none of them dared speak the truth forming in every heart: the Luna they watch their alpha banished under the moonlight might not have died in the wilderness.
A scout knelt behind Kael. “We found the clearing, Alpha. The earth was torn apart as if by lightning. And… there was no body. There was no trace of her.”
Kael’s hand tightened on the railing. Did you burned the forest as ordered?”
“Yes, Alpha. But the scent remained, hers and something else. Wolf, but not wolf. It felt wrong.”
Kael turned slowly, his silver eyes sharp as blades. “Show me what you found.”
The scout swallowed. “We found this.” He offered a torn scrap of cloak, blackened at the edge, faintly shimmering with silver ash. Kael’s throat went dry. It's Aria’s cloak. The one he had left her to die in.
He dismissed the scout with a curt wave, then closed his fist around the fabric. For a moment, the scent hit him fully, it was wild, clean and felt alive. His wolf growled inside his chest; 'Impossible.'
“She’s dead,” Kael muttered. “I make sure of that.”
A feminine voice behind him answered. “And yet there was a burst of power from the moon the night she was banished. The Moon rarely releases that much power, Alpha.”
Kael turned to face Selene, the woman who now wore Aria’s crown and carrying his heir, his supposed new mate. But he have no feeling for her whatsoever. He has only chosen her because he needed an heir. “If you came to offer prophecy, spare me.”
Selene’s lips curved. “Then hear the truth. The Moon burned red the night after you cast her out. The seers whispered that a Luna walked again under its light.”
Kael’s jaw tensed. “And you’re afraid she’ll come for me?”
Selene met his gaze without flinching. “No. I’m afraid you’ll still love and choose her when she does.”
Kael stared at her without saying a word.
✦✦✦
Far from the fortress, dawn struggled to rise through a sea of fog.
Maeve’s hut was half-buried under moss and shadow. Inside, Aria strapped a small satchel across her shoulder while the witch ground herbs at her table, muttering charms too old for Aria.
“You’re leaving,” Maeve said without looking up.
“We have to,” Aria replied. “Kael’s warriors will keep searching the borders. The storm hid us for one night, not forever.”
Lucian leaned against the doorway, arms folded. “I know a place in the western ridge. Old tunnels from before the packs carved the land into pieces. No one dares go there now.”
Aria glanced at him. “Because of you?”
“Because of what I left there,” he said quietly.
Maeve looked between them, worry etched deep in her face. “The bond would pull you both toward danger. It’s still unstable, and traveling will strain it.”
Aria shouldered the satchel anyway. “Then it will have to strain.”
The witch set the pestle down with a sharp click. “Child, you don’t understand. The Moon’s mark is feeding on shared energy. The farther apart you are, the more violently it will react.”
Lucian straightened. “You’re saying we can’t leave each other’s sight?”
“I’m saying if either of you runs, the bond will drag the other through fire to follow. The bond has linked your souls together. If either one dies, the other would die too as your souls are now one.”
"So you're saying whatever happens to one, would happen to the other also?" Aria asked.
"You too have to protect each other and make sure to keep the fact that your souls are bound together a secret. Cause if words should go out and your enemies find out, the enemy of one would try to kill the other one knowing fully well that when one dies, the other die also. So you two need to be very careful." Maeve instructed.
Aria felt a chill ran down her spine, realizing that she has to look out, not just for her enemies but also for the enemies of Lucian.
Maeve crossed to Aria, and pressed a small vial into her hand. “If the pain becomes too much, drink this. It won’t break the bond, but it may dull it long enough to survive.”
Aria nodded, throat tight. “Thank you, for everything.”
Maeve’s eyes softened. “Remember what I told you: the Moon binds for purpose. When you find it, you’ll know. But until then, trust the shadows sparingly. They’re listening.”
The warning settled heavy in Aria’s chest. She stepped outside into the mist, Lucian following close behind.
---
They walked without speaking, their footsteps muffled by damp leaves. Every few moments Aria felt the pulse of the bond, an echo under her skin that matched his stride exactly. It irritated her, and yet the rhythm steadied her too.
“How long have you been exiled?” she asked at last.
Lucian’s answer came after a pause. “Seven years. Long enough for the packs to forget why, but not long enough for them to forgive.”
“What did you do?”
“I murdered my father.” He glanced at her. “Not all Alpha deserve obedience and loyalty.”
Aria studied him from the corner of her eye, the quiet strength in his shoulders, and the distance in his voice. “You don’t act like a monster.”
“I have learned to hide it.” His tone was dry. “You’ll need to do the same. The bond has changed your scent. Any wolf will feel it and know you’re no ordinary Luna.”
A branch snapped nearby. They both froze.
Lucian’s head lifted, eyes glowing faint gold. “We’re not alone.”
Aria reached for the shadow instinctively, and the forest answered. Darkness curled around her hand, it was silent and ready. Her power hummed in recognition of a threat.
