The bargain

Jason’s weight pressed heavily against me as Calla and I dragged him through the forest, our steps uneven, our breaths ragged. His blood soaked into my clothes, warm and sticky, the scent of it thick in the air.

He wasn’t speaking anymore.

“Stay with me,” I muttered, barely hearing my own voice over the pounding of my pulse. “Just a little further.”

Jason’s only response was a weak groan.

We stumbled into the clearing that led to our pack’s village, the dim lights from the cabins glowing like fireflies in the darkness. Relief surged through me.

We made it.

Calla let out a sharp howl—a call for help, a demand that someone do something.

A few figures emerged from the cabins, their expressions ranging from concern to wary disinterest.

“Move,” I snapped at them, my patience gone.

The sight of their indifferent stares, the way they had left Jason to die in that clearing, still burned in my mind. But I had no time to dwell on it now.

My father appeared from the main lodge, his sharp gaze sweeping over us before landing on Jason. His eyes darkened.

“Inside. Now.”

We carried Jason into the packhouse, through the halls that still smelled like home—pine, firewood, and something distinctly ours. But tonight, it felt foreign.

My father led us to a room, already clearing the table and gathering supplies.

“Lay him down,” he ordered.

We obeyed without question.

The moment Jason was settled, my father turned to me. “Out.”

“What?”

“You’ve done enough,” he said firmly. “Let me do my job.”

I didn’t want to leave. But the look in his eyes told me I had no choice.

So I backed away.

Calla and I stepped outside, the heavy wooden door shutting between us.

And then we waited.

************************************************

The longest hour of my life crawled by in silence.

I paced outside the room, hands clenched at my sides, blood still drying on my skin. Calla sat nearby, her head in her hands, exhaustion written all over her.

No one else came.

Not Aaron. Not Tobias. Not a single one of the wolves who had turned their backs on Jason tonight.

Cowards.

The door finally creaked open, and I spun to face my father.

His face was grim.

“He’s resting,” he said. “But he’s not out of danger.”

A weight pressed against my chest.

“How bad?” I asked.

My father exhaled. “The wound was deep. If it had been an inch to the right, it would have hit his lung.”

I swallowed hard. “Will he—”

“He’s strong.” His gaze softened, but there was something else behind it. Something unspoken.

I understood. Jason’s strength alone wouldn’t be enough.

I nodded stiffly. “I need to see him.”

“Not yet.” My father placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me. “Let him rest.”

I clenched my jaw, biting back my frustration.

Jason was alive. But for how long?

I turned away, stepping into the cool night air.

My hands trembled. My body ached. But my mind was racing.

The pack had left Jason to die.

If I hadn’t been there, he would have died.

I couldn’t let that happen. Not now. Not ever.

A decision solidified in my mind, hard and unwavering.

I needed to do something.

I needed to save him.

No matter the cost.

************************************************

I ran.

The night stretched endlessly before me, shadows twisting through the trees as my feet pounded against the damp earth. My pulse thrummed in my ears, but I didn’t slow. I couldn’t.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to turn back, to not do this. To stay far, far away from the monster I was running straight toward.

But I had no choice.

Jason’s shallow breathing haunted me, the sickly pale hue of his skin, the fever burning beneath it. He was getting worse. And no one in the pack would save him.

No one but him.

Damien Thorne.

The name alone sent a chill through me.

A creature neither fully wolf nor fully vampire, but something far worse—a hybrid.

I had grown up hearing the stories. The whispers of his strength, his cruelty, the way he ruled over Black Hollow like a god. Wolves feared him. Vampires obeyed him. And those who crossed into his domain uninvited… didn’t return.

But I wasn’t turning back.

I slowed as I neared the border of Black Hollow. The air here was different—thicker, charged with something unnatural. The trees loomed taller, their gnarled branches reaching like skeletal fingers toward the sky.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I wasn’t alone.

I felt it. The weight of unseen eyes pressing down on me, the suffocating sense of being watched.

I swallowed, forcing myself to keep moving.

Then—a shift in the wind.

I spun, but there was nothing behind me.

I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that.

A rustle of leaves. A whisper of movement.

Then, suddenly—a voice.

“That was really fucking stupid.”

I whipped around, my breath catching.

He stood a few feet away, leaning casually against a tree, as if he’d been there the entire time.

Damien.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

He was taller than I expected, his frame broad, powerful. Even in the dim light, I could see the sharp edges of his face—predatory, beautiful in a way that felt dangerous. His dark hair was tousled, framing his striking features, and his crimson eyes glowed in the darkness like embers in the night.

My body screamed at me to run.

But I held my ground.

“I need your help,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Do you?”

“My brother is dying,” I continued, taking a cautious step forward. “I know you can heal him.”

Something flickered across his face—something unreadable.

Then he moved.

One second, he was leaning against the tree. The next, he was circling me, slow, deliberate. Like a predator playing with its prey.

“And why,” he murmured, “should I help you?”

I swallowed hard.

He was toying with me. I knew that. But I couldn’t afford to let pride get in the way.

“I’ll do anything,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Damien stopped.

His head tilted slightly, those glowing red eyes studying me, sharp enough to cut.

Then—he smiled.

And it was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.

“How interesting,” he murmured, tilting his head as if considering me from a new angle. “You’ll do anything?”

I forced myself to nod, my throat tight. “Yes.”

He took another step forward, close enough now that I could feel the unnatural chill radiating off of him. The scent of him was strange—smoky, metallic, but laced with something undeniably wolf.

Damien Thorne might be part vampire, but he was still one of us.

Not that it made him any less dangerous.

He reached out, tracing a single, gloved finger along the edge of my jaw. I froze, every muscle locking up as his touch sent a ripple of something unnatural through me. Not pain. Not quite fear. But something in between.

“What exactly are you offering, little wolf?” he asked, his voice a low, velvety purr.

I swallowed hard. “One year.”

His brows lifted.

I took a shaky breath and forced myself to hold his gaze. “I’ll serve you for a year. As your blood-bound servant. Or—whatever it is you want from me.”

The words tasted like poison on my tongue.

But if it meant saving Jason? I would do it.

Damien chuckled, a deep, rich sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “How noble.”

I clenched my fists. “Are we making a deal or not?”

“Hmm.” He resumed his slow circling, his gaze raking over me like he was peeling back my skin, studying what lay beneath. “It’s a tempting offer, but you see, I don’t make deals lightly.”

I knew what he was doing. Testing me. Seeing how far I would bend before I broke.

I lifted my chin. “I have something else. Something that might make this worth your while.”

He stilled. “Oh?”

I hesitated, but I had no choice but to tell him. “I’m Moonbound.”

For the first time since he appeared, Damien actually looked surprised.

His expression was unreadable, but something flickered behind his crimson gaze. Curiosity. Intrigue.

“Moonbound,” he echoed, as if tasting the word.

I nodded. “I—I don’t know the full extent of what I can do. But I’ve had visions. Of the past. The future. I can manipulate silver. I can bend shadows.”

Damien’s eyes darkened with something unreadable.

I forced myself to keep speaking. “You know what that means. My blood alone could strengthen you. My power—”

“—could come in handy,” he finished, a slow smirk curling his lips.

I held my breath.

Then, to my shock, he took a step back and inclined his head ever so slightly.

“It’s a deal.”

Relief crashed into me so hard my knees nearly buckled.

But before I could process it, Damien closed the distance between us, his fingers curling under my chin as he forced my gaze to his.

His touch was ice. His eyes burned like fire.

“From this moment on,” he murmured, “you belong to me.”