Whispers Of The Bond

The castle had not yet awakened.

Soft rays of sunlight slipped through the tall windows of Blackthorn Keep, painting the stone corridors with streaks of gold.

Clover wandered the halls alone.

Sleep had escaped her once again.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Agnes’s face… heard the hunters pounding on the cottage door… and felt the strange warmth that spread through her whenever Kael was near.

She stopped walking.

“Why does this place feel so… familiar?”

It made no sense.

She had never been here before.

Yet every corridor, every staircase, every carved wolf seemed to stir memories she couldn’t quite reach.

As she rounded a corner, she heard voices.

“…It’s dangerous.”

Damon.

“We don’t know what she is,” another warrior replied.

“She’s a witch.”

“She’s also our Alpha’s guest,” Lila argued. “There’s a difference.”

“A witch is a witch.”

“And prejudice is still prejudice,” Lila shot back.

The room fell silent.

Clover quietly stepped away before anyone noticed she had overheard them.

She understood their fear.

If she were in their place, she might have felt the same.

⸻

At the far end of the castle grounds lay an enormous training arena.

Curious, Clover wandered inside.

Dozens of warriors sparred with wooden swords while others practiced shifting between human and wolf forms.

The speed of their transformations stole her breath.

One moment, they were men and women.

The next…

Powerful wolves.

A loud cheer erupted from the center of the arena.

Kael had entered.

The warriors immediately formed a circle around him.

“Who wants to lose today?” Damon joked.

Laughter echoed through the yard.

One by one, challengers stepped forward.

One by one…

They fell.

Kael barely seemed to move.

His strikes were controlled.

Efficient.

Every movement carried years of discipline rather than unnecessary force.

Clover watched, captivated.

Without realizing it, she smiled.

Across the arena, Kael looked up.

Their eyes met.

For a heartbeat…

The entire world disappeared.

A strange warmth flooded Clover’s chest.

Kael felt it too.

His wolf surged forward.

Mate.

The word rang louder than ever before.

Kael abruptly turned away.

He couldn’t allow this.

Not yet.

⸻

Later that afternoon, dark clouds gathered above the mountains.

A violent storm rolled toward the keep.

Lila found Clover in the library, buried beneath stacks of dusty books.

“I thought I’d find you here,” Lila said with a grin.

“I’m trying to understand all of this.”

Clover held up an ancient book.

“It says Moon Witches disappeared two hundred years ago.”

“They did.”

“So… how can I exist?”

Lila’s smile faded.

“Maybe because history doesn’t always tell the whole truth.”

Before Clover could respond, thunder shook the castle.

A servant rushed into the library.

“My Alpha requests everyone gather in the council chamber immediately.”

⸻

Minutes later, the great chamber filled with warriors.

Rain hammered against the stained-glass windows.

Kael stood before a large map spread across a stone table.

“Our border scouts have vanished.”

The room grew tense.

Damon frowned.

“How many?”

“Three.”

“They never miss their reports.”

Kael nodded.

“Exactly.”

He pointed to a section of the map.

“They disappeared near Raven Hollow.”

The name sent a murmur through the room.

Lila whispered to Clover, “No one goes there.”

“Why?”

“They say the forest is cursed.”

Kael’s voice silenced the whispers.

“I’m leading a search party.”

“I’m coming with you,” Damon said immediately.

“So am I,” Lila added.

Kael nodded.

Then Clover spoke.

“I want to help.”

Every head turned toward her.

“No,” Kael answered firmly.

“I can use magic.”

“You barely understand your magic.”

“I have to start somewhere.”

“The forest isn’t safe.”

She stepped closer.

“And neither is hiding.”

For a long moment, Kael studied her face.

He saw determination.

Courage.

And the same stubbornness he carried himself.

Finally, he sighed.

“You stay beside me.”

Clover blinked.

“That’s… a yes?”

“It’s an order.”

A faint smile tugged at her lips.

“I can live with that.”

Damon exchanged an amused glance with Lila.

“Our Alpha is smiling again.”

“I am not.”

“You definitely are.”

The room erupted in quiet laughter.

Even Clover laughed.

For just a second…

The darkness hanging over Blackthorn Keep seemed lighter.

But far beyond the castle walls, deep within Raven Hollow, three motionless wolves lay trapped inside a circle of black fire.

A woman cloaked in crimson stepped from the shadows.

Her silver eyes glowed with cruel satisfaction.

She held a lock of Clover’s dark hair in one hand.

“The bond has begun,” she whispered.

“Excellent.”

She smiled as black flames curled around her fingers.

“Bring the Moon Witch to me…”

“And let the Alpha watch her fall.”

The storm outside answered with a deafening crack of thunder.