LOGINRael’s POVThe storm outside won’t stop, Lightning tears through the sky like claws, and the thunder rolls over the mountains — loud, constant, hungry. The night smells of ash and iron. Perfect.I stand in the center of my chamber, shirtless, the blood circle still fresh on the floor. My breathing is uneven. My pulse drums in my temples. The candles around me flicker, their flames bending inward as if drawn toward me.The bond burns tonight.I can feel her. Selene.Even though she’s miles away, her name hums in my veins like a curse and a prayer at once.At first, it was faint — a whisper under my skin. But now it’s louder, clearer. Her resistance. Her defiance. The way she fights the mark I gave her. Every push against it rips through me, sharp as a blade.I close my eyes.For a moment, I see her — her face pale, her lips parted, sweat on her skin. She’s fighting the pull. Fighting me.And worse… I see him.Kaelen.Her body pressed against his. Her eyes were full of the kind of softn
Kaelen’s POVThe scent of blood hits me before I reach the door. It’s faint at first, carried on by the night wind, metallic, sharp, and wrong all at once. Every instinct in me goes still. Then, with the next breath I take, it fills me, and I know.Selene.I don’t remember crossing the yard or shoving open the healer’s door. One moment I’m outside, the next I’m inside the hut, the world nothing but a blur of movement and panic.She’s there on the bed — pale, trembling, her hair damp against her face. The healer’s hands are already moving fast, pressing herbs to her wrists, muttering words I can’t hear. Aeris kneels beside her, holding a bowl of water that’s gone red.For one heartbeat, I can’t move. My chest feels tight, too full of something raw and heavy.Then I’m at her side. “What happened?”The healer looks up, her eyes shadowed. “The bond is eating through her veins. I’ve slowed the bleeding, but—”“Don’t say but,” I snap, my voice breaking before I can stop it.Selene’s eyes fl
Selene’s POVAt first, it’s only a faint warmth beneath my ribs, the kind that makes me think I’m dreaming again. But then it spreads — burning through my chest, crawling under my skin until it feels like every breath I take is made of smoke.I bite my lip to keep from screaming.The room is quiet except for the soft hiss of the dying fire in the hearth. Aeris sleeps on the chair beside my bed, her hand still gripping the corner of a herbal pouch she must have used to soothe me. Kaelen isn’t here. He left before sunrise to strengthen the borders, to keep me safe.Safe.The word feels cruel now, because no wall or sword can keep me safe from what’s happening inside me.I push the blanket off and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. The floor is cold under my bare feet, but it’s not enough to cool me down. I press my palms against the stone wall, hoping the chill will help. It doesn’t. The fire beneath my skin only burns hotter.I whisper to the darkness, “Stop it. Please stop.”But
Kaelen’s POVThe council room smells of smoke and iron. Maps stretch across the long oak table, marked with stones and ink lines that trace the borders of our land. Every mark is a warning, every report darker than the last.Thorne leans forward, his voice low but edged. “They’re moving too fast. No pack travels this distance in a night, not even with fresh wolves. Someone or something is clearing their path.”I drag a hand through my hair, staring at the map. “How many miles out?”“Less than twenty.”A muscle jumps in my jaw. Twenty miles. Too close. Too damn close. “They hit three territories and left no survivors,” Thorne adds. “Not even the elders.”The room falls silent. Only the crackle of the fire answers him.I look up, meeting the eyes of my council — warriors who’ve fought beside me for years, men and women who would die before letting our pack fall. Yet tonight, I see fear in them. Not the kind that weakens, but the kind that comes when you realize you’re standing on the e
Selene’s POVThe healer circles me slowly, her silver hair glinting with the glow from the dying fire. “You said it burns most when you think of him,” she says softly. “Kaelen.”I nod, throat tight. “Yes. It’s like… my chest catches fire. My heart feels as if someone’s twisting it in their hand.”She hums, low and grave. “That’s how old magic keeps its hold—through the heart. Rael bound you by blood, but what feeds that bond is emotion. The stronger your feelings for another, the harsher his claim becomes.”Her words settle over me like frost. “So if I love Kaelen…”She looks up sharply. “He feels it. And he punishes you for it.”I stare at her, the truth slicing deep. “He’s miles away. How could he possibly—”The healer lifts a small iron bowl, tilts it toward the light. Inside, a mixture of ash and blood pulses faintly, as though alive. “Blood remembers. It doesn’t need distance or time. The ritual Rael performed ties your life force to his through three anchors…”“Blood, possession
Selene’s POVMorning crawls in slow, cruel light. The sheets around me are still tangled from the night before, holding the faint heat of Kaelen’s body. I should feel calm, maybe even safe—but instead, there’s a strange pulse beneath my skin, a slow, searing throb that builds with every breath.At first, I thought it was guilt. Maybe the weight of what we did, what I allowed myself to feel, is pressing down on me. But then the ache turns sharper—like a hot wire coiling through my veins.I roll onto my side and bite my lip to stop a cry. The air feels heavy. Kaelen’s scent lingers on the pillow, clean and wild, and just thinking of him makes the pain flare. It spreads from my chest to my shoulders, down my arms, until my whole body trembles.Something inside me snaps.My skin burns. I claw at the sheets, gasping.“Selene?” Kaelen’s voice cuts through the haze. He’s half-dressed, standing by the window. The moment his eyes meet mine, the pain doubles. It’s as if his very presence feeds







