CHAPTER 5: THE BOND THAT BURNS

Selene’s POV

The storm came the night after I saved him. The sky tore open in flashes of silver, the kind of thunder that shook bones and rattled walls. I couldn’t sleep.

Every time lightning struck, I saw his face again—half-lit, pale, and too full of words I didn’t want to hear.

The pack house was quiet. Everyone had gone to rest after the attack. Only the faint scent of smoke lingered in the hallways, mixed with the familiar musk of pine and rain.

My old room was still the same. The soft curtains I had chosen years ago still hung by the window, the bed neatly made, the faint outline of my life frozen in time. They hadn’t erased me completely.

I stood there for a long while, tracing my fingers along the edge of the vanity, until I caught sight of something tucked beneath the mirror.

A photo.

It was of us—taken by one of the Omegas during the pack’s summer festival. I was smiling, genuine and bright, and he was looking at me like I was his entire world.

But that was before she came back. Before everything fell apart.

The thunder cracked again, and I placed the photo face down.

A knock came at the door. Soft, hesitant.

I already knew who it was before I spoke. “It’s late, Arden.”

The door creaked open. He stood there, wrapped in a robe, his chest bandaged but his posture still strong. His golden eyes glowed faintly in the dim light.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said.

I turned away. “That makes two of us.”

He lingered at the doorway, uncertain. It was strange seeing him unsure—he was always so controlled, so composed. But tonight, the edges of his armor were cracked.

“May I come in?” he asked finally.

I hesitated, then nodded once.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The air seemed to tighten, the silence thick between us.

“I thought you’d left,” he said quietly.

“I should have.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

I met his gaze. “Because I’m weak.”

He flinched at that, pain flickering in his eyes. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

“Not strong enough to stop loving you once,” I said, voice low.

For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. The rain outside softened, turning into a steady rhythm that matched the pulse in my chest.

Arden took a slow step closer. “Selene, about what happened before—”

“Don’t,” I cut in sharply. “Don’t ruin what little peace I’ve managed to find.”

He stopped, exhaling shakily. “You think peace comes from running away?”

“I think it comes from survival.”

He moved closer again, until only a few feet separated us. I could feel the heat of his body, the pull of the bond—faint but insistent, like a whisper I couldn’t silence.

“I didn’t stop caring for you,” he said, voice raw. “I thought letting you go would protect you.”

“Protect me?” I let out a bitter laugh. “You shattered me. You made me believe I was enough, then handed me to the dark like I was nothing.”

He looked stricken. “Selene—”

“No.” My voice broke. “You don’t get to speak like that now. You don’t get to call my name like it still belongs to you.”

The air thickened. I could feel my wolf stirring beneath my skin, restless and conflicted. He was too close, too familiar, too dangerous.

But when I tried to move past him, he caught my wrist—gentle, trembling.

“Please,” he whispered. “Just listen.”

The bond flared instantly, a surge of warmth shooting through my veins. The room seemed to hum with it, the invisible thread between us alive again.

I tried to pull away, but the pull was stronger.

The thunder outside rolled again, and suddenly I was back in that memory—the last night before everything ended. The warmth of his arms, the sound of his heartbeat, the way he said my name like a vow.

“Why now?” I asked quietly. “Why say these things after it’s too late?”

He swallowed hard. “Because I thought I could live without you. And I was wrong.”

His honesty broke something in me. I’d imagined hearing those words a thousand times, but never like this—raw, stripped of pride.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” I said, voice trembling.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness,” he replied. “I’m asking for a chance to prove I deserve it.”

Our eyes met, and for a second, the storm outside faded. The bond pulsed again, harder this time, wrapping around my heart like it remembered what it was made for.

I hated it. I needed it.

Without thinking, I whispered, “You can’t fix what you destroyed, Arden.”

He stepped closer still, his breath brushing my temple. “Then let me build something new.”

The air between us snapped with energy—the bond reigniting, wild and uncontrollable. My wolf trembled under my skin, torn between fury and longing.

I didn’t realize tears had fallen until he brushed one away with his thumb. His touch was warm, and I hated that it still felt like home.

“Don’t,” I whispered.

“Tell me to stop,” he said, voice breaking.

I should have. I should have said the words and ended it. But the truth was, part of me didn’t want to.

Because no matter how much I fought it, the bond was alive—and it was burning us both.

So I didn’t answer.

And he didn’t wait.

His lips brushed my forehead, soft and lingering. Not a claim, not a plea—just a reminder. Of what once was. Of what still lived between us.

When he finally pulled back, I saw the truth written in his eyes.

He was still mine. And I was still his.

But love wasn’t enough this time.

“I can’t stay,” I said, stepping back.

He didn’t stop me. His jaw tightened, but he nodded, voice rough. “Then go. But if the bond ever calls again—”

I turned to him, heart heavy. “It already did.”

And then I left, slipping into the night as the storm eased, the scent of rain and memory following me down the hall.

Outside, the moon broke through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the snow. I looked up, whispering to the Goddess, “Don’t make me love him again unless there’s a reason.”

But deep down, I already knew—

fate wasn’t done with us yet.

Arden’s POV

I stood there long after she was gone. The echo of her presence clung to the air like smoke—familiar, intoxicating, impossible to erase.

She said she couldn’t stay. I believed her. But the bond had other plans. I could feel it now, stronger than before, humming beneath my skin like wildfire.

And for the first time in months, I wasn’t afraid of it.

Because if the Moon still bound us… then maybe She was giving me one last chance to make things right.