All Chapters of Bound by Moonfire: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Liora had been avoiding him for days.She’d convinced herself it was for her own good—space to sort her thoughts, space to push down the bond that tugged at her at all hours. But the truth was more straightforward and far more dangerous.She wasn’t sure she could look at Cael without asking questions she wasn’t ready to hear the answers to.Questions Hale had planted like thorns in her mind.The morning started cold and clear. The kind of crisp autumn air that usually sharpened her senses. But today it only felt heavy. The sky above Crescent’s training yard was pale and washed out, clouds holding back the promise of snow. Wolves moved across the yard in steady drills, the sound of blades striking wood echoing in a disciplined rhythm.She’d hoped the drills would be a distraction.Instead, the sight of him broke through all her carefully built distance.Cael stood near the far edge of the yard, speaking to Maren and Kade. His posture was as rigid as ever—shoulders straight, voice low—b

Kade didn't bother knocking before stepping into Cael's quarters.That alone told him it was going to be one of those mornings.Cael looked up from the table where he'd been reviewing patrol logs, his wolf pacing restlessly beneath his skin. The last two days had been tense—too tense. Liora had avoided him, and though he'd given her space, the bond throbbed with the absence like a pulled muscle."Speak," Cael said, setting the log aside."You're wanted in the council chamber," Kade replied, leaning against the doorframe. His tone was deceptively casual. "Elias called an unscheduled meeting. And before you ask—" his pale gray eyes narrowed—"yes, it's about her."The bond pulled at the sound, tightening in his chest. "Liora?""Who else?" Kade pushed away from the door. "The elders are getting louder. They're questioning her place here. And by extension, yours."Cael's jaw tightened. He had expected whispers. He hadn't expected this to escalate so soon.The Crescent council chamber was c

Kade didn’t speak until they were well away from the Crescent council chamber.That alone was enough to put Cael on edge.The Beta’s silence wasn’t casual—it was deliberate. The kind of measured quiet that meant he was weighing every word before he let it out.Finally, when they reached the outer corridor where the stone walls opened into a narrow terrace, Kade stopped walking. He leaned against the railing, folding his arms, pale eyes sharp on Cael.“You really know how to make friends,” Kade said.Cael’s jaw tightened. “I wasn’t there to make friends.”“No,” Kade said evenly. “You were there to throw yourself headfirst into Crescent politics with no exit strategy.”Cael turned to look out at the training yard below. The warriors moved like pieces on a board—organized, precise, all following rules that kept them from tearing each other apart. But politics wasn’t like the training yard. There were no rules.“They were questioning her loyalty,” Cael said. “I’m not going to stand there

Liora didn’t plan to confront him tonight. She told herself she’d wait. That she’d give herself time to think, to choose her words carefully. But the longer the day wore on, the more the bond pulled taut in her chest, demanding something she wasn’t sure she could keep holding back. And then she saw him. Standing near the eastern wall, the pale light of dusk throwing his face into shadow, his storm-gray eyes scanning the camp. Watching. Waiting. For her. Her wolf pressed forward instantly, restless and insistent. She crossed the yard before she could talk herself out of it. “Cael,” she said, her voice sharper than she intended. His gaze shifted to her, that quiet focus locking onto her like it had from the first moment they met. “Liora.” His voice was low, steady, but she could hear the tension in it. “You’ve been moving pieces,” she said. His brows lifted slightly, though he didn’t look surprised. “Have I?” “You know you have. Patrol assignments. Training rotations. Thing

Liora's POVThe morning after was colder than most.Liora told herself she’d sleep, that exhaustion would finally quiet the bond humming steadily in her chest. But sleep had been shallow, restless. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt it again—the weight of his hands, the sound of his voice saying her name like it meant something more profound than the bond could explain.And every time she woke, the truth pressed heavier against her ribs.Everything had changed.Crescent camp felt different the moment she stepped outside her quarters.It wasn’t loud—no accusations, no open challenge—but she could feel it in the air. Wolves who would normally pass her without a glance now lingered. Conversations softened as she walked by, voices dipping just enough to make it clear she was the unspoken subject.Her wolf prowled uneasily, tail flicking low.They didn’t know the details.But they could feel it.At training, the change was sharper.A week ago, she’d been quietly shifted to the edges