All Chapters of Bound by blood and the moonlight: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The smell of bleach and damp wood clung to the walls of the house, like it had soaked into the bones of the place.I’d learned not to breathe too deeply — too much air meant too much noise, and noise got you noticed.“You’re late,” she hissed from the kitchen doorway. The woman I was forced to call “Mother” leaned against the frame, fingers tapping a chipped mug. Her eyes, cold and pale, slid over me like she was counting flaws. “The market closes at six. We can’t have people asking questions.”I kept my gaze on the floor and held out the bag. The bread inside was still warm. I’d run the whole way back, lungs burning. “They were short-staffed.” My voice came out too soft, like it belonged to someone else.She took the bag without thanks, without even looking at me again, and disappeared into the kitchen.Somewhere deeper in the house, he was moving. Heavy boots on warped floorboards — the sound that made my stomach twist.I headed for the stairs, praying I could make it to the attic b

I couldn’t breathe.One second, the market was just noise and strangers. The next, I was drowning in them.Three men. All different, but each staring at me like I was the answer to a question they’d been asking for years.The first one — tall, broad, eyes like molten gold — looked like he could shatter the world if I asked him to. The second, leaner with silver eyes, studied me like he was memorizing every move I made. And the third… the third’s gaze was so dark it was almost dangerous, like he could drag me under just by looking too long.My chest tightened. Something inside me — something I didn’t understand — reached for them. The same way a starving person reached for food. The same way a drowning person reached for air.I yanked my hood back up and bolted.The crowd blurred around me as I shoved past people, heart hammering, lungs burning. But it wasn’t enough. I could feelthem behind me — not chasing, exactly, but pulling at me. A thread wrapped around my ribs, dragging me close

By the time I reached the house, my chest ached from running. The market’s noise still rang in my ears, but it was the memory of them that had me off-balance. Three strangers. Three… whatever they were. And the way they’d looked at me — like they already owned pieces of me I’d never given. I shoved the thought down before I could feel that strange, magnetic pull again. The front door creaked as I stepped inside. The air was thick with the scent of burnt coffee and damp wood. He was on the couch, boots kicked up, a beer in his hand. His gaze slid to me immediately. “You’re late,” he said. The woman — her — stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Her eyes swept over me in a way that made my skin itch. “Something’s different,” she said, voice low. My pulse jumped. “Nothing’s different. The market was crowded.” She stepped closer, tilting her head like a bird sizing up prey. “Your eyes…” She narrowed them, and I realized too late that I was breathing too h

The smell of fear hit me first. It leaked through the cracks in the door, sharp and sour, mixing with Amelia’s scent until it made my wolf bristle. She was in there. I could hear her heartbeat — fast, uneven, fighting to steady itself. I hit the door again, shoulder-first, feeling the old wood strain. Jason was to my left, eyes narrowed, ready to break the lock with a thought if I gave the word. Dimitri stood behind us, still as a statue, but every line of his body was coiled tight. “They’re armed,” Jason murmured, his gaze flicking toward the inside. “One weapon. Old shotgun. Male’s holding it.” “I’ll take it from him,” I growled. “No,” Dimitri said, voice low but edged with command. “We go in, we control the pace. We’re here for her, not to spill unnecessary blood.” My hands flexed at my sides. Unnecessary was the key word. I could think of a dozen reasons why breaking that man in half was very necessary. But I’d follow Dimitri’s lead — for now. Inside, I heard the man’s voi

The smell of blood still clung to the air, sharp and metallic, even as silence settled over the broken cabin. I stood just inside the threshold, my hand still clenched around the hilt of my blade, every sense straining toward the girl. Amelia. She was smaller than I imagined she’d be, her eyes wide and unyielding despite the fear that trembled beneath them. Power shimmered faintly around her, like the aftertaste of lightning in a storm, and it called to something primal inside me. The bond tugged, relentless and insistent, and I hated how much I felt it already. “Secure the perimeter,” I ordered, my voice low but sharp. Jason was at my side instantly, moving with the same precision I’d drilled into him for years. Mateo lingered near Amelia, too close, his golden gaze watching her like she was prey and salvation all at once. “Dimitri,” Jason murmured as he passed me, “we need to move before more arrive.” He was right. The kidnappers would not have worked alone. Yet my gaze r