Lahat ng Kabanata ng Bound by blood and the moonlight: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The world shattered into chaos.One second, Mateo was standing in front of me, every inch of him coiled muscle and fury. The next, something burst from the shadows—a monster with silver eyes and teeth like knives. It struck with a speed that didn’t seem real, slamming into him with enough force to shake the earth.I screamed, but the sound was drowned out by the clash of steel and the guttural roars that filled the night. Mateo held his ground, snarling, his blade flashing as he fought back. The thing was enormous, its body moving with a predator’s grace, too fast, too strong.Jason pulled me back, his grip iron around my arm. “Stay behind me!”I wanted to, I really did, but my eyes refused to leave Mateo. He was swallowed by shadows and silver glints of light, his growls blending with the beast’s in a blur of violence. My heart hammered, not just with fear, but with something sharper. Something I couldn’t name.Dimitri stepped forward, his presence a storm barely contained. His sword

I couldn’t breathe. Every sound of the fight echoed inside me—steel against claw, the guttural snarls, the crack of bone. I pressed back against Jason, his presence steady as stone, but even his calm couldn’t still the storm inside me. The silver-eyed creature wasn’t just fighting. It was hunting. And I knew, with a certainty that hollowed me out, that it was hunting me. Its gaze kept finding me, even in the chaos. Every lunge, every shift in the battle, curved back toward me like a compass drawn north. I wanted to hide, to make myself small, but my body betrayed me. My legs trembled, my chest burned, and I couldn’t look away. Mateo fought like fire, wild and unrelenting, every strike fueled by rage and something far more dangerous. His body was already marked by the clash—blood slicking his arm, a gash across his cheek—but still he refused to yield. He was a shield made of fury, and for me, he would break himself if it meant I lived. Dimitri was different. He moved with precisi

The beast pressed against my blade, its strength monstrous, inhuman. My arms trembled under the force, my muscles screaming, but I held. Always hold. Always steady. If I broke now, she was gone. Amelia’s gasp cut through the chaos behind me, thin and terrified, and it fueled me like fire in my veins. The bond pulsed sharp in my chest, urging me forward, whispering one truth louder than all the snarls and screams—protect her. With a roar, I shoved upward, knocking the beast back just enough to breathe. Its silver eyes burned, fixed not on me, but on the girl cowering behind my back. My girl. Our mate. Not while I lived. The predator lunged again, faster this time. My blade met it in a flash, sparks bursting in the dark as steel scraped against claw. The impact drove me to one knee, dirt biting into my skin, but I locked my grip and refused to yield. I was stone. I was the wall it could not break. “Jason!” Dimitri’s voice snapped through the fight, sharp and commanding. Out of the

The world was too quiet. The monster’s scream still echoed in my ears, but the forest had gone still, holding its breath. My own chest heaved, the memory of that blinding heat still sparking beneath my skin. My hands trembled, glowing faintly in the moonlight, like the power hadn’t completely left me. “What… what was that?” I whispered, though no one answered right away. Jason’s arm was firm around me, steady despite the blood soaking his side. His chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, but his grip never loosened. He held me as if letting go meant I’d vanish into the shadows. Mateo was the first to speak. His voice was rough, low, and shaken in a way I’d never heard before. “You pushed it back.” His golden eyes burned with disbelief—and awe. “You… burned it.” My stomach flipped. I shook my head hard, as if denial could undo it. “No. I didn’t—I don’t—” “You did.” Dimitri’s voice cut sharp through the silence

Dimitri’s words cut sharper than claws.She’s dangerous.The phrase looped in my head, over and over, each repetition sinking deeper. I wrapped my arms around myself as if I could hold the pieces of me together, but the damage was done. I’d seen it in his eyes—fear, suspicion, a warning that I didn’t belong.And the worst part was, a piece of me believed him.Jason’s hand brushed against mine, steady, grounding. “Don’t listen to him,” he murmured. His voice was calm, but his jaw was set hard, anger simmering beneath the surface. “You saved us, Amelia. That matters.”I wanted to believe him. I wanted his words to wash away the sting, but Dimitri’s voice lingered louder than Jason’s reassurance.Mateo stalked ahead of us, blade still in his grip, shoulders tense. He glanced back, his golden eyes catching mine. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw something softer there—comfort, maybe. Then he looked away, muttering under his breath. “He’s wrong,” he said, not