The night air was thick with tension. The moon hung heavy in the sky, silver light pooling across the pack's ceremonial grounds like spilled milk. Members of the Redfang Pack lined the ancient stone circle, murmuring among themselves, unsure whether to kneel or run.
At the center of it all stood Kael and Seren—mere inches apart.
"Alpha," Elder Thorne rasped, stepping forward with his staff. "If this is truly your fated mate returned… the bond must be tested. The fire must answer."
Kael's jaw tightened. "This is unnecessary—"
"It's tradition," the Elder cut him off coldly. "And prophecy demands proof."
Seren didn't flinch. "Fine. Let the fire answer."
The fire pit was an old ritual, lit only for alpha-bound unions or executions. A sacred blaze that revealed truth. If the fire burned blue, the bond was real. If it burned black… rejection still ruled.
A whisper rippled through the pack as the ceremonial fire was lit.
Kael stepped forward first, slicing a shallow cut across his palm with the obsidian blade. Blood dropped onto the flame, hissing.
Then Seren. Her fingers trembled only slightly as she offered her blood to the same fire.
For a moment, nothing happened. The flames flickered yellow, then orange—
Then surged violently into a spiral of white and blue.
Gasps echoed. The flame shot upward like a beacon, then exploded outward in a ring of glowing ash. The bond was not just real. It was awakening.
Kael took a staggering step back. Seren clutched her chest, the mark beneath her collarbone glowing faintly.
The bond was fighting to reconnect—on its own.
⸻
Kael turned sharply, voice cold but uneven. "This doesn't change anything. I made my choice. That doesn't erase what I've done."
"Maybe not," Seren said, voice quieter now. "But the fire says your heart lied."
The crowd remained silent.
Elder Thorne stepped forward again, eyes narrowed. "This is no ordinary bond. The Moonblood curse lives in her veins. And you rejected that gift once. The council will reconvene. You're both to remain within Redfang territory until the trial."
Kael's voice dropped into a snarl. "Trial?"
"The prophecy must be examined. And bonds this volatile must be… studied."
Seren's eyes locked on Kael's. "Looks like we're stuck with each other. Again."
Kael didn't answer. He didn't need to.
The heat of the fire had already settled deep in his chest.
And for the first time in years… it didn't feel like guilt.
The fire died down, but the heat clung to Kael's skin like a second layer. Every nerve was on edge. He turned his back on the circle, his voice sharp. "Disperse."
The pack hesitated.
"I said go."
That time, they obeyed.
The crowd melted away in uneasy silence, though whispers trailed behind them like smoke. The Elders didn't move—especially Elder Thorne, who stared at the dying flame as though he could still see the prophecy swirling within it.
Only Seren remained still. Rooted. Unshaken.
Kael hated how calm she looked. Like she knew something he didn't.
"Come," he ordered, voice low.
"To where?" she asked, crossing her arms.
He turned toward her, eyes shadowed. "You're staying at the manor."
A scoff. "You want me under your roof now?"
"I want you safe," he growled. "The council will tear you apart with questions. They'll probe your bloodline. They'll use your return to destabilize the pack."
She took a step forward, defiant. "And you think I can't handle it?"
"No," he said quietly. "I think I can't. If anything happens to you…"
He trailed off.
That admission hung between them—unexpected, raw.
⸻
💥 Back at the Manor…
The manor had never felt more suffocating.
Kael paced the great hall while Seren stood at the far window, arms folded.
"So you still live in a castle," she said, breaking the silence.
"It's not a castle. It's… history."
She turned to him. "We were history."
Kael looked up sharply. "Were we?"
She stepped closer. "You rejected me, Kael. You howled your rejection under a Blood Moon. Do you know what that does to a girl's heart?"
He winced, guilt flashing in his eyes. "I thought I was protecting you."
"Liar," she whispered.
And he didn't deny it.
⸻
A silence stretched.
He moved to the bar, pouring himself something dark and dangerous. He didn't offer her a drink.
"I didn't want you to get pulled into my mess," he said finally. "There were threats. My father's enemies. My mother's prophecy. Everyone wanted me to mate for power. Not love."
Seren's voice cracked. "So you threw me away to become powerful."
Kael's voice was a whisper. "No. I threw you away so I wouldn't destroy you."
They stared at each other like a war was still happening in the space between them.
And then—
A flicker of pain crossed Seren's face. She staggered.
Kael rushed forward. "Seren?"
She fell to her knees, hands gripping the edge of the fireplace. Her eyes glowed faint silver—Moonblood shimmer.
Her voice was strained. "Something's happening to me…"
Kael caught her, one arm around her waist, holding her upright.
"We need to call the council," he said urgently.
"No," she gasped. "They'll lock me away."
"Then tell me what to do!"
Her eyes found his. And the glow faded slowly.
"Just… hold me."
So he did.
And in that moment—rage, prophecy, rejection and all—he didn't feel like an Alpha. He felt like a man.
One who had already lost her once.
And couldn't afford to lose her again.
The fire in the hearth crackled softly, the only sound in the room as Kael held her. His grip wasn't tight, but it wasn't loose either. It was careful. Controlled. But she could feel the tremble in his fingers—he was barely holding himself together.
"I'm fine," Seren said after a long moment. Her voice was raw. She leaned away, forcing space between them, though part of her ached to stay in the warmth of his arms.
"You're not fine," Kael muttered. "You just had a full Moonblood reaction."
"I've had worse," she lied.
He stared at her. "When did it start?"
She hesitated.
"When you came back? Before?"
"Before," she admitted. "But it's getting stronger now. Being here… it's like everything is waking up."
His jaw clenched. "Then we need to prepare for what comes next."
"I'm not afraid of my power."
"I'm not afraid of your power either," he said, voice low. "I'm afraid of what the council will do with it. Especially now that they know you're here."
She swallowed. "You think they'll exile me?"
"I think they'll try to bind you. Use you. Or kill you."
Her breath hitched.
Kael rose, beginning to pace again. "I know Thorne. He's been against the old ways for years. He doesn't want prophecy. He wants control."
"And what do you want, Kael?" she asked softly.
He stopped pacing.
For a long moment, he didn't answer. Then:
"I don't know anymore."
⸻
🌒 Outside the Manor…
A raven landed on the stone railing outside Kael's window—black as coal, eyes glowing faint violet.
Kael spotted it instantly.
"No," he whispered.
"What is it?" Seren asked, stepping beside him.
He didn't answer. He just opened the window and retrieved the sealed letter tied to the raven's leg.
His hand shook as he read the parchment.
The seal was broken. The ink glowed faintly red.
"Kael?" Seren's voice turned sharper. "What is it?"
He folded the letter, eyes distant.
"The council has summoned me at dawn. Alone."
Seren's brow furrowed. "And you're going?"
"If I don't," he said, "they'll come here."
"And if they do?" she asked. "You think I can't protect myself?"
Kael turned to her, his voice like flint. "This isn't just about you. If they fear you, they'll move against the whole pack. Blood will spill. And I won't risk another war."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Kael added, softer, "Not again."
⸻
That Night…
Seren lay awake in the guest wing of the manor, staring at the moon through the tall window. Her fingers brushed the mark on her chest — the bond mark. It had faded once. Died when Kael rejected her.
But now… it pulsed faintly with warmth.
Not control. Not fate.
Something closer to… possibility.
She turned to her side, eyes heavy, body sore from the flare earlier. But her mind burned with one thought.
Kael still cares.
And maybe, just maybe—he regrets everything.
But would that be enough?
Because the prophecy wasn't just about love rekindled.
It was about blood.
And tomorrow, something would be demanded.
The night air was thick with tension. The moon hung heavy in the sky, silver light pooling across the pack's ceremonial grounds like spilled milk. Shadows slithered between the stones like ghosts trying to remember their names.
Members of the Redfang Pack lined the ancient stone circle, whispering among themselves—torn between reverence and fear. No one knew whether to kneel or flee.
At the center of it all stood Kael and Seren—mere inches apart.
Their bond buzzed in the air, electric and ancient, as if the Moon herself had paused to bear witness.
"Alpha," Elder Thorne rasped, stepping forward with his staff, the silver head glinting under moonlight. "If this is truly your fated mate returned… the bond must be tested. The fire must answer."
Kael's jaw clenched. "This is unnecessary—"
"It's tradition," Thorne cut him off coldly. "And prophecy demands proof. You forget the old ways, Alpha."
Seren didn't flinch. Her voice was calm, sharp like a drawn blade. "Fine. Let the fire answer."
🔥 The Test of Fire
The ceremonial fire pit stood at the heart of the stone circle. It was rarely lit—reserved for sacred mating rituals, executions, or divine judgments. It was said to speak the will of the Moon through flame.
If the fire burned blue, the bond was sacred—undeniable.
If it burned black, the bond had been severed by rejection.
If it burned white, the Moon had intervened.
Kael stepped forward first. He took the obsidian blade from the Elder and sliced a shallow cut across his palm. His blood sizzled as it hit the waiting flame. It sparked yellow.
Then Seren. Her hands didn't tremble. Not now. She'd bled before this pack once, on her knees. This time, she bled standing tall.
She let her blood fall into the fire.
A beat. Then another. The flames licked upward, orange, then gold—then something ancient stirred.
The blaze surged violently, twisting into a cyclone of glowing white and blazing blue. A ring of fire exploded outward in a circle, stopping inches before the nearest pack members. A collective gasp broke from the crowd.
The flame wasn't just burning blue. It was singing.
It flared upward like a divine signal, the heat whipping their cloaks and eyes. Embers danced skyward, trailing sparks that formed the shape of twin wolves intertwined—howling at the Moon.
The bond was real.
And it was awakening.
Kael staggered backward. Seren's hand flew to her chest—the mark under her collarbone now glowing softly. Her breath hitched as something ancient whispered through her bones.
The bond wasn't just reconnecting.
It was calling her.
⚖️ The Sentence
The fire dimmed. But the silence was heavier than before.
Elder Thorne stepped forward, face grim. "This is no ordinary bond. The Moonblood curse still lives in her veins. And this Alpha rejected it once. A bond like this cannot go unchecked."
He raised his staff.
"I summon the council to trial. At dawn, we shall judge the bond and the prophecy that surrounds it."
Kael growled. "You're not putting her on trial."
Thorne's eyes flashed silver. "This is not a choice. The Moon chose her. You cast her out. And now she returns… changed. This bond affects all of us."
Seren's voice was low. "Looks like we're stuck with each other. Again."
Kael didn't answer.
The heat of the fire had already settled deep in his chest.
And for the first time in seven years… it didn't feel like guilt.
🏛 Back at the Manor
The manor loomed ahead like a judgment in stone.
Kael threw open the door, motioning for Seren to enter. She stepped inside slowly, absorbing the familiar details—the carved railing, the mosaic tile she once adored, the smell of pine and stone.
"So you still live in a castle," she said without looking at him.
"It's not a castle," Kael muttered. "It's tradition."
She turned. "We were tradition."
Kael looked up sharply. "Were we?"
She stepped closer. "You howled your rejection under a Blood Moon. You condemned me in front of everyone. Do you know what that does to a girl's soul?"
His voice cracked. "I thought I was protecting you."
"Liar."
He didn't deny it.
He poured himself a drink and stared out the window like it held answers. "There were threats. Expectations. The prophecy my mother left said I'd destroy the one I loved most. I thought… if I let you go, I'd save you."
Her voice faltered. "So you chose your fear over me."
Silence.
Then—her knees buckled.
Kael rushed forward just in time to catch her.
Her body shook. Her eyes turned silver-blue, a shimmer trailing across her skin. Her veins pulsed with light.
"Seren!" Kael shouted, holding her upright.
"It's the Moonblood," she gasped. "The bond is waking everything up."
He cradled her closer, panic creeping into his voice. "We need a healer."
"No," she said, trembling. "No council. No binders. Just… hold me."
So he did.
And in that moment—under chandeliers and old scars—he didn't feel like an Alpha.
He felt like a man who had already lost everything once.
And couldn't bear to lose it again.
🦅 The Raven's Omen
Later that night, a black raven landed on the manor's balcony railing—its eyes glowing faint violet.
Kael spotted it instantly.
"No," he muttered.
Seren joined him at the window. "What is it?"
Kael removed the scroll tied to the raven's leg. The seal was deep red—Council ink.
He read the parchment slowly, then crushed it in his fist.
"They've summoned me. At dawn. Alone."
Seren's eyes narrowed. "And you're going?"
"If I don't… they'll come here. And they won't come alone."
Seren touched his wrist. "You think I'm still weak?"
Kael's eyes burned into hers. "No. I think they fear your strength."
🌘 Midnight Thoughts
That night, Seren lay in the old guest chamber, the Moon casting light on the floor like silver threads.
She traced the mark above her heart—the place where the bond used to throb.
Now… it whispered again.
Not chains.
Not destiny.
Just possibility.
She closed her eyes. Not for sleep.
But for clarity.
Because tomorrow, something would be demanded.
And she didn't know yet whether it would be her blood…
Or her heart.