The ground trembled.
Not violently—no.
It was worse than that.
It was alive.
Kaelen dropped to one knee as the pulse beneath the forest surged again, a low, ancient thrum that echoed through his bones. Roots twisted. Stones cracked. The Blood Moon above burned brighter, its crimson light spilling through the branches like spilled wine.
His wolf howled inside him.
Run. Kill. Protect the pack.
Kaelen clenched his teeth and forced himself upright. His golden eyes snapped to Lorien.
"You said you came to stop this," Kaelen growled. "So start talking. Now."
Lorien stood unnervingly still, eyes fixed on the glowing sigils slowly carving themselves into the forest floor. Ancient runes—older than any language Kaelen knew—rose like scars across the earth.
"The Heart-Seal," Lorien said quietly. "I was afraid of this."
Kaelen's chest tightened. "Speak plainly, vampire."
Lorien finally turned to face him. For the first time, the weight of centuries showed in his expression—weariness layered beneath cold control.
"This land was once a prison," Lorien said. "Long before wolves ruled these forests. Long before vampires drank blood beneath the stars."
Another tremor rippled through the ground.
Kaelen felt it then—something vast shifting far below, stretching, waking.
"A god?" Kaelen asked darkly.
Lorien's lips pressed into a thin line. "A curse given a heartbeat."
Kaelen swore under his breath.
The forest groaned as a fissure split open between them, crimson light bleeding from the crack. Heat washed over Kaelen's skin, sharp and wrong. His scars burned silver-hot.
Lorien moved instantly.
He stepped in front of Kaelen.
Protectively.
The realization hit Kaelen harder than the tremor.
"Don't," Kaelen snapped. "I don't need—"
A wave of corrupted magic slammed into them.
Lorien threw an arm out, a barrier of blood-red sigils flaring into existence. The impact sent both of them skidding backward. Kaelen crashed into a tree, bark splintering beneath his shoulders.
Pain exploded through him.
Before he could recover, Lorien was there—hands gripping his arms, impossibly cold, impossibly steady.
"Stay with me," Lorien said sharply.
Their faces were inches apart.
Kaelen could see it now—the faint cracks in Lorien's composure, the tension in his jaw, the raw focus in his eyes.
"You risked yourself," Kaelen muttered.
Lorien's gaze flicked to his lips before he caught himself.
"I told you," he said quietly. "I don't need your trust. But I will not let you die tonight."
The Blood Moon pulsed again.
A symbol ignited on Kaelen's chest—silver-blue, blazing like a brand.
Lorien froze.
His breath hitched.
"That mark…" he whispered.
Kaelen gasped as heat and cold collided inside him, moonlight and blood magic spiraling together. His wolf roared—not in fury, but recognition.
"What is it?" Kaelen demanded.
Lorien swallowed.
"A binding," he said. "Forged by the Blood Moon itself."
Kaelen's heart slammed against his ribs. "Binding to what?"
Lorien met his gaze, voice low and unshaken despite the storm around them.
"To me."
Silence crashed between them—heavy, irreversible.
The ground stilled.
The runes dimmed.
As if satisfied.
Above them, the Blood Moon slowly began to fade.
And Kaelen knew—deep in his soul—that this was no accident.
This curse had chosen them both.