Chapter 4 Bound by Blood and Moonlight

Chapter 4

The Blackthorn mansion slept under a silver dawn. Mist clung to the mountains like breath on glass, and every window shimmered with the faint pulse of warding runes. The air here hummed with power-old, patient, and protective.

Aurora stood by the tall arched window of her guest chamber, tracing a circle in the fogged glass. For the first time in her life, she wasn't waking to shouted orders or the clatter of dishes. The silence was almost frightening.

Below her, warriors trained in the courtyard. The rhythm of boots and swords felt more alive than the world she had known. Every sound whispered the same truth: she didn't belong here. Not yet.

The door opened behind her.

"You should eat," said a warm voice.

Aurora turned to see a young woman with honey-colored hair and kind eyes. She carried a tray of bread and berries. "I'm Mae. The Alpha told me to look after you."

Aurora forced a smile. "Thank you, but I'm not really hungry."

Mae hesitated. "You'll need strength. The healer says the bond drained you more than it should have."

Aurora blinked. "The bond?"

Mae looked away quickly, realizing she'd said too much. "Everyone felt it last night. When the Alpha brought you home, half the pack woke from sleep. They felt the Luna's call."

Luna. The word slid down Aurora's spine like heat and ice at once.

"I'm not-" she started, but Mae only smiled knowingly. "Eat," she said softly, and slipped from the room.

Aurora turned back to the window. Below, Damian crossed the courtyard, bare-armed and commanding as he gave orders to his guards. Even from here, she could sense his authority-steady, impossible to ignore.

When he glanced up, their eyes met through the glass. The air between them shifted. Aurora's heart jumped before she could look away.

⸻

An hour later, the door opened again, but it wasn't Mae this time.

A tall woman stepped in, draped in silk the color of wine. Her perfume filled the air-sweet, sharp, expensive. Her beauty was polished and deliberate.

"You must be the stray," she said coolly.

Aurora stiffened. "Excuse me?"

The woman smiled, a curve of red lips. "I'm Selene. Damian's partner."

The word landed like a slap. "Partner?"

Selene circled the room, her heels clicking softly on the marble. "You've caused quite the stir. The pack can smell him on you, you know. You should be careful. People might think you're trying to take what isn't yours."

"I didn't take anything," Aurora said quietly.

Selene stopped inches away, eyes narrowing. "Then stay out of his way. Damian and I have an understanding."

Aurora swallowed hard. "An understanding?"

Selene's smile thinned. "He's an Alpha. I'm the woman who keeps him sane. Whatever this little moon-bond fantasy is, it'll fade."

The words stung more than they should have. Aurora's wolf bristled inside her.

She lies, it whispered. He's ours.

Aurora clenched her fists. "You should tell him that, not me."

Selene's eyes flashed. For a moment, something feral broke through her poise. "You don't belong here, orphan. Don't forget whose roof you're under."

Then she was gone, leaving a trail of perfume and venom behind her.

Aurora pressed her palms to the cool windowpane until her heartbeat slowed. She told herself she didn't care who Damian's partner was. She barely knew him. But her wolf growled softly, refusing to agree.

⸻

Downstairs, Damian met with his council in the war room. Maps and holographic projections glowed across the table.

"We've confirmed movement along the eastern ridge," said his Beta, Kellan. "Rogues with Kane insignias. They're searching for something."

"Not something," Damian corrected, voice low. "Someone."

Kellan hesitated. "You think they know she's here?"

"They will soon."

He rubbed a hand across his jaw. Sleep had eluded him all night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her-Aurora's silver eyes under the moonlight, the mark glowing on her wrist. The pull between them burned even when she wasn't near.

The door opened and Selene walked in without knocking. "We need to talk."

Kellan shot Damian a look. "I'll give you privacy."

When the door closed, Damian leaned against the table. "You shouldn't interrupt council business."

Selene crossed her arms. "You brought a stranger into our home without asking me."

He raised a brow. "Our home?"

"Don't play games," she snapped. "People are talking. They think she's your mate."

"She is my mate."

The words came out before he could stop them. Selene froze, color draining from her face.

"Damian, you can't be serious."

"I didn't choose it," he said quietly. "The bond doesn't ask for permission."

Selene stepped closer, eyes glassy with anger. "After everything I've done for you-after years by your side-you're just going to throw it away because of some orphan girl?"

"This isn't about what you've done," Damian said. "You knew what this was. You wanted status. I gave it. But don't confuse loyalty with love."

Her slap came fast. He didn't move. The sound echoed off the stone walls.

"You'll regret this," she whispered, trembling. "She'll destroy everything."

Damian's gaze didn't waver. "If she does, then it was meant to burn."

Selene left without another word, her heels clicking like gunshots.

⸻

That evening, the sun dipped low over the valley. Aurora sat in the garden, tracing the veins of a moonflower that had opened at dusk. Its petals glowed faintly, alive with the same magic she felt humming under her skin.

Mae approached with a shawl. "It's getting cold."

Aurora accepted it gratefully. "Thank you."

"Everyone's talking about you," Mae admitted. "They say the Luna prophecy is waking."

Aurora looked up. "Prophecy?"

Mae hesitated. "The elders believe that when the white wolf returns, she'll unite the packs and end the blood feuds. They say her mark will glow like moonfire."

Aurora's fingers tightened around her wrist. The mark pulsed softly through the fabric of her sleeve.

Before she could reply, the air shifted. She felt him before she saw him.

Damian stepped into the garden, dressed in black, the last light of sunset gilding his features. Mae bowed quickly and slipped away.

"You shouldn't be alone out here," he said.

"I needed air," Aurora replied, keeping her gaze on the flowers.

"Selene spoke to you."

Aurora's lips parted in surprise. "You knew?"

"I could smell her perfume in your room."

She turned to him sharply. "So she is your girlfriend."

His jaw tightened. "She was a companion. Nothing more."

Aurora laughed softly, though there was no humor in it. "That's not what she thinks."

"She thinks many things," he said, stepping closer. "Most of them wrong."

Her pulse quickened. The space between them felt charged, every breath thick with unspoken words.

"Why did you bring me here, Damian?" she asked. "You don't even know me."

He looked at her for a long moment. "Because the moment I found you, my world stopped moving. Everything I've built, everything I've conquered-it means nothing if you're not in it."

The honesty in his voice disarmed her. She wanted to believe him, but fear clung to her ribs like chains.

"I don't know how to be whatever you think I am," she whispered.

"You don't have to be anything," he said. "Just... stay."

His hand lifted slowly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The touch was light, reverent, but it sent sparks down her spine. Her wolf purred, pushing against her skin, wanting to close the distance.

For a heartbeat, the world held its breath.

Then the alarm bells shattered the silence.