Bound by the Moon

Chapter 36

The sky was thick with the remnants of twilight, bruised with hues of deep purple and red as the sun dipped below the horizon. Astrid stood at the edge of the forest, her heart hammering in her chest, the weight of anticipation pressing heavily on her shoulders. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the scent of pine and earth, but there was an underlying tension in the air—something dark and electric that set her nerves on edge.

Lucien stood beside her, his presence steady and grounding, though his silence spoke volumes. She could feel the tension radiating off him, his protective instincts warring with the uncertainty that had been gnawing at him ever since Kael had arrived. His golden eyes were sharp, watching the tree line with an intensity that made her stomach twist.

Kael was late.

"He's testing us," Lucien muttered under his breath, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Making us wait."

Astrid glanced at him, sensing the frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior. "Maybe he's just being careful," she said, though the words sounded hollow, even to her. She didn't trust Kael any more than Lucien did, but she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was about to happen, it was important—necessary.

The rustle of leaves broke the silence, and both she and Lucien tensed as Kael emerged from the shadows of the forest. His tall, imposing figure seemed to blend into the twilight, his cold blue eyes catching the dying light as he approached them with measured steps. There was something predatory about his movements, something that made Astrid's skin prickle with unease.

"You're ready," Kael said, his voice low and steady, as though the statement was more for him than for her.

Astrid nodded, though her heart was racing. She wasn't sure if she was truly ready for whatever was about to happen, but she had no choice. The shadow inside her had been growing, whispering at the edges of her mind, and she knew she needed to understand it—to control it—before it consumed her.

Kael's gaze shifted to Lucien, a brief, unreadable look passing between them. "This isn't going to be easy," he said, addressing both of them now. "The shadow is a part of her, but it's also something... ancient. Powerful. It's not just a presence; it's a force. One that can either be harnessed or let loose."

Lucien's jaw tightened. "And you're so sure she can control it?"

Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his cold blue eyes back to Astrid, studying her with an intensity that made her feel exposed. "That's what we're about to find out."

Astrid swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. She could feel the weight of their expectations pressing down on her—the expectation that she would either succeed or become a danger, not just to herself, but to everyone around her.

Kael took a step closer, his gaze never leaving hers. "Shadows are different from the bonds we know," he began, his voice calm but edged with something darker, more serious. "They aren't like the connection you have with your wolf, or the pack bond. Shadows are... older. They're primal forces, tied to the deepest parts of the world—parts that were never meant to be controlled by mortals. They exist in the spaces between light and dark, where nature's rules don't apply."

Astrid's chest tightened as Kael's words washed over her. The cold, creeping presence inside her had always felt unnatural, as though it didn't belong to the world she knew. Now, hearing Kael describe it, she realized just how little she understood what she was dealing with.

"How do I control it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kael's expression hardened. "You don't control it, Astrid. Not directly. You learn to coexist with it, to harness its power when you need it, but it's not something you can ever fully tame. Shadows aren't like wolves—they don't follow, they don't submit. They're chaos."