The Faltered Bond | Book #1 [Werewolf]

Chapter 32 | The Monster Within

Everything around us falls away—the fire, the screams, the chaos. All of it dulls into silence as my eyes lock with his.

His monstrous form trembles, breath ragged, muscles twitching like they’re barely holding together. But it’s his eyes that truly hook me—the way they shine through the horror, glinting green beneath the red, wide and pleading.

He lifts a hand—no, a clawed, bloodied limb—towards me, slow and uncertain. It shakes violently, fingers twitching like the movement itself is a war within him.

And in that moment, I see it. Not the monster. Not the grotesque shell twisted by pain or power or whatever hell the elves have dragged him through.

My heart sinks. He's utterly terrified.

A blur of dark red fur tears across my visionand then Jace's roar splits the air, raw and feral. He thrashes, limbs flailing in wild arcs as Ryder sinks his fangs deep into his shoulder, locking on with unrelenting force.

Snarling, eyes glowing like embers, Jace snaps at him in a frenzied attempt to break free, maw clicking audibly over the ongoing chaos. Then, with a guttural growl, he throws himself sideways—slamming Ryder into a nearby tree with bone-jarring impact.

Ryder finally dislodges, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud as Jace staggers forward, panting, blood now streaking down his head. Panic surges through me as I race to Ryder’s side, my paws skidding across ash and earth. His body trembles, convulsing violently before it begins to shift—limbs contorting, bones realigning until he lies sprawled in his human form.

My heart lurches, fearing the worse. I steady my head against his chest, relief washing through me as a shallow breathe fills his lungs. He's alive. Unconscious, but alive.

Another roar breaks through the clearing, urging me to turn just I time to whiteness Jace fighting a new wave of elven guards.

He stands several feet away, caught in the center of a storm, the guards crashing down upon him from all sides. He fights like a possessed beast, every swing of his arm landing with bone-crushing force, claws glinting like silver under the moonlight, too fast to follow, too powerful to stop.

But it’s not enough.

They keep coming. Arrows pierce his flesh, ripping into his fur wit relentless ire, spears jab at his limbs, his neck, his sides. He roars, staggering under the continuous assault, his monstrous form starting to falter beneath the weight of so many blows.

Without a second thought, I leap into the chaos and hurl myself into the fray.

My claws tear through the nearest guard, jaws snapping around the edge of his armor. I sink my teeth into the fabric, and with a sharp twist of my neck, I fling him against a tree. The sickening crack of bone against the hard wood is enough to confirm he won’t be getting anytime soon.

I whirl, eyes already locked on my next target.

Another guard lunges—spear aimed at my chest, screaming with fury. The blade slices through air, barely missing my snout as I scury backward. He jabs again, faster this time, swaying with trained precision.

But I’m faster.

With one powerful sweep of my tail, I catch his legs and send him airborne. Before he can hit the ground, I lunge forward, slamming my paw into his ribs. His body crumples with a grunt, consciousness fleeing as quickly as the air from his lungs.

I pivot, ready to strike anotherelf—

But something lashes around my legs.

I trip and the suddenly ground rushes up, slamming wildly into my ribs. Wind punches from my lungs as the thick metal chains snake around my limbs, hissing with heat. A second one follows, thrown across my back with brutal force, anchoring me to the dirt.