The howl lingered long after it faded.
It crawled through the trees, low and mournful, until even the air seemed to ache with its echo. The forest had gone utterly still, the fog clinging to the ground like a living thing.
Melody's breath came out ragged, her pulse unsteady. The glow in her veins faint, silver, and wild refused to dim. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to shift, to answer the call that had clawed its way through the night.
Lucien stood beside her, jaw tight, eyes shadowed by the red moon's reflection. His hand still hovered near her arm, as though he wasn't sure whether to hold her or let her go.
"What did you awaken?" he asked at last, voice rough.
Melody's gaze drifted toward the crypt's entrance. "It wasn't asleep," she murmured. "It was waiting."
Kael kicked at the damp earth, frustration burning in his voice. "And now it's loose. Fantastic."
Asha lifted her head, her usually calm face drawn pale. "Not loose," she whispered. "Bound differently. The sigils are gone, but the energy… it's still here. Following her."
Her eyes flicked toward Melody.
Darian swore under his breath. "So we're walking targets for something ancient and angry. Great."
Lucien's eyes narrowed, the sharpness in him cutting through the tension. "No. She is the target."
The words struck harder than he intended. Melody turned to him, chin lifting in quiet defiance. "Then maybe it's time I stop running from what's mine to face."
"Don't mistake defiance for strength," he said coldly. "The Moonbound devours both."
Her expression softened, though her tone stayed firm. "You of all people should know what happens when you let fear make your choices."
Lucien's composure cracked just slightly, something flickered in his eyes, grief or guilt, Melody couldn't tell.
"Enough," Asha cut in."We need to leave before the forest shifts again. The boundaries aren't stable anymore."
The group began to move, the fog thickening around them. Melody glanced back once, and for an instant she thought she saw movement at the crypt's mouth a shape like a wolf's shadow, eyes burning faintly silver.
They didn't speak again until they reached the clearing by the river. The sky had begun to pale, the moon sinking behind the trees, bleeding its red light into dawn.
Darian threw down his pack. "We should rest. Whatever followed us isn't going to strike in daylight."
"Assuming daylight still matters," Kael muttered, scanning the forest edge. His usual sharpness was edged with unease.
Melody sank to her knees near the riverbank. Her reflection rippled across the dark water, the silver in her eyes now brighter, more feral. She touched the surface, and it shimmered faintly, like something beneath it was breathing.
Lucien's presence brushed close behind her. "You shouldn't be near the water," he said.
"Why? Afraid I'll drown?"
His gaze hardened. "Afraid it'll recognize you."
She met his eyes over her shoulder. "You mean like it recognized you?"
He said nothing, only turned away, but the muscle in his jaw twitched.
Asha knelt beside Melody, her fingers glowing faintly as she traced a circle into the soil. The sigils shimmered faintly, their edges fragile. "The Moonbound's energy is threaded through you now," she said quietly. "I can't sever it. Not yet."
"What happens if you try?"
Asha hesitated. "It might sever you."
Lucien turned sharply. "Then we don't try."
Melody frowned. "You don't get to decide that."
"Someone has to," he snapped, stepping closer. "You think this thing is calling you because it wants to talk? It's calling you because you opened its cage."
The air between them tensed again, that same dangerous pull sparking equal parts fury and something unspoken.
Darian coughed into his hand. "Okay, before this turns into another round of poetic glaring, maybe we figure out our next move?"
Kael threw him a look. "You have one?"
Darian smirked weakly. "Survive till sunset?"
Despite everything, Melody almost smiled.
Asha rose, dusting her hands. "We need answers. The Temple of Veilstone might still have records of the first wolves. If the Moonbound existed, it'll be written there."
Lucien's gaze darkened. "That temple was abandoned for a reason."
"Then we'll un-abandon it," Darian muttered.
Kael groaned. "We're doomed."
Melody pushed herself to her feet, resolve threading through her exhaustion. "We go at first light."
Lucien looked at her for a long moment, then inclined his head, silent agreement or surrender.
Dawn broke in fractured gold.
By the time they reached the old roads leading north, the fog had thinned, though the air carried the taste of metal and rain. The trees whispered with unseen voices, shifting as if the forest itself watched their passage.
Darian walked beside Melody, his usual humor dimmed. "You really think this Moonbound thing… it knows you?"
"I don't think," she said. "I feel it."
He nodded slowly. "Then let's hope it's the loving kind of ancient curse."
She shot him a look, half-smile tugging her lips. "You don't believe that."
"Not even a little."
Behind them, Kael scanned their trail, hand on his blade. "We're being followed."
Lucien stiffened instantly. "Where?"
Kael gestured toward the treeline. "There. Fast. Low to the ground."
They froze. The forest fell silent again too silent.
Then a sound tore through the stillness. Not a howl this time, but something heavier. Closer.
Branches snapped. A shape burst from the mist massive, fur pale as moonlight, eyes burning silver-blue.
Melody's breath hitched. "The Moonbound?"
"No," Lucien said, drawing his weapon. "Something it sent."
The creature lunged.
Kael was already moving, blade flashing. Darian dove aside, striking with silver-edged steel that barely grazed the thing's flank. It shrieked, an echo of wolves and storms.
Melody's pulse thundered. The bond inside her burned, whispering in a voice she couldn't quite understand. Call it. Command it.
"Melody, don't!" Lucien shouted, but she was already moving.
She raised her hand, power rippling through her skin, silver fire crawling along her veins. The creature stopped mid-leap, snarling, its gaze locking with hers.
For a moment, the world stilled.
Then it knelt.
Everyone froze. Even Lucien.
Melody's voice came out low, otherworldly. "It knows me."
Asha's eyes widened. "You're linked to it like a fragment of the Moonbound itself."
The creature rose slowly, backing into the trees. Then, as if dismissed, it vanished into the mist.
Silence followed, thick and uneasy.
Darian exhaled shakily. "Well. I vote we don't make you angry."
Melody turned toward Lucien, her expression unreadable. "Now do you see? This isn't a curse. It's a connection."
Lucien's gaze burned into hers. "Every connection has a cost."
"Maybe," she said softly. "But I'm done paying for sins I didn't make."
He stared at her for a long moment, then looked away, the faintest trace of pain crossing his face.
The red light of the fading moon caught in her hair as she turned toward the north, toward whatever waited in Veilstone.
Behind them, far in the woods, another howl rose low, familiar, and this time, it sounded like an answer.