The Restless Night
The moon rose red above Lycanthra — not blood-red like the cursed moon of the past, but darker, pulsing faintly as if alive. The Citadel walls glowed under its eerie light, and with every breath of night air, Ryan felt his wolf pacing within him.
It had been days since Isabella's recovery, and the bond between them had only grown stronger. Too strong.
Every time she dreamed, he saw fragments of her memories — her father's eyes, her childhood halls, the loneliness of being royal yet unfree. And every time he grew angry, she felt the pulse of his rage like fire under her skin.
The connection was no longer subtle. It was consuming.
Ryan stood alone on the balcony, his hands gripping the railing as the moonlight bled across his face.
Inside his head, his wolf's voice was no longer calm. It was restless, distorted."She's awake," it whispered. "She's calling to you."
Ryan shut his eyes. "She's asleep."
"No," the wolf growled, "her soul isn't."
He could feel it — the steady pull in his chest, the silent call through the bond that refused to fade. His wolf's claws scraped against his mind, desperate, impatient.
"Enough," he hissed. But the wolf didn't listen this time.
The Moon's Call
Far across the Citadel, Isabella stood at her window, bathed in the same crimson light. The air was heavy, trembling with energy. The moment she touched the silver marks on her wrist, they glowed faintly.
She gasped — and the moment she did, Ryan felt it.
A shock rippled through him, forcing his knees to buckle. His wolf roared, half in fury, half in need. The bond was no longer just emotion; it was power.
He could sense her heartbeat, her breath, even the rhythm of her thoughts. Every beat of her pulse was a command to his blood.
The wolf surged. "Answer her!"
Ryan's vision blurred. His claws extended, teeth bared, his body trembling between man and beast. The urge to run, to find her, to claim what the bond demanded — it was overwhelming.
He fought it, gripping the stone railing until it cracked beneath his strength. "I won't lose control," he growled.
But his wolf laughed darkly. "You already are."
The Eclipse Within
The next morning, the palace awoke to whispers. The King's aura had changed — darker, unstable, as if shadows followed his every step.
When Ryan entered the council hall, the Elders fell silent. Even Elder Maeron watched him cautiously.
"You feel it, don't you?" Maeron said quietly. "The moon's pull on your wolf."
Ryan's golden eyes burned. "It's nothing I can't control."
The Elder sighed. "It isn't the moon alone. It's the bond. You gave her part of your power, and now it answers to her heartbeat. Until it settles, your wolf will be… unpredictable."
Ryan's hands tightened on the table. "So I'm to be ruled by her?"
"No," Maeron said softly. "You are to share the rule. The prophecy speaks of balance — of the Fang and the Blood rising as one. This is not a loss, my King. It is a transformation."
Ryan's voice was ice. "Transformation feels a lot like weakness."
But deep inside, his wolf whispered differently."It's not weakness, Alpha. It's evolution."
The Shared Power
Isabella noticed it too — how her strength felt different now. The sunlight no longer burned her skin. Her senses were sharper; she could smell rain before it fell, hear heartbeats from across the courtyard.
When she lifted her hand, the silver veins glowed faintly, pulsing to the rhythm of Ryan's power.
In the library, she returned to The Book of the Eclipse Pact, flipping through the pages until she found a section she hadn't noticed before — a passage hidden beneath the original prophecy.
"When the blood of moon and shadow mingle,one shall lose the beast, the other gain its fire.But when both hearts align beneath the Blood Eclipse,the lost shall be found, and the divided shall rule as one."
Her breath caught. The meaning was clear — Ryan's control was fading because she now carried a fragment of his wolf. The prophecy promised he would regain it, but only when their hearts beat in unity, not war.
Her eyes softened. "So that's the price… and the path."
The Losing Control
That night, the moon called again. Ryan's transformation came violently this time — not into his full wolf form, but halfway, his voice and beast clashing inside one body.
He stumbled through the forest beyond the Citadel, his claws digging into the earth. His wolf howled within, its voice fractured.
"She holds us!" it growled. "Our fire is hers now."
"Then I'll take it back!" Ryan snarled aloud.
"You can't, not yet," the wolf hissed. "You gave it willingly. You'll only regain it when you stop fighting her."
Ryan roared, tearing at the ground. "I will never bow to her!"
The wolf's laughter echoed in his skull. "Then you will burn until you do."
And somewhere far above, Isabella felt his agony. The bond flared so violently that she dropped to her knees, clutching her chest as his rage and pain poured through her.
"Ryan," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks, "please… stop fighting it."
The moment she spoke his name, he froze — the sound of her voice through the bond anchoring him. His claws retracted, breath steadying. The madness in his mind dulled to a low hum.
She had reached him.
The Morning After
When dawn broke, the Alpha King returned to the Citadel, his eyes darker, his power quieter — subdued, but not gone.
He stood in silence outside Isabella's chambers. For the first time, he felt peace — fleeting, fragile, but real.
His wolf murmured faintly. "You felt her call."
"I did," Ryan admitted.
"And next time," the wolf said, "you won't fight it. When the Moon's curse ends, you'll take back what's yours — stronger than before."
Ryan looked toward the rising sun, jaw set. "Then let it come."
Inside, Isabella stirred, her heart beating in perfect rhythm with his.
And somewhere deep within them both, the prophecy whispered again — its next verse ready to awaken:
"When the beast yields to the bond, and the blood accepts the moon,the world shall tremble beneath their united heart."