The Stirring
The moon had not yet risen, but Ryan could already feel it — the shift in the air, the strange hum that threaded through the Citadel like invisible fire. It was subtle at first, a soft pull beneath his ribs, the whisper of a heartbeat that wasn't his own.
Then it grew stronger.
The scent hit him like a blade — familiar, maddening, sweet as crushed roses and iron. His wolf went still. Then, it roared.
"She's calling to us."
Ryan froze mid-stride in the training yard, claws threatening to emerge as heat coiled through his veins. His breath came harsh and uneven.
"No," he growled. "She's nothing."
But the wolf laughed inside his mind — a dark, mocking sound."Tell that to your blood, Alpha."
Ryan's body tensed, every muscle drawn tight as the bond flared again, sharp and hungry. He could feel her — Isabella's pulse, her breath, the flutter of her heartbeat quickening. It wasn't fear. It was something older, deeper. Something that set every instinct he possessed ablaze.
The Pull
In her chambers, Isabella stood by the window, trembling. Her skin felt too warm, her heart too fast. She pressed a hand to her chest, whispering softly to herself.
She didn't know what was happening — only that her body and soul felt out of balance, as though the bond itself had woken in her blood. The air shimmered faintly around her; her scent grew sharper, drawing the moonlight to her like a spell.
And far across the Citadel, Ryan's wolf howled.
He staggered back against the stone wall, claws gouging into the surface. His teeth clenched as pain and heat warred inside him.
"Go to her."
The wolf's voice was low now, dangerous. "You're fighting what's already yours."
"She's nothing to me," Ryan hissed. "She's poison."
"Then why does your heart race when she breathes?"
Ryan slammed his fist into the wall, stone cracking under the force. His chest burned, his vision flickered gold, and for a moment, he saw her through the bond — Isabella, standing alone, moonlight tangled in her hair, her hand pressed over her heart.
The sight tore through him like lightning.
The War Within
Ryan fled the palace halls, storming into the forest to escape the scent, the bond, the madness clawing at him.
The night air was cool, but it did nothing to soothe the inferno inside. His wolf stalked the edges of his mind, pacing, snarling, relentless.
"You're dying fighting this," it growled. "Let it happen."
"I won't."
"You already have. Every time she looks at you, your pulse betrays you."
Ryan gritted his teeth. "I hate her."
The wolf's growl softened into something close to pity. "Then why does hate feel so much like need?"
He fell to his knees, clawed hands gripping the dirt. The bond throbbed in his chest, alive and burning. He could feel her emotions — confusion, warmth, longing she didn't yet understand.
He wanted to tear it out of himself. He wanted to silence it forever.But instead, he whispered into the night, "I will not lose control."
The Unseen Flame
Back in the Citadel, Isabella tried to steady herself, unaware of the chaos her presence had unleashed. The moonlight through her window pulsed faintly, glowing against her skin like a silent fire.
Somewhere, deep within the bond, she felt him — restless, angry, but near. Her heart softened despite herself.
"I don't want to be your weakness," she whispered to the night. "But neither do I wish to be your curse."
The bond pulsed in answer, a heartbeat echoing through her chest that wasn't her own.
And far away, Ryan froze mid-breath, his wolf falling silent. For a moment, peace settled — fragile, fleeting.
Then the heat returned, fiercer than before.
"She's ours," the wolf breathed. "You can deny it, but the moon won't."
Ryan rose slowly, eyes burning gold. His jaw set. "Then I'll deny the moon itself if I must."
The Breaking Point
By dawn, the Citadel was still, but Ryan hadn't slept. The fire inside him refused to fade. Every sound, every scent reminded him of her. Every heartbeat felt like it belonged to two souls instead of one.
He stood before the mirror, his reflection unrecognizable — eyes gold, veins faintly glowing beneath his skin.
His wolf whispered softly, almost mournfully. "You can't hate her forever."
Ryan's lips curved into a bitter smile. "Watch me."
But as he turned away, he caught the faintest echo of her laughter through the bond — soft, distant, but enough to make his heart falter.
For the first time since the Blood Eclipse, the Alpha King felt afraid.Not of her.But of himself.