Zaria woke with a startled gasp, drenched in cold sweat. Her body trembled, but not from fear but from power. Something had shifted inside her. She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat thudded wildly, out of sync… as if trying to match two different rhythms.
The dream hadn't felt like a dream. It felt like a warning, a memory from a future that hadn't happened yet. One she wasn't ready for. The bond, both bonds were still alive. Still humming through her blood.
One will save me.
One will destroy me.
And I don't know which is which…
She sat up slowly. The room spun for a second before settling. That's when she saw him.
Leon,asleep in the chair by the fire, his cloak wrapped around him, head tilted back. He had stayed the night. His presence eased something inside her. But then… the image from her dream returned. Kael's eyes. Bleeding red, power spiraling. Rage barely contained.
Was he already falling into the curse?
Zaria turned toward the window. The moon hung high above the trees, cold and silent. For the first time, she whispered to it, almost accusingly, I didn't ask for this
---
That Morning…
She sat on a wooden bench behind the healer's hut, knees to her chest, watching two sparrows dart between the branches. One chased the other. Gentle, Determined, Uncertain, Just like them.
Kael and Leon
Twins by blood, Divided by fate.
And her heart… caught somewhere in between. Her chest ached, not from Kael's rejection anymore, but from the weight of confusion. From the bond that shouldn't exist, yet persisted.
Mate.
The whisper again. Softer now. Steady. Coming not from Kael… but Leon.
---
At the Training Grounds
Leon struck the post again and again, his knuckles bruised, breath sharp. But he wasn't focused on the fight. His mind was on her. On Zaria. I feel her in every part of me. This bond… it's real. But how could that be? The Moon Goddess never made mistakes and yet she had bonded one she-wolf to two Alphas. A sharp growl pulled him from his thoughts. It was kael
Leon turned, facing his twin as he stalked across the dirt, expression unreadable. Training or thinking? Kael asked coldly. Leon didn't respond. Kael stepped closer. You're spending a lot of time with her.
Leon met his eyes. She needs support.
She needs to leave, Kael said
Leon's voice hardened. She's one of us now. Whether you like it or not.
Kael's jaw tensed, his wolf clawing beneath his skin. she is not yours.
Leon didn't flinch.
But she's not yours either… remember?
Kael's nostrils flared. For a moment, none of them moved.
---
By the Lake...
Later, Zaria wandered toward the edge of the lake, drawn by the quiet. The water glistened under the midday light. She knelt to touch the surface, hoping the cold would settle the storm inside her.
Leon arrived without a sound, stopping a few feet away. You okay?
She shook her head. No.
He sat beside her, close but not too close.
They sat in silence, the lake lapping softly against the shore.
Then Zaria said, barely above a whisper, what if this second bond is a trick? Part of the curse?
Leon stared at the water. Then let it be my curse to bear. Not yours.
She turned to him, eyes searching. You say that so easily.
I mean it,he said simply.
Their eyes met and the air between them shifted. The world faded, just for a moment. The bond pulsed, alive, real,Present.
Mate.
The word rang louder this time. No longer a whisper. Zaria gasped. Leon leaned in, not to kiss her but to rest his forehead gently against hers. I'm not here to claim you, Zaria, he murmured.
I'm just here to catch you when he lets you fall.
---
In the Dark Woods…
The seer's fire roared back to life. Black salt hissed in the flames as visions rose in smoke.
Kael eyes is glowing crimson.
Leon is standing between him and Zaria.
Zaria hands is stained with blood… but whose?
The second bond awakens fully, the seer whispered.
But the cursed one watches… waiting to strike.
A wolf's snarl echoed in the flames.
One twin has caught her.
The other will destroy her.
The fire exploded in a gust of ash.
---
To be continued…