Chapter 56: The Pull of the Bond

Chapter 56: The Pull of the Bond


Kael’s POV

The howl had left my throat before I even realized what I was doing.

It tore out of me, primal and unrestrained, the sound echoing across the ridges and valleys of Moonstone territory. I hadn’t howled like that in years—not since before betrayal had carved my heart into something cold and unyielding. It was reckless. Dangerous. It announced to every wolf within miles that something had rattled the Alpha.

But I couldn’t stop it.

Because I had felt her.

The bond I had tried to bury—the one I thought had died with Fianna—flared to life, hot and undeniable, a tug deep in my chest that nearly drove me to my knees. My wolf surged against me, teeth bared, desperate to run, to find her. Mate. Ours. She’s alive.

I pressed a hand against the nearest tree, my nails biting deep into bark. My breaths came harsh, shallow, as if the forest itself was closing in.

It wasn’t possible. She was gone. I had seen her body carried from the dungeon, pale and still. I had buried her in my memory, locked her away in a coffin of guilt and fury.

And yet…

The moment the sound of her name echoed on the wind, everything inside me shattered. Fianna. Alive.

“Alpha?” My beta, Calen, approached cautiously, his head dipped. I could feel his uncertainty through the bond we shared as packmates, but he dared to step closer. “The pack is restless. They heard you.”

I turned, my gaze sharp enough to cut him in half. “They should be restless.”

Calen blinked, thrown. “What’s happening?”

I almost didn’t answer. For years, I had ruled by silence, by strength, by burying every hint of weakness. But this wasn’t weakness. This was something else. Something I could no longer ignore.

“She’s alive,” I said, my voice rough, low, almost broken.

Calen’s brows furrowed. “Who—” His eyes widened, realization dawning. “You mean… the Luna?”

My jaw clenched so hard I thought it might crack. The Luna. My mate. The woman I had condemned, locked away, left to die.

Fianna.

“Yes,” I ground out. “She’s alive. And she’s not here. She’s in Shadow Pack territory.”

The words burned as I spoke them. Because the bond didn’t just tell me she lived—it told me where. The pull stretched east, a taut string buried in my chest, dragging me toward her with every breath.

Calen hesitated. “Alpha… if that’s true, then…” He trailed off, but I heard the question anyway. If she’s alive, what will you do?

I straightened, every muscle tight with fury and resolve. “I will bring her back.”

Calen flinched at the sharpness in my tone. “But if she’s with Derek—”

“She’s not his,” I snapped, the words ripping from me before he could finish. My wolf snarled in agreement, pacing, furious at the thought of another male near her. “She was never his. She’s mine.”

The forest seemed to tremble with the force of my voice, my dominance spilling unchecked into the night. Wolves nearby whimpered instinctively, bowing their heads even though they couldn’t hear the words. They felt the storm in me, and they knew what it meant.

War.

I dragged in a breath, fighting for control. Rage wasn’t enough. Not this time. Derek wasn’t just another rival Alpha—he was a viper who had been circling my pack for years, waiting for a chance to strike. If he had her, if he so much as touched her…

I would kill him.

Not just for Fianna. Not just for the bond. But because Derek wanted what was mine—my pack, my crown, my Luna. And I would not let him take a single piece.

Calen swallowed, watching me carefully. “Then what’s your command?”

I turned my eyes east, to where the pull tugged harder with every passing heartbeat. The night smelled of pine and blood and inevitability.

“Summon the war council,” I said, my voice low and certain. “Prepare the warriors. We march at dawn.”

Calen hesitated. “Alpha—attacking Shadow Pack outright could fracture the Council. If you move too openly—”

“Let them fracture,” I growled, cutting him off. My hands curled into fists, my claws biting skin. “I will not sit in silence while he hides her in his den like a trophy. If the Council fears war, let them fear me instead.”

Calen lowered his head in submission, but I caught the flicker of unease in his eyes. He didn’t understand. None of them did.

This wasn’t just about politics. It wasn’t even about vengeance. It was primal. A truth etched deeper than flesh.

Fianna lived.

And nothing—not Shadow Pack, not Derek, not even the Moon Goddess herself—would keep her from me.

My wolf howled again, fierce and wild, the sound tearing into the night as if daring anyone to challenge the claim. This time, I didn’t fight it. I joined him, my voice carrying over the trees, raw with fury and need.

And somewhere, I knew she would hear me.

Somewhere, she would fe
el me.

The bond was alive. And I would follow it until the world itself burned.