Chapter 152 Bound by moonlight
IRIS
The moment we step outside, the air feels different. Everything looks familiar, yet the atmosphere carries a weight that makes my chest tighten. The trees around the Haven are lit with warm lanterns that flicker like small stars. Wolves from our pack walk beside us in their ceremonial clothing. Some hold candles. Some carry gifts. Some simply watch me with soft smiles, like they know what this night means before I even allow myself to feel it.
Daisy squeezes my hand. She has been talking the entire walk, but I barely process her words. My dress sways behind me in a soft, maroon pool. My heart beats a little faster with each step toward the clearing where the ceremony will take place.
The moon hangs almost unnaturally large. Full. Round. Bright. As if it has been waiting.
When we reach the entrance to the clearing, Daisy lets out a quiet breath. “Ready?” she whispers.
I try to smile. “I think so.”
I don’t know if I mean it.
People part as we step forward. I see familiar faces. Friends. Elders. Warriors. And at the far end of the clearing, near the altar carved from marble and old oak roots, stands Darian.
He looks breathtaking. He wears the ceremonial black clothing of the Alpha. His hair has been carefully combed back, though a few strands have fallen forward again. His jaw is clean-shaven. He wears a silver claw-shaped pendant, the symbol of his lineage. And when he sees me approaching, his whole expression softens. Not the polite softness he uses with other people. The real one he reserves for me alone.
That look makes my chest ache more deeply than anything.
He steps forward, meeting me halfway. “Iris,” he says quietly, as if tasting my name for the first time. “You look incredible.”
My voice catches for a moment before I manage, “You too.”
We stand in front of each other with the crowd surrounding us, everyone silent and expectant. The Eldest of the Haven, a woman older than any of us can remember, raises her staff slightly. “Let the ceremony begin,” she declares.
A soft hum moves through the crowd, like a wave of anticipation. I feel it settle over my skin.
Darian offers his hand. I place mine in his. Together, we walk up to the stone altar. The Eldest stands behind it, her expression unreadable yet solemn. Two ceremonial blades lie on the surface. Ancient. Etched with symbols of the moon.
When she speaks, her voice carries through the entire clearing without needing to be loud. “Tonight, under the blessing of the moon, the Alpha and his chosen mate bind their spirits. Wolf to wolf. Soul to soul. Blood to blood. Let the goddess witness your union.”
My heart throbs. Darian’s thumb brushes over my palm, grounding me.
The Eldest takes one blade and nods at him. “You first.”
He accepts the knife and turns my hand upward. I watch him, not the blade. He looks unsure for only a heartbeat before his expression steadies. “Tell me if it hurts too much,” he whispers.
“It won’t,” I whisper back.
He draws the blade across my palm. A sharp sting flares, then settles into warmth. The Eldest signals for him to give her the blade. She sets it down and hands me the second.
My fingers tremble slightly, but Darian holds his palm open for me with complete trust. That alone makes me feel steadier.
I press the blade to his skin. “You sure?” I murmur.
“Yes.”
I cut him gently. He doesn’t even flinch.
The Eldest raises her staff again. “Join hands.”
I place my cut palm against his. The moment our blood touches, something pulses beneath my skin. It feels like warm lightning crawling up my arm, spreading through my chest, then sinking deep into something I can’t name. Darian’s grip tightens around mine. His breath catches.
The Eldest continues speaking. “Let your spirits merge. Let your wolves rise. Let the moon bind what the heart has chosen.”
A wind sweeps through the clearing even though the night has been still a moment before. The candles flicker. The tree branches above us rustle like whispers. A low hum vibrates in the earth under my feet.
Darian looks at me, eyes shining with silver light that isn’t there before. “Iris,” he whispers.
I feel something inside me shift. My wolf stirs. She rises slowly, waking like she has been waiting, stretching into my bones. Pain and warmth and the strangest kind of freedom spread through me all at once.
Our bodies glow faintly, or maybe it’s just the moon reflecting off our skin. I can’t tell. The sensation overwhelms everything. My breath. My heartbeat. My thoughts.
Then I feel it. Our wolves touching. His presence merging with mine for a heartbeat, maybe longer. A connection deeper than anything I ever experience.
The Eldest slams her staff against the ground. “Let the Alpha and his mate howl.”
Darian shifts first. His bones crack and shape. His form expands. His wolf emerges in a surge of raw power. I gasp at the sight of him, magnificent and strong, fur gleaming black in the moonlight.
My body follows the pull. My skin ripples. My limbs reshape. It hurts at first, then melts into something indescribably liberating. In moments, I stand on four legs. My fur feels warm and soft. The moon feels closer.
Darian lifts his head and howls.
I join him.
Our voices rise into the night sky, weaving together like they have always been meant to. The crowd behind us transforms gradually, wolves joining in or cheering softly if they remain human.
It feels endless, that moment. Boundless. Eternal.
When we shift back, we stand holding each other’s arms, steadying ourselves with breathless laughter. He looks down at me, cheeks flushed. “You did it.”
“We did it.”
He touches my jaw with a gentleness that makes my chest ache again. “I am proud of you.”
I lean into his palm. “I’m proud of you too.”
People begin approaching. Elders. Warriors. Members of the Haven. Some congratulate us. Some give blessings. Some hand delicate gifts wrapped in cloth or tucked in wooden boxes.
Others from different packs arrive with messengers bearing condolences for the late Alpha and warm wishes for our union. I don’t know many of them personally, but everyone’s tone carries respect. The clearing slowly turns festive. A reception is set up with long tables, lanterns, food, and music.
For a few moments, I let myself get lost in the celebration. Darian stands close to me at all times. He politely accepts every greeting. Some people bow. Some pat his shoulder. Some raise drinks in his honor.
I watch him smile, laugh, respond with warmth. And each time he turns to me, something inside him softens. It should make me happy.
Instead, a shadow creeps over my heart.
I remember what Daisy said earlier in the day. I remember the truth I have pushed out of my mind for weeks. His fate is sealed. The prophecy is unavoidable. After the mating ceremony, the next step of the sacrifice will soon follow. And after the sacrifice… the moon goddess will take him.
I swallow hard. My smile falters.
He notices me withdrawing into myself even though I try to hide it. His fingers brush mine. “You alright?”
“Yes,” I say too quickly. “I’m fine.”
He watches me carefully, but someone approaches him before he can question it. A young Alpha from another region offers his condolences, and Darian has no choice but to shift his attention to him.
I step back slightly, letting the cool air touch my cheeks. My chest feels tight. I don’t want to cry, not now. Not tonight. Dahlia appears out of nowhere and loops her arm around mine.
“You look like someone thinking too much,” she whispers.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m trying not to.”
She sighs softly. “Then don’t. At least not tonight.”
I try to relax. I even manage a small smile when she waves at someone across the clearing and wanders off to greet them. I stay near the tables, letting the heat fade from my cheeks. I watch Darian laugh at something one of the Elders says. He looks alive. Warm. Beautiful. And all I can think is that this version of him, happy and hopeful, is the one I want to keep forever.
It hurts knowing I can’t.
People continue celebrating around us, dancing in small circles, some shifting into wolves and running just beyond the clearing. The scent of food mingles with the crisp forest air. Music echoes softly, spiraling with laughter.
Eventually Darian returns to me. He brushes a loose curl away from my face. “You disappeared.”
“I was just catching my breath,” I say.
“You okay?”
I force a smile. “Yes.”
He doesn’t believe me. His hand cups the back of my neck gently. “Iris. If something is wrong, tell me.”
“I said I’m fine,” I repeat, but my voice betrays me. It cracks slightly.
His brows draw together. “Iris…”
Before he can push further, a sudden hush ripples through the crowd, spreading fast and sharp like cold wind. The music fades into silence. People turn their heads toward the entrance of the clearing.
An eerie, familiar chill slides down my spine.
The Haven’s seer stands there.
Her long white hair drapes around her, reaching her hips. Her pale eyes glow faintly beneath the shadow of her hood. Her presence always feels ancient, too heavy for her small frame, as if she carries the weight of time itself.
She walks forward slowly. People part instantly. Some bow. Some look away. No one dares speak.
Darian straightens beside me. His hand leaves my neck, falling to his side. He watches her approach with a calmness only he can manage, though his jaw tightens.
The seer stops directly in front of him. Her gaze lifts, meeting his. There is no warmth in her eyes.
“The time has come,” she says, her voice thin but strangely forceful. “The sacrifice to the moon goddess must happen immediately.”
The word hangs in the air.
Immediately.
The clearing seems to freeze.
Darian inhales once, slowly. “Tonight?”
“Yes,” the seer says. “The goddess waits. She will not wait long.”
My heart drops. My body goes cold. I stare at her, unable to breathe, unable to move. My entire world narrows into the sound of her voice.
The moment the seer’s words sink in, something inside me cracks. It feels unfair in a way that makes my stomach twist. We have just sealed our bond. We have just breathed the same air as one. And now they want to take him. Tonight. Like the goddess can’t spare us even a single night of peace. A single moment to exist without fear. I look at Darian and all I can think is that fate has always been cruel, but this feels vicious. How can the world give me something so perfect only to rip it away the second I reach for it?
The seer finally turns her head toward me. Her expression softens slightly, almost sorrowful. “Prepare yourself, Iris.”
Her words slice deeper than the ceremonial blade ever could.
Darian reaches for my hand but I do not even feel it at first. The world blurs around me. Everyone watches us. Everyone hears the pronouncement.
The night of our ceremony is ending.
And the night of his death is beginning.