Updated Sep 16, 2025 • ~2 min read
The pack’s whispers were heavy enough, but nothing hit harder than the familiar voice that found her at dusk.
“Mira.”
She turned, and her breath caught. Her father stood at the edge of the village, travel-worn and tense, his eyes shadowed with the kind of worry that aged a man twice as fast.
“Father?” The word cracked in her throat.
He stepped forward, pulling her into his arms. For a moment, she let herself collapse into the comfort of him, the scent of smoke and earth clinging to his cloak. But when he pulled back, his gaze was sharp, searching.
“I heard the stories,” he said, voice low. “Tell me they aren’t true.”
Her stomach twisted. “Stories?”
“That you’ve been seen with him. That you carry his bond.” His tone was fierce, laced with both fear and fury. “Mira, do you have any idea what you’ve tied yourself to?”
Her throat tightened, her hand instinctively brushing the mark on her wrist. She wanted to deny it, but the truth burned too hot. “I didn’t choose this.”
Her father’s expression crumbled into grief. “That’s worse. Because he did. Men like him—cursed men—don’t let go. You’ll be dragged under with him.”
The ache in her chest spread, sharp and heavy. “You don’t understand. He’s not what they say. I’ve seen—”
“Enough!” His voice cracked like a whip. “You think you see the man, but you don’t. You see what the bond wants you to see. And when it’s too late, you’ll find yourself chained to a monster.”
Mira’s heart pounded, torn between the love for her father and the fire that flared whenever Darius looked at her. “He’s not just the curse. There’s more.”
Her father’s jaw hardened. “More is what kills. More is what steals daughters from their families and leaves graves behind.”
Silence stretched, suffocating. Finally, he grasped her shoulders, his voice breaking. “Please, Mira. End this before it ends you.”
Her eyes burned, but the bond pulsed in defiance, whispering truths she couldn’t share. She wanted to promise her father she’d walk away. Instead, all she could do was stand trembling, caught between blood and fire.
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