Updated Sep 16, 2025 • ~2 min read
The village she stumbled upon was small, tucked between the hills like a secret. Strangers eyed her warily, but they let her rest, offering bread and water in exchange for silence. For a fleeting moment, Mira thought she had found peace.
But peace didn’t last.
By nightfall, a group of rogues descended on the outskirts, their howls splitting the quiet. Fear rippled through the villagers, and Mira’s blood turned to ice. She knew what was coming even before the shadows resolved into battle.
And then he was there.
Darius burst from the treeline, golden eyes burning, his body a weapon of fury. He tore into the rogues without hesitation, each movement precise, brutal. Mira stood frozen, torn between horror and relief as he cut them down one by one.
When the last body fell, he was panting, blood streaked across his chest. His gaze locked on hers through the smoke and carnage.
“You shouldn’t have come here alone,” he said, voice raw.
Her chest heaved. “You followed me.”
“I swore you would never be left undefended.” His words were a vow, sharp and unbreakable. He raised his hand, blood dripping, and pressed it to his chest. “I bind my life to yours. By blood, by moon, by oath.”
Mira’s throat closed, her heart hammering. “Don’t—”
But the bond surged, heat flooding her veins, his vow sealing itself into her bones. The tether tightened, not just magic but something more, something chosen.
She staggered back, tears burning her eyes. “You’ve chained me even tighter.”
“No,” he said, his voice rough but steady. “I’ve chained myself.”
For a heartbeat, she saw it—the man beneath the curse, the wolf who would bleed for her, burn for her, die for her. And that terrified her more than the rogues ever could.
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