Chapter 5: The Binding Ritual
The pack's sacred chamber lay deep beneath the mountain, carved into black obsidian that drank the torchlight. Ancient runes glowed faintly on the walls, pulsing like dying heartbeats. Tomorrow was the full moon, and tonight the elders would perform the binding ritual.
Elena stood in the center of a circle of salt and silver, wearing a simple white robe. Her hands trembled at her sides. Twelve elders surrounded her, their faces grim beneath hooded cloaks. Kaelan stood just outside the circle, arms crossed, shadows writhing around him like angry serpents.
Elder Thorne raised a silver dagger etched with runes. "The ritual will bind your shadows to the earth until the threat passes. It will not harm you—only quiet the darkness."
Elena swallowed. "And if it doesn't work?"
Thorne's eyes flicked to Kaelan. "Then we will know the Void has already claimed you."
Kaelan growled low, the sound echoing through the chamber. "Touch her with that blade and you die."
Thorne bowed his head. "The cut is symbolic only, Alpha. A single drop of blood to seal the bond."
Elena met Kaelan's gaze across the circle. He looked ready to tear the room apart. She gave him a small nod—do it. For the pack. For him.
She extended her wrist.
Thorne chanted in the old tongue, words that made the air heavy. The dagger flashed. A thin line of blood welled on her skin.
The elders joined the chant. Power surged through the circle, pressing against Elena's shadows like iron chains.
For a moment, it worked. The darkness inside her stilled.
Then it screamed.
Elena gasped as pain exploded through her body. Her shadows erupted violently, shattering the salt circle and knocking three elders to their knees. Black tendrils lashed out, cracking the obsidian floor.
"No!" Kaelan roared, leaping into the circle. His own shadows surged forward, wrapping around hers, trying to force them back.
But this time, they fought him.
Elena fell to her knees, clutching her head. Voices—not hers—whispered in her mind.
*Free… hungry… come to me…*
The Void.
It wasn't waiting for the full moon.
It was already here.
Kaelan dropped beside her, pulling her against his chest. "Fight it, Elena! You're stronger than this!"
She clung to him, tears streaming down her face. "I can feel it pulling. It wants me to open the seal."
The elders scrambled back, fear replacing their confidence.
Thorne's voice shook. "The ritual failed. The Void's influence is too strong."
Kaelan stood, lifting Elena effortlessly in his arms. Shadows poured from him in waves, shielding her from the elders' stares.
"Then we do this my way," he snarled. "No more rituals. No more chains."
He carried her from the chamber, ignoring the protests behind them.
Back in her room, he laid her gently on the bed. She was pale, shaking, the cut on her wrist still bleeding slowly.
Kaelan sat beside her, pressing a cloth to the wound. "I'm sorry. I should never have agreed to this."
Elena touched his face with trembling fingers. "You were trying to protect everyone."
"I don't care about everyone," he said fiercely. "I care about you."
The mate bond flared between them, warm and urgent. Elena felt it pulling her toward him like gravity.
"Kaelan… the voices are quieter when you're close."
He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. "Then I'll never leave your side again."
Outside, thunder crashed. The storm had returned, fiercer than before.
Elena whispered, "What if I can't fight it tomorrow night?"
Kaelan's arms tightened around her. "Then I'll fight with you. Through you. For you."
He pulled back slightly, eyes burning with determination.
"There's one bond stronger than any ritual," he said quietly. "The mate bond. Complete and unbreakable."
Elena's breath caught. She knew what he was suggesting.
"If we complete it… if I mark you…" His voice was rough with emotion. "My shadows will merge with yours permanently. I'll share your burden. Your strength will be mine, and mine yours."
She searched his face. "And if the Void still wins?"
"Then we fall together." He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. "But I'd rather burn with you than live without you."
The air between them sparked. Elena's heart raced—not from fear this time, but from something deeper.
She reached up, fingers threading through his dark hair, pulling him closer.
"Then mark me," she whispered. "Before the moon rises. Before it's too late."
Kaelan's eyes darkened with raw emotion. He lowered his head, lips brushing the curve of her neck where her pulse thundered.
"Mine," he growled softly.
His teeth grazed her skin.
Just as the storm outside reached its peak, something ancient in the mountains stirred violently.
The seal groaned.
Cracks spider-webbed across the ancient stone.
And deep in the darkness, the Void opened its eyes.
Tomorrow night, it would rise.
But tonight, two cursed souls would become one.