The moon hung low over the Moon Hall, silver light spilling across the cold stone floors. The hallways were empty—or so it seemed. Every step I took made the threads of the bond pulse, vibrating with tension, anticipation, and fear. Kael walked beside me, cautious, his gray eyes flicking to the shadows. Riven followed close, green eyes sharp, fingers twitching as if he could anticipate danger. Solen's dark gaze scanned every corner, controlled and unreadable.
Astraea stirred beneath my ribs, warm and alert. She's here. She's waiting. This is no longer subtle.
I clenched my fists. Then we end this before it begins.
The first sign came as a whisper: a faint shimmer along the corridor, a subtle ripple in the bond. Lyris. She'd prepared something—her interference now direct, deliberate. The threads pulsed violently as her presence teased the edges, tugging at our emotions.
Kael flinched immediately, the bond slamming into him like a hammer. Pain, fear, frustration—all bleeding into mine. Riven caught his arm instinctively, trying to anchor him, but the backlash whipped across me, sharp and unrelenting. Solen's calm tensed, almost brittle, as the energy slammed into us from all directions.
"Focus!" I shouted, planting my feet. "Anchor! Breathe! Control the bond—or it will control you!"
Kael staggered, gripping at the invisible threads, his voice breaking. "I… I can't… it hurts too much!"
"You can," I said firmly, voice cutting through the chaos. "But only if you stop resisting. The bond isn't your enemy—it's your reflection!"
Riven's pulse flared as he muttered under his breath, "She's right… it's showing me… everything I hide…"
Solen's dark gaze never left the shadows where Lyris had moved. "Then adapt," he said quietly. "Or break."
Before I could respond, the trap revealed itself. The floor beneath Kael shifted—a concealed pressure plate, mechanical and lethal. A small eruption of energy flared, blasting Kael backward, the bond snapping violently as he hit the ground. Riven lunged to catch him, barely steadying him, while Solen surged forward, hands glowing faintly with the bond's energy, trying to stabilize the chaotic threads.
Pain shot through my chest, sharp and lancing. My wolf hissed low, Astraea coiling protectively, as I reached out with my mind and soul to anchor them. The bond reacted instantly, stretching tight like steel, flaring violently as it absorbed Kael's fear and Riven's panic.
"Kael! Look at me!" I shouted, gripping his arm. "Anchor! You can survive this! Breathe!"
His gray eyes were wide, trembling, a storm of emotion spilling into mine. "I… I can't! I—"
"Yes, you can!" I snapped, voice cracking with both frustration and determination. "If you fall, we all fall! The bond isn't weakness—it's strength, but only if you respect it!"
Riven muttered something under his breath, panic bleeding through the bond. Solen's hands hovered near Kael, adjusting the threads with precision, but even he struggled against the flare. Lyris's laughter echoed softly from the shadows, faint but sharp, feeding the chaos, testing our endurance.
I exhaled, centering myself, drawing every pulse, every flare, every jagged thread into a controlled rhythm. Astraea guided me, coiling around Kael and Riven, anchoring us, steadying us against Lyris's interference. Slowly, painfully, the bond began to calm. Kael's body sagged but steadied, Riven's trembling eased, and even Solen allowed the tension to ebb.
I spun, glaring into the shadows where Lyris lingered. "This is your warning," I said, voice low, lethal. "One more step like that—and it won't just be the bond defending me. You'll regret ever touching it."
Her smirk didn't falter, faint and sharp, but the flare of the bond told me she had felt my words. She had tested the limits—and I had survived. For now.
Kael pushed himself to his knees, gasping, voice raw. "I… I didn't know it would feel like this… the bond… it's like it exposes everything…"
Riven nodded slowly, chastened. "It doesn't just test power… it tests honesty, awareness… courage."
Solen exhaled, jaw tight but eyes steady. "Then we endure. Or we fail."
I stepped back, letting the threads settle, muscles trembling, chest aching. The Moon Hall was silent except for our breathing and the faint hum of the bond. But the warning lingered. Lyris's trap was only the beginning. One misstep, one crack in control—and she would strike again.
I clenched my fists, determination coiling tight inside me. We survive. We anchor. We adapt. And when she strikes next, we will be ready.
The lines were drawn, the trap had failed, and yet the danger was far from over. Kael, Riven, Solen, and I—bonded, tested, scarred—had survived. But we all knew that Lyris would not wait long before the next strike.
And when she did… we had to be stronger than before.