BOND OF THE FULL MOON

's meeting had just concluded, the deliberation of pack matters still lingering in the air, when the first wave of pain struck. It cam

lt like the first - excruciating, all-consuming, and disorienting. This wasn't something I could allow anyone t

quickly as I could without drawing attention. My beta, Douglas, called after me, but I bar

state's territory, as if the trees would offer me some solace. But they didn't. N

f, the beast I had worked so hard to keep in check, thrashed inside me, desperate to break

elent. It never did. My wolf growled in frustration, fighting for release. Every muscle in my body screamed, a

headed? I didn't

. But the curse... the curse refused to let me feel the presence of a mate. I had been in this state countless times, but tonight,

bond between me and my true nature, forcing me to remain human even when every part of me screamed

he pain and heat tore at me, overwhelming my senses, weakening my limbs. Eventually, I collapsed to the ground, my body crumpling under the

s when I

thing, but then, the scent hit me. It was faint at first - like a whisper in the w

crashing over me. H

a she-wolf before, let alone a human. The curse had always blocked me from experiencing the mate bond. I had never be

ed by the curse, but the scent... the scent was undeniable. My wolf, desperate and yearning,

something wild, untamed, like the forest itself. The sharpness

at was unbearable, but this... this scent, this presence - it was a mystery that I

s in. It was a strange pull, like a magnet I couldn't escape. And though I had no i

ping from a wound I hadn't noticed. I collapsed onto the forest floor, struggling to breathe as pain consumed

, my wol

like fire searing through me, binding us together in a way I couldn't explain. Why

too young, too pure for this. For me. She fussed over me despite the fear in her eyes, her trembling hands betrayin

d to protect her, but the monster wanted something else entirely. I fought to hold it back, forcing ou

I th

the agony of transformation, I saw her again. She stood ther

to rasp, but i

leaving me caught b