Chapter 3 THE BLOOD OATH

The kiss should've ended it.

But it didn't.

Instead, it rewrote everything.

Celyn couldn't sleep. Couldn't eat. Couldn't breathe without feeling the ghost of Lucas's mouth on hers, the wild heat that simmered beneath their skin. The bond between them wasn't just a connection it was a fuse, and every moment apart was one step closer to detonation.

But the forest had eyes.

And danger was already on its way.

"Are you insane?" Elara hissed the moment Celyn returned to the Nightfang manor. "I smelled him on you."

Celyn froze, her heart sinking. "You're mistaken."

"Don't lie to me." Elara grabbed her arm, fingers tight. "You reek of Silverclaw. Did he touch you?"

Celyn didn't answer.

She didn't have to.

Elara's eyes filled with something close to panic. "Celyn, this isn't a game. If Father finds out, he won't just kill him, he'll use you to send a message."

"I know the risk," Celyn said quietly.

"Do you?" Elara's voice cracked. "Because you're acting like he's just some boy in the woods, not the enemy. He's Lucas Silverclaw."

"He's not what we were told."

Elara stepped back like she'd been slapped. "You're falling for him."

Celyn didn't deny it.

Elara's jaw tightened. "Then you're going to get us both killed."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, Lucas stood before his father Alpha Thorne Silverclaw.

The older man's eyes were hard, his voice like steel. "What were you doing near the Nightfang territory?"

Lucas didn't flinch. "Scouting."

"You lie as badly as your mother," Thorne spat. "I felt it. The bond."

Lucas's blood went cold.

"She's a Nightfang," the Alpha said. "You will reject her."

"No."

The word echoed, sharp and final.

Thorne rose slowly, towering even over his son. "You would choose her over your blood?"

"I would choose truth over lies," Lucas snapped. "You started the war. You slaughtered their seers. You broke the truce."

The slap came fast and hard.

Lucas staggered but didn't fall. Blood dripped from his lip.

"You think you're strong enough to defy me?" Thorne growled. "Then prove it. Bring her here. Let the pack see the traitor you've bonded with."

Lucas straightened, eyes blazing. "I will bring her. But not as a traitor."

Thorne smiled coldly. "Good. Then they'll know who to bury beside you."

Celyn waited by the river at midnight.

Her skin was alive with anticipation and fear.

When Lucas appeared from the trees, something shifted in her chest. He looked different tonight. Determined.

"What happened?" she asked, reaching for him.

He didn't touch her. Didn't even smile.

Instead, he said, "My father knows."

She froze. "What?"

"He wants me to bring you to him."

Celyn took a step back. "That's suicide."

"I know."

"Then why are you here?"

He finally looked at her, and in his eyes she saw a fire that refused to die. "Because I'd rather die fighting for you than live a lie for him."

Her breath caught.

"You're not just a Nightfang to me, Celyn," he whispered. "You're the only part of this cursed world that makes sense."

Her walls cracked.

And crumbled.

"I want to believe you," she breathed.

"Then come with me."

Her eyes widened. "Now?"

"We cross the river together. We show them this bond is real. We break the cycle."

Celyn looked at the moonlit water, heart pounding.

She thought of her father's rage. Elara's fear. The weight of generations pressing down on her shoulders.

But she also thought of Lucas's hands in her hair. His blood on the leaves. The way her soul ached when he walked away.

She reached out and took his hand.

"I'm with you."

They didn't make it to the border.

Not that night.

A howl split the air sharp and furious.

Lucas turned instantly. "Run."

Celyn didn't ask questions. They sprinted through the trees, dodging roots and shadows. But the sound behind them was getting closer.

And then the world exploded.

A flash. A roar.

A silver net tangled around Lucas mid-stride, glowing with runes.

He screamed as it hit, his body convulsing.

"Lucas!" Celyn ran to him, slicing at the net with her dagger. Sparks flew, but the net didn't break.

Voices surrounded them.

Figures in white masks emerged from the shadows hunters.

Not Nightfang. Not Silverclaw.

Outsiders.

A man stepped forward, tall and cloaked, his voice cold. "The bond was real after all."

"Who are you?" Celyn demanded.

"We are the Order of Purity," he said. "And you two are abominations."

Celyn lunged, but magic flared, sending her flying into a tree. Her vision blurred.

"No," she gasped.

"Burn the bond," the man ordered. "Start with the boy."

They poured something on Lucas black liquid that hissed against his skin. He roared in agony.

Celyn's vision cleared just in time to see them raise a blade over his chest.

"No!"

She screamed and something inside her snapped.

Her wolf surged forward, breaking free.

She shifted midair, her white wolf form glowing under the moon.

The hunters hesitated.

Too late.

She tore through them with feral rage, fangs sinking into flesh, claws ripping robes. Blood sprayed. Bones cracked.

When the last one fell, she shifted back and crawled to Lucas.

He was barely conscious, his skin burned, breath shallow.

"Stay with me," she begged. "Please, Lucas."

His fingers twitched.

"Celyn..."

"I'm here. I've got you."

But before she could move, a figure stepped into the clearing.

Her blood ran cold.

Alpha Thorne.

"Well," he said. "This is worse than I imagined."

She rose, placing herself between him and Lucas.

"You won't touch him."

Thorne raised a brow. "You're brave. I'll enjoy watching that fade."

He stepped forward and a snarl ripped through the night.

Not from Celyn.

From behind Thorne.

Another wolf.

Elara.

She lunged at the Alpha, claws aimed for his throat.

But Thorne moved too fast.

He slammed her down with a single blow, and she crumpled to the ground.

Celyn screamed.

Thorne turned back to her, eyes glowing. "You've made your choice."

And then-

Darkness.

A second figure emerged. Hooded. Silent.

A blade flashed.

Thorne staggered back, clutching his side.

The figure looked at Celyn and whispered, "Run. Take him and go."

She didn't hesitate.

She hauled Lucas's arm over her shoulder, grabbed Elara with her other, and vanished into the woods.

They didn't stop until dawn.

Lucas was unconscious. Elara was bleeding. And Celyn... Celyn was changed.

They were fugitives now.

And the whole world wanted them dead.

But something else burned inside her stronger than fear.

A vow.

She laid Lucas down, brushed the hair from his face, and whispered against his skin:

"They'll come for us. But they don't know what we've become."