Chapter 4 The Chain Begins To Stir

The sun hadn't yet risen when the guards came for Liah.

They didn't speak.

They simply grabbed her by the arms, dragged her out of the servant's room, and threw a black cloak over her torn clothes. Her feet scraped the stone steps as she was pulled toward the center courtyard - the Circle of Law.

Only warriors stood trial there.

Not servants.

Not humans.

Something was wrong.

By the time they reached the stone circle, the entire pack had gathered. Warriors stood in perfect rows. The elders sat in judgment. And above them all, on a raised platform, stood Alpha Kael.

His expression was unreadable.

Liah's breath caught when she saw Selene, standing just below him, hands folded sweetly in front of her, head tilted like a priestess at a funeral.

"She was found wandering near the Alpha's chambers at midnight," Selene announced loudly. "Unescorted. With no orders."

Gasps echoed.

"She could be a spy," another warrior chimed in. "She's not even one of us!"

"She's cursed," someone whispered. "The healer said..."

Liah's voice shook. "I-I wasn't near the chambers. I was in the woods. I couldn't sleep, I-"

Selene stepped forward, cutting her off. "Lies," she hissed, just loud enough for Liah to hear. "You should've died quietly like the useless thing you are."

Liah turned to Kael.

His gaze was fixed on her again - not angry. Not cold. But conflicted.

One of the elders rose. "Alpha, the pack demands justice. What punishment do you deem fit for trespassing?"

Kael's lips parted. But before he could speak-

Selene did.

"She should be whipped," she said softly. "Before the pack. Let the humans know their place."

The crowd stirred.

Kael said nothing.

And that silence was all Selene needed.

Liah's wrists were chained to a stone post in the center of the circle.

She stood barefoot, shoulders trembling, cloak torn off. Her back exposed to the wind.

The warrior with the whip didn't hesitate.

The first lash struck.

She gasped - not from the pain, but from the way it burned. Not just her skin. It felt like it reached inside her. Deep into something she didn't understand.

The second lash landed.

The crowd cheered.

The third-

And then something happened.

The sky dimmed.

Just for a moment.

The torches flickered.

The air grew thick - charged, like lightning before a storm.

Liah's eyes rolled back.

And the mark on her hand, the one that always vanished... glowed.

Faintly. Silvery blue. Just for a second.

The warrior stepped back. "Alpha..." he whispered. "Something's not right."

Liah fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Her vision blurred. She saw wolves circling her - no, not wolves - memories. Images.

A silver forest. Chains melting into mist. A voice whispering her name.

And then-

"Enough."

Kael's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

Everyone froze.

Kael stepped down from the platform, crossing the circle. The crowd parted silently.

Selene's eyes widened.

Kael stopped in front of Liah. He stared down at her - blood on her skin, hair in her face, hands glowing faintly.

And for the first time, he looked... shaken.

He turned to the crowd. "She is not to be touched again without my order."

The pack murmured in confusion.

Selene took a step forward. "Alpha-"

"Silence," he snapped.

The courtyard fell dead quiet.

Kael turned to one of the guards. "Take her to the healer. Now."

And just like that, he walked away.

Leaving a stunned Selene standing alone in the circle, her fingers curled into trembling fists.

That night, as Liah lay in the healer's hut, she stared at the ceiling, confused and sore.

Why did he stop it?

Why do I keep glowing?

What am I becoming?

She didn't have the answers.

But deep within her, beneath the fear, beneath the pain...

Something ancient stirred.

Not broken.

Not cursed.

But bound.

And it was waiting to be unleashed.

----

The healer's hut was small and shadowy, smelling of herbs and old magic. Liah lay still on the woven mat, every muscle sore, skin burning. The lashes across her back had been cleaned and bandaged, but the pain was still raw.

Yet all she could think about was him.

Why did he stop the punishment?

Why did his eyes look... afraid?

Elsewhere in the fortress, Kael sat alone in his chamber, staring at the fire.

His mind wouldn't settle.

He had seen countless beatings, countless traitors punished without blinking.

But Liah...

There was something wrong. Or perhaps something dangerously right about her. That glow on her skin - he'd only seen something like it once, long ago, in the ancient books kept by the Elders.

He stood and walked toward the carved bookshelf near his desk. Pulled out an old tome - one wrapped in animal hide, stained by time.

He flipped through pages until he found it.

"The Bound-Blooded are those marked by pain, hidden among mortals, carrying power sealed by ancient chains. They awaken only under torment, and only the Moon may choose when."

Bound-Blooded.

Could it be?

He clenched his jaw.

If she really was one of them... then keeping her close could be the most dangerous - or most powerful - thing he ever did.

---

Meanwhile, Selene stood in the moonlit forest, her cloak fluttering behind her like a shadow.

She was seething.

"She should've been broken by now," she hissed, circling the black stone altar behind the warriors' temple.

Another female warrior stood nearby, hesitant. "The Alpha-he protected her. Maybe he-"

"He's confused," Selene spat. "But I will remind him who truly stands at his side."

Her lips curled.

"Tomorrow," she said, "we begin the Rite of Unity."

The warrior blinked. "But... that ritual is only for chosen mates-"

"I will make him choose me," Selene said, her voice icy. "And I will finish what the chains failed to do."

The next morning, Liah woke up with a start.

There was no pain.

Only heat.

A pulsing warmth under her skin, especially in her wrist - where the mark used to appear. She pulled up her sleeve.

This time, the glow didn't vanish.

It shimmered. Soft and silver. Like light trapped under skin.

She touched it, trembling.

Then a strange whisper curled in her ear - a voice not her own.

"You are not what they think. You are not theirs to break."

She flinched and looked around.

No one was there.

Later, as she tried to leave the healer's hut to return to her chores, a warrior blocked the doorway.

"You've been summoned," he said. "By the Alpha."

Her stomach dropped.

When she arrived at the Alpha's private chamber, Selene was already there - seated beside Kael, smiling like a queen.

"Ah," Selene purred. "The little survivor arrives."

Liah didn't speak. She simply bowed her head.

Kael's eyes found hers. Sharp. Penetrating.

"I have questions," he said quietly. "About what you are."

Liah opened her mouth, but no words came.

Selene stood. "This is beneath you, Kael. She's clearly playing with something unnatural. We should cleanse her, not question her."

Kael's expression darkened. "Enough."

Selene's smile dropped.

She stepped closer to him, lowering her voice. "You're letting your instincts get clouded. She's not one of us. You should be focused on your future - on the pack. On someone who understands you."

She placed a hand on his arm.

He didn't move.

But his gaze never left Liah.

When Liah was dismissed, Kael remained silent as she left. But his thoughts screamed.

Selene's jealousy was beginning to unravel, and Liah's quiet presence lingered in his mind like a scent he couldn't shake.

Something had awakened.

And he didn't know if he should fear it... or protect it.

That night, Liah stood by the narrow window in the servant's room, watching the moon rise.

She could still feel that glow beneath her skin.

She whispered softly to herself, as if repeating a forgotten truth:

"I am not nothing. I am not theirs."

Far off, in the forest beyond the walls, something howled.

And the chains inside her shifted again.