Luna Everleigh's POV
***
The air between us was charged, an invisible pull tightening around my chest every time I looked at him.
Rhydian.
His name had become a silent drumbeat in my mind, steady and unrelenting. Ever since I had heard his voice inside my head, something had shifted between us. The way he looked at me now—cautious yet consumed—told me he felt it too.
But he was holding back.
We stood in the dimly lit corridor outside the war chamber. He hadn't said a word since Riven left, and the silence felt like a heavy weight pressing against my ribs.
"You heard me." My voice was barely above a whisper.
His golden eyes flicked to mine, the muscles in his jaw tightening.
"Yes."
My pulse raced. "How?"
Rhydian exhaled slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "It shouldn't be possible."
I took a step closer, ignoring the way my body instantly reacted to his nearness. "But it is happening. And you know why, don't you?"
A flicker of emotion—something raw, almost pained—crossed his face before he buried it beneath his usual cold restraint.
"This bond…" He hesitated, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. "You don't understand what it means, Luna."
Frustration flared in me. "Then explain it to me."
His eyes darkened, his voice a rough whisper. "If we complete it, there will be no turning back. You will be mine, in every sense of the word. But if you are truly a Lunar Guardian…" He swallowed hard, looking away. "Then our fate may not be what you think it is."
A cold shiver ran down my spine. "What do you mean?"
Rhydian's gaze locked onto mine, something haunted flickering behind his golden eyes.
"The last time a Lunar Guardian was bonded to an Alpha…" His voice was tight, full of something I couldn't place. "It ended in blood."
—
To be continued...