The call of the Bond

Night draped over Vaelthane, the fires in the square flickering as the city settled into a quiet hum of life. The scent of freshly cut wood mixed with the crisp night air, and somewhere in the distance, a hammer still rang against iron.

Kael stood at the highest point of the ruins, overlooking the growing kingdom. The weight of responsibility sat heavy on his shoulders, but something else stirred beneath it—something restless, something unknown.

Then, it came.

Mate.

The word was not spoken aloud, yet it echoed through his mind, low and commanding. It didn't feel like the whispers of the throne or the shadow that clung to him. No, this was different. Deeper. Older. A truth, not a suggestion.

Kael inhaled sharply, his fingers curling. His pulse quickened, heat flaring beneath his skin. The bond—a mate bond.

His head snapped to the side, his gaze locking onto Fenir.

She stood near the ruins of the great hall, half in shadow, her silver eyes narrowed as if she had just felt something ripple through her.

Their gazes met.

Fenir's breath hitched. She felt it too.

A flicker of panic crossed her face, but she masked it quickly. Still, she did not move. Did not turn away.

Kael's jaw tightened. This wasn't just instinct—this was real. The bond was not a fleeting moment, not something imagined. It had always been there, lingering beneath the surface, waiting to be acknowledged.

Fenir exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders as if shaking off an unseen weight. But when she looked at him again, the wariness in her eyes had changed—because she knew.

She felt it just as deeply as he did.

Neither spoke the word aloud.

Mate.

But they both heard it.

And nothing would ever be the same again.

—