Chapter 55 – A Bond That Shouldn't Exist

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

Elena could still feel the phantom sensation of his bite—a dull ache, but deeper than just skin and blood. It was something more, something that had latched onto her soul.

Leon paced a few steps away, his back rigid, his hands clenched. The energy in the air was different now—it coiled around him like an unseen force, something both powerful and dangerous.

He turned suddenly, his gaze locking onto hers with a sharp intensity. "You don't feel it, do you?"

Elena swallowed. "Feel what?"

His jaw clenched. "The pull."

She blinked, confused—until it hit her.

Something was different.

There was a strange awareness inside her now, like a thread stretching between them, invisible but unbreakable. She knew exactly where he was without looking, could almost sense his emotions pressing against her own, subtle but undeniable.

Elena sucked in a sharp breath. "What is this?"

Leon's expression was grim. "A bond."

Her stomach twisted. "I—No. That's not possible."

"It is," he said coldly. "And now, you're bound to me in ways you don't understand."

Elena shook her head, panic rising in her chest. "Then break it."

Leon's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "It's not that simple."

Her heart pounded. "Then explain it to me!"

He exhaled sharply, his fingers twitching at his sides as if resisting the urge to reach for her. "A vampire's first taste of his mate's blood seals their connection. It's instinctual—a claim." His voice lowered. "And you let me do it."

Elena's breath hitched. Mate?

No. This was insane.

"I didn't—" she started, but Leon's voice cut through her denial.

"You had a choice," he said darkly, stepping closer. "And you made it."

Heat rose to her face, but not from anger—not entirely. It was the bond. It was pulling at her, making her body react to his presence in ways that weren't natural.

She hated it.

She hated how he was right.

"I don't accept this," she said stubbornly. "I never agreed to be your mate."

Leon's eyes darkened, flickering with something unreadable. "You think the bond cares about what you accept?"

Elena clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "Then tell me how to undo it."

Leon was silent for a long moment. Then, with a haunted look, he said, "You can't."

The weight of his words crushed her.

Elena took a shaky step back, her mind racing. There had to be a way—there had to be.

"Why didn't you stop me?" she whispered, voice trembling.

Leon's gaze flickered, and for the first time, she saw something else beneath the cold exterior. Regret.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Because I was dying," he admitted, voice raw. "And because, for a moment... I forgot what I was."

Elena's chest tightened.

He looked almost... human.

But she couldn't let herself be fooled.

Not when she was now trapped in something far bigger than she understood.

And not when something in the shadows was still waiting for them.

The entity hadn't forgotten.

And now, neither could she.