Chapter 58 – A Bite That Binds

The air between them grew heavy. Leon didn't move immediately, as if giving her one last chance to take back her words. His silver eyes searched hers, gauging whether she truly understood what she was asking for.

But Elena didn't waver.

She had already made her decision.

Leon exhaled, his breath unsteady. He reached up, his fingers brushing her wrist before curling around it, his grip firm yet careful. "This will hurt," he warned, his voice quieter now, almost reluctant.

Elena swallowed but nodded. Pain was nothing compared to the alternative.

Leon's free hand rose to cradle the side of her neck, his thumb brushing just below her jawline. His touch was strangely gentle for a man who had always been untouchable.

Then, he leaned in.

A shiver ran down her spine as his lips ghosted over the sensitive skin of her throat, his breath warm against her pulse. She didn't dare move, every muscle in her body locked in anticipation.

And then—

Pain.

A sharp, searing sensation pierced her skin as Leon's fangs sank in, and for a moment, her entire world tilted. The pain wasn't just physical. It was something deeper, something ancient, like a fire awakening inside her veins.

Her breath hitched as heat spread through her body, radiating from where his fangs remained embedded in her flesh. It was overwhelming, raw, consuming. She felt her pulse hammering against his lips, her heartbeat syncing with his.

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms, willing herself to stay still. This wasn't just a bite. It was a mark. A claiming. A bond that would tether them together, threading her fate with his.

Then, the pain shifted.

A strange warmth replaced the burning, like something being unlocked inside her. Her senses sharpened—she could hear the faint rustle of the trees outside, the distant creak of the house settling, the steady, rhythmic beat of Leon's heart.

And in that moment, something else surfaced.

A memory.

It wasn't hers.

It belonged to someone else—someone who had stood where she stood now, who had felt the same fire licking at their veins. A woman's voice whispered through the depths of her mind, lost to time yet achingly familiar.

"You are bound now. Forever."

Elena's breath hitched, her vision blurring. The words felt like an echo of something long buried, something waiting to be remembered.

Then, Leon pulled back.

His fangs withdrew, and the absence of them left a lingering sting, a dull ache that pulsed with every heartbeat. Elena wavered on her feet, dizzy, overwhelmed, changed.

Leon's lips were stained red.

His breathing was uneven, his eyes darker than before—a shade deeper, filled with something unreadable.

Elena reached up instinctively, touching the fresh mark on her neck. The skin was warm, tingling beneath her fingertips.

Leon's gaze didn't leave her. "It's done."

His voice was quiet, but there was something final in his tone.

Something irreversible.

Elena's heart pounded.

She had crossed a threshold she could never return from.