Chapter five: The bond awakens

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"The bond has awakened."

Those words echoed far beyond the little cottage on the edge of the forest.

They echoed in blood. In instinct. In fate.

And somewhere, miles away — beyond the mortal borders of the village — Kael felt it.

He opened his eyes. The candlelit chamber around him flickered like a pulse. The scent of iron clung to the air. Ancient runes burned faintly across the stone walls — symbols only those born of the Moon could read.

He didn't breathe. Didn't blink.

Because for the first time in years… something stirred inside him.

Not the wolf. Not yet. But the bond.

And that was worse.

---

"Your Highness," came the low voice of Elder Corwin, standing near the old ceremonial fire. "You seem… tense."

Kael didn't look at him. He never did when his control was this thin.

"I felt something," Kael said quietly. "Not a vision. Not a dream. Something… living."

The council chamber fell silent. Even the fire dared not crackle too loud.

Elder Mira shifted beside the others, her silver hair braided with wolfbone. "The Hollow Rune?"

Kael's jaw clenched. He didn't answer.

That was answer enough.

---

"You've never shifted," Corwin said, his tone soft. "You have carried the mark since birth, and yet you remain unclaimed by the beast. If the bond is awakening… that could mean—"

"It means nothing,Corwin!" Kael snapped.

The flames flared. Shadows moved.

Mira stepped forward, her voice quiet but sharp. "It means the other has surfaced. The bond can't stir without its twin."

Kael's knuckles whitened. "She's not supposed to exist. The mark was cleansed. The bloodline was broken."

"And yet," Mira whispered, "you felt her."

---

Kael turned away, eyes narrowing. He hated this — the prophecy, the curse, the way his body trembled with something it couldn't name.

He hadn't slept in days. Hadn't dreamed in years.

But now, every part of him felt like it was reaching… for something. Or someone.

"I won't be ruled by this," Kael muttered.

"You may not have a choice, Your highness." Mira said gently. "If the bond has awakened… the Hollowing may return."

Corwin nodded grimly. "And the Council must prepare for that."

Kael stepped away from the circle, cloak billowing behind him like smoke.

"Then prepare," he said darkly. "But don't expect me to follow the path of a cursed prince."

He walked toward the exit. But just before he left, Mira's voice followed him:

"She may be the key to your wolf, Kael."

He paused. Just for a breath.

Then vanished into the dark.

---

Back in the cottage, Aryn stared into the fire.

"Learn to fight?" she repeated.

Her voice wasn't afraid.

It was steady. Fierce. Just like the pulse beneath her skin.

Grandma nodded. "If you're going to survive what's coming — if you want to control what's waking up inside you — then yes."

Aryn stood, still barefoot from when she'd collapsed.

Something in her had changed.

She wasn't just reacting anymore. She was choosing.

"What do I need to do then?" she asked.

Grandma turned to a chest at the far wall — one Aryn had always been told never to open. It groaned as she lifted the lid.

Inside were weapons. Old. Sharp. Runes carved into the blades.

"Your mother had trained with these. They're not for ceremony. They're for killing... killing what hides in the dark."

Aryn swallowed. "And I'm supposed to use them?"

"You were born to use them," Grandma said.

"But I'm not just a hunter, am I?"

"No," Grandma admitted. "That's why you won't train alone either."

Aryn blinked. What do you mean?...You'll train me?"

"I'll guide you," Grandma said. "But you'll learn from someone who knows what it means to hunt both man and monster."

The she turned toward the door.

"You've met him before... He delivers firewood in the winter."

Aryn frowned. Her mind racing. "Old Garrick?"

"He wasn't always old. And he wasn't always Garrick."

---

Later that evening, the sound of knocking echoed through the cottage.

When Grandma opened the door, a tall, broad-shouldered man stepped into the light. His hair was iron-grey, his left eye clouded over by a long scar. A massive axe was strapped to his back.

Aryn recognized him instantly.

"Garrick?"

"I told you I was done with this," he rasped.

"She's not," Grandma said.

He looked at Aryn. At the mark glowing faintly on her collarbone. At the medallion. At the blade.

"Hells," he muttered. "Another cursed girl."

Aryn straightened. "Not cursed."

She met his gaze head-on.

"Chosen."

He stared at her for a long beat. Then he chuckled once — dry, bitter.

"Alright then, Chosen Girl. Let's see if you can survive the first lesson."

---

Under the full moon, in the clearing beyond the woods, Garrick moved like a shadow — swift, agile, silent, precise.

"Grip it like this," he barked. "Your wrist is sloppy. That'll get you killed."

Aryn gritted her teeth. Sweat clung to her brow. Her arms ached, but she didn't lower the blade.

Again. And again.

He pushed. She pushed back.

Every strike sent a message. Every block reminded her: she was no longer running.

"I'm not here to make you a warrior," Garrick muttered, circling her. "I'm here to make sure you don't die before you find out what you are."

Aryn's breath caught.

And before she could ask what he meant—

a howl split the forest.

Not a wolf.

Something else.

Garrick froze. His eyes went cold.

"That's not supposed to be this close."

He stepped in front of Aryn, axe already in hand.

"Get behind me," he said.

But the sound was growing. Closer. Hungrier.

The mark on Aryn's chest blazed with light.

And the night… answered.

---

To be continued...

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Author's note:

The bond has awakened…

And now, the hunt begins.

Kael has felt the pull.

Aryn has taken the blade.

But the shadows are moving faster than either of them realize.

What was that howl in the woods?

What hunts the hunter before she's ready?

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Thank you for reading. You're not just an audience — you're part of this world now.

We don't survive alone.

Until Chapter 6,

– Kai Alaric ✒️