Running was a mistake.
But staying felt worse.
The moment Kael left me in that room, I knew I couldn't stay there, waiting like a lamb in a slaughterhouse. My body was still weak, my neck burned where he'd marked me, but I didn't care. I had to try.
I wrapped the heavy cloak I'd found at the foot of the bed around my shoulders and slipped into the hallway.
The palace was silent. Not peaceful — no. It was the kind of silence that pressed against your skin, that made you feel like the walls themselves were listening.
I kept to the shadows, my breath shallow, my steps light.
Left. Then right. Then another hallway.
It felt like a maze.
I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I needed to get away from him.
Every corridor looked the same — tall windows that let in the dim red light of the Blood Moon, cold stone walls carved with strange runes that glowed faintly as I passed.
I didn't care. I just kept moving.
And then… I saw it.
A door.
Tall and heavy, reinforced with black iron. I pushed with everything I had, and somehow, it opened.
Cold air slammed into me, biting through the cloak.
Outside.
I didn't hesitate.
The courtyard was eerily empty. No guards, no servants. Just me, the cobblestone path, and the gates at the far end.
Freedom.
I broke into a run. My lungs burned, my legs screamed in protest, but I didn't stop. The massive gates loomed closer with each step.
Almost there.
I reached out, my fingers brushing the cold iron bars —
And pain exploded through me.
I collapsed, my body convulsing. The mark on my neck seared like molten metal had been poured into my veins.
"No," I gasped, clawing at the stones, trying to pull myself forward. "Not again."
It wasn't just pain. It was… a pull. Like an invisible chain dragging me backward.
Come back.
The voice wasn't mine. It wasn't spoken. It was inside me.
Come back.
My breath hitched. "Get out of my head," I whispered, but the pull only grew stronger.
My body wouldn't listen to me. My limbs were no longer mine.
And then…
"I told you."
The voice came from behind me, and my stomach dropped.
I turned.
He was there.
Kael.
Standing in the moonlight like he'd been waiting for me.
"How—" My voice broke.
"You can't outrun me," Kael said, walking toward me with that same unhurried stride. "You can't outrun the bond."
My body wanted to recoil, but the mark burned hotter when I tried to move away.
I hated it.
I hated that part of me — a deep, traitorous part — felt… relief at the sight of him.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I'm not yours."
Kael crouched beside me, tilting his head like I was something fragile and strange. "You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
His lips curved — not a smile, not exactly. "Then why do you feel me?"
I froze.
"You know what I mean," he said softly, his silver eyes boring into mine. "You feel it. The bond. Every time you try to leave, it drags you back."
I hated that he was right.
"Break it," I demanded. "Whatever this is — break it."
His expression darkened. "You think it's that simple?"
"Yes!"
Kael's gaze hardened, and for the first time, I felt something dangerous simmering beneath that calm exterior.
"If I could break it," he said slowly, "I wouldn't."
I stared at him, my chest tight. "Why? Why me?"
He reached out, brushing a clawed fingertip along the edge of the mark. I flinched, but he didn't stop.
"Because the Blood Moon doesn't make mistakes," Kael murmured. "And it chose you."
The words sent a shiver down my spine.
"I didn't ask for this," I whispered.
"I didn't either."
That made me look at him. Really look at him. For a fleeting second, his expression softened.
Then it was gone.
Kael straightened, towering over me. "Get up."
"No."
His silver eyes narrowed.
"Get up," he repeated, his voice lower, colder.
"I'm not going back with you."
"You are."
"Or what? You'll drag me?"
His smirk returned, sharp and dangerous. "If I have to."
I wanted to tell him I'd rather die than go back with him.
But when I tried to move, my body betrayed me.
My legs shook as I stood, not because I wanted to, but because the bond forced me to.
And Kael saw it.
He stepped closer, his voice softening just enough to make my heart stutter. "Don't fight it. It'll only hurt more."
I glared at him through the tears I refused to let fall. "I hate you."
He tilted his head. "No. You don't."
My breath caught.
"Not yet," he added.
Before I could respond, he swept me into his arms like I weighed nothing.
"Put me down!" I kicked and struggled, but it was useless.
Kael's grip didn't falter. "You'll learn, little one. Running won't save you. Fighting won't free you. You are mine."
The words burned worse than the mark.
And for the first time since the Blood Moon night began, I wondered if I'd ever truly escape him.
Cliffhanger:If the bond controls her body… what will it do to her mind?