Kael didn't sleep that night.
Every time he closed his eyes, he felt it again—that invisible pull, sharp and insistent, tugging at something deep inside his chest. It wasn't pain. It wasn't desire either.
It was awareness.
Like another heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
He sat on the edge of his bed as dawn crept faintly through the windows of the pack house, jaw clenched, hands curled into fists. His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin, unsettled and irritable.
This was wrong.
Bonds were meant for mates. For wolves. For his kind.
Not for vampires.
And yet—
Kael exhaled slowly and stood, pulling on his jacket. If he stayed still any longer, the pull might drive him mad.
He needed air.
The forest was quieter than usual, the early morning mist clinging low to the ground. Kael moved through it on instinct, boots barely making a sound against the earth.
He didn't realize where he was going until the air shifted.
Colder.
Sharper.
Vampire territory.
Kael stopped short, muscles tensing. Every instinct screamed at him to turn back—to respect the boundary carved in blood and old war.
But the bond tightened.
Damn it.
He stepped forward.
Lucien felt him before he saw him.
The moment Kael crossed the invisible line between their lands, the ancient curse stirred—warmth spreading through Lucien's chest like embers waking beneath ash.
So he came.
Lucien stood beneath the thinning canopy, dark coat unmoving despite the breeze. His crimson eyes lifted calmly as Kael emerged from the trees.
Of course it was him.
"You're early," Lucien said quietly.
Kael scowled. "I didn't come to talk."
Lucien's gaze flicked briefly to Kael's clenched fists, the tension in his shoulders. "You came because you couldn't stay away."
That hit closer than Kael liked.
"This bond—" Kael began, then stopped, teeth grinding. "It's interfering with my control."
Lucien studied him for a long moment, expression unreadable. "It's doing the same to me."
That surprised Kael.
"You don't look affected."
Lucien's lips curved faintly. "Appearances lie. I've simply had longer to learn restraint."
Kael took a step closer before he could stop himself.
The air between them thickened.
It wasn't just the bond now. It was the way Lucien stood—unthreatening, yet impossibly dangerous. The way his presence felt like standing at the edge of a cliff: terrifying, intoxicating.
"If this continues," Kael said hoarsely, "my pack will notice."
"And if my kind notices," Lucien replied, "they will not be as patient as I am."
Silence settled between them.
Then Lucien spoke again, softer.
"The curse strengthens when we resist it."
Kael let out a sharp breath. "So what— we just accept it?"
Lucien's eyes darkened. "No. We understand it. Before it decides for us."
For the first time, Kael didn't immediately argue.
A distant call echoed through the forest—a signal from his territory.
Kael stiffened.
"I have to go."
Lucien nodded. "You always do."
That shouldn't have sounded like regret.
Kael turned away, then hesitated. "Lucien."
The vampire looked up.
"If this bond… if it gets worse—" Kael paused, struggling for words he didn't want to admit. "You'll tell me. Whatever you know."
Lucien's gaze softened, just slightly. "I promise."
Kael disappeared into the trees.
Lucien remained where he was, the forest slowly reclaiming its silence.
The Blood Moon's curse pulsed once—slow, deliberate.
It wasn't pulling them together by force anymore.
It was waiting.