But I’m just a human?

Chapter 17: The bond



**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE BOND**

The air smelled of pine and rain—the kind of soft, sacred scent that clings to memories and beginnings. It had been a long week of bruises and breakthroughs. Training, truths, and shadows waiting beyond the trees. But tonight was still. Tonight was for them.

The packhouse was quieter than usual, as though the building itself respected what was to come. Lanterns glowed low in the hallways, casting golden halos over the floors. The world outside held its breath.

In Tristian's room, everything felt different.

Koda sat cross-legged on the bed, fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Across from him, Tristian moved with quiet confidence, yet his eyes were soft—tender, reverent.

"I can hear your heartbeat from here," Tristian said gently.

"Sorry," Koda murmured. "I just… I've never felt this much and not wanted to run from it."

"You don't have to run," Tristian said, kneeling in front of him. "Not from me."

Koda reached out slowly, brushing his fingers along Tristian's cheek. "I don't want to be afraid anymore."

"Then let me show you something that's never been scary," Tristian whispered.

Their lips met—not rushed, not frantic. Just two souls breathing into one another. It was slow, tender, a dance of mouths and promises. Heat bloomed between them, not just physical but spiritual. They kissed like they were falling into something divine—and they were.

Clothes were peeled away gently, reverently. Skin met skin in warm pulses. Koda's body trembled, not from fear but from overwhelming trust. He felt every touch like fire, every sigh like poetry written into the stars.

And then—together—they allowed their bond to fully connect.

It was more than physical. Their hearts beat as one. Their wolves howled in harmony deep inside them. Their marks pulsed with silvery-gold light. It was as if the world around them shimmered with the approval of the Moon and Sun themselves.

Later, tangled in each other's arms, Koda whispered, "I feel whole."

Tristian kissed his temple. "You are."

---

The next morning, laughter exploded from the kitchen.

"WHO burned the pancakes?!" Zara screeched.

"Orion," Nova said without looking up from her juice.

"Lies and slander," Orion shouted, waving a spatula dramatically.

"You used salt again," Zara snapped.

"They were savory pancakes! I was experimenting!" he yelled as Tristian and Koda entered the room.

Orion turned, eyes twinkling, and immediately tackled Koda in a hug. "You're glowing! Literal post-bond glow-up!"

"Orion!" Koda groaned, blushing.

"Don't deny me this moment," Orion sniffled. "My best friend finally bonded with my other best friend. This is like a rom-com I actually care about."

Zara threw a kitchen towel at him. "You're such a sap."

"And proud of it," Orion said, throwing an arm around Koda's shoulder. "No seriously, I hope you know how loved you are now. Like, seriously. You're pack. Not just because of Tristian. Because of you."

Koda looked around the room—Zara bickering with Orion, Nova helping Kairo fix a bookshelf with her powers, Tristian making actual non-burnt pancakes.

It hit him then, with quiet certainty.

He was home.

And Orion, for all his chaos, was the glue that held this strange, beautiful mess together. He was the one who brought the laughter when things got dark, who remembered everyone's birthdays, who sat with you in silence when the tears came. He was the comfort everyone needed and the storm no one expected.

Later that day, Koda caught Orion alone, sipping tea on the back porch.

"Hey," Koda said, sitting beside him. "Thanks."

Orion raised an eyebrow. "For?"

"For being you. For making me feel like I belong."

Orion smiled softly, bumping Koda's shoulder. "You always belonged. You just had to remember."

They sat there in silence, watching the clouds roll by.

No chaos. No threats. Just peace.

But the wind shifted. The trees whispered.

And far beyond the quiet…

Something stirred.

---

In a place where light dared not shine, past the veil of the mortal world, a figure watched through enchanted flame.

He wore a cloak woven from shadows, his face a blur of old magic and bone-deep malice. Eyes like dying stars blinked once.

"They've bonded," he rasped.

A second voice—ancient, female—hummed beside him. "The prophecy awakens. The Moon-Blessed and the Sun-Touched rise."

"They are young. Untested. Still bound by emotion," he replied. "Love is their strength… and their weakness."

He lifted a hand, and with a whisper, the fire showed him Koda's face. His wolf—gleaming silver with ancient markings—howled from deep within.

"A child of prophecy indeed," the woman said. "The last of her bloodline."

"Then we cut the root before it bears fruit."

A low chuckle escaped the man's lips. "Let the game begin."

And the shadows stirred in obedience.


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