The Night Bound Pact

age's small backyard, looking up at the sky, her mind swirling with the revelations Alec had shared that morning. Her conversation with him had

cursed to shift under the full moon's light, his body caught between human and wolf, his mind divided between his ins

reverent, as if he were reciting a sacred oath. "And those who do keep their dis

a desperate pact with the spirits of the forest to protect the family from invaders. The spirits had answered, but the price had been high: the family was bound to the wild,

rstition or some kind of trick, but when she looked into Alec's eyes, she could see the

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of the forest. The trees loomed like silent guardians, their branches twisted and dark against the night sky. She k

pressed down on her like a weight. She could feel the forest watching her, waiti

p forward, then another, the world around her blurring as she moved deeper into the woods. The branches seemed to reach ou

ring trees, their branches casting strange, shifting shadows on the ground. The howling had s

n she s

chest rising and falling with deep, labored breaths. His eyes were wild, glowing faintly in the m

ispered, taking

ash of something feral in his expression. "Mina, you sh

ing. "I couldn't stay away. I

it, not when the moon is full." He took a step back, his muscles tens

a quiet certainty that she was meant to be here, to witness t

ever leaving her. "You should be. You don'

r, her eyes locked on

with a shudder, he seemed to lose the battle he had been fighting within himself. His body te

coming sharper, more angular. His hands lengthened, his fingers sprouting claws, and his skin darkened, covered in a fine la

it was a glimpse into the depths of Alec's soul. And yet, even in this monstrous form, she could s

erstand. Mina felt a surge of compassion, an almost overwhelming urge to reach out to him, to comfort him. Sh

ers, rough with the beginnings of fur, and she could feel the tension in h

pered, her voice bare

th a shudder, he pulled back, his expression contorted with fear and anger. "No!" he gro

y he fought against the beast within him, but she also knew that this was a battle he had been

lending into the shadows. She heard the sound of his footsteps, then the distant

lt a pang of loss, a hollow ache in her chest that she couldn't explain. But as she look

him. She didn't know how, b

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combing through old records, legends, and stories that spoke of shapeshifters, curses, and the spirits of the forest. Harold,

ver a dusty tome filled with ancient rituals and incantations. "The Nightbound curse is

solve. "I don't care. Alec didn't choose this. If ther

book, his expression somber. "Just... be careful. The forest has its own rules, its

he spirits, and the binding of souls to the natural world. She read about rituals performed under the full moon,

to connect with the spirits of the forest and plead for Alec's release from the curse. It

bols, studying the incantations until she had them memorized. She knew that she was stepping into unknown terri