Bound By The Moon: The Eternal Bond - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

The forest was unnervingly quiet.
Every step Julia took seemed too loud, the crunch of dry leaves underfoot echoing in the stillness. The trees towered over her, their branches twisting like skeletal arms reaching for the sky. The sun struggled to break through the thick canopy, casting weak shafts of light that illuminated only brief patches of the path ahead. The warmth they promised was elusive, as though the sun itself was wary of this place.
Julia kept walking, even though she wasn’t entirely sure where she was going. It felt like a game, a dangerous one. Every footstep, every rustle in the underbrush, seemed like a potential threat. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching her, lurking just beyond the trees.
Then came the rustle. A soft sound, like fabric brushing against bark, followed by the distinct snap of a twig underfoot.
Julia froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Her breath hitched as she scanned the trees, her eyes darting to every movement, every flicker of shadow. She was on edge now, her instincts screaming at her to move, to run, but her feet remained planted in place.
The silence dragged on, thick and suffocating, as the forest seemed to hold its breath. Then, a voice sliced through the quiet like a blade.
“Well, well… if it isn’t the little wanderer.”
The words oozed with malice, smooth and silk-like, wrapping themselves around her. Julia’s spine stiffened. She turned slowly, her muscles coiling in preparation. And there, standing just beyond a tall ash tree, was Lily.
Her long black hair flowed like ink, cascading down her back in stark contrast to the pale light that filtered through the branches above. Her smile was too sweet, the kind that never quite reached the eyes. There was a predatory gleam in those dark orbs, a dangerous hunger lurking beneath the surface.
“You’re walking alone,” Lily remarked, her voice lilting. “Brave… or just foolish?”
Julia tilted her head, unfazed. “I could ask you the same.”
Lily’s gaze dropped to the necklace resting against Julia’s chest, the one she’d always kept hidden under her shirt. Her lips curled into a knowing smile. “That pendant,” she said, her voice soft but dangerous. “It’s beautiful. Mind if I take a closer look?”
Without thinking, Julia’s hand shot up, fingers wrapping protectively around the pendant, her knuckles white with the force of her grip. “Actually, I do mind.”
Lily’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but she recovered quickly, tilting her head with mock curiosity. “Oh? Where’d you get it?”
Julia’s eyes narrowed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Somewhere out of your reach.”
The words hung in the air between them, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt. The energy shifted, darkened, as if the very forest itself had drawn a sharp breath in anticipation. Julia could feel it in the pit of her stomach—the subtle thrum of power rolling off Lily, like the calm before a storm.
“You’ve got a sharp tongue,” Lily murmured, her voice dropping an octave. “You should be careful with that.”
Julia didn’t flinch. She held her ground, her gaze unwavering. “What do you want from me, Lily?” she asked, each word cool but clipped, a note of warning in her tone.
The question lingered in the air, taut as a bowstring. Lily’s lips curled into a slow, deliberate smile. But it wasn’t a friendly smile. It was something darker. Something twisted.
“I want us to be friends,” she said, her voice light, almost too sweet. “Like we used to be.”
The words hit Julia like a slap. Friends? After everything?
She almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Almost.
Instead, her gaze flickered to the pendant again, and something cold and calculating stirred in Lily’s eyes. Julia’s grip tightened, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. Lily had said enough.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The air was thick, heavy with unspoken threats. Julia’s heartbeat pounded in her ears as she tried to gauge Lily’s next move. Her body was tense, ready to spring into action if needed.
And then, before she could react, a new voice broke through the tension, cutting through the forest like a sudden gust of wind.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Both women froze, and for a split second, Julia thought she might have imagined it. But no. There, stepping out from between the trees, was Samantha. Her pale blonde hair glowed faintly in the dim light, swaying softly with the breeze. Her expression was unreadable, a perfect mask of neutrality, though her eyes flicked from Julia to Lily with quiet awareness.
Lily’s body stilled, the dark energy around her retreating like a shadow at sunrise. She turned to face Samantha, her practiced smile never faltering.
“Just talking to my… cousin,” Lily said, her voice syrupy sweet.
Samantha’s eyebrows lifted, her lips curving into a knowing smirk. “Friendly conversation, I’m sure.”
Lily’s smile twitched, just a fraction of a second, before she turned away with an exaggerated roll of her eyes and a flick of her hair. “I’ll leave you both to it.”
Her departure was graceful, silent. But the weight of her presence lingered, like the scent of something rancid that refused to fade.
Samantha watched Lily leave before turning back to Julia, her gaze lingering on her for a moment. “You good?”
Julia hesitated, feeling the last of her tension ebb away. “Yeah… for now.”
“If you think I followed you,” Samantha said, her voice light but sharp, “I’m going to be really annoyed.”
Julia glanced at her, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “And if I think you did?”
Samantha’s smile was wicked, and Julia could hear the humor in her voice. “Then I’ll have to make you regret it.”
Julia rolled her eyes but felt a wave of relief wash over her. Samantha might be a little too nosy for her taste, but at least she wasn’t an enemy.
Then, a gust of wind swept through the trees, snapping the fragile calm in the air. The world seemed to shift, the atmosphere heavy and charged.
Before Julia could react, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground with surprising ease. Her breath caught in her throat as her body collided with a familiar warmth.
“Valen—?!” she gasped, her voice rising in shock.
He didn’t respond immediately. His eyes were scanning the trees, glowing gold and sharp, the gaze of a predator. His jaw was clenched tight, his entire body coiled with tension. His grip on her tightened, his muscles tense and ready.
Julia looked up at him, half startled, half amused. “I think we won?” she said, trying to lighten the moment, but her nervous chuckle caught in her throat when she saw the urgency in his expression.
“Quiet,” he muttered, his voice low and controlled, but there was no mistaking the urgency in his tone. “We need to go. Now.”
Her smile faltered, and she felt her stomach tighten. Something was wrong. The air was thick with unease, and the sense of danger was palpable.
Without another word, Valen moved, his pace swift and sure as he raced through the trees. The world blurred around them, the wind whipping through Julia’s hair, the forest a blur of green and brown as he carried her further away from the clearing.
Behind them, the trees stood silent. Lily was gone. Samantha remained still, her eyes following them with quiet awareness.
And the forest returned to its unnatural stillness.