Bound By The Moon: The Eternal Bond - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

The sun had long disappeared, leaving the night sky smeared with dark streaks of indigo and ash. Alpha Valen and Julia arrived at the pack grounds, stepping into a scene of devastation. The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke, burning wood, and the stench of blood, seeping into the very earth beneath their feet. What had once been a thriving, bustling territory was now an unholy graveyard for the wounded and the fallen.
Valen’s sharp gaze swept over the destruction, his heart hardening with each passing moment. Blood-soaked earth, broken bodies scattered like discarded toys, their eyes wide with the haunting emptiness of death. The towering trees, once symbols of strength and resilience, now stood silent—mute witnesses to the brutality that had torn through their home. Smoldering fires flickered weakly, casting long, twisted shadows across the wreckage. The anguished cries of the wounded filled the air, their desperation a harsh reminder of the violence that had consumed the pack.
Julia’s chest tightened as she scanned the carnage. She had seen death before—lived through it—but this was something different. A warzone, not just a battlefield. Her lips pressed tightly together as the weight of it all settled deep within her. She fought the nausea creeping up her throat, but the sight of warriors—once proud and strong—now struggling for breath, or worse, lifeless on the ground, made her stomach churn.
Valen’s breath came in deep, measured inhales, his chest rising and falling slowly. His face remained grim and unreadable, though his eyes burned with an intensity that threatened to consume him. His rage simmered just beneath the surface, tightly controlled by the iron will that had always defined him as Alpha. As they moved deeper into the grounds, his attention snapped to the shadows where Aiden and Ryker emerged, their faces pale, expressions hard. They were not the cocky, confident men they had been just hours before.
“Aiden,” Valen’s voice was low, commanding, his tone carrying the weight of authority. His gaze was sharp, cutting through the tension in the air. “What happened here?”
Aiden swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. His eyes darted to the ground, avoiding Valen’s piercing stare as he struggled to gather himself. “It was an ambush, Alpha. Rogues—too many of them. We were spread thin after the previous skirmishes. They hit us hard. We didn’t have the manpower to hold them off.”
Valen’s jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed as he absorbed Aiden’s words. This wasn’t just a rogue attack. It was calculated—deliberate. The anger that surged within him twisted, cold and vicious. He had fought in battles before, but this—this was something else. The scale of the devastation, the sheer number of fallen warriors… it was more than any pack should bear.
Before Aiden could continue, Ryker stepped forward, his face drawn with exhaustion, his clothes torn and stained with blood. His usually calm demeanor was strained, and he avoided meeting Valen’s gaze, knowing what was coming.
“Alpha Valen,” Ryker said, his voice steady, but thick with exhaustion. “We couldn’t withstand the ambush. They were too well-coordinated, too organized. We didn’t have time to prepare. We lost good warriors today.”
Valen’s lips pressed into a thin, furious line. His focus shifted to the distant horizon, where the dark silhouette of the Alpha King’s territory barely shimmered in the distance. A cold shiver of realization swept through him.
“This wasn’t just a rogue attack,” Valen shifted to mindlink between Aiden and Ryker, his voice cold, calculated. “This is a message. Damon’s behind this.”
The mention of Damon, the Alpha King, sent a ripple of shock through both Aiden and Ryker. They exchanged a quick glance, their faces pale.
“It’s Damon,” Valen’s voice continued in their minds, colder now. “He’s orchestrated this—using his rogues as pawns to destabilize us. He wants us weakened. He wants us broken. But he won’t get that. Not while I’m Alpha.”
Aiden swallowed hard. The truth hit him like a physical blow. The Alpha King wasn’t just a distant threat anymore. He was right here, manipulating them, turning their world upside down. A shiver ran down his spine.
“I’m going after Damon,” Valen’s voice was final, his tone unyielding. His body was already in motion, turning toward the dark horizon, his mind already calculating the steps ahead. His eyes gleamed with cold fury, an unmistakable promise of destruction. “He will pay for this.”
Julia, who had been standing quietly on the sidelines, didn’t speak, but her eyes were sharp. She scanned the injured around her—warriors fighting for their lives, others already beyond saving. As the pack’s healers worked to stabilize the wounded, she stepped forward, her hands steady as she began tending to the nearest injuries.
Her fingers worked with precision, her movements swift and practiced, applying pressure to wounds, her face taut with concentration. But even in the midst of chaos, a sickening feeling gnawed at her gut. There was something darker at play here—something more than mere violence. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the battle had just begun.
Jessy appeared beside her, her expression hard, her eyes narrowed with focus. She moved through the chaos with the quiet efficiency of someone who had become a leader in her own right. Without a word, she began organizing the survivors, directing those who could still fight into a defensive line, pulling the wounded into makeshift shelters. The energy around her had shifted—no longer playful or carefree, but now a warrior leading her pack with strength and resolve.
“You’re sure?” Ryker’s voice cut through the chaos, his eyes lingering on Valen, waiting for direction. “It’ll be dangerous. We don’t even know the full scope of what we’re dealing with.”
“Find Damon’s weakness, and we strike. We tear him down from the inside,” Valen responded, his voice low but sharp with dangerous intent. His eyes remained fixed on the horizon, the promise of war thick in the air. “I won’t let him destroy my pack. Not on my watch.”
Aiden’s mind raced, his breath coming in shallow bursts. He had never seen Valen like this—cold, controlled, yet filled with an intensity that was almost suffocating. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was personal.
Ryker spoke again, mindlinking with a firm urgency. “We need to prepare. Damon won’t stop here. He’ll come for us again.”
“I know,” Valen’s voice was rough, his anger barely contained. “But first, we deal with the aftermath. The rogues are gone for now, but Damon will strike again. We will be ready.”
Jessy, bloodstreaked and grim, returned to the group. Her eyes flicked between Valen and the distant horizon. She didn’t need to ask the questions hanging in the air—she already knew what was coming.
Julia pulled Jessy aside, her voice low but urgent. “Damon’s using dark magic. He’s behind all of this. We have to figure out how to stop him.”
At her words, a stunned silence fell over the pack. Warriors who had been tending to the wounded paused, their eyes flicking to Julia. Some looked disbelieving, others fearful.
“Dark magic?” one of the older wolves muttered, voice trembling. “The Alpha King? Behind all of this?”
A growl from the crowd rippled through the air. “You dare accuse the Alpha King of this? Know your place, human!”
Another wolf snarled, “How dare you speak such lies!”
The tension in the air crackled like static. The pack’s murmurs grew louder, shifting dangerously, but Valen’s growl, deep and guttural, cut through the chaos. It was a command—a warning. In an instant, the pack fell silent.
Valen’s eyes gleamed gold, his fury barely restrained. “How dare you speak to your Luna like that?” His voice was low, dangerous, every word cutting through the thick silence. “Do you dare show more loyalty to Damon than your own Alpha?”
One by one, the murmurs died down. The wolves shifted uneasily before dispersing into the shadows. The tension still lingered, but the immediate threat had passed.
Valen turned to Julia, his face hard but his gaze filled with something softer—recognition, perhaps even gratitude. She nodded at him, her voice barely a whisper. “Sorry. I forgot you all have super hearing.”
Jessy, standing silently by their side, didn’t flinch. Her eyes remained focused, unyielding.
The battle was far from over. The wounded were being tended to, but the warriors who could still fight were already preparing for the next wave. Valen’s mind was already sharp with strategy, his eyes fixed on the future. The war had begun—and there would be no mercy.