Bound By The Moon: The Eternal Bond - Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Julia pressed herself against the wall, heart pounding like a war drum. Across the street, the city gates of Eira’Thorne groaned open and closed, swallowing lines of cloaked figures under the harsh midday sun. Vampires, dressed in modern, rune-woven hoods, moved in and out with mechanical precision. The entire entrance looked like a living beast—breathing in bodies, spitting out tension.
The gates themselves were monstrous: twin slabs of obsidian metal, fused with silver veins that pulsed faintly with magic. Intricate etchings covered the surface—fangs, fire, ancient sigils—all glowing faintly under the sun. Mounted scanners buzzed every entrant, casting pale beams over their faces. Security was tight. No one entered Eira’Thorne without clearance.
Two vampire guards flanked the gate—tall, pale, and armored in matte black with crimson crests over their chests. One tapped a holo-tablet, his bored eyes flicking from screen to crowd.
Jessy ducked lower behind the massive stone pillar. “This is insane. How are we supposed to get through that? ”
“We shouldn’t be this close,” she muttered again, nervous fingers twitching near her boot knife.
“They’ll smell us,” Julia whispered. “Me, especially.”
Samantha crouched, calm but alert. “Vampires have no sense of sharp smell. But doesn't mean we should let our guard down”
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a small black vial—unlabeled, about the size of a lip balm tube. A faint red mist shimmered inside.
“Scent disruptor,” she said. “Modern formula. Wolfsbane extract, garlic distillate, and vampire pheromone blockers. Cost me a fortune in the black market.”
She uncapped it and sprayed once in the air. The mist shimmered before clinging to them like static.
Julia coughed. “It stinks.”
“Better stink than bleed,” Samantha replied, dousing her and Jessy’s clothes until the faint wolf-and-human aroma faded beneath a synthetic, sterile scent.
Samantha straightened. “Wait here.”
She disappeared behind another pile of rubble. Julia watched her slip toward the shadows where a cargo van hummed beside a collapsed warehouse.
Ten minutes later, she returned with two more cloaks—sleek, black, and rune-lined with built-in hoods. “From unconscious traders,” she explained. “They won’t be missing these anytime soon.”
She tossed one to Julia and the other to Jessy.
Jessy caught hers and scoffed. “Took your sweet time.”
“You’re welcome,” Samantha said flatly.
With heads down and hoods drawn, the three girls stepped into the slow-moving line at the gate.
They didn’t speak. They didn’t look up. The guards scanned and waved people through, one after another. A vampire couple ahead of them laughed quietly. Behind, someone argued about trade permits.
When it was their turn, Samantha passed first. The scanner blinked yellow—then green.
Jessy followed. Green.
Julia swallowed hard as she stepped forward.
Green.
They were through.
Jessy let out a sharp breath. “We’re in,” she whispered. “Damn, we actually—”
“Wait.”
The voice came sharp and cold.
A guard stepped forward. “You three. Stop.”
Samantha froze. Jessy groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The vampire scanned them again, more slowly this time. Then his nose twitched. He tilted his head.
“Identities. Now.”
None of them moved.
“We’re... here on private business,” Samantha said quickly.
“Name?” the guard asked.
“We’re looking for someone,” she replied. “A vampire named Corin Merek. He’s supposed to be expecting us.”
The guard raised a brow quickly checking on the records “There is no corin Merek registered in the city.”
Samantha didn’t flinch. “He’s not officially registered.”
“You’re trespassing,” the guard said sharply, lifting his comm. “Backup to Sector Gate Six.”
More guards converged. Cold shackles clamped around their wrists. Jessy struggled against them.
“This is ridiculous!” she snarled. “There is a corin, right Sam?”
Samantha kept her gaze forward. “Yes.”
“Then why the hell are we in chains right now?!” Jessy snapped.
The guards didn’t wait for more shouting. They shoved them forward, dragging them through the gates and into the city’s heart.
The dungeon beneath Eira’Thorne reeked of blood, rust, and ancient rot.
Steel walls with digital locks kept the cells sealed. Cameras blinked in the corners. Chains hung from the ceilings. A blue emergency light flickered every five seconds, painting their cell in ghostly flashes.
Jessy paced. “This was stupid. We should’ve never come.”
Samantha sat in the corner, silent.
Jessy whirled. “Tell me you didn’t make that name up. We have wasted our only chance of getting to Aiden.”
“He exists,” Samantha said quietly. “I’ve spoken to him. He helped me once.”
“Then where the hell is he now?” Jessy growled. “Now it might be too late to even find Aiden—if he’s still alive!”
Julia sat quietly, rubbing her wrists. Her thoughts swirled around the chaos of the capture... and something deeper. An ache that wasn’t from fear.
Before she could voice it, footsteps echoed down the stone corridor.
Guards appeared again.
“On your feet,” one barked. “The king will see you now.”
The palace was carved from night itself—sleek obsidian floors, arched glass ceilings stained with lunar patterns, and dark marble stairs that spiraled like serpent tails. Plasma lanterns hovered in the air, lighting the corridors with cold, pale blue fire.
They were led to a massive chamber. Black pillars soared into a vaulted ceiling. A long silver carpet led to a throne made of fused onyx and crystal.
On it sat King Kaelith Draven.
He was young—no older than twenty-five in appearance—but something ancient burned in his eyes. His hair, pitch black, fell just past his shoulders, loose and feathered like raven’s wings. His jaw was sharp, lips full, expression unreadable. He wore a dark high-collared coat that shimmered with threads of silver and crimson, fitted perfectly to his lean, powerful frame. Twin rings adorned his fingers—one bearing the royal crest, the other a black stone that pulsed faintly.
Kaelith didn’t move as they entered. He simply stared—straight at the three.
"My king , these three were found illegally. Two werewolves and...a human."
Something in Julia's chest turned cold. Then warm. Then frightened all over again as the king's gaze fell on her.
“Unshackle her,” he said, voice like silk wrapped around steel.
The guards instantly obeyed as he stood up and walked towards the three women.
Even standing still, he radiated danger. Beauty. Command.
Julia’s shackles fell with a clink.
She rubbed her wrists, confused. “Why...?”
Kaelith descended the throne stairs slowly, his boots silent on the stone. His eyes never left hers.
“You’ve crossed my lands. Risked your life to stand here.”
He stopped just inches from her.
Gasps echoed through the court as his voice dropped low:
“You are mine.”
Julia blinked, heart stopping. Kaelith’s gaze burned into hers.
“My mate.”