Bound By The Moon: The Eternal Bond - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

The dungeon walls breathed with damp cold, their silence broken only by the faint drip of water echoing into darkness. Julia clutched the small vial Samantha had pressed into her palm—its glass cool, its contents shimmering faintly under the torchlight. A blade, sharp and forged from silver, was strapped against her thigh. She wasn’t ready for this. She knew it. But Samantha’s steady voice still rang inside her head:
"Selene has shown me the path, Julia. Through the tunnel. Follow it. Survive. And remember—the Golden Bloom is our only chance."
Her heart thudded as she crouched low, slipping into the narrow crack Samantha had pried open for her. It was little more than a fissure in the stone, a suffocating throat of rock that scraped against her shoulders as she crawled. The tunnel reeked of earth and mildew, but it was freedom.
When she emerged, the night sky greeted her. Cold, wide, endless. Julia inhaled sharply, blinking against the weight of her fear. Alone. For the first time in weeks, utterly alone.
She set off, clutching the rolled map Samantha had stolen months earlier at the north, her feet silent against the damp soil.
The nights blurred into each other, the road swallowing her strength. Julia barely ate, barely drank. She kept moving, always moving. Her body ached, but her mind clung to one thought—Valen, frozen and waiting.
The Forgotten Ravine loomed before her like a scar carved into the land. Mist swirled low, curling around jagged stones that jutted like teeth. She paused, breath catching. She remembered the last time—when she, Jessy, and Samantha had barely survived the Wraithwolf’s attack. Now, she had no one beside her.
Her grip tightened on the silver blade. “For you, Valen,” she whispered. Then she stepped into the mist.
Shadows twisted in her peripheral vision, every sound magnified—the crunch of gravel, the whisper of wind. Fear clawed at her chest, but she pressed forward, refusing to stop. Minutes bled into hours, but nothing attacked. By dawn, she stumbled out of the ravine, legs shaking but alive.
Exhaustion washed over her, but so did a fragile sense of triumph. She had survived the shortcut.
Two days later, the jagged silhouette of Damon’s territory cut across the horizon. Dark spires and iron gates towered ahead, the land crawling with patrols. Julia’s pulse quickened. She had no plan, no disguise. Only desperation.
She crouched in the shadow of a boulder, studying the map—but her hands trembled too much. “Think, Julia. Think…”
Then a voice cut through the silence.
“Luna?”
Julia’s head snapped up. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating. But then a figure stepped from the trees. Broad-shouldered, scarred, his eyes glinting like tempered steel.
“Ryker?” she breathed.
The beta froze, disbelief flickering across his face. Then his expression softened into shock, then relief. “Julia… by the moon, it is you.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. She scrambled up and threw her arms around him. “Valen’s alive,” she whispered hoarsely against his shoulder. “He’s alive, Ryker. Frozen in vampire lands. His mother saved him.”
He stilled, then pulled back, searching her face as if to confirm she wasn’t lying. “Alive…” His voice cracked. “I thought I failed him. That he was gone.”
Julia shook her head fiercely. “No. He’s waiting for us. But I need the Golden Bloom. It’s the only way to wake him.”
Ryker’s jaw clenched, determination etching across his face even though he knew nothing about this golden bloom and Valen's mom who was said to disappear long ago but knew it wasn't the right time to ask as for he saw the desperation and urgency in her eyes.“Then we’ll get you inside. I know a passage through the old sewage tunnels....”
The stench hit her first. The tunnel was narrow, rank with rot and stagnant water. Julia gagged, crawling on her hands and knees, every movement sinking her deeper into the filth. Her map slipped once, splattered with muck. She cursed and tried to save it, but by the time they emerged into faint light, the parchment was ruined—blurred, smudged, unreadable.
She sank onto her knees, tears burning her eyes. “I’m so clumsy. So… useless.”
Ryker crouched in front of her, steadying her trembling hands. “You’re not useless, Luna. Maps can be replaced. Valen can’t. We’ll find another way.”
She wanted to believe him.
A sudden creak of metal broke their moment. The steel door ahead groaned open. Julia’s breath caught as a familiar figure appeared, a lantern swinging in her grip.
“Julia?” lily was shocked not expecting to see her here.
Her stomach turned cold. Lily.
Julia’s hand flew to her blade, fury flashing in her eyes. Ryker tensed beside her, ready for a fight. But Lily only raised her hands. “Relax. I’m not here to harm you.”
“Why should I believe you?” Julia spat.
“Because,” Lily’s gaze flickered to Ryker, then back to her, “I was preparing Aiden’s escape. And I know you want him free as much as I do.”
Ryker’s eyes widened. “Aiden? Alive?”
Julia narrowed her gaze. “Why should I trust you after everything you’ve done?”
Lily sighed, her voice softer, almost weary. “Because Damon is a monster. He betrayed me. Slept with your friend Jessy. My loyalty to him died the moment he touched her.”
The words struck Julia like a blade. Her chest tightened. “Jessy is here?”
“Yes,” Lily said bitterly. “She’s his new favorite. But that’s a long story. Right now, we don’t have time for your stubborn mistrust. what brings you here?”
Julia remained silent but Ryker spoke up"we are looking for the golden bloom. Care to tell us?"
Julia glared at Ryker in disbelief. Ryker told her to trust him since the map was also destroyed and they don't know the exact location.
"Golden bloom! Does a thing of that sort even exist? I thought you were here for Aiden " she said rolling her eyes dramatically making Julia even more irritated.
Ryker turned to Julia and asked her again to remember where in the map the bloom was located. Julia hesitated for a while then mentioned somewhere in the gardens beneath a fountain.
“Not seen anything there at the fountain,” Lily admitted with a shrug. “But I know the gardens better than anyone. And if there’s a strange flower hidden under a waterfall, I’ll find it.”
Julia scoffed, but Ryker touched her arm gently. “She may be our only chance. The map’s ruined. Trust her, at least for now.”
Julia bit her lip, conflict twisting inside her chest. Finally, she nodded stiffly. “But if you betray me, Lily, I swear I’ll end you.”
A small, wry smile tugged at Lily’s lips. “Fair enough. But at least I'm not Jessy."
Hours passed in tense silence. Julia and Ryker waited in the shadows, every second dragging heavier than the last. Julia's mind kept replaying how she could awaken Valen, the concern of Jessy's betrayal not in the picture right now. Then, finally, Lily returned, carrying a bundle wrapped in cloth.
Julia’s breath caught as Lily unwrapped it—revealing a golden plant, its stem glowing faintly, a single flower closed tightly as though guarding its power.
Her heart soared. “The Bloom…”
Ryker’s face lit up with hope. “Take it, Julia. Go. Time is short.” He clasped her shoulder firmly. “I’ll stay with Lily. Together, we’ll get Aiden out.”
Julia clutched the flower to her chest, tears brimming in her eyes. “Thank you. Both of you.”
She turned to leave, but Ryker’s voice stopped her. “There's a carriage near the place we met. Take it quickly .”
Julia nodded, determination blazing anew. For Valen. For their bond. For everything worth fighting for.
She crawled back in the sewer, now careful with the Golden Bloom that glowed faintly against her chest—her single, fragile thread of hope.
Lily stared in confusion. Not knowing what that flower was for and why it existed. She then remembered the moonlight stone pendant that could have given her powers to take over the world and wondered if the golden flower would have be the same. A sudden urge to own it came to her chest . Ryker cleared her voice bringing her to reality.
"Don't make me snap you're neck. I can read your thoughts very well, Lily. Now help me with Aiden's case."