Moonlit Bonds

Chapter 468: Lisa: Our Tether

LISA

Kellan sleeps like he does everything else—with his whole body committed to the action. One arm flung wide,

the other tucked under his pillow, face softened in a way | never get to see when he’s conscious and on guard.

The hospital sheet barely covers him, twisted around his hips, revealing the muscled plane of his stomach and

the bandages still wrapped around his chest.

His gown was ditched long ago, so he’s basically half-naked, though he does have boxers—and sweats—on under

the blanket. Thanks to a well-timed delivery from one of the pack wolves.

Kellan hasn't specifically said so, but | think he’s keeping his chest on display in hopes for round two.

Anyway. | should be asleep, too. My body feels liquid and warm, like I've melted into this tiny hospital bed, which

is definitely not made for two people. But | can’t shut my brain off.

Instead, | watch the slow rise and fall of his chest, memorizing the rhythm of his breath.

It's strange how comfortable this feels—lying here with him, my leg draped over his, my head resting in the

crook of his shoulder. Strange because it should feel too intimate, too vulnerable. But there's something about

the mate bond pulsing between us, making this feel like the most natural thing in the world. Like my body

recognizes its other half.

A little bubble of happiness swells in my chest. | never thought I'd be here. Never thought I'd give in to this

connection with a man who drivesabsolutely insane half the time. But Kellan’s someone who looks atlike

I'm everything—and somehow still sees the real me.

| trace a finger lightly over his collarbone, careful not to disturb his rest. His skin is warm, almost hot to the

touch. Werewolf metabolism. I'm pretty sure | could use him as a space heater through the winter.

Which | have, when he didn’t disappear to the couch because he decided he was pushingtoo far.

Stupid past Lisa and her stupid inability to hold onto a gem like Kellan. All those nights of being cold for nothing,

all because | was weirded out by the idea of being fated to someone.

The steady thrum of our bond wraps aroundlike a blanket. Safe. Secure. Not something | should fear or be

wary of.

It's like breathing, only... better. Something so necessary to my happiness, | can’t really remember a time

without it.

Then it happens.

A sharp, sudden ache blooms in my thigh, radiating outward from the asshole vampire’s bite mark. | freeze, my

entire body tensing.

No. Not now.

| wait for it to pass, but instead, it intensifies—a phantom pressure like teeth sinking deeper into my flesh. My

stomach lurches.

Beautiful girl.

The whisper slides into my mind, uninvited and unwelcome. It’s not my thought. It’s not Kellan’s voice.

| ease away from him, trying not to wake him as | slip out from under his arm. Every muscle in my body feels

tight, ready to snap. The room suddenly seems too small, the air too thick.

Did you think your wolf could erase me?

The bite throbs again, and | press my hand against it, willing the sensation away. But it’s like trying to hold the

atmosphere—the more | fight it, the more it seems to seep through my defenses.

| pad silently to the small adjoining bathroom, shutting the door behindwith a soft click. My reflection stares

back at me, pale and wide-eyed in the harsh fluorescent light. Hair a mess. Lips still slightly swollen from Kellan’s

kisses.

The thought makesfeel sick. Like he was watching. Like he knows.

Fucking pervert.

| turn on the faucet, letting cold water rush over my trembling hands. When | splash it against my face, the shock

of it feels grounding, real. | do it again, harder this time, as if | could wash away the feeling crawling beneath my

skin.

You're still mine. You'll always be mine.

"Shut up," | whisper, gripping the edges of the sink. "You're not real."

But the pull is there—a tether connected to something dark and hungry. | can practically feel it tugging at me,

urgingto follow. To walk right out of this hospital. To find him.

My heart pounds harder in my chest, a different rhythm emerging. It's the mate bond, | realize. Responding,

fighting back. The steady pulse of it thrums against the invasive pull, like two opposing currents.

I look up at my reflection again, and for a split second, | swear | see my lips move withoutspeaking.

Cback to me.

| blink, and my reflection is normal again—just me, scared and pissed off in equal measure.

"Get out of my head," | hiss through clenched teeth.

The bite mark burns hotter, sending a shock of pain up my leg. | grip the sink harder, trying to anchor myself to

something solid.

Focus on breathing. In, out. Simple. Easy.

I've fought this before. In that clearing, with the Mad Prince right in front of me, | resisted his pull. | chose Kellan.

| can do it again.

The bond surges stronger in my chest.

"Lisa?" | hear Kellan call out.

"In the bathroom. Givejust a minute."

Our bond responds to my resolve, surging stronger in my chest. | cling to the warmth, the connection. It’s real.

It’s mine. | chose it.

The pressure in my thigh recedes,

ebbing like a tide Pg evewicin

“fore Toecwhigper ade, growing

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fainter until they're just echoes. The

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| look at myself in the mirror again. It’s just me. Just Lisa.

But for how long?

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| can't keep living like this—waiting for

the next flare-up, for the next

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moment when my que fegsen Ss

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every day wondering if the vampire's

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going to snap my control, if I'll wake

up one morning with no memory of

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where I've been or what I've done.

It's exhausting. Terrifying. | never want to feel it again.

But I'm not the sperson who was chained in his cell. Not the sperson who submitted to his call without

even noticing.

I'm not alone.

| have Kellan. | have Ava. | have an entire pack of supernatural badasses who would tear apart anything if it tried

to take me.

The bond in my chest is tethered to something stronger than whatever hooks the Mad Prince has in me.

| splash my face one more tand

dry it with one of the perfectly folded

towels 3 the sink| Myefidetion

shows tstmination now—jaw set,

eyes clear. Old Lisa, not new,

shrinking violet, worried Lisa. The

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the latest chapter there!

Not anxious, not worried, not second-guessing.

| don’t know if | can always fight it. But | know I’m not facing it alone.