All Chapters of Bound in Ash and Moonlight: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

—MOONSHADOW PACK TERRITORY, AETHERIA—A flutter of nervous excitement danced in Madeleine Blackwood’s stomach. Today was the day. Her mating ceremony. A day she’d dreamt of since she was a little girl when she attended mating ceremonies and witnessed the love between mates and the affection between them.She’d spent the morning flitting around her room, not being able to stay still. She had done her hair countless times because she kept running her fingers through it and biting her nails in anticipation. She carefully arranged the small collection of wildflowers she’d gathered that morning. She had always found them to be calming, and the action reminded her of her childhood with her mother. She wanted everything to be perfect. More than anything, she wanted to make her father proud.Alpha Titus Blackwood, a man of strength and unwavering resolve, had always held high expectations for his daughter.Madeleine, despite the gnawing insecurity that sometimes whispered she wasn't enough a

—MOONSHADOW PACK TERRITORY— Madeleine woke to an empty tent. The sound coming from outside the tent told her that the wedding feast was ongoing. She stood up groggily and walked towards the tent flap drawing it back to look outside. She saw Rebecca and Philip illuminated but the bonfire as they cuddled next to each other. She felt a wave of nausea and hate at the sight and dropped the tent flap. Madeleine looked around the tent and saw a knife on a desk. She was going to leave, no matter what. She picked up the knife and walked towards the back of the tent and tore through it. She climbed out of it and headed off into the woods. She knew what would happen if she stayed. She'd be forced to spend the rest of her life witnessing what she lost because of what she was. Or rather because of what she wasn't. It wasn't her fault that she was different. She didn't know why she could not shift. If she could change it, she would. But it seems she was brought into the world for the sole

—FORESTS OUTSIDE LUNARIA, AETHERIA—Dante woke up, his ears twitching picking up the sound of light whimpering, crying and moaning. He looked across at Madeleine realising the sounds were coming from her and he wondered what had happened to her that made her dreams haunted.He considered blocking her dreams so she could sleep peacefully but as he made a move to approach her, Madeleine woke up with a start, pain etched across her features.As Madeleine sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, shaking from the force of her nightmares, Dante's eyes narrowed with concern. He could sense the depth of her distress, and he didn't understand why but his instincts urged him to comfort her.What the hell had he gotten himself into? He barely knew her. He definitely didn't care about her but every fibre of his being screamed against the pain she was silently enduring.Madeleine's eyes were closed, and her face was scrunched up in a mixture of pain and fear. Her breathing was ragged, and her bod

—MOONSHADOW PACK TERRITORY—Alpha Philip paced back and forth across the expanse of the hall, his mind reeling. Who was the man with Madeleine? Why couldn't he track them after they disappeared? Why was Madeleine with him?He stopped pacing when he heard a knock on the door. “Enter.”His Beta, Luke, walked in. He was of average height; less than six feet tall but it did not take away from the lethality he was capable of.“Alpha,” Luke began. “We could not find her. None of us have been able to pick up her scent since she disappeared with that man and the bird.”Philip stalked forward, his gaze cold. “So, you're telling me that you all failed?”“You were there, Alpha,” Luke continued, choosing his words carefully. “Whoever that man is, he can use magic. He is the only obvious reason why we can't track Madeleine.”“I want her back. Alive,” Philip stated, his eyes glinting with rage.“And the man?” Luke asked. “Kill him and bring Madeleine and the griffin back alive,” was the growled re

—OUTSKIRTS OF VALORIA, AETHERIA—The forest gradually thinned as they approached Valoria, sunlight breaking through the canopy in broader patches. The scent of woodsmoke and humanity grew stronger with each step. Distant sounds of city life, merchants calling their wares, the clang of blacksmiths' hammers, and the general hum of thousands of people living in close quarters, drifted toward them on the breeze.Dante stopped at the edge of the tree line, where the forest gave way to cleared land surrounding the city walls. "We've arrived," he announced, his tone flat. He had imagined this moment countless times over the past fortnight and the relief he would feel when he could finally be rid of his unwanted companion and return home. The relief he now found noticeably absent.Madeleine came to stand beside him, her dark eyes widening at the sight of Valoria's imposing stone walls. "It's enormous," she whispered.A rustling behind them announced Anya's arrival. The griffin moved with surp