Moonlight In Chains (Trinity and Asher) novel Chapter 186

CHAPTER 186

The massive wolf hung in the air, frozen mid–lunge its golden eyes locked on mine. Emily, no, Lydia stood perfectly still, one hand raised, her calm almost inhuman. The air pressed against my skin. heavy, suffocating and wrong.

“Asher.” I whispered, barely able to breathe.

“I know.” He said through clenched teeth. “I can feel it. She’s controlling the air itself. Pressuring

their instincts.”

Around us, even the forest seemed to have stopped breathing. The other wolves crouched low, trembling but motionless, caught between instinct and fear.

Lydia’s pale eyes flicked to Asher. “Still trying to play alpha?” She said softly. “You were always predictable.”

Asher’s hand found mine, fingers trembling, and our bond flared like a pulse of heat between our

palms.

Not planned, not discussed…instinct.

Our breathing synced. My heartbeat slammed in time with his. And beneath that rhythm, I felt something awaken. The ancient call that tied us together, mate to mate.

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t.” She hissed. “You’ll regret that.”

But she’d already miscalculated. The bond wasn’t just emotional, it was physical, primal, older than any command she could give. The moonbound bond wasn’t something you controlled. It was something you became.

“Asher.” I breathed, eyes locked on hers, “now.”

He pulled me tight against him, forehead to forehead, and the air around us cracked like static. I felt my wolf surge beneath my skin, not shifting, but present. Our shared energy flared, raw and bright, cutting through the suffocating pressure like a blade.

Lydia flinched, hand jerking as if burned. The frozen wolf dropped to the ground, hitting the dirt

with a snarl.

Her calm slipped. “You shouldn’t be able to do that. She spat.

“Guess you don’t know everything.” I shot back.

The wolf lunged. Not at me, not at Asher, but at her.

Lydia vanished into the trees, faster than my eyes could follow. The clearing exploded in chaos.

Wolves breaking formation, growls and snaps tearing through the night.

CHAPTER 165

“Asher…go!” I shouted.

He didn’t argue this time. His hand caught mine, pulling me through the mess of dirt, branches, and broken ground. The wolf, our unlikely ally, barreled path behind us, scattering the attackers long enough for us to reach the treeline.

Branches whipped across my arms as we ran. My lungs burned, but adrenaline drowned out the pain. Behind us, the growls faded into the distance, replaced by the pounding rhythm of our boots on the forest floor.

“Keep going!” Asher barked.

“I am!”

The moon slid between the clouds, spilling silver light ahead of us. An unintentional guide toward the open fields that bordered Redwater territory. Once we crossed, we’d be halfway to the next pack’s land.

By dawn, our legs were numb, clothes streaked with mud and blood. The wolf hadn’t followed. Neither had Lydia. Or Elias or Dane.

But I could feel her. Like a presence lingering just out of reach.

We stopped at the edge of the next territory. A cluster of pine–scented hills and mist–covered

ridges that led into Ironclaw Pack land. A tall wire fence marked the border, and the patrol scent hit

instantly. Musk, iron and cedar.

Asher braced his hands on his knees, catching his breath. “She didn’t bring the twins.”

“She doesn’t need to.” I said quietly. “She already has them twisted enough that they’ll do whatever

she says.”

His jaw clenched. “Not for long.”

I looked toward the distant lights of Ironclaw’s settlement. The faint outline of cabins and watchtowers against the pale morning sky. “We need what they have. If I can get the ingredients from their apothecary, I can make something to counter whatever she’s using.”

Asher wiped his face, eyes hard. “Then we’ll ask nicely.”

“Since when have we ever been good at that?” I muttered, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

We crossed the field slowly, deliberately. Two sentries appeared almost immediately, both in partial shift. Eyes bright and canines visible.

“Stop right there!” One called. “State your names and your business!”

“Asher Vale.” He said, voice carrying authority even through exhaustion. “Alpha of Moonflare Pack. This is my mate, Trinity.”

The guards exchanged a look. “You’re not on the Messen met tele

territory. Alpha’s ord

“Why?” I asked.

The second guard stepped forward. “Becaske sorthing’s inner in force

the

about what’s happening at Moonfiare. An intruder harigdating packe, sifony Market How under strict lockdown until it’s resolved”

“That’s why we’re here.” I said firmly. “We’re the ones trying to wop

The guards‘ expressions harderied. “Step back. Hoone passes throug

Asher took a step forward, and both raised their tranquilizer guns immediately on The first warned.

I felt Asher tense beside me, his wolf simmering under the surface. I caught his whet, grounding him. “Let me try.” I whispered.

His eyes met mine, uncertain, but he nodded,

I turned back to the guards. “You’re right to be cautious” I said, “But I’m not your enemy Mathers

he.”

“Then prove it.” One said coldly.

Fine.

I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes, centering my focus the way Asher had taught me when I first learned to control my wolf. I reached down, deep, into the core where instinct and emotion mes The part of me that always felt the moon like a heartbeat under my skin.

And then, I let it rise.

The pulse rippled out before I even realized I’d done it. The air around us shifted, faintly shimmering, charged like static electricity and moonlight combined. The guards froze, eyes wide, their wolves responding before their minds could catch up.

I opened my eyes. My irises glowed white. The energy around me thrummed with dominance, calm and power intertwined. But beneath it, something ancient stirred, fierce and boundless, as if the moon herself had answered my call.

“This is the moonbound mark.” I said evenly. “My bond with the Alpha of Moonflare. You can smell it. You can feel it. We’re not rogues.”

One of the guards swallowed, lowering his gun slightly. “What the hell are you? He breathed.

“Someone who’s out of time.” I said softly. “And if you don’t let us through, Lydia Keene will make sure you’re next.”

The first quard hesitated, torn between fear and inginct. He glavan sowat the forme Alpha said

A sharp, feminine voice cut him off. “Let them through”

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