Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Tala

The forest swallows us whole. Branches snag my robes, pulling at me as though the temple itself refuses to let me go, but Theo never slows. His grip is tight around my hand, dragging me through the undergrowth until my lungs burn and my legs scream.

When we finally stumble into a hollow clearing, he stops. Only then do I realize how far we’ve run. The lights of the city are long gone, the temple’s bells distant whispers. My chest heaves, and my body trembles with shock. What have I done? What did we leave behind?

Conan is dead.

I press my hand to my mouth, but no sound escapes. Theo drops beside a fallen log, blood dripping steadily from the wound on his leg where Conan’s blade bit into him. His face is pale, set in harsh lines, but when he looks at me, it isn’t anger I see. It’s something far worse: determination.

“We can’t stop long,” he mutters. His voice is hoarse, but steady. “They’ll be searching the city already. The knights won’t rest until they drag you back.”

The thought of returning makes bile rise in my throat. Returning to face judgment for Conan’s death. Returning to lie under the watchful eyes of the Moon Goddess, my secret is out in the open now. Death or worse awaits me if I return.

“I can’t go back,” I whisper, shaking my head. “I won’t.”

Theo studies me for a long moment, then nods once. “Then you’re with me.”

It isn’t a question. It’s a vow.

He rises to his feet. This time, he offers me his hand instead of grabbing mine. I lace my fingers with his, and he tugs me close to his chest. My heart hammers in my ears as I tilt my head up to look at him. My lips part in a silent plea for him to kiss me, but he doesn’t.

Theo steps back, putting distance between us. “We have to go.”

I push aside the disappointment and let him lead me from the clearing. We push deeper into the woods until the hush of night thickens around us. When the outline of a small village emerges through the trees, I catch my breath with relief, until Theo shakes his head.

“Too dangerous,” he says. “They’d recognize your robes before you stepped through the gates.”

The reminder cuts. The pale blue silk that once marked me as sacred now feels like a noose. I tug at it, wanting to tear it from my body, but Theo catches my hand before I can. His touch lingers, firm yet gentle, grounding me.

“Tomorrow,” he says softly. “We’ll find something else for you to wear. Tonight…we hide.”

We circle the village and make camp at its edge, near a brook. Theo gathers wood and sparks a fire with surprising ease. The glow flickers across his face, illuminating the sharp lines of his jaw, the blood still drying

at the corner of his mouth. He looks wild, untamed, yet beside him, I feel safer than I ever did in the temple’s hallowed halls.

Silence stretches between us, filled only by the crackle of the flames. I pull my knees to my chest, shivering. It isn’t just the night air. It’s the weight of what we’ve done.

Theo watches me for a long time before he finally speaks. “You blame me.”

The words startle me. “I…”

“You should,” he says, gaze locked on the fire. “If not for me, your knight would still be alive. You’d still have a place in that temple. A life.”

I shake my head fiercely. “Conan made his choice. You didn’t force his hand.”

Theo’s jaw tightens. “And you? You had a choice, too.” His eyes finally meet mine, smoldering, unreadable. “Why are you here, Tala?”

Because I can’t stay away. Because something in me answers only to him. Because even if it damns me, my soul belongs to him.

But the words lodge in my throat. Instead, I whisper, “I don’t know.”

He leans closer, so close the firelight flickers in his eyes like molten gold. “Liar.”

The word sends a shiver down my spine, but I find myself inching closer to him. I need to feel the warmth of his touch on my skin. I need to feel how much he needs me.

I whisper, “Theo…”

He cups my face in both hands, thumbs brushing along my jaw as if I’m something fragile. His lips hover over mine, waiting. Always waiting, as if he needs my permission even now.

I give it.

Our mouths meet, soft at first, then deepening as the hunger between us breaks loose. I clutch his tunic, pulling him closer. His taste is fire and desperation, and I lose myself in it.

He groans against my lips, dragging me into his lap. My legs straddle his thighs, and his hands grip my waist, anchoring me as if he thinks I might vanish. Every part of me aches with the need to be closer, to feel more, to forget everything except him.

But then I remember. The temple. My sisters. Conan’s eyes when he fell. The vow that I took.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify