Moonbound Desire Chapter 7
Chapter 7: The Quest
The air was thick with anticipation as Liam stood at the edge of the pack’s territory, his golden eyes scanning the horizon. The forest beyond stretched endlessly, a labyrinth of ancient trees, jagged cliffs, and shadowed secrets. It was a place no one entered willingly, but it was where they needed to go.
Sarah stood beside him, the artifact clutched tightly in her hands. Its warmth buzzed faintly against her palm, as if it could sense the journey ahead. Her heart raced—not just from the fear of what they might face, but from the silent promise in Liam’s gaze. They would face it together.
“This place…” Liam began, his voice low, “it’s not just dangerous. It’s alive. The forest watches. It tests.”
Sarah swallowed hard. “Tests what?”
“Your strength. Your mind. Your heart.”
The words hung between them, heavy with unspoken meaning. Sarah straightened her shoulders, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “Then we’d better pass.”
With that, they stepped into the forest.
The air grew colder with every step, and the sunlight seemed to shrink away, swallowed by the canopy above. The forest exuded a strange energy, a hum that vibrated through the air and prickled Sarah’s skin. It wasn’t long before the first test came.
The path forked into three narrow trails, each more treacherous than the last. The artifact flared in Sarah’s hand, its warmth intensifying as if urging her toward one of the trails. But Liam hesitated.
“This doesn’t feel right,” he muttered, his body tensing. “The forest wants us to choose wrong.”
Sarah’s fingers tightened around the artifact. “Then we trust this.”
Liam’s eyes flicked to her hand, then back to the trails. “And if it’s leading us into a trap?”
“Then we’ll fight our way out.”
Her confidence surprised even herself, but she saw the faint flicker of pride in Liam’s expression. Trusting her instincts—and the artifact—they chose the leftmost path.
The forest grew darker, the trees twisting into unnatural shapes, their branches like skeletal hands reaching out to snare them. A low growl broke the silence, and then another. The shadows came alive, revealing pairs of glowing eyes, circling closer.
Wolves. Not like Liam or his pack, but wild, primal beasts, their fur matted, their teeth bared. They were creatures of the forest, guardians of its secrets.
Liam stepped in front of Sarah, his body coiling like a spring. “Stay behind me.”
“No,” Sarah said firmly. “We do this together.”
Before he could argue, the wolves lunged.
It was chaos. Teeth flashed, claws tore, and the air filled with growls and snarls. Sarah stayed close to Liam, dodging and striking out with whatever she could find. She wasn’t a fighter, but adrenaline sharpened her instincts.
At one point, a wolf leapt for her, its jaws wide. Sarah raised the artifact instinctively, and it flared with blinding light. The wolf yelped and retreated, the others hesitating at the sight of the glowing stone.
Liam seized the moment, his voice a commanding roar. “Enough!”
The wolves froze, their ears flattening as they backed into the shadows. Liam’s dominance radiated off him, an unspoken authority that even these wild creatures couldn’t ignore.
As the last wolf disappeared, Liam turned to Sarah, his breathing ragged. “You were incredible.”
She laughed breathlessly, her hands trembling as she clutched the artifact. “I’m not sure I’ll survive the next one.”
Liam’s hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away a smear of dirt. “You will. Because you’re stronger than you think.”
The moment lingered, charged with unspoken emotion. Sarah felt her fear ebb away, replaced by something warmer, something that made her want to lean into him and never let go. But the forest wasn’t done with them yet.
They pressed on, the path growing steeper as it led them to a towering cliffside. A narrow ledge stretched across, slick with moss and crumbling at the edges. Below, jagged rocks glinted like teeth in the faint moonlight.
“This is insane,” Sarah muttered, staring at the precarious crossing.
Liam smirked. “Welcome to my world.”
He went first, his movements sure and steady despite the danger. Sarah followed, her heart pounding with every step. The ledge seemed to narrow beneath her feet, the drop below yawning wider with every inch.
Halfway across, the artifact flared again, its warmth pulsing like a heartbeat. Sarah froze.
“What is it?” Liam called back.
Before she could answer, the cliff trembled. Stones crumbled, and a section of the ledge gave way beneath her. She screamed, her hands scrambling for a hold as she slid toward the edge.
“Sarah!”
Liam was there in an instant, his hand closing around her wrist. His strength was overwhelming, pulling her back from the brink. For a moment, they just clung to each other, the world around them forgotten.
“You’re not allowed to fall,” Liam said, his voice rough with emotion.
Sarah managed a shaky smile. “I’ll try to remember that.”
When they finally reached the other side, Sarah collapsed onto the grass, her chest heaving. Liam sat beside her, his gaze scanning the horizon. The forest had grown quieter, as if holding its breath.
Sarah turned the artifact over in her hands, its glow soft and steady now. “This thing… it’s like it knows where we need to go.”
Liam nodded. “It’s tied to you somehow. To us. But we need to understand why.”
As they rested, Sarah leaned against him, exhaustion and relief washing over her. For the first time, she felt like she wasn’t just surviving this world—she was becoming a part of it.
And with Liam by her side, she was ready to face whatever came next.
