His Silent Luna (Verity and Felicity) novel Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE: THE CHAINS THAT BIND ME

Cassian’s Perspective

The sting of silver was supposed to burn fiercely. It should have left my skin raw, each breath a torment, my muscles locking up like ancient, rusted machinery. That was the curse silver inflicted on wolves—a fact everyone knew all too well.

That’s why silver was forbidden, except in the direst of circumstances… like this moment.

It should have been painful.

But for me, it wasn’t.

Instead, silver felt like a faint tickle, a gentle weight pressing against my skin, a subtle vibration beneath my flesh that steadied me rather than tore me apart. It was a leash made of calmness, not cruelty.

I perched silently on the edge of the bed, my arms shackled before me, thick silver cuffs gleaming faintly in the soft glow of dawn filtering through the window. They had chained me after I lost control—smart move on their part. Necessary. I didn’t even harbor resentment. I could have torn Kin to pieces, ripped his throat out with my bare hands if I’d wanted.

And part of me still felt that raw, violent urge.

But the other part—the part wearing this crown, ruling these lands—was sickened by disappointment.

I exhaled slowly, deliberately. The chains clinked softly in the quiet room. I could shatter them in seconds with a twist of my wrist, a surge of strength. But I didn’t.

Because losing control once was a mistake I could never afford to repeat.

Her image haunted me—the pale, bruised girl crumpling in my arms, her blood soaking into my tunic, the fragile flutter of her heartbeat like a dying bird’s wings. The pain I felt wasn’t just grief or guilt.

It was something far deeper, rawer than anything I’d ever known.

Something ancient within me had recognized her and mourned.

A faint rustling from the far corner caught my attention. I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

“Caleb,” I said quietly.

He didn’t answer. Of course not. Shadows were his refuge, always had been. You could fill a room with blazing torches and sunlight, and he’d still vanish into the darkest nook he could find.

“You’ve been standing there a while,” I added.

“I was waiting,” he replied at last, stepping forward just enough for the morning light to reveal his face. “You needed the silence.”

I let out a tired breath. “Silence won’t undo what I did.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Would you prefer a lecture? A scolding? Reminders of what you already know?”

I turned my gaze toward the window. The sun was just kissing the horizon, painting the treetops in a soft golden light. “I nearly killed him,” I said, voice tight with anger and regret. “Kin. My oldest friend. My beta.”

“And yet, he’s still alive.”

“Just barely.”

Caleb didn’t move. He simply observed me, his expression unreadable. There was always a calculating edge to his stare, like he was playing a secret chess game no one else understood.

After a long pause, he asked, “Why did you react that way?”

I glanced down at the cuffs encircling my wrists. The silver gleamed faintly. I wasn’t angry anymore—just hollow.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Even now, I can’t explain it.”

He was silent for a moment. I heard the faint creak of floorboards as he shifted, probably leaning against the wall again. Waiting.

Then, softly, “Did you feel a bond?”

The atmosphere in the room shifted. My spine straightened, muscles tensing.

I said nothing.

I hadn’t even asked her name. I didn’t want to know. Because knowing would make it real. Knowing would make it impossible to ignore how my soul leaned toward her, how her scent clung stubbornly to the inside of my lungs like an addiction.

“I never asked for this,” I muttered.

“None of us did,” Caleb replied. “But it’s here.”

We stood in silence again, both trapped in thoughts neither dared to voice.

Finally, Caleb turned toward the door. “When you’re done wallowing, get rid of those chains. You’re not a prisoner, Cassian.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You sure? Because the whole ‘shackled to my own bed’ thing kind of suggests otherwise.”

A faint smile flickered on Caleb’s lips—a rare, brief thing.

“I don’t condone the outburst,” he said, resting his hand on the doorknob, “but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t satisfying watching Kin get his ass handed to him.”

A chuckle escaped me before I could stop it—the first one in weeks.

“You’re an ass,” I muttered.

He gave me a mock bow. “Takes one to know one.”

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone once more with the scent of silver and the weight of a truth I wasn’t ready to confront.

I looked down at my cuffed hands and flexed my fingers slowly.

So much had changed.

And so much more was about to.

That girl—whoever she was—held the key to it all.