As soon as I walk pass the border into Red Moon territory, the atmosphere changes. It is not the same one that I am use to anymore. The tension in the air is undeniable, as I keep walking in, my heart pounding vigorously in my chest.
Every step leads me closer to a destiny I know nothing about, one I was not allow to write but force to feature in. I soon hear faint footsteps approaching me, but I keep walking pretending not to notice.
Two hands grab me from behind, maybe three. The smell of iron and musk hits me before the voices do.
"Don't fight," one of them says. His tone isn't a threat. It's routine. Something he is now use to. I don't bother struggling. I could, easily. But I don't. Not yet.
We walk through a narrow path that marks the heart of the Red Moon Pack. Everything is still in place, same as I remember. It is fill with cold stones, banners blackened by years of rain, and sounds of chanting coming from the temple.
We soon stop, I raise my head and in front of me is the High Council sitting in a semi-circle, putting on dark robes. They look like they've been expecting me.
They've been waiting for me.
"Bring her forward," one of them commands.
The guards push me hard to the floor, making me kneel in the center. My knees ache from the push, I lift my chin and the smell of blood hits me. Making me dizzy which is odd.
The leader of the council, a gray-haired man with eyes that look like cold smoke, steps down from the dais. "Raya of the Rogues," he says, his voice echoing. "Child of the Lunar Bloodline."
I don't answer.
He circles me once, then twice, like a vulture studying a dying thing. "The Council acknowledges your return to sanctioned territory. And, by decree, you are hereby bound in blood to Alpha Rex of the Red Moon Pack."
The words are formal, but the undertone makes my stomach twist. Bound. Not married. Bound.
Two witches merge from the dark, holding silver bowls filled with sparking liquid. I can feel the energy pulsing from its old magic, the type that won't ask for permission.
I try to stand, to run away from this place, but the Councilor's gaze holds me in place. I can feel his power pressing down on me, heavy and cold.
"Proceed," he says.
One of them cut open her palm with a ceremonial blade, allowing her blood to fall into the bowl. Then she gestures for me.
I paused for half a second before stretching my hand. The blade bites, clean and deep. My blood mixes with hers, the silver liquid rippling and darkening.
A low vibrating sound fills the room, and I can feel the spell taking root. The witch dips a feather into the blood mixture, then paints a mark across my collarbone, an old rune of ownership.
Then she speaks the binding words, "Blood to blood, name to name. Raya, sealed to Rex of the Red Moon."
Something inside me jerks. My breathing stops and I feel something tightening around my ribs.
The energy moves throughout my body, hot and invasive. My vision blurs, and all I can see are flashes of light and shadows, twisting together. The sound of my own heartbeat drowns out everything.
When it stops, I'm on my knees again, gasping for air. The witches step back, bowing their heads.
"It is done," the Councilor says.
I still feel their gaze on me as the guards lead me out of the temple. The rune burns faintly against my skin, a reminder of my fate.
Only one thought keeps ringing in my head, "this is just the beginning,"
We soon arrive at the Alpha's quarters. I feel strange walking through the walls of my enemy's home. The guards ask me to walk faster, and each step brings me closer to achieving my goal.
When the doors open, the air around feels darker than it is outside. It feels familiar.
My eyes adjust to the dim light from the flickering fire in the hearth, when I walk in. Papers and maps scatter the desk, and the curtains close, keeping the moonlight out.
There he is.
Alpha Rex.
I don't seem to notice my present yet. He stands by the window, shirt half undone, his skin pale beneath the faint glow. The strange energy radiating from him draws my attention.
It is a very dark, violent wave, coming off him like smoke. As if the air itself shrinks from him.
He senses me and turns sharply, his movement calculated. His eyes locks on mine, and for a brief moment, everything inside me stops.
I recognise that face.
That jawline. That faint scar running along his throat. That same quiet danger in his stare.
It's him. The stranger from the bar. The one who I can't seem to forget.
My stomach turns.
He looks just as surprise as I am, but he does a better job at hiding it.
"What are you doing here?" he ask.
I open my mouth to speak but nothing. I stare at him, still very shock.
He walks forward but his body falters. His hand goes to his side, and I catch the faintest wince before he straightens again.
"Are you fine?" I ask before I can stop myself.
"It's none of your business," his voice thunders.
I know it's not nothing when the black aura flashes again. I don't know what it is but it's really killing him fast.
I step closer to him cautiously. "That thing, it doesn't look good and I think it's eating you from within."
He roll his fist into a ball. "And you are a doctor or what?"
"I can see it," I answer slowly. "I can feel it pulling a lot of energy right out of you."
He let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Are you here to mock me or what? To see your great Alpha Rex fall. Is that why you are here?"
"That's not what I…"
"Save it," he cuts in. "Leave now!"
His voice contains so much anger, but still had a crack underneath it, I catch something else. Pain. Weariness.
"You must be full of yourself to think I want to stay here," I say finally.
He looks at me, eyes flashing. "Then leave! Or do you want to sleep with me again?"
My blood boils as the words left his mouth. A night that meant a lot to me, is nothing but a pass time to him?
"You are insane to think I will ever let you touch me again," I reply angrily.
"Who are you to decide that when your body obeys me?" he asks me, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Keep dreaming." I scoff.
He moves closer, enough for me to hear the sound of his heartbeat. With the tip of his fingers, he brushes strands of hair from my face. My body goes still at the touch, every muscle tight.
I can feel his energy brushing against mine now, threads of darkness winding with the faint silver light beneath my skin.
He steps back abruptly. "You don't think your body agrees to that."
"Jerk!" I whisper, under my breath.
"Why him? How did I let myself go?"
Here I am standing in front of the stranger I slept with. The man whose scent I still dream about. He is also the same man I swore to destroy. I feel lost.
And somehow, the bond in my blood is singing his name.
Rex.