Page 179 of Moonlit Fate

He pinned me with his gaze, ice-cold and unforgiving. He didn’t just watch me, he dissected me. Caius turned every second into an hour, the silence a battlefield of wills. I felt that familiar itch in my jaw, the wolf inside snarling for release. This was a fight of wits, not claws.

“Speak,” I bellowed.

Caius walked closer to the edge of the dais, each movement deliberate and measured, his gaze locked on mine. The air around him responded to his intent, becoming dark and oppressive as he focused his energy. He stole the air from my lungs, reminding me of the power he wielded. “Mind your manners.”

I clutched at my throat, futilely attempting to alleviate the choking sensation. He let me go. It was nothing more than a demonstration of his authority, a reminder of the power he commanded.

“What do I want?” he repeated as if nothing had transpired. His voice was a calm river, hiding treacherous currents beneath. “I want many things, son. Power, control, the unchallenged reign over our kind.”

Caius paced. He circled me like he was the hunter and I his defiant prey. “What I want from you is your submission, your loyalty, your undeniable commitment to our pack’s destiny as its heir.” Each word was a link to a shackle trying to bind my future.

“Submission isn’t in my nature,” I shot back, my stance unyielding.

He stopped moving, standing so close I could feel his breath on my cheek. Our energies clashed without touching. “Most importantly, I want you to forsake any foolish notions of rebellion, any misguided allegiance to...outsiders.”

The word “outsiders” was emphasized with such contempt, it left no room for misunderstanding. He meant Aria. He didn’t know the meaning of loyalty and he sure as fuck didn’t understand love. I’d lay down my life for her. She was the only thing that mattered to me. I wouldn’t let him snuff her out.

“Why? You never wanted me. You made it clear how much you hated me and my power. Why the change of heart now? Why do you want me here? Why would you trade her for me?”

The smirk twisting Caius’s lips made my skin crawl. “Well, my son,” he drawled, “if you must know, I regret casting aside my only descendant. Our line must continue. You are a part of me, after all, an extension of myself. Your heirs will be as well.”

His words were a calculated strike, aimed to unsettle. A shudder threatened to tear through me, but I stood firm, unblinking. Whatever game he was playing, I’d have to play it better.

I could almost hear the cogs turning in his head. The machinations of Caius Thorne and his grand plan for power and legacy. But Aria… Could I really trade what we had? She was my compass in a world gone mad.

It wasn’t a question I had to ask. I knew the answer. She was everything. And I would do anything for her safety, anything to give her a chance in this war for our realm.

“Done,” I said.

I felt it then, the unmistakable binding of a pact sealing. It wasn’t a mere promise spoken; it was an oath made manifest.

“Let the terms be bound,” Caius said as he extended his hand toward me.

The air thickened around us, heavy with power that crawled over my skin like a swarm of insects. I gritted my teeth, bracing for what came next. Tattoos started to form, ink slithering across my flesh, a visual proof of the words we’d exchanged. They wound around my arms like chains. A thousand invisible needles painted the designs onto my skin, tearing into my flesh.

“Is it done?” I was steady, but inside, turmoil reigned. The markings were intricate, symbols of our ancient lineage and the covenant now forged. They were a yoke, a vise tightening with each second.

“Done,” Caius said, almost gleefully. “You are mine.”

“Only by bond,” I said as the cold etchings snaked up to my neck to form a collar of subservience and sacrifice. I could almost hear Aria’s voice in my mind, telling me to be strong, to endure. Her face flashed through my mind, giving me strength.

“Remember your place,” Caius warned, following the dark lines of the tattoo as they completed their journey across my body.

“I know my place,” I replied, as the tattoos settled into my skin and soul. “It’s with her. Always.”

Caius snorted as he turned away. The transaction was complete, and so was the transformation. I bore the marks of my decision, a labyrinth of shadows and promises, a map of a future written in the language of power and sacrifice. I’d become a chained beast.

With that, I stepped back, the iron grip of the magical bargain tightening around my very being. This was the cost of love in a world ruled by dominance and bloodlines. This was my burden to bear.

He walked away from the dais, head held high, his ego on full display. He made a subtle gesture, motioning for me to follow,and I obediently trailed behind. We left the assembly room and through a door that took us out into a quadrangle of buildings. The Crimson Fang pack were occupied with their daily tasks and avoided crossing paths with Caius. Clearly, he ruled through intimidation and dominance.

I followed him down a spiraling staircase, the sounds of our steps bouncing off the walls. When we reached the bottom, he led me through a labyrinth of corridors. The Crimson Fang compound was a festering wound in the earth, each step taking us deeper into its infected core.

“Here,” Caius finally said, stopping before an iron door.

With a sigh, he opened it. He clearly didn’t want to, but he’d bound me, made a pact, leaving him with no other option but to set Aria free. The lock clicked, and I pushed past him, shouldering the door open.

The cell was a pit of darkness. My chest tightened. The feeble light from the hall was a joke, barely touching the blackness in the cell. The air was thick and rotten with old magic and lost hope. I stepped in, finding Aria on the cot. She looked broken, her usual fire dimmed to nothing but a dull flicker. Her clothes were slit down the middle, and the sight of it sent a white-hot surge of rage through me. I choked it down. Killing could wait; Aria couldn’t.

---