Page 202 of Moonlit Fate

When she looked at me, her confident smirk revealed her belief that she held the advantage. A fleeting glimpse of the havoc she could wreak flashed through her eyes.

I called on the shadows. They crept up her legs and coiled tightly around her, trapping her in their inky grip. That air of superiority faded as fear washed over her face.

“You need to think carefully, Valora. Caius only has one heir,” I reminded her, my voice dripping with menace. “Bringing me down puts your own position within the pack in jeopardy.” I directed the shadows to tighten their grip. “Your word.”

She searched my face for something before finally nodding in resignation. I freed her, and she swiftly regained her composure before confidently strutting towards the door.

I followed her to the threshold, ensuring she left. Once outside, I shut the door. The click of the lock was a line I drew, one she better not cross again.

I looked at Aria. Her expression was wounded, and every protective instinct in me roared to life. I needed to fix this. I watched her from a distance, her back rigid, the air around her charged with silent turmoil. Each step I took toward her felt like wading through molasses. My heart ached. My next words would only deepen the wound already festering between us, but lies were a luxury we couldn’t afford.

I loosened my shields, allowed her to feel me. “Aria,” I began, “I’m sorry. Let me explain.”

She looked at me, and the hurt and confusion on her face broke my heart. I stepped closer, reaching out but not touching, giving her the space she might need.

“Please, just listen.” I waited for a nod, a word, any sign of permission to continue.

She bobbed her head ever so slightly.

“Thank you.” I exhaled, and the truth poured out. “My father decided it was time I was mated. That he should choose a mate suitable for his lineage.”

“The woman?” She was steady, but the stillness of her body betrayed her tension.

“Valora. She can enhance emotions, make you feel things that aren’t your own.” The words tasted like bile. “He’s scheming. My father is obviously up to something more than forcing my submission to be making this a priority.”

“How long do we have?”

“I’m not letting this happen,” I said, conviction wrapping around each word.

“Can we even stop it?” Her gaze held an understanding that reached deep into my bones. “I understand none of this is your fault. You’re a victim of circumstances. Circumstances I caused by not being cautious. My capture… it set all this in motion.”

“No, it didn’t. He had everything set up long before he took you. This game he’s playing is bigger than us.” I wanted to pull her into the shelter of my arms, but the space between us seemed sacred, filled with unspoken truths.

She sighed. “Yet another reminder that he controls your life. It’s difficult to see a way out.”

“We’ll find a way,” I said, masking the unfamiliar doubt plaguing me. “We always do.”

“If there’s no stopping this,” she said with a steel edge in her tone that told me she wasn’t broken, just a little bent, “then what do we do?”

“We survive,” I answered. Hope was thin, but my backbone was not. “You’re everything to me. Whatever it takes to keep you safe, I’ll do it. Even if it means...” My throat tightened around the words. “Even if I have to let you go.”

She stared me down, fierce and unyielding. “Don’t you dare give up on us.”

“Never.” It was a vow that came from the very depths of my soul. I refused to yield to despair.

“Then you’d better show me this place,” she said, lifting her chin in defiance of the evil threatening to engulf us. “Show me where the rogue wolf spends his time plotting against the world.”

“All right.” I nodded, leading her away from the corner where shadows clung to me like a second skin.

She turned her back to me, studying the room, carefully tracing the bold contours of the room’s architecture. I absorbed every detail of the room, trying to see it through her eyes.

The spacious room was adorned with rich, dark woods that covered the floor and paneled the walls, giving it an atmosphere of solemnity and strength. The high ceiling, with exposed beams, added to the room’s imposing nature. Large, heavy drapes in deep crimson hung from the windows, drawn to shroud the room in secrecy and shadow, allowing only slivers of light to pierce through.

“Secrets on secrets in here,” she said, a sliver of light catching the silver locks of her hair.

“Too many,” I replied.

In the middle of the room, the large bed commanded attention. Aria approached it slowly, running a hand over the intricate carved wolves and the forest on the headboard.