Chapter 28
Chapter 28
28. The Pain Of The Bond
MORGANA
Night had fallen and I was back in his bedroom. He was nowhere around, after Cain had gone I had checked for the niche in the pillar, and sure enough, there inside was four rather large vials of blood. I drank them quickly, placing the empty bottles back there. If Kian gave me blood tonight, then I would drink as much as I could, I needed to get stronger. Cain was right; I needed to be sufficient and be at my best.
I was in bed now, but he never came. I stared at the ceiling, trying to sleep fruitlessly. Maybe I could do some snooping? I was alone after all… This was Kian’s room, surely there must be something about him here…
I pushed the sheets away and got out of bed. Turning the lamp on, I looked around the room. I can’t believe I never bothered to snoop before. The bookshelves caught my attention. Books, files, notebooks, journals…
Oh, Morgana, you had an entire wall with information. I walked over to it, silently running my eyes along the shelf.
The Dragon’s Fire… The Song Of Doom…
My heart skipped a beat as I realised there were many fiction books here.
Did he actually read these? One would think he only studied war and battle tactics with his lack of personality!
I let my fingers run over the spines of the books.
His Forbidden Love
The title caught my attention, and I smiled, taking it off the shelf. I skimmed through it, so the king actually read love stories… I smirked, amused, well he surely must believe love is fiction because he sure doesn’t have any emotions.
I placed it aside and returned to the shelves, noticing the journals that sat on the highest shelf. Well, too bad I can reach, I wasn’t short like his dumb Sage… I tiptoed, straining to reach them, using my powers to pull them towards me. I smirked as I looked down at the first one, frowning when I realised it was locked.
Really?
I took a few more off, displeased when I realised each one was locked.
Great. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
I peered around the sides but the only thing on the leather covers were dates. Last year… Four years ago… Did the Alpha actually keep a journal? I replaced them thinking I’d look for a key
another time, surely it was around here somewhere.
I heard a distant door shut and quickly replaced the books, save the love story. I hurriedly went over to the bed, sitting down pretending to read but no one came.
Strange.
I became immersed in the book and for a while, I forgot all my troubles. The book was bittersweet, two people so in love, yet they were not meant to be. With each page, my heart was thumping wanting to know what would happen next.
No, you dimwit! Don’t push her away!
My heart thundered, and I snapped the book shut, huffing.
“Men are so stupid!” I hissed. “Stupid book! I hate books!”
But I knew I would be returning to that book soon enough. It must have been far past midnight, and for the first time, I wondered if Kian was even going to return.
Why was I so restless? I knew I wanted to see how he reacted. After what happened, but then the way he had gone after Sage
Sage.
My heart thumped. How could I have been so stupid? Of course, he was probably with her. Were they here? I got off the bed and walked to the bedroom door.
I knew I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t stop myself. I followed my nose, and sure enough, his scent became stronger the further down the hall I went. My silent footsteps padded quietly on the floor.
S
Why did this feel painful? My stomach was twisting, and I felt sick with dread.
I stopped outside a door and sure enough, two scents that were familiar were coming from this room. So, he was with Sage… My heart clenched painfully, and I wished this feeling would go away.
The urge to open the door was too strong, and before I could even comprehend what I was doing, I turned the handle silently. But unlike the first time I did something like this, the sight in front of me was far different, and I felt like something was being ripped from my chest.
My heart thundered and I couldn’t breathe as I looked at Kian. He lay on his back with his
arms under his head, Sage snuggled into his side, her hand on his bare torso. Why was this fucking hurting? I hated him.
I backed away from the door, my entire body trembling.
Breathe Morgana…
Turning I walked down the hall and back to his bedroom.
It hurt… a lot. I shut the door silently
Trying to breathe. I paced the room, struggling to calm the storm I felt inside. It had to be the bond… only something so strong could cause me such pain…
(FLASHBACK – MANY YEARS AGO)
“Mother! Tell me the story about the prince and princess from different kingdoms again!”
“Settle down, my love. You should have been asleep long ago!” Mother scolded.
“Mother please, I love stories!”
“Now which one?”
She sat on the bed, scooping me into her lap, and I giggled, looking up at her.
“The one with the werewolf.” I whispered.
Those monsters were not allowed to be spoken of, but I loved this story. It was our secret.
“Please Mommy.”
Her tinkle of laughter made me smile as I stared up at her in anticipation.
“Long ago… there was a beautiful elven princess… Like vampires, she had a betrothed… someone she would marry and love until the end of time…”
The warmth in the room and the glow of the lamp illuminated mother’s dark locks, it made m e relax into her as she continued.
“He was part beast, yet he loved deeply. So deep that she no longer cared what he was. When she was with him, she was consumed by his very presence… The connection between them was undeniable. That night, when she confessed her love for him, he told her that she was his destined one, his-”
“Mate!” I exclaimed, my sleep vanishing. “Then what, Mommy!”
She laughed, her red eyes full of warmth.
“Then… he marked her.”
“And then…”
“Then… I will tell you what happened next when you are older.” Mother said tucking me into bed.
“But Mommy! There must be more! I want to know how he told her he loved her!” I whined.
(END OF FLASHBACK)
The undeniable pull of the mate bond.
A bond said to be between werewolves… But there were rare occasions when a werewolf was
mated to another species.
Why me? My heart twisted as I realised that he must have come to the palace because I was his mate.
‘You’re Mine! Those words of his… I couldn’t forget. The possessive tone in his voice, his anger and rage.
But was the bond really that strong? He didn’t care for me, so why didn’t he just leave me where I was happy? Why was this hurting?
He killed my father… I would never be able to forgive him for that. But something about Cain was clearly off, I needed to know exactly what happened that night, if he killed my father directly or did he get someone to do it? He had been in the Sanguine Empire that night. I myself was witness to that. I also knew deep down, that when I was with him, I forgot everything else. Was it just the mate bond making me try to justify that maybe there was more to it?
I looked at the bed, I could never sleep there again. I had my pride. With trembling hands, I turned away from the bed. Walking to the window, I sat on the ground, staring out at the
moon.
I was not yours for you to create this bond, Selene. I glared at the moon, hoping she heard.
As sleep finally overcame me, the last question that tumbled in my sleep mind was: How does one destroy such a powerful bond? Surely there must be a way?
Before sleep welcomed me into its fold, the last image that filled my mind was of Kian and Sage sleeping together.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.. Yet that was nothing compared to mocking Morgana Araton.
You have played your card, and now… It is now my turn.