Absolute Bond (3)
She desperately needed a distraction from Alkrevas and the warmth that radiated from him, so she tried to check every face in the crowd before her. But Luna couldn’t keep her gaze steady for long, so she chose to look into the distance. All because Luna wasn’t as brave as she thought. A small snort escaped her nose. His queen? Did I ever think of sitting in that position?
Luna’s body froze when she felt the shoulder of her white dress slip off, and spontaneously, she stepped away from Alkrevas. This caused Alkrevas’s fingers to grip Luna’s now bare shoulder tightly.Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
“Never avoid my touch again. This is your last warning, Luna. If you try to avoid me, I will use the magic in your necklace,” Alkrevas growled lowly as he pulled down Luna’s dress.
Luna immediately crossed her arms to keep the dress from slipping further. “What are you doing?” she hissed quietly, trying to maintain a neutral expression in front of all the wolves filling the hall. They were likely the Royal Pack or a pack from the capital. Luna was certain that public mating was not just an ordinary ritual other species could attend.
“Checking the claim mark on your neck.” Alkrevas stopped tugging at Luna’s dress.
“My claim mark is no longer on your neck, only a fading scar remains,” Alkrevas murmured as he stroked the area where the previous claim mark had been. Luna’s body trembled as if it were a sensitive area, and goosebumps rose as Alkrevas’s angry growl escaped his lips.
Luna thought for a moment. Wasn’t the potion supposed to be temporary, and would the mate bond return? Or had Ghea deceived her? If true, it wouldn’t be surprising.
“That black magic is truly annoying. It seems I need to fix our bond, and then everything will go back to normal.” Alkrevas didn’t release his grip on her shoulder, and as his nails slowly turned into sharp claws, they dug into her skin, making Luna hiss in pain and struggle to break free.
Alkrevas allowed Luna to struggle to free herself because he found it amusing. He said nothing as he continued to pull Luna’s dress down, exposing the top of her breasts despite Luna’s attempts to hold the dress up. One of his hands pushed her hair away from the right side of her neck as he extended his tongue, giving the area a brief lick. Luna let out a soft gasp, surprised by Alkrevas’s sudden action.
No. I can’t let this happen, she thought, turning around and wrapping her arms around Alkrevas’s neck. Alkrevas paused for a moment, surprised by Luna’s sudden change, but his eyes widened when Luna bit his ear hard, drawing blood.
Alkrevas roared and released Luna to cup his injured ear. Luna seized the opportunity to flee but forgot about her injured leg and Alkrevas’s ability to use magic. She was alone in all the werewolves who were Alkrevas’s followers. She ran, tears streaming down her face, but she fell in the middle of the path due to her wounded leg. Angry growls echoed around her, and Luna saw the palace guards standing at the doors. Still, they all immediately knelt on one knee with their heads bowed low, exposing the left side of their necks in a sign of submission when Alkrevas’s growl resonated.
Luna’s entire body trembled with fear. Her actions had been impulsive and foolish, but it was the only thing she could do to defend herself. Alkrevas wouldn’t change his mind, and no one could save her.
She was alone.
Just as Luna finished thinking that, she felt a choking sensation around her neck again. She struggled and screamed for mercy, begging for help. Her tears flowed more freely. Why? She hadn’t done anything wrong! Why did she have to endure all of this? Why? Why? Why? Luna screamed before finally collapsing weakly to the floor.
The choking sensation around her neck gradually subsided, and her eyes stared blankly at the red carpet below her. Footsteps approached, and soon, bare feet appeared before her eyes, followed by the familiar scent of Alkrevas enveloping her. The man lowered himself, kneeling on one knee, and stroked Luna’s head as she sobbed softly.
“You’re very foolish, Luna,” Alkrevas whispered.
“By doing this, they trust you even less.” Alkrevas clicked his tongue and gripped Luna’s hair tightly, forcing her to stand and look into his eyes.
“Did you think you could run from me? Although chasing you is entertaining, we don’t have much time.”
“You… I should hate you…” Luna whispered so softly. Tears dripped onto the carpet. Luna didn’t realize it, but her blood was already pooling everywhere, and if untreated, she would bleed out.
“I should… I should have never given you a chance. Why don’t you trust me? Where is your conscience? If I were your soulmate, you wouldn’t treat me like this.” Alkrevas just stared intensely into Luna’s dark brown eyes.
Red, brown, back to red-it kept happening repeatedly, and for a moment, it mesmerized Luna. But then Luna realized that Alkrevas and Norris were fighting for control of his body. Luna tried calming the man before her by whispering and apologizing to keep Alkrevas from losing control.
She even bravely moved closer and kissed the corner of Alkrevas’s lips, but unlike before, her efforts were unsuccessful. Pleading, resisting, even seducing-Luna tried everything, but she couldn’t calm Alkrevas. This made Luna even more wary.
Living with Alkrevas made her start to understand him more. He was unpredictable, unstable, and even more temperamental than he appeared. Luna also suspected that the anger, jealousy, and obsessive behavior Alkrevas directed towards her would only intensify from now on. This time, Luna truly felt more afraid than she ever was of Norris because she could already imagine the misery she would face.
Is this the negative side of a soulmate bond? Luna couldn’t think any further when Alkrevas pulled her body closer until they were pressed against each other. Both their hearts were beating fast. “Please… for the last time, stop, Alkrevas… don’t destroy my dignity… don’t destroy my view of you…”
Alkrevas closed his eyes and kissed Luna’s lips possessively and harshly. There was no emotion conveyed in that kiss other than possession and obsession. Luna struggled and tried to resist, but with Alkrevas’s hand gripping her head tightly, she couldn’t move, so she bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
Immediately, Alkrevas pulled back his face and growled softly, then tilted Luna’s head to the left, exposing her right neck. His free hand lifted and checked the pulse in that area before he smiled and lowered his head, planting a feather-light kiss on the spot where his fading claim mark was.
“With this, the black magic will no longer be able to sever the mate bond between you and me. Everything will return to how it was.” Jerking Luna’s hair, Alkrevas bared his terrifying fangs before attacking.
His teeth sank into the flesh just above Luna’s collarbone-right at her sensitive spot. The pain from the bite spread throughout every part of her body. Alkrevas withdrew his fangs, observing the fresh, bleeding claim mark. Then he bit the same area again, deeper than before. The second mark was taken forcefully, a stronger, firmer, and more real bond.
Immediately, a piercing scream filled the quiet hall. Luna continued to scream and cry. The searing pain made her feel like she was drifting away from the scene. She was bleeding, she was injured, but none of that compared to the wound in her soul.
The pain she felt now was almost as bad as when the black magic potion severed the mate bond, but it was still terrible for her. The burning pain in her neck, more specifically from the area of Alkrevas’s claim mark, was so excruciating that it brought Luna back to reality in an instant.
The greatest and most terrifying predator in the empire was sinking his deadly fangs so deep into Luna’s neck. His bite was dangerously close to the jugular vein, causing her heart to race faster and her blood to flow more quickly. Luna groaned in pain and felt Alkrevas pull his fangs out again. Blood dripped from her neck. Meanwhile, the severed mate bond reconnected, three times stronger than before.
This time, Luna could feel the anger and possessiveness, the jealousy, and the obsession seeping into every pore of her body, and none of it originated from herself. Then Luna sobbed as she suddenly felt Alkrevas’s thoughts enveloping her, squeezing her heart as if it were a clenched fist. And Luna thought of giving up.
There was no way out, not now.
“Now comes the main event. You must know one thing, Luna, I intend to create an absolute bond with you.”
“Absolute bond?” Luna squeaked softly and hoarsely.
“Yes, an absolute bond. With this, nothing will be able to separate us, not even death.” Then Alkrevas threw Luna’s body back onto the carpet. A scream escaped Luna’s lips as her body hit the hard floor covered by the carpet. Then Alkrevas pushed aside the skirt of Luna’s dress, gathering all the fabric at her waist, exposing the lower part of her body to him and the spectators.
Luna’s arms were spread wide on the floor, her palms touching the carpet before clenching and gripping it tightly until her knuckles turned white. When she tried to lift her hands, a pressure like a rope held them down. Luna could sense the shock of the spectators at Alkrevas’s behavior towards her. Still, she was unsurprised because this wasn’t the first time she had made love to ‘The Emperor.’
Suddenly, a memory of Judith’s words about ‘public mating’ surfaced in Luna’s mind. Those words were triggered by a newspaper article reporting an Alpha-Luna couple in the eastern region of Vasilos who engaged in public mating to preserve tradition. “Not long ago, every Luna and often female wolves wished for public mating because they thought it was the best and most romantic moment of their lives. But in reality, the ceremony was more about degrading women and was more focused on showcasing the prowess of the Alpha or male wolf. And you know, miss, in the past, the ceremony was conducted to reassure the pack that the Luna would soon conceive and bear an heir.”
“Is that so… Do you disagree with that tradition, Judith?”
“Of course, because I find it too excessive and an invasion of privacy, but some nobles use that tradition to ensure their children’s loyalty to their partners, and it has spread to the wider society.”
“Judith.”
“And in any case, the fact that the social system places women below men makes public mating even more widespread. To the ancestors, women were held in the highest regard because the Moon Goddess was a woman, but at some point, that changed, and the concept of female superiority was erased.”
Why had Luna forgotten Judith’s words at that time? She stared into Alkrevas’s eyes, which had turned red, and her lips moved, “stop.” But as before, Alkrevas ignored her and spread Luna’s legs wide, slipping his body between them and enveloping Luna with his muscular frame. Luna closed her eyes and thought how ironic it was that Alkrevas wanted to continue this tradition.
Alkrevas discreetly snapped his fingers behind his back as she was thinking that.
Then, the public mating process took place and ended later. Now bound in an absolute bond, Luna lay limp in Alkrevas’s lap as he sat leisurely on the throne. Those present offered congratulations to the Emperor for completing the mating process.
Shortly after, Alkrevas left the hall, carrying Luna back to the Emperor’s residence and placing her in a room in the eastern tower. He healed Luna’s wounds, replaced the tracking bracelet on her ankle, cuffed both wrists, and kissed her forehead affectionately.
Afterward, Alkrevas stood tall by the bedside, observing Luna’s appearance, bound to the bed, and said, “Wait for me. After I’ve finished all my business, I will return here, and…” Alkrevas used his power to clean Luna’s dirty white dress. “…what I did to you isn’t over yet. Your punishment isn’t finished.”
Luna remained silent, unable to express her anger. Alkrevas stroked Luna’s head, kissed her forehead gently, and whispered, “Now close your eyes and sleep, little mate.”
And in an instant, Luna closed her eyes tightly and fell asleep.
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