The next day, things moved into high gear. Golden armor was put on Vladimir, while the inner courtyard of the palace erupted in magical roses that flowed red sap upon contact.Among the slave barracks, Silver Moon's nobles were chained and forced to construct the ceremonial arch. One old man bled from his palms as he placed the stone on the ground."She won't remember us," he said.Another lord, younger, growled through clenched teeth. "Then we remind her. Even if it kills us all." As sunset was dissolved into darkness, the palace halls blazed with the golden flutter of torchlight. But in Emereah's room, the air was cold. Still. Practically vacant.Alexandria stood nearly a foot away, her hand resting on Emereah's stiff one. Her breathing shook as she tried again."It's me," she breathed, voice shuddering beneath the burden of all their memories now behind her. "Alexandria. the one who reminded you of your past. Of Silver Moon. Of you."Emereah's lips parted, eyes wavering—but the fir
Dawn.The palace bells rang low and mournful.The great hall was transformed into a cathedral of black splendor. Black banners bearing golden wolves hung from the ceilings. Candles floating in mid-air, each fire dancing crimson beneath the blood-red sky above.At the far end, Vladimir.Attired in black and silver. A wolf pelt thrown over his shoulders. His eyes never leaving the doors.And then. she entered.Emereah.Attended by handmaidens.Wearing a glittering gown of ivory, a crown of interwoven moon-thorns upon her brow. Her eyes were wide, glassy.Behind her, the nobles of Silver Moon were made to kneel. Chained. Shackled. Made to witness their final royal bloodline wed to the destroyer of their home.Some cried.Some screamed.One even bellowed: "YOU KILLED HER FATHER! HOW DARE YOU ADMIRE HER LINEAGE AS A TROPHY!"Vladimir lifted his hand.The guards beat the speaker to the ground.Despite this, Vladimir smiled.Let them scream.Let them watch.She was his now.Emereah approache
The Red Crescent courtyard was filled with golden light, but dusk had devoured the sky. The fire torches danced in unnatural synchrony—each flame unnaturally motionless, as if under a spell. The guests stood frozen, their lips sealed by magic, their faces locked in silent rebellion.In the center, on a platform of elevated obsidian and bone, Emereah stood alongside Vladimir. Her formerly fierce silver eyes were empty now, gentle and submissive, like a puppet held captive by threads of air.She had a gown embroidered in threads of moonstone and rubies as blood-red as death—regal and macabre. Her bracelets, once symbols of her royalty, were now magical shackles that shone with magic, glinting each time her hand slightly shifted at Vladimir's whim.The nobles of the Silver Moon Pack stood in the background, all slaves, once family—tears flowing silently down their faces. Their eyes pleaded as their voices could not. They saw their princess, the daughter of their alpha, marry the man whos
Vladimir was sitting on the side of his bed, his amber-colored eyes locked onto Emereah.She stood in front of him, her angular body wrapped in a golden silk gown that flashed in the firefight. The clingy material seemed to mold over every inch of her frame, outlining her as a possession already unwrapped and already owned.Her hair fell in waves of deep red down her back, and her pale blue eyes—too pale now, almost glass-like—blinked slowly, as if reading his very breath.“Emereah,” he said, his voice low and smooth, “we are married now. You are my Luna. Then serve me now… as your husband.”A pause.Then, in quiet horror, she moved. She came down on her knees, the movement slow, smooth, practiced. Her hands lay upon his knees—delicate, poised. Her fingers wrapped in the folds of his trousers, and she bent her head the slightest bit towards him.There was sensuality in her attitude.But not a soul.Vladimir let out his breath, shivering down to his toes. Victory swept over him, a dark
The hall was quiet.Too quiet.Alexandria's gasping breath rasped at the back of her throat as she pushed the bloody hand into the cool of the stone wall, the injury in her side bleeding heat. She did not know if the trickling was blood or sweat streaming down her temple, but it no longer mattered.Liberty lay just beyond her fingertips.And Emereah. Emereah was losing its hold."No," Alexandria gasped into the quiet, staggered forward. "No, not like this. I will not lose you."Her bare feet pounded the marble floor—every step an infringement of silence. Somewhere behind her, the ringing of guards crying out shattered the stillness. They'd discovered she was gone.Her heartbeat pounded in her throat.A low growl of hurt slipped out from between her teeth as she reached the end of the corridor and looked up towards the grating at the top of the servants' chute. Her only hope. Her side ached where they'd kicked her in the last battle, and her knuckles were bleeding—half flayed open when
The moon rode high—silver and watchful—casting a chill gleam upon Vladimir's private quarters' obsidian walls. There was a fire in the hearth, sputtering like muffled mirth. Silk drapes rippled on the unseen wind. And at the center of the great bed, draped in sheets of blood-red velvet, sat Emereah—still, waiting.She was clothed in nothing but a gossamer mantle of gold, the leftovers of ritualistic robes cast off by invisible slaves at the bidding of the sorcerer. Her hair cascaded in waves of red down her spine, her skin glowing faintly with the remains of the spell. Her eyes—blue pale ones—were the oddest of all, however. Still. But unempty.Vladimir entered, his robe half-open, his gaze locked on her as if she were the world and all its stars. He stopped a few paces away from the bed and looked at her."Do you know what tonight is, my Luna?" he whispered.Emereah nodded once. "Our bond night."His lips curled. "Yes. Our final seal. After this… no magic can undo what we become.".
He buried his face in her pussy and fully dedicated himself to taking her to orgasm. The Alpha licked the blade of his tongue up and down her vulva slowly. He left a string of whispy kisses on her clit, then rimmed it with his tongue. Emereah threw her head back and groaned. With his lips still on her, He inserted a finger into her cunt. She was tight and wet. Vladimir's dick pounded to slam her against the desk, but he was determined to get Emereah off first. He inched one finger in and out slowly, and then added another. When he hit the rough sweet spot, he curled his fingers, tickled it with his fingertips, and in the process, licked her clit. Emereah gasped and the whole of her body hardened it was the first time she experienced such. She looked at the smile of Vladimir."Do not play games with me and be gentle my Alpha," she admonished."My love, I dare not and I will be soft my luna."Emereah slapped Vladimir's face back down once more, and he was more than willing to comply. He
The sunbeam stroked the velvet drapes with a gentle touch, and gold stripes fell away on the bed where Vladimir lay. The morning calm was sacred—but Emereah had already awakened, much sooner than the sun would cross the hills.She was regarding him.Nestled next to him in slumber, her palm lay upon his bare chest, fingers tracing patterns in the air above the runes inked over his skin. Her eyes did not blink. They burned with feverish intensity, a passion bordering on madness. "Mine." The words were a breathless whisper of awe. "You're mine."Vladimir stirred. His brows furrowed as her voice pulled him from sleep.What time is it?" he whispered drowsily.Emereah's lips grazed his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. I won't waste a single second without you."He shifted to the side, keeping her gaze. Something was amiss—something too raw, too frantic. It annoyed him for a moment. But then she kissed him, and the uncertainty disolved into nothing."Last night," she breathed. "You gave me lif
The fire now had a name.Emereah.It was not only in her eyes, or in the touch of her hands, or in the whisper of Vladimir's name like a prayer gone sour—it was present in the very air she surrounded herself with. A slow-consuming, unstoppable blaze that consumed everyone too close to her into dust.And Vladimir?He was already ablaze.He sat in the window of the eastern wing at dawn, the sky still bruised from night, gazing over her sleeping form on the divan. She had insisted on remaining near him, refused to let him sleep in his own rooms, had cried when he'd even spoken of it.And there she was now.Serene. Beautiful. Deadly.Her lips curled once in sleep, and she murmured something—his name, maybe. Or a threat. With her nowadays, there was no difference.Helena slipped in behind him, holding a creased report."She broke Mireille's arm," she breathed."I know.""She threatened another noble's mate in the corridor. We had to postpone the afternoon audience.""I know."Helena stood
The great hall of the Red Crescent Moon Pack hummed with tension. Guards stood against the stone walls, nobles spoke in hushed tones behind velvet sleeves, and advisors kept looking toward the high throne where Vladimir sat by himself.By himself, for Emereah was late again."She's developing unpredictability," one of the elders whispered."She's developing danger," another growled.The doors groaned open before anyone could comment.Emereah strode in, barefoot, her long dark red robe flowing behind her like spilled blood. Her eyes raked the room—not with innocence or poise, but with the ravenous, unbalanced desire of a wolf unfed for days.She spied Vladimir.And smiled. "There you are," she chimed in saccharine sweetness, as if she hadn't just left an hour before. "Missed you?"Vladimir rose to his feet. "Emereah, this is a council session—""Council?" she repeated. Her eyes drifted to the nobles in the ring below. "They are still trying to keep you apart from me, are not they?""Em
"Touch what is mine, not." Emereah's voice was cracked like lightning. Bare slaps resounded as she barefooted it across the marble, but she appeared to be volcanic, she was so immovable. "You do not lay hands on what is mine."Gossips spread like fire consuming dry ground."Your Lady Emereah—" the Beta began."I am Luna," she mocked him, her eyes iced with fire-like frost. "Say my title correctly, or farewell to tongue."The Beta bowed forthwith, droplets of perspiration at temples. "Yes, Luna."Vladimir had had his fill at last.He stood, deep, commanding voice. "Emereah. With me. At once."Her eyes stabbed him. The fire faded—but lingered. "Why? To protect her?""Now."Her jaw was clenched. And then, like a sulky mollified child who scorned anything but a precious toy, she walked to his side and curled her fingers around his. She clung like ivy—slow, elegant, stifling.They moved silently through the castle corridors until the doors to their own room softly creaked shut behind them.
"Did she attempt to persuade you to leave?""Yes."She spun around."And what did you reply?""I said I won't.""Did you enjoy your little conversation?" she asked gently."Emereah—"She spun about, anger dancing in her eyes. "Don't say my name like that. Like a child having a tantrum. Like I had no idea what was happening."He hesitated. "Nothing is happening."She laughed with acid venom. "Liar.""Emereah—""Liar!" she yelled, and the mirror she stood before vibrated, the glass groaning across its image like a wound.Vladimir's wolf stiffened.Her magic had never been so strong before. Not even in combat.She moved towards him warily, shaking with rage. "And what is Helena to you, Vladimir?" Her voice was husky, deadly. "Once, you had Alexandria. Your beautiful Alexandria. The one you locked up in your dungeon but cherished in your heart.""That's not true—""And now it's Helena. Helena with her whispers. Her history. Her devotion. You let her speak to you as if I didn't exist!""He
The air was heavy with heat and quiet peril, encased in gold firelight and silk blankets that curled around them like snakes. Emereah slept peacefully, a gentle breathing on Vladimir's skin, her arm taken possessively thrown over his chest.He hadn't stirred. Not for hours.His hand stayed lightly on her spine, but his mind seethed like a storm beneath the surface.Each breath she took pressed her bare skin against his ribs, and each second felt heavier than the last. His wolf—so often wild and sure—paced inside him now, anxious. Conflicted.Because he hadn’t imagined it.She’d meant every word.“I’ll kill them all…”And not with the detachment of a queen defending her claim—but with a child’s desperate fury. Like someone who'd lost too many things, too many people, and finally snapped.He breathed slowly and moved his eyes to the window.There, beyond the ice-encrusted glass, the moon hung low. Pale. Watching.A sharp knock shattered the quiet.Then another. Louder."Your Majesty!" G
The sunlight of morning filtered through the heavy velvet curtains like a warning and not a blessing.Vladimir woke to a stirring, the warm heat of Emereah too much, too much, enveloping him. She was around him like ivy on stone, her nails grasping barely on his chest. Her red hair was around his neck, her hot, harsh breath on his skin.She hadn't slept. Not really.His eyes gradually opened. She was looking at him."Emereah," he croaked."You disappeared in my dream," she breathed, eyes growing wide and feral. "I was crying for you, but you didn't respond."Vladimir eased himself up, unentwining her arms from around his arms. "It was only a dream."Her face contorted. "But it occurred. It felt like they were taking you away from me. I woke up and thought—maybe you'd left.""I didn't," he growled."I'm here.""But for how long?" she ordered, near accusatorily. Her hand tightened around his arm. "You'll leave. Everyone leaves. Except that you shouldn't."He gritted his teeth. "You're t
The sunbeam stroked the velvet drapes with a gentle touch, and gold stripes fell away on the bed where Vladimir lay. The morning calm was sacred—but Emereah had already awakened, much sooner than the sun would cross the hills.She was regarding him.Nestled next to him in slumber, her palm lay upon his bare chest, fingers tracing patterns in the air above the runes inked over his skin. Her eyes did not blink. They burned with feverish intensity, a passion bordering on madness. "Mine." The words were a breathless whisper of awe. "You're mine."Vladimir stirred. His brows furrowed as her voice pulled him from sleep.What time is it?" he whispered drowsily.Emereah's lips grazed his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. I won't waste a single second without you."He shifted to the side, keeping her gaze. Something was amiss—something too raw, too frantic. It annoyed him for a moment. But then she kissed him, and the uncertainty disolved into nothing."Last night," she breathed. "You gave me lif
He buried his face in her pussy and fully dedicated himself to taking her to orgasm. The Alpha licked the blade of his tongue up and down her vulva slowly. He left a string of whispy kisses on her clit, then rimmed it with his tongue. Emereah threw her head back and groaned. With his lips still on her, He inserted a finger into her cunt. She was tight and wet. Vladimir's dick pounded to slam her against the desk, but he was determined to get Emereah off first. He inched one finger in and out slowly, and then added another. When he hit the rough sweet spot, he curled his fingers, tickled it with his fingertips, and in the process, licked her clit. Emereah gasped and the whole of her body hardened it was the first time she experienced such. She looked at the smile of Vladimir."Do not play games with me and be gentle my Alpha," she admonished."My love, I dare not and I will be soft my luna."Emereah slapped Vladimir's face back down once more, and he was more than willing to comply. He
The moon rode high—silver and watchful—casting a chill gleam upon Vladimir's private quarters' obsidian walls. There was a fire in the hearth, sputtering like muffled mirth. Silk drapes rippled on the unseen wind. And at the center of the great bed, draped in sheets of blood-red velvet, sat Emereah—still, waiting.She was clothed in nothing but a gossamer mantle of gold, the leftovers of ritualistic robes cast off by invisible slaves at the bidding of the sorcerer. Her hair cascaded in waves of red down her spine, her skin glowing faintly with the remains of the spell. Her eyes—blue pale ones—were the oddest of all, however. Still. But unempty.Vladimir entered, his robe half-open, his gaze locked on her as if she were the world and all its stars. He stopped a few paces away from the bed and looked at her."Do you know what tonight is, my Luna?" he whispered.Emereah nodded once. "Our bond night."His lips curled. "Yes. Our final seal. After this… no magic can undo what we become.".