All Chapters of Bloodbound Destiny : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I sat up, the furs enveloping me sliding away. My clothing was marred with blood and bits of ash, smelt of sweat and fish, but that was the least of my concerns as I glanced down at my hand. It was still coated with moss, but the plant was now dry and lifeless. I gently touched the moss with my left palm, equal parts desperate and scared to see what lay beneath. “I told you the gods favored you,” a voice remarked, and I straightened to see Alpha Orion standing close to the hangings separating the space from the rest of the hall. “They wished for you to be revealed by fire, not to be consumed by it.” I wasn’t persuaded it was true, considering my circumstances, but I kept my lips quiet as he crossed over to the bed. Without asking, he ripped the moss free, bits of dead plant and ash dropping over the dark furs. My breath seized as I saw what lay beneath. “Make a fist,” he urged. I dutifully did so, muscles and tendons complying with minimal complaint. “U

It was snowing.That was the first thing that struck me when I stepped out of the huge hall. Snow in springtime was rare. The members of Mystic Rune pack came out of their homes to watch me pass, the emotions of those who met my eyes frigid despite the knowledge all would be feasted in the evening by their Alpha. “Your pack does not seem to favor this union,” I remarked softly to Luna Lyra, who strolled to my left, her mouth drawn in an unsmiling line. “Because they do not know the power you bring,” she continued. They see only an insult to their beloved luna. I’d have rolled my eyes at her vanity except that while the pack members scowled at me, they smiled at Lyra, touching her as she went and offered her praise for her strength. “Andronika !” A familiar voice reached me, and I turned my head to see Eleanor standing between two buildings, a blade clasped in her hands. Her brown hair was sodden, and her freckled cheeks flushed from the cold as she stepped toward

“Andronika!Hands seized my arms. I stared up into Tristan’s scared eyes even as I heard Lyra's cry, “You cursed fool! Do you have any notion of what you might have unleashed?”Tristan ignored her, gaze roaming over my body. “Are you all right?” How could he ask whether I was all right after my chest had been ripped open? The thought evaporated when I stared down at my naked body, my chest whole but for a thin white scar, without a drop of crimson marring my white flesh. Not possible. “I…” Is she marked? Alpha Orion was abruptly by my side, lifting my braids and pawing at me, searching. “Did Freyja claim her?” He grew silent when Tristan held up my left hand. On the rear of it, painted in crimson, was a shield. The detail was unlike anything a mortal artist could have produced, and with each thud of my heart, the blood-forming it pumped. “She has been marked!” Alpha Orion roared. Catching hold of my wrist, he hauled me out of Tristan’s embrace and to my feet, holding my tatto

He turned away from the redhead. His gaze hooked on my balled-up fists. “Why are you wearing gloves in this heat?” “Because of what lies beneath,” I snapped, sensing the gaze of everyone surrounding us. From their frowns, several looked not to take kindly to Tristan’s statements about his father, but I doubted he cared. “You saw the scars. The tattoos. The gods thought I needed a lesson that actions have consequences but it doesn’t mean I need to stare at the repercussions all night.” Tristan’s gaze lifted from my palms to meet mine. “I thought you had no regrets.” “I don’t.” And I didn’t. He rested his elbows on the table. Then why are you hiding your hand?” I blinked, searching for words because my hand wasn’t what I’d come here to talk about. Because it’s ugly. That’s why. No one wants to look at it, least of all me!” Tristan leaned across the table, mouth next to my ear. Nothing about you is ugly, Andronika, least of all the scars you earned defending your honor a

Removing the pieces of wood concealing the escape route, I climbed outdoors. It was a dark night, the moon and the stars shrouded by heavy clouds that smelt more of snow, and I leaned against the great hall as I tightened my cloak against the chill. There was little point in dwelling, for the deal was done. Better to focus my mind on learning how I was expected to achieve the results the gods fore saw for me.What were the possibilities that Alpha Orion didn’t keep the individual who’d stated his prized prophecy close? I hadn’t seen Odin’s mark, which I knew was a raven, on anyone at the feast, but that didn’t mean the seer wasn’t elsewhere in the pack. And this might be my only chance to communicate with them without someone lurking over my shoulder. Praying that Orion would take his time with Lyra, I stepped away from the hall. I kept my head low as I marched down the short passage between buildings. Mud squashed beneath my shoes, my nostrils filled with the stench of