Chapter 3- What the hell was he doing here?

ELYSSIA’s POV

By the time we arrived at Moonstone, I had already imagined at least a dozen ways to ruin Darian Veymont’s life.

But unfortunately, none of them involved escaping the bonding ceremony.

The car rolled to a stop before the enormous stone steps leading to Moonstone’s main grounds. Through the tinted windows, I could see the crowd gathered outside, their attention drawn to the crimson moon hanging above—its light spilling across the grounds, turning the pale stone buildings a deep shade of red and casting long shadows over the assembled guests.

The Blood Moon was beautiful tonight. But it was so unfortunate that I was about to have the worst night of my life beneath it.

“Elyssia, we’re here,” My mother said softly beside me.

I swallowed the sarcastic response that came to mind and reached for the car door instead.

Before I could open it, Vaelisse caught my wrist.

I turned towards her, raising a brow, my gaze moving from her hand on my wrist to her delicate face. “Please don’t do anything reckless,” she whispered.

I stared at her for a moment before letting out a humourless laugh. “You mean besides being forced to bond with a man I despise?”

“Ellie.”

“What? You expect me to smile, walk inside, and pretend this is the happiest night of my life?”

“No.” Her fingers tightened around mine. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” Something in her voice softened the anger I’d been carrying since we left home. Vaelisse had never wanted any of this for me. She was simply as powerless to change it as I was.

I squeezed her hand briefly and shook my head. “I’ll be fine.” And I stepped out of the car before she could say anything otherwise.

The cool night air brushed against my skin, but it did little to calm the uneasiness twisting inside me. Several conversations faltered as soon as I appeared—heads turned, then whispers followed.

But I kept my chin up, undeterred.

I was a Bellrose, and I would not give anyone the satisfaction of watching me fall apart.

But still, I couldn’t help but notice the way some people looked at me—with that uncomfortable, familiar pity that flashed through their eyes, and I had tried my best to ignore that look.

The wolfless Bellrose princess—the girl whose wolf had failed to manifest, and apparently, the girl who would supposedly die before her twenty third birthday in three months time if she doesn’t complete a mate bond.

Wonderful.

Mother placed a hand on my back, guiding me towards the entrance. My father, Alpha Alaric, was already waiting near the doors, speaking to several members of the Veymont family. His expression was composed, his posture straight, as though nothing about tonight was unusual.

Of course. It wasn’t his future being decided for him.

When we got closer to the main grounds, his gaze settled on me.

“Remember what we discussed, Elyssia,” he said quietly as I approached.

I gave him a pleasant smile. “How could I forget father?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, perhaps sensing the insolence beneath my words, but he said nothing more. He simply gestured for us to enter.

Moonstone’s main hall was even more imposing from the inside. Tall pillars rose towards a vaulted ceiling, and enormous windows overlooked the grounds, allowing the Blood Moon’s red glow to seep into the room. Members of different packs filled the hall, their conversations creating a low hum beneath the music playing in the background.

At the far end stood the ceremonial platform—and beside it, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, was Darian Veymont.

My stomach twisted in disgust.

He looked exactly as I remembered him—handsome enough to make people overlook his arrogance, with the sort of confident expression that suggested the world had never denied him anything he truly wanted.

His gaze travelled over me, pausing briefly on my dress before meeting my eyes.

“You look beautiful,” he said when I reached him.

I forced an obvious stiff smile. “How generous of you to notice.”

His smile barely moved. “Must you make everything difficult?”

“Must you pretend this is something either of us should be happy about?”

His jaw tightened, and he glanced towards the people standing nearby. “Lower your voice, Elyssia.”

“Why? Afraid someone might discover that your future mate doesn’t particularly like you?”

His eyes hardened.

For a moment, I thought he might say something else—call off the bonding ceremony because of my attitude, but his attention shifted towards my parents. Whatever response he had prepared, he swallowed it.

“Let’s get through the ceremony,” he muttered. “We both have something to gain from this arrangement.”

There it was again—an arrangement. If he thought I was going to make this easy for him, he was about to be disappointed.

A few minutes later, the conversations in the hall gradually died down as the ceremony’s priest stepped onto the platform. He was an older man dressed in ceremonial robes, his expression solemn as he looked over the gathering.

“Tonight, beneath the Blood Moon, we gather to witness the joining of two lives and two bloodlines.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Two bloodlines. How romantic.

The officiant continued, speaking of the significance of the bond, the responsibilities it carried, and the sacredness of the occasion. I heard very little of it. My attention kept drifting towards the windows, where the crimson moon hung high in the night sky.

Three months.

That was all the time I had left before my twenty-third birthday.

I hated that everyone believed bonding me to Darian was the only way to solve this. Most of all, I hated that a small, frightened part of me still wondered whether they were right.

What if the prophecy was real?

What if I really would die?

I clenched my hands together, digging my nails into my palms and swallowed the painful lump that had formed in my throat.

No. I couldn’t think like that. Not now.

“Elyssia Bellrose. Darian Veymont.” My attention slowly swiveled back to the room.

“Step forward.” The priest gestured to us to stand in front of the sacred Moonstone—its pale surface catching in the crimson light—for our vows.

For a moment, my feet refused to move. Then Darian held out his hand, and I had no choice but to place mine in his, as we stepped forward.

“Tonight, you stand before your families and the gathered packs, beneath the light of the Blood Moon, in front of the Moonstone, prepared to enter a bond that will shape the course of your lives.”

“Do you both understand the significance of the bond you are about to enter?” The priest’s gaze flickered from Darian to me.

Darian answered without hesitation. “I do.”

Of course he did.

The priest turned to me. “And you, Elyssia Bellrose?”

My mouth went dry.

Every face in the room seemed to turn towards me at once. I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

Darian’s fingers tightened around mine. “Elyssia,” he murmured through his teeth, his smile fixed for the watching crowd. “Answer him.”

I turned my head just enough to look at him.

For one brief second, I considered telling the entire room exactly what I thought of him.

Then the doors at the back of the hall swung open.

The sound echoed through the room, cutting through the silence and every head turned.

A group of men entered, their dark suits and unreadable expressions setting them apart from the gathered guests.

And at their centre was a man I recognized immediately.

Dark hair fell slightly over his forehead, framing a face that was infuriatingly handsome, a small but obvious tattoo on his neck. His broad shoulders filled out his black suit, and his blue eyes swept across the hall with a coldness that made several people shift uncomfortably.

My breath caught in my throat. It was the arrogant man from the roadside—the same man who had stopped to help when my car broke down, only to leave me stranded after making a mockery of me. And, as if that weren’t enough, he was also the contractor I’d encountered at the Bellrose estate.

What in the world was he doing here?

And why does it look as though he had some kind of influence I was not aware of?

His gaze moved across the room, barely acknowledging the people who stared at him. Then it settled on my father.

Something in his expression sharpened.

The corner of his lips curved into a smile, and it made a chill run down my spine. “You have something that belongs to me, Alaric Bellrose.”