Marked by blood, bound by fate.

The kingdom pulsed with glee.

Voices echoed throughout the halls as servants rushed to and fro in preparation. The air itself shimmered with anticipation. Just as eager as those breathing it.

It had been three months since her arrival was announced to them and this evening, the Luna Ceremony would commence.

Inside the palace’s eastern chambers, Maxine had just finished her final dress fitting, the seamstresses long gone by now.

The silence they left behind did little to calm her nerves.

Giddy with awe, joy and excitement, she was thrilled. She would finally seal the bond with her mate. Her true fated mate. Just like in the fairy tales she’d once admired.

But her gut kept telling her something wasn’t right.

She peeks at her open palms, and slowly, curls her fingers inward.

The feeling wasn’t calm this time, it was persistent and unrelenting.

Ever since she arrived here—ever since she felt that bond, she had this nagging feeling, like something was amiss.

Even her wolf thought so too.

Thraen was always so restless each time she was around him, itching to crawl out of her mind and sprint.

And the night before, she had howled in agony, pure utter protest.

The very thought of the ceremony even taking place, the bonding and the mating.

She hated all of it. Each little tidbit. She despised it all.

Maxine swallows hard, she felt guilty. This was her mate. Her fated one.

It’s supposed to be a heartfelt connection. A celebration to have found her mate so early.

It had to be done.

So she agreed to it.

‘Thraen?’ She calls inwardly.

Her wolf stirs but continues sulking.

Maxine sighs softly. Grabbing her gown, she goes over to the full-length mirror.

Tilting her head, she takes a moment to admire the gorgeous dress she’ll have to adorn herself in tonight.

It was breathtaking.

Layers of delicate silver and sky blue cascaded down her frame. Threaded with golden embroidery that shimmered each time it caught the light.

And in that moment, something shifts. A soft smile graces her lips, eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

”Wow,” she whispers.

A pause.

The corset fit perfectly, accentuating her body and shaping it in with elegant precision. .

She couldn’t wait to see how she would look when everything was put into place. After all, they’d done it all just for her.

Their future Luna.

They wanted her.

“I really am doing this,” she says, gaze softening.

Instinctively, she reaches for the connection—and in response the bond stirs.

Warm, present and reassuring.

Despite that, her smile falters.

The familiar chord of unease twists beneath it. Which wouldn't be unusual if not for the bond feeling weaker…...incomplete.

Her instincts stir, trying to tell her something but it’s barred. Like some strange wall is thwarting them.

Then, the bond pulses again, stronger.

The only description suitable for what it feels like—is that of a note slightly off key in an otherwise perfect melody.

‘Thraen?’ She calls once more. Nerves skittering all over.

There’s no response. No stirring, no emotion. Just silence.

Utter detachment.

Maxine stares at her reflection, unease bleeding into her system.

Her wolf had never behaved this way before.

This wasn’t normal.

None of it was.

None of it made sense.

“Maybe you’re just starved.” She mumbles more to herself.

Suddenly, the room felt smaller. The walls felt tight and suffocating.

Her gaze snaps to the door, and a strange sense of the need to be someplace overcomes her.

She hesitates.

Mulling it over, she figures she could get some food while working out what this sudden desire really is.

She scoops up her skirts and walks out into an empty hallway. The palace corridors were oddly quiet now, most of the activities had moved to the ceremonial grounds so barely anyone was up here. Making it easier for her to go unnoticed and undetected.

Still barefoot, the soft padding of her feet barely makes any noise as she follows the strange persistent pull.

She has absolutely no idea where she was headed. Only that she needed to because the deeper she went, the stronger it pulled.

Turning a corner, she comes face to face with an open archway and then—voices.

Maxine comes to a hasty halt.

Just beyond a partially closed stone door, familiar voices drift straight to her ears.

She stays still.

‘I shouldn’t be here’

And yet here she is.

Because something in her chest insists she stay, linger a bit longer and listen.

Her body suddenly tingles all over and then stops just as fast as it came.

“…it must be done tonight. I don’t think her wolf will be fooled any longer.” The familiar voice of the maid she’d been given after she arrived sounds.

‘What is she talking about?’ Maxine wonders.

“And? Are you certain it will work? Will the transfer hold?” The primordial responds, sounding bored.

Maxine’s blood runs cold.

‘My mate!’

“Completely certain.” The maid responds. “Once we do the ritual during the ceremony, her power will belong to you.”

‘Her—MY POWER!?’

“It’ll be drained out of her and bleed directly into your hands.”

Maxine’s hands tremble.

‘They want my power…!’

Elara’s calm voice follows. “You’re an excellent witch Eliza, she trusts us. Especially since she knows I'm her mother.”

Giggles follow. “What such stupidity!" Elara finishes.

“She most certainly won’t resist. My love.” The Primordial’s affectionate tone slices through Maxine’s heart.

A tone he has never used with her.

And it clicks.

“She already feels the bond,” Eliza continues. “Even if it’s false, her body has accepted it enough for the ritual to succeed.”

“After all this, Elara, and I can proceed with the actual ceremony. My beautiful wonderful mate.” The primordial responds.

Maxine’s heart shutters.

“No…” she whispers. Taking a few steps back.

“It will be easy,” the witch says. “And once it’s done, she’ll be no more.

Maxine’s vision blurs. ‘It makes sense.’

Everything she had believed—everything she had felt—twisted into something unrecognizable.

A lie.

All of it.

The bond suddenly feels like a poison. Wrapping itself around her throat.

Her wolf howls in her mind, echoing her pain.

She turns on her heels, knocking over a vase. The sound of it hitting the ground echoes in the silent hall.

“What was that!” Elara asks, footsteps follow, heading towards the noise.

Maxine bolts.

A gasp—

“GET BACK HERE!” A voice snarls.

The corridors blur as Maxine’s pace fastens, adrenaline fueling her system.

“We need to get out of here Thraen” The words barely leave her lips.

They were going to use her.

Strip her.

Take everything.

And she had been walking willingly into it.

“DAUGHTER!”

A voice calls behind her.

But she doesn't stop.

Doesn’t turn.

She bursts through the palace doors and into the open, the sudden rush of wind hitting her face, giving her a sense of relief.

The guards startle, staring dumbfounded at her sprinting form.

“GUARDS! GET HER!”

They transform.

Massive beasts hot on her trail. Snarling and growling as their massive paws assault the earth.

Maxine pushes harder.

Her lungs burn.

Her legs tremble.

But she doesn’t slow.