All Chapters of Moonbound to Power : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

THIRD PERSON'S POV Gabriel had never known fear like this. Not on the battlefield. Not when he stood blade-to-throat with Alpha John. Not even when Crescent Moon fell beneath his command. But now—with Samantha crumpled in his arms, her face pale and lifeless—he was drowning in it. “Sam,” he whispered hoarsely, brushing a blood-matted curl from her temple. “Please. Come back to me.” Her body sagged against him, unnervingly still. Her skin was too cold. Her lips parted in shallow, uneven breaths. Her pulse—a flicker. Her scent was muted, dulled by layers of magic and dampened by fear. “Caspian!” Gabriel barked, his voice cracking as the wind roared around them. “Get the healers. NOW!” “I’ve already summoned them,” Caspian said as he arrived at Gabriel’s side, his expression grim. “There’s magic in her veins. Witch-born. Residual, but strong.” Gabriel didn’t care about magic. He cared about her. He pressed his lips to her forehead, as if that alone could call her back. “Don’t

SAMANTHA’S POV For a long moment after the King—my father—finished speaking, I couldn’t breathe. I stood frozen in the vast crystal-lit chamber of the royal palace, heart pounding, eyes locked on the man who had haunted my dreams and ruled my blood. King Aldric. My father. “I cursed you,” he whispered. “To save you.” My knees nearly gave out, but I didn’t collapse. Not this time. A curse at birth. To hide me. To protect me from those who wanted to use me. The prophecy. The Lockwoods. The sealing of my wolf, my bond, my name. My life had been stolen to keep me alive. And the one who stole it was the man now kneeling before me. “I hated you,” I breathed, my voice cracking. “I used to dream of killing the man who left me to suffer.” His head bowed lower. “But you didn’t abandon me,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. “You... sacrificed me.” Tears blurred my vision. He looked up. “I would’ve given my life, Samantha. But even death wouldn’t have kept you safe. So I gave

The howls of farewell still echoed behind them as the royal gates closed. Samantha leaned her head against the window of the black SUV, her fingers tracing invisible patterns in the glass. The Highridge Palace faded in the distance, replaced by winding forest paths and quiet twilight skies. The weight of her new title pressed heavy on her shoulders. But next to her, Gabriel’s presence was a constant flame—steady, reassuring. They hadn’t spoken much since leaving. There hadn’t been need for words. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable. It was full. Charged. As if something long restrained waited just beneath the surface. As they crossed into Blood Moon territory, the wards tingled over her skin. Home. Or what had become it. The guards saluted Gabriel at the entrance. He gave a single nod, but his hand shifted across the seat, brushing hers gently. Not commanding. Not coaxing. Just… there. Samantha didn’t pull away. Night had fallen completely by the time they reached

GABRIEL’S POV The rogue’s claws scraped across the arena floor, its growl a guttural rumble that vibrated through my bones. I stepped in front of my mate, my body tense and shielding, ready to kill. But Samantha’s voice cut through the panic like a blade. “No.” I froze, halfway between shielding her and launching at the creature. “This is my fight,” she said, stepping out from behind me. The rogue’s eyes locked onto her, its lips curling back to reveal bloodied fangs. Whatever mind it had left was lost to rage and madness—but still, it hesitated, as if sensing the power rolling off her in waves. The pack fell into stunned silence, hundreds of eyes watching from the stone benches circling the arena. No one dared speak. I grabbed her wrist. “Sam—” “I have to do this, Gabriel.” Her voice was steady, calm, like moonlight over a storm. “Let them see who I really am.” My grip loosened, gaze burning with reluctance and admiration. “Be careful.” She nodded once and stepped forwa

The door slammed shut behind her, the echo bouncing off the stone walls like the final nail in a coffin. Samantha stared ahead, heart still hammering. The scent of rust and old blood clung to her skin. She could still hear Elias’s voice pleading from his cell—“Forgive me.” But her own voice had been louder, colder. "You were never my fate." The words had settled deep into her bones, severing the last thread that had once tied her to the boy who broke her. As she stepped out of the dark prison hall, the sunlight blinded her. The weight of the past no longer clung to her shoulders—it had fallen to the floor, cold and empty, like Elias’s gaze after her final rejection. Guards trailed behind her silently, escorting her up the grand staircases of the palace. Waiting at the top were her father, King Aldric, and Prince Thorne, their faces solemn. Beside them stood Gabriel, arms folded tightly over his chest, his eyes never leaving hers. No words were exchanged. But when she reached him