All Chapters of Bound by blood and moonlight : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Kaelen's POVI left after awhile. I had business to attend to.The throne room was dark and quiet when they dragged Clara in.Too quiet. The faint scuff of her boot and the metallic rattle of when chains finally broke the silence. She stumbled, wrists bound in front of her, hair wild as though she had tried to claw at it on her way here.Pathetic.I watched her from my throne—an iron monstrosity lined with etched steel, salvaged from the husks of machines left behind after the world burned. The throne wasn’t just a seat; it was a declaration. Every time someone looked at it, they remembered: I was not merely a ruler of flesh and blood, I was a king who commanded in an age when kings had been forgotten.Clara lifted her head. Even in the half-light, I saw her fear. Good. Fear was the language of survival in my court. Fear kept humans like her in line.She was a servant, nothing more. Like Elara. Only Elara had a thread of something else woven into her, something that made her stand st

Elara’s povI didn’t see him for days.The chamber swallowed me whole, its silence more loud than anything I had ever heard.It was driving me nuts.Clara visited, the guards stood watch, food appeared at regular intervals, but Kaelen was gone—as if the shadows themselves had devoured him.When the door finally swung open, I almost flinched at the sound.He strode in, tall, sharp, face carved from ice and fire. His golden eyes swept the chamber once before settling on me, still propped against pillows, stitches tight and ugly across my ribs.“Up,” he said, his voice slicing the quiet in two.I moved stiffly, clutching the blanket around me as if it could shield me. He didn’t wait. He turned, and I followed because there was no choice.He led me down the corridor, his wolves bowing as he passed. We stopped at another room on the same floor. The door creaked open to reveal a smaller chamber, still covered in silk and luxury, though less suffocating than his own.“You’ll stay here now,”

Elara's povThe cake tasted better than anything I had ever stolen back at moonhowl. It wasn't enough to fill my stomach but it made me satisfied nonetheless.Soon, kaelen finished his meal and stood up. The scrapping of his chair made everyone turn to him and bowed their head.He started to walk away while I remained in my spot because he hadn't told me whether or not to follow and I actually prayed he'd tell me to join him and not leave me with these beasts.He stopped half way to the door, sighed and turned to me. “Follow me.”No need to tell me twice.In a flash I was at his heels, eyes down following slightly behind him. He resumes walking, we went past the main parts of the castle, up the stairs to a part of the castle I had never been to.Guards, wolves and humans alike bowing as we walked past but he paid them no mind which I found to be quite rude but expected no less from him.We got to a set of doors and the guards pushed it open, he walked in and so did I.I paused at the

Elara's povThe whispers started before I even reached the main corridor.I kept my chin tucked, shoulders hunched, trying to make myself smaller as I navigated the stone hallways. My fingers worried at the collar of my dress, tugging it higher over the bruises circling my throat like a necklace of violence.It didn't help. Nothing could hide the purple-black fingerprints pressed into my skin."Did you see her neck?""King must've—""—probably deserved it—"The voices chased after me, wrapping around my ankles like chains. I walked faster, each step echoing too loud in the vast emptiness. The castle felt different in daylight. Cold and watchful. Like the aura itself were judging me.A servant girl pressed herself against the wall as I passed, eyes wide and frightened. Not of me—for me. That was somehow worse than contempt.I'd survived the Pit. Survived poisoning and beatings and the king's brutal hands. But the stares? The whispered pity? That was carving me hollow from the inside ou

Elara's povThe corridor outside Kaelen's chambers was empty.I'd waited until the guards changed shifts, counting the seconds in my head until I heard their footsteps fade around the corner. My heart hammered so hard I thought it might crack my ribs, but I forced my feet to move forward.The door was massive—dark wood reinforced with iron, carved with wolves that seemed to watch me as I approached. I usually cleaned here but being here for a purpose other than work made my blood run cold. My hand trembled as I reached for the handle.This is insane. You're going to die, Elara.But Von was going to die if I didn't try.The door opened silently, and I slipped inside before I could talk myself out of it.I froze to a moment as I realized that I didn't even knock. Shit! The deed has already been done.The chamber was darker than I expected, lit only by the dying fire in the hearth. Shadows danced across the stone walls, making the room feel even more eerie than usual. I could smell him b