The Moonlit Desires: Bound by Blood

King Alessandro

“Alpha Matteo appears to be plotting something,” Luciano said.

“He’s organizing a gathering with the other packs, but I have no idea what it’s about. Still, I have a feeling it’s something serious.”

My attention was far away, not even listening to what Luciano was saying. I stood at my floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out blankly with my hands tucked into my pockets.

It was hard to stop thinking about her, my thoughts were consumed by her – her piercing blue eyes had left an indelible mark in my mind. Every time I saw something blue, her image flashed before my eyes, making it impossible to shake off the vision.

I’ve never experienced feelings like this before. I know it’s more than just a mate bond. One thing I’ve noticed is that her presence has a profound effect on me – it’s the only thing that can calm the uncontrollable beast within me, Dante.

Why would the moon goddess choose to complicate my life at this critical moment?

“King Alesdandro, please can you hear me?”

“King Alessandro,”

“Hey, brother!” Aristide’s voice immediately jolted me back to reality. I turned to face him, my eyes darting between him and Luciano who was still standing there. “You’re still here,” I said to Luciano, my eyes narrowing slightly in surprise.

“And you…….” I asked Aristide, my gaze shifting back to him. “When did you walk in?”

“About an hour ago,” he replied, his expression shushing with a mocking concern. “Only to find Luciano trying to get your attention, but you were lost in thought.”

I clenched my jaw and rolled my eyes at him before turning to Luciano. “Luciano just go and come back later, I’m not in the right headspace to listen to anything right now.”

“Alright, king,” he said, bowing slightly, but I dismissed him with a wave of my hand as I walked over to my couch and sat down, ignoring the smug smirk on Aristide’s face.

BAM! The door slammed shut, leaving me alone with my psycho brother.

I rubbed my sore jaw, my gaze drifting to Aristide, who was lounging on the opposite end of the couch, looking utterly relaxed and carefree.

“Hey,” I said, kicking his leg to get his attention. “Don’t you have something to do?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head and leaning back on the couch, looking utterly relaxed.

I glared at him and tried to kick him again, but he suddenly spoke up, his words catching me off guard. “You know you can’t hide her forever.”

I paused, lifting my head to look at him, confusion etched on my face. “Who? What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice calm and even, but my confusion barely concealed.

“Her… your mate,” he said, his words dripping with significance. My mouth dropped open immediately, my heart racing as blood rushed through my veins. My pulse skyrocketed, and I felt beads of sweat trickle down my face in full force.

Suddenly, the air around me felt suffocatingly hot despite the cold breeze coming out from the air conditioner in my office. “Wh… What are you talking about?” I stuttered, my mind racing.

“How long do you plan on hiding her? For months? Years or forever?” Aristide asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief. I swallowed hard, still shock on how he found out.

He sat up straight, his eyes locked on mine, and his voice was firm as he said. “Her name is Emma Giovani, the fragile little she-wolf. Your mate and our pack’s future queen.” Aristide’s words were met with a low growl from me, my eyes glowing with a warning as anger seeped into my gaze.

“Watch your mouth, little brother,” I snarled, my voice dripping with menace. “She is not your queen.”

But that only caused Aristide’s smirk to grow wider as he retorted, “Sadly, your beast doesn’t seem to agree with you,” his words pierce me hard and fueling my irritation. But instead, he flashed me a taunting smile in return.

Damnit!

At this point, I’m so frustrated that I wish Aristide wasn’t my brother so I could express my anger freely….. so that I could squeeze his neck until he couldn’t breathe anymore.

Though he wasn’t lying, his words struck a nerve. Dante doesn’t seem to agree with me, anything that concerns her always causes issues between us.

I thought it was all lust, at the begining, that having a night with her will quench my overwhelming desires for her but unbelievably since we had her plump lips wrapped around our cock. It has been hard for us to shake off the longing within. It’s like I’m obsessed, and I can’t think straight. All I can think about is her every damn time.

And that is starting to scare the hell out of me.

I sighed, rubbing my temples and burying my face in my hands. “How did you find out?” I asked, my voice muffled.

“About her?” Aristide asked, his tone curious, and I nodded without lifting my head.

“I may be a quiet person, bro, but have you forgotten how smart I am,” he said with a boastful grin, earning an eye roll from me. “Besides, it’s hard not to notice the bond between you two. It’s strong and very palpable.”

“You bought her, claiming to use her against Alpha Matteo, but I know…” Aristide said, his voice trailing off as he laughed and shook his head. “I know you just didn’t want her in another man’s arms.”

His words hit me like a ton of bricks – he had seen right through me! I felt a flush rise to my cheeks as I realized he had been aware of my true motives all along. Now that explains why he always gives me that look.

“Was I that obvious?” I asked, my voice laced with embarrassment.

“Well, not that much, but I bet you can’t control yourself for long. The truth will still surface,”

My eyes hardened, and I let out a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. “This is all wrong. The moon goddess just wants to ruin me,” I muttered, my frustration boiling over. I clenched my fist and slammed it into my palm, gritting my teeth in anger.

“Then reject her,” Aristide suddenly blurted, his words striking me like a thunderbolt.

And I instantly went rigid, my body feeling numb as his words echoed repeatedly in my ear, bouncing back and forth. Reject her? The thought was unthinkable. And then, her image flashed before my eyes – her blonde hair, her face, her piercing gaze.

“I… I,” I tried to speak, opening my mouth several times, but no words could escape my lips.

“You see,” Aristide said, a deep smug grin spreading across his face.

“Dammit!” I whispered under my breath, though I knew he could hear me. “This is not possible,” I added, my voice barely audible as I struggled to process everything.

Aristide, Lucas, and Marcus are the only people around whom I can be my true self, and especially with Aristide, I feel a deep sense of comfort. Although I may come across as cold and tough to others, Aristide sees the real me. He’s the only family I have left, and that bond means everything to me.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Fuck you, moon goddess,” I muttered under my breath, slamming my fists against the armrest in frustration.

“Come on,” Aristide chimed in, “Maybe this is the moon goddess’s way of ending this endless battle.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than my eyes darkened, my wolf showing its displeasure. I let out a deep growl, startling Aristide, and he flinched, instantly leaving the couch to sit in the chair beside it.

He knew all too well how disastrous Dante could be when provoked.

“Those people broke me!”

“They broke us, not just you alone,” he replied, his tone matching mine. I paused, surprised, and turned to look at him.

“We’ve already gotten our revenge. You have killed the moron who killed Mom. We’ve ended millions of generations and have also caused enough chaos,” he said.

But I snarled in return, flashing my sharp fangs. “I’m not resting until I wipe out those dogs.” I retorted, my thirst for their blood intensifying.

“No bro,” Aristide said, shaking his head in disapproval. “If you can’t forgive them, then what about Emma? What do we expect her to do to us for making her an orphan?” He paused, his eyes piercing.

“Do you also expect her to forgive her mate, the same man whose men killed her parents?” he finished, his words striking me hard like a ton of bricks than I expected, leaving nothing but shock in me.