The Moonlit Desires: Bound by Blood

“What about them?” I groaned, lazily leaning back in my chair.

“I couldn’t find her name in the list and according to Serena, you’re the one who insisted her name should be removed,” he countered, confusion lingering in his voice.

As I scanned the room, confusion etched on Lucas’ face. But what caught my attention was Aristide, wearing a mysterious smile amidst his bewildered gaze fixed upon me.

He acts weird at times… It seems that’s why our so-called father, that greedy bastard, never seems fond of him.

“Yeah, is there a problem?” I asked, my brow twitching up slightly as I turned to look at Marcus.

“We need her to make huge sales,” frustration breaks free of his calm facade as he tries to convince me. “And besides, when did you start getting so interested in slave trading?” he added, sounding confused.

“We need her for something else, something way more important than just trading her away,” I sigh.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

This whole thing is really messing with my head. Can’t they all just give me a break and stop involving her in my affairs for once?

“That girl is absolutely useless to us, and I brought her here for the sole purpose of making a profit,” Marcus blurted out, shaking his head disapprovingly. “We need this money…”

“Don’t you dare!!!” I slammed my fists on the desk, sending shockwaves through the room. They recoiled in fear, their eyes wide with a mix of confusion and surprise. But there was something different about Aristide. As he looked at me, confusion flashed through his eyes as well before a knowing smile slowly curled at the corner of his lips.

Sighing I decided to brush it off.

“You dare not question my orders!” I exclaimed, my voice filled with authority. “I specifically singled her name out, so make sure to focus on the names of those who were there…” My eyes darkened, and I clenched my fists tightly by my side, struggling to maintain control, especially when it came to Dante.

“Calm down, Dante,” I whispered in my head, trying to soothe the rising storm of emotions within me.

“Calm down, little beast, we can’t let them find out she’s our mate,” I mumbled, reminding him that we still needed to keep our connection a secret.

“Fuck him!” He suddenly exclaimed, and I could feel a surge of anger coursing through me. “He called our mate useless,” he groaned, fighting the urge to lash out at Marcus. My eyes flashed a flicker of golden color before returning to their normal black orbs. The struggle continued as Dante fought for control. But giving him control now would be a disaster because that would be risking the exposure of our secret and blowing our cover.

Making them more suspicious is the last thing I want. They’re already confused, and I don’t need to add fuel to the fire.

I need to control this damn mate bond… I clench my jaw, feeling the frustration building up inside me. Slowly, I close my eyes, trying to find a sense of calm. My fists remain tightly curled, a physical manifestation of the struggle within.

“I… Ales… I…” Marcus stammered, his mouth opening and closing in nervous confusion. It seemed like he was at a loss for words as he stared at me.

Sighing, my muscles relaxed as I leaned back in my chair. Opening my eyes, I waved my hands dismissively at them and said, “I need to rest.”

“Hmm, Ales,” I sighed as I heard Lucas’s voice. “Sorry for the interruption, but I came to inform you that the slave trading ceremony will be taking place in two days,” he said, his voice a bit shaky due to the sudden change in atmosphere.

“Whatever!” I exclaimed, closing my eyes and leaning back in my chair as continued tapping my index finger away on the armchair.

“Hmmm…. Yeah,” he chuckled nervously, feeling a bit uneasy.

They knew better than to push my point further whenever I’m angry. They know just how disastrous my inner beast can be if it’s unleashed – a hungry, ruthless, untamed creature that craves raw blood and death.

“Alright, we’ll be on our way then,” he cleared his throat. I nodded in agreement, my eyes still closed.

Turning around with a sigh, Lucas pulled Marcus along with him as they walked away from the office, closing the door behind them. Lucas knows me too well… hmmm.

Sighs!

“Are you alright?” A frown appeared in the middle of my forehead as Aristide’s voice broke the silence in the air.

I ignored him and continued tapping my finger on the desk, trying to tame Dante. My frown deepened as her face, her tears, and her deep tempting eyes kept flashing through my mind, and I could feel Dante starting to retreat.

What are you doing to me, little temptress?

“You still don’t want to go to this year’s slave trading?” Aristide’s sudden question pulled me off my thoughts, causing my cold gaze to snap open, raging burning in them.

He flinched back a bit as my intense gaze bore into him. I’ve never actually witnessed the slave trading, even though the transaction is happening right in my territory. I mean, I initiated it, but I’ve always managed to avoid the ceremony. I have them remind me a day or two before, just so I can steer clear of it.

“Ales,”

“Hmm,” I sighed, “I won’t be going,” I managed to utter.

“If you hate it so much, then why not just stop it?” he said, coming to sit down.

My jaw clenched furiously at his words before a mischievous grin suddenly appeared on my face. “No, I can’t,” I replied, my voice dripping with wicked smirk.

“Why?”

I gave him a long look before my gaze shifted to stare at the empty space, I frowned as memories of years back flashed into my head. The agonizing cry of my mom before her throat was slashed off.

They took the most precious thing from me in this world, and they built the monster in me! So I’ll make sure they never know peace throughout their stay on this planet even down to the generations to come.