The Moonbound Bride

Chapter 19

Narration

A sad Margaret sits in her room, locked in and sulking. Her mother, Mildred, had just scolded her in front of the entire family for targeting and blaming Blade. But little does she know—her vicious mother's plans are far from ordinary. Mildred isn't a villain to her daughter; she silenced her because she knows Margaret tends to go overboard in situations like these, without considering the consequences. She knows her daughter doesn't think things through and can be rather foolish.

Later that night, Mildred visits her daughter's room to help her understand. Margaret isn't on speaking terms with her mother and turns her face away, but Mildred gently lifts her daughter's chin and sits beside her.

"You know how much I trust you, right, Margaret?" Mildred asks softly.

"No, Mumma. If you did, you wouldn't always tell me to shut up and send me off like I have no say in family matters. You make me feel like an outcast, you know!" Margaret bursts out, letting her frustration flow.

Mildred sighs and closes her eyes, wondering how to make her beloved daughter understand. Clearly, Margaret is her favorite—more than Vincent ever was. Why? Because she's just like her. As evil as her. Like mother, like daughter.

"Listen, darling! I have some exciting news to tell you," Mildred says cheerfully.

Margaret still looks away like a child angry at her parent.

"Don't you want to hear it?" Mildred leans in, her face close to Margaret's as she pouts. Both mother and daughter—mad. Evilly mad.

"What is it this time? You always tell me something, include me in part of your plan, and then when the time comes, you resent me," Margaret complains.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're such a piece of cake. Now listen to me—and no more being angry with Mumma, okay? You have children, so stop acting like one yourself," Mildred says, squishing Margaret's cheeks.

Finally, a sulky Margaret turns to her mother. "Okay, what is it?"

Mildred scoffs before answering, "Lyra."

Her fangs show as she says the name.

"What about her?" Margaret asks, confused.

Mildred snarls. "She's the same Lyra. The one from the past."

Margaret's eyes flare with rage as her own fangs emerge. "The same Lyra? The one who ruined everything for us?"

Both women, tigers in form and fury, turn their eyes golden—thirsty for Lyra's blood.

"How do you know, Mumma?" Margaret asks, retracting her fangs.

"I knew it the moment I brought her here. She has the same gleam in her eyes. The same face," Mildred replies.

"You still remember that b***h's face?" Margaret stands up, fuming.

"How could I ever forget her malicious face?" Mildred says, and they both laugh darkly.

"So what's the plan? What are we doing about that wench?" Margaret sneers.

"She's a curse on this family. What else is there to do but kill her? But we have to be careful—Blade has sided with her. I don't trust him. He's into her," Mildred says.

Margaret smirks. "Love blooming, I see."

"Ugh. Let's talk more about this by the campfire in the lawn," Mildred declares.

★★★

Gathering around the campfire, one by one, the devilish, cruel, and cunning members of the Harlow family take their places. Some are half-asleep, and some clearly don't want to be there.

Mildred enters, draped in a winter shawl and holding her usual cane. The fire crackles, casting shadows across their faces as a lamb roasts slowly over the flames. The sky above is pitch black, starless, with only the moon hanging ominously overhead.

“See the moon over there, everyone?” Mildred says, pointing.

“That’s our guardian light,” she continues.

Lucas groans, unimpressed. “We all know that already, Grandma—the moon helps us, blah blah. But really? That’s why we’re here? At this hour? I thought it was something important.”

Mildred shoots a sharp look at Margaret, who immediately turns to scold Lucas.

“I never call you without a reason, my dears,” Mildred replies coolly.

Noah interrupts, “Sorry, Grandma—wait, hold on. Who caught this lamb?”

“I did, bro!” Lucas boasts.

“It’s tasty!” Noah licks his fingers, smacking his lips loudly in the tense silence that follows.

Amelia tries to suppress her laughter, already anticipating what’s coming.

Mildred fixes Noah with a cold stare. He immediately lowers his gaze and stops eating. “Umm... I guess I’m sorry?”

Mildred smiles sarcastically. “Why are you sorry, dear? After all, the blood running through you is from your foolish, selfish mother.”

Katherine—mother of Noah and Amelia—was once declared unfit for the family by Mildred. Ever since, the children had been kept away from her.

Amelia, clearly offended by the jab, scolds Noah under her breath.

Then Vincent speaks up, “One thing, Mother—why isn’t our son, Blade, involved in this talk?”

“Because your son is no longer part of the plan, Vincy,” she answers firmly.

Vincent and Elowen exchange uneasy glances.

“I’m afraid he’s falling for that newly wedded bride of his. And I won’t allow that. At least the rest of us aren’t forgetting the plan—unlike your son.” She delivers the taunt sharply.

Elowen and Vincent remain silent. Elowen catches Margaret casting her a nasty look while casually biting into an apple.

“Man, I’m so full. I’m done here. I’ve got chores in the morning,” Zoe announces, standing up to leave.

Margaret starts to stop her, but Mildred cuts in. “Let her be, Margie. She’s not interested in these things. She lives in her own little world. She doesn’t matter to me.”

Margaret is taken aback—yet again—by how harshly her mother speaks of her own children.

After a few moments of silence, broken only by the crackling fire, Mildred resumes.

“How do we kill the girl?”

“What’s the question? Everything is written in the Primordial Book. Just follow the rules,” Vincent replies.

“We don’t have the Primordial Book with us right now,” Mildred warns. “And the Blood Moon is only a week away. We have to act.”

“We need the book, Mother. Without it, the ritual won’t be complete. If done wrong, everything will collapse—and doom will fall upon us all,” Elowen says urgently.

“It’s in Blade’s study, right?” Noah asks.

“Yeah, I placed it there myself,” Lucas confirms.

“Then we’ll get it out from there. Simple,” Amelia suggests.

“Yeah—by tomorrow,” Lucas agrees.

“It’s not that simple,” Mildred replies. “Even if we get the Primordial Book, the pre-rituals must be performed correctly.”

“What are these pre-rituals now?” Margaret asks, casually leaning against a rock.

“We have to cast black magic on Lyra. Slowly, we’ll surrender her to the moon. She’s powerful—she’s the same Lyra from the past. We need to weaken her gradually, like slow poison. She’s not fragile—we must make her so.”

Everyone goes silent, stunned by the revelation.

“She’s that Lyra?” Noah mutters.

“Sounds fun, Mumma! Leave this job to me. I’ll rip that daughter of a w***e to shreds!” Margaret says with wicked excitement.

Mildred nods in approval.

Unseen by the fire, Edith leans against a tree in the shadows—terrified, having heard every word.

LYRA

A sharp pain shoots through my head and body as I try to rise from the floor. Blade stands frozen on the other side, stunned. He has no idea what just happened in the blink of an eye.

I look out the window, glaring at the moon with furious eyes. As I exhale and lean back, Blade rushes to my side, a tear slipping down his cheek.

“How can we come together, Lyra? The moon won’t let us,” he says, his voice laced with helplessness.

He gently caresses my body, then lifts me effortlessly into his strong arms and lays me down on the bed. The pain still stings through my nerves. I glance at him with a pained expression, and fury ignites in Blade’s eyes.

He storms to the window, flings it open, and lets out a loud, guttural roar—part tiger, part man. As he turns back toward me, his face has fully shifted: golden eyes, sharp fangs, black and yellow stripes snaking across his skin. He looks fierce, terrifying—and beautiful.

I gesture for him to calm down, but he roars once more at the moon, which hangs shamelessly above us, a cruel reminder of our curse.

“Blade,” I whisper, reaching for him.

He rushes over, his face now human again, and takes my hand in his.

“We can't go against the universe itself. We can’t... just...” I say weakly.

“Shhh... you rest. And if we can’t be together, then to hell with this universe. I don’t care about doom or consequences. I can’t stay away from you. I won’t survive,” he says, eyes burning with love.

With trembling hands, we cup each other’s faces. A single tear escapes my eye. I don’t understand our fate. Why us? Why does the universe keep us apart?

“Lyra, our love may be forbidden—but it’s not impossible. We’ll find a way.” He kisses my forehead gently, and the moon trembles in the sky.

Blade glares at the moon again, his fangs emerging with a hiss. I rub his back and pull him toward me, guiding him down so he’s lying on top of me. We cling to each other, arms wrapped tightly, tears falling freely.

“I can’t leave you,” I whisper in his ear.

“No one’s asking you to,” he murmurs. “Just lie down. We’ll figure it out. Nothing can stop our love. Believe me—our love has that power.”

He kisses my knuckles, and again, the moon quakes.

“Can’t sit still, can you? The Great Gibbous,” Blade snarls at the sky. “We won’t stop because of you. No matter what.”

Suddenly, a sharp pain hits his chest, and he winces. I panic and pull him back down, begging him to rest.

There’s a knock at the door. Blade quickly goes to answer it.

Ryder stands outside.

“Is everything okay, Blade? I heard noise,” he asks, genuinely concerned.

“Yeah, we’re fine. Weren’t you at the campfire?”

“You knew about that?”

Blade smiles knowingly.

“You weren’t invited?” Ryder looks confused.

“I know they don’t trust me anymore. Why would they? But it’s fine. Why didn’t you go?”

“I just... didn’t feel right about it.”

Blade smiles gently. “You’re a good soul, Ryder. Stay that way.”

Ryder hugs Blade like a true brother, then looks at me with a kind smile before wishing us goodnight.

“How is Ryder so different from the rest?” I ask.

“He and Zoe... they’re both different. Good-hearted,” Blade replies.

“Hmm... So are you sleeping in my room tonight?” I ask, the pain having eased slightly.

“Do you want me to sleep with you?” he teases.

I chuckle. “Well, we clearly can’t sleep in each other’s arms, but you can definitely sleep beside me. Like in your cabin.”

Without hesitation, Blade lies next to me, watching me lovingly. As our eyes meet and linger, sleep slowly pulls us both under.

★★★

I jolted awake suddenly, heart racing. There was no dream, no nightmare—so why did I flinch? I turned to my side. Blade was fast asleep, his face serene. I rubbed my throat, anxiety tightening it, and reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, drinking it all in one go.

Something felt... off.

A strange chill crawled down my spine, and I had the overwhelming sense that I was being watched. My eyes darted toward the window. The curtains were drawn, but a knot formed in my gut. I had to look. Just in case.

Wait.

What if it was Viktor?

I froze, debating. Should I wake Blade? No—bad idea. Viktor and Blade facing off again could mean disaster. I couldn’t risk disturbing Blade’s peaceful sleep for my own fear.

Carefully, I tiptoed to the window and eased the curtain aside.

There he was.

The shadow.

Viktor.

Just like last time, his eerie silhouette stood outside. But tonight, I wasn’t afraid. I didn’t scream. I didn’t open the window. I just stared at him and spoke softly.

“What do you want from me, huh? Just leave me alone.”

I didn’t let on that I knew exactly who he was—because honestly, I didn’t know how much he knew about himself, or what twisted plan he might be scheming. He suddenly banged on the window, hard—like before. I flinched, worried the sound would wake Blade.

“Listen,” I whispered harshly. “My husband is sleeping. So go away.”

As soon as the word “husband” left my lips, Viktor’s shadowy form began to shift and expand, his darkness swelling like a storm. He didn’t like that. Not one bit. He still had feelings for me—yes, I could feel it. It twisted in the air like poison.

Another slam on the glass.

Still, Blade didn’t stir.

Viktor’s attention turned to him, his shadow casting long, sinister lines across the room. The way he looked at Blade… it was murderous.

“Don’t even think of harming my love,” I warned, voice low but firm.

That word—“love”—sent him into a rage.

A voice, deep and otherworldly, snarled from his form. “If I can’t harm him... then I’ll harm you.”

Before I could react, the window shattered.

Glass exploded everywhere as his shadowy mass surged into the room like a black wave, swallowing me whole. I felt the darkness slam into my body, and in that moment, I was gone. My eyes turned pitch black. Unconscious. Silent.

I could still hear though.

Blade woke with a start, the crash ripping him from sleep.

Then—Zoe. She burst into the room in her tiger form, instincts sharp and ready for battle.

I heard Blade’s voice, panicked and furious. “It’s that bastard Viktor. I won’t let him get away with this. I’ll rip his damn throat out.”

Without another word, he leapt through the broken window, chasing the shadowy figure into the night, leaving me in Zoe’s trembling arms.

She knelt beside me, eyes wide and heart pounding.

“Who the hell is Viktor?” she whispered, cradling my limp body, clueless about the storm that had just begun.