Luna Samantha: The Last Panther

The Unforgettable Bond

Chapter 7

The Unforgivable Bond

It’s been three days since that night.

Since the belt. Since the shame. Since the sting of leather taught me what happens when a servant forgets her place.

The bruises haven’t faded. They bloom beneath my skin like silent warnings—painful, pulsing reminders of who I am. Of what I’ll never be.

But there’s no time to heal when you’re invisible. When you’re nothing more than a shadow in someone else’s palace.

Not with the Gala approaching—the grand, gleaming, glittering trap.

For them, it’s a celebration.

For me? It’s a battlefield I never asked to enter.

For three days, I’ve worked like I’m not broken. I’ve scrubbed, cleaned, polished until my hands bled. Set tables I’ll never sit at. Dressed a ballroom I’m forbidden to even look at too long.

And through it all, Luna Zara watched me. Cold. Sharp. Waiting for me to fail again—so she could punish me harder.

“Don’t falter. Don’t speak. Don’t breathe unless you’re told.”

That’s survival.

That’s all I know.

But tonight… something shifted.

The ballroom was a masterpiece. I helped make it that way—though no one would ever say so. Chandeliers poured golden light like waterfalls. Silk draped the walls in deep crimson and shadowy black. Every corner screamed luxury.

And I? I was a ghost in the middle of it. A maid in plain black, apron tight, tray balanced just so.

Head down. Smile quiet. Hands steady.

Don’t be seen.

That was the plan—until the moment that ruined everything.

It hit me like fire.

A heat so sudden, so alive, it nearly brought me to my knees. My breath caught. My tray trembled.

Then came the scent. Raw. Wild. Like a storm crashing through pine and smoke. It clawed into me, into my chest, my soul.

My body knew before my mind did.

Mate.

The word pulsed inside me. Ancient. Final. Irrevocable.

I looked up.

And saw him.

Aziel.

Crown Prince of Grimfang. Tall. Terrifying. A man carved from shadows and fire. He sat at the high table, cold and untouched—until his eyes found mine.

And everything stopped.

His glass slipped.

Shattered.

Silence fell.

Every head turned—to him, then to me. The servant. The nobody. The mistake.

Why is he looking at me like that?

He rose.

The air thickened.

He moved toward me—not walking. Hunting.

My tray tilted. My heart became a thunderstorm. My legs wanted to run. But it was already too late.

The bond had awakened.

And it had chosen him.

Of all people—him

Two days have passed.

Two long, suffocating days since the glass broke. Since the whispers started. Since the palace stopped pretending I didn’t exist.

Now… they stare. Now… they talk.

“Did you see how he looked at her?”

“She’s just a maid. It has to be a mistake.”

“A servant, bound to a prince?”

Their laughter cuts deeper than any blade.

Tonight, it boiled over.

My door flew open.

Banda stood there. Regal. Raging.

Lerato and Anika flanked her, their faces masks of cruelty.

My heart seized. I stepped back instinctively.

“Still hiding?” Banda sneered. Her voice—usually sweet and poisonous—was now pure steel. “Did you think you could keep him?”

“What do you want?” I whispered.

Lerato stepped in first. Her perfume was suffocating. “We want to remind you where you belong.”

Anika’s smile was gone. Her eyes were knives. “You think you matter now? You’re still a maid.”

Banda stepped forward, slow and deliberate. “That bond? A fluke. A disgrace. He’ll reject you. He has to.”

The slap came without warning.

Sharp. Violent.

My cheek stung. My balance faltered.

Then came the storm.

They descended like wolves.

Hands pulling. Nails scratching. Voices laced with venom.

“You filthy gold-digger,” Lerato snarled, pushing me hard.

Anika kicked—straight to my ribs. I gasped, folding inward.

“You’re nothing,” Banda hissed. “He’ll never want you. You’re just… dirt.”

They threw me onto the bed, their blows raining down—pain layered with insults.

I curled into myself, tears hot and silent.

“You’ll never be worthy,” Lerato spat.

“He’s ours,” Banda finished, one final kick to my side.

Then silence.

They left me there. Broken. Shaking. Alone.

And in that silence, one truth screamed louder than everything else:

This bond… might save me.

Or destroy me completely.