The Mafia King's Blood-Bound Bride

Chapter 6 — The Moretti Heir

Serena barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, the same sentence returned.

The bride will choose the king.

She didn't understand what it meant.

She didn't want to understand it.

But somehow, she knew the answer was connected to Dante.

By sunrise, Serena had already decided on one thing.

She needed answers.

Not pieces.

Not half-truths.

Everything.

She left her room and walked through the quiet corridors of the Moretti estate.

The house felt different in daylight.

Less threatening.

Almost peaceful.

But Serena knew better now.

There were secrets hidden behind its walls.

And some of those secrets had been waiting for her.

She reached the staircase when she heard voices coming from the study.

She stopped.

Dante's voice.

Another man's voice answered him.

Serena couldn't make out the words.

She moved closer.

The study door was slightly open.

"...can't keep hiding this from her," the unfamiliar man said.

Dante answered quietly.

"She isn't ready."

"She opened the chamber."

Silence.

"That's impossible," the man continued. "No Vale has opened that chamber in decades."

"She did."

"And the Bloodstone?"

"Still hidden."

The man exhaled.

"Then we're out of time."

Serena pushed the door open.

Both men turned.

The stranger looked at her.

He appeared to be in his early thirties, dressed in a dark suit, with a calm expression that didn't match the seriousness of the conversation.

Dante's face hardened.

"Serena."

"You were talking about me."

The stranger glanced at Dante.

"I suppose introductions are overdue."

Dante didn't look pleased.

"This is Adrian."

Adrian gave Serena a polite nod.

"Adrian Moretti."

Serena's eyes widened slightly.

"Your brother?"

Dante's expression changed.

"My cousin."

Adrian smiled.

"Close enough."

Serena looked between them.

"How many Morettis are there?"

"Enough to cause problems," Adrian replied.

Dante shot him a look.

Adrian shrugged.

"I'm being honest."

Serena almost smiled.

Almost.

Then she remembered what she'd heard.

"You said we're out of time."

Adrian's smile disappeared.

"We are."

"For what?"

Adrian looked at Dante.

Dante remained silent.

Serena folded her arms.

"I'm getting tired of people talking around me."

Adrian studied her for a moment.

Then he walked toward the desk.

"The Blood Moon is approaching."

"I know."

"In nineteen days."

Serena's eyes widened.

"Nineteen?"

Adrian nodded.

"Once it arrives, the awakening inside you will intensify."

"What does that mean?"

"You'll become stronger."

Serena stared at her palm.

"And that's bad?"

"Power isn't bad."

Adrian's expression became serious.

"Power you can't control is."

Dante stepped forward.

"That's enough."

Serena looked at him.

"No. It isn't."

She turned toward Adrian.

"What happens during the Blood Moon?"

Adrian hesitated.

"Your bloodline will choose."

"Choose what?"

"The person who is meant to protect you."

Serena's stomach tightened.

She looked at Dante.

"The king."

Adrian's expression changed.

"You've seen the prophecy."

Serena nodded.

Adrian looked at Dante.

"She knows."

"I know."

Adrian took a slow breath.

"Then there is no point hiding the rest."

Dante's jaw tightened.

"Adrian."

"She deserves the truth."

Serena stared at them.

"Someone please tell me what I'm supposed to be afraid of."

Adrian looked directly at her.

"The Blood Pact doesn't recognize families."

Serena frowned.

"What does it recognize?"

"Blood."

He paused.

"And choice."

Serena didn't understand.

Adrian continued.

"When the original pact was created, the Vale heir and Moretti heir were never supposed to be forced together. The bond was meant to activate only when both bloodlines accepted it."

Serena looked at Dante.

"So I have to accept it?"

"Not exactly," Adrian said.

"Then what?"

"The bond has its own rules."

Serena felt a headache coming.

"What rules?"

Adrian answered carefully.

"The Vale heir chooses."

"And the Moretti heir?"

"He protects."

Serena's eyes narrowed.

"That's all?"

Adrian looked at Dante.

"No."

Dante finally spoke.

"The Moretti heir can refuse."

Serena looked relieved.

"Good."

"But if he refuses after the bond recognizes him..."

Dante paused.

Serena waited.

"What?"

"He loses his connection to his own supernatural abilities."

The room went silent.

Serena stared at Dante.

"So if you refuse to protect me, you lose your powers?"

"Possibly."

"And you knew?"

"Yes."

She stepped closer.

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want you making a decision based on guilt."

Serena blinked.

"What?"

"If you believe my life depends on you choosing me, you'll never know whether your decision is really yours."

His words caught her off guard.

For the first time, Serena saw something beneath Dante's cold exterior.

He wasn't trying to control her.

He was trying to make sure she had a choice.

That realization unsettled her more than his threats ever had.

Adrian cleared his throat.

"I'll leave you two to talk."

Dante gave him a warning look.

Adrian smiled.

"Relax."

He walked out.

Serena waited until the door closed.

"You really don't want this bond."

Dante looked at her.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because bonds like this have consequences."

"You mean the prophecy."

"Among other things."

Serena studied him.

"Do you believe it?"

"Believe what?"

"That I'm the bride."

Dante didn't answer immediately.

"I believe your blood has chosen you for something."

"That's not what I asked."

His eyes met hers.

"I don't know what you are."

Serena nodded slowly.

"Fair."

"And I don't know what we'll become."

The word caught her attention.

"We?"

Dante looked away.

"Forget I said that."

Serena smiled faintly.

"Too late."

For a moment, the tension between them softened.

Then a loud crash came from downstairs.

Dante immediately turned.

Serena's smile disappeared.

"What was that?"

Dante reached for his weapon.

"Stay here."

"No."

"Serena."

"I said no."

He looked at her.

Then sighed.

"Stay behind me."

They left the study together.

The crash had come from the main entrance.

Several guards were already there.

One of them was holding a broken piece of wood.

Dante approached.

"What happened?"

The guard pointed toward the door.

"Someone threw this through the window."

Dante examined the object.

A small black envelope had been tied around it.

Serena's heart sank.

"Another message?"

Dante opened it.

His expression changed.

"What?"

He handed it to her.

Serena read the message.

**THE BLOOD MOON IS NOT YOURS TO SURVIVE.**

Beneath it was another line.

**THE VASTRO FAMILY HAS AWAKENED.**

Serena looked up.

"Who are the Vastro family?"

Dante's face became cold.

"Our oldest enemies."

Adrian returned immediately.

"That's impossible."

Dante handed him the message.

Adrian read it.

His expression changed.

"They were supposed to be gone."

"Apparently not."

Serena looked between them.

"Who are they?"

Adrian answered.

"A supernatural crime family."

Serena frowned.

"Crime family?"

"They operate outside the normal mafia world," Dante explained. "They have connections to people who practice forbidden forms of blood magic."

Serena's stomach turned.

"And they want me?"

Adrian nodded.

"Your blood."

"Why?"

"Because the Bloodstone responds to Vale blood."

Serena looked at her palm.

"And they think my blood can lead them to it."

Dante's eyes met hers.

"Exactly."

She took a slow breath.

"So everyone wants me because of something I don't even understand."

Dante stepped closer.

"Not everyone."

Serena looked at him.

"Who doesn't?"

"I don't want your power."

"Then what do you want?"

Dante didn't answer.

The silence between them stretched.

Finally, he said quietly,

"I want you alive."

Serena's heart skipped.

She quickly looked away.

"That's a very low standard."

"It's the most important one."

Before she could respond, another alarm sounded.

This time, it came from the northern gate.

Dante's expression hardened.

"How many?"

A guard answered through the radio.

"Unknown."

Dante immediately began giving orders.

"Lock the gates. Move the civilians into the lower level. Nobody leaves the estate."

Serena watched him.

The entire house transformed around him.

Everyone listened.

Everyone obeyed.

He wasn't simply the heir of the Moretti family.

He was its leader.

The king the prophecy had mentioned.

And somehow, her blood had connected them.

She didn't know whether that frightened her more than the enemies outside.

---

That evening, Serena sat alone in the library.

She had spent the entire day thinking.

The Blood Moon.

The Vastro family.

The Bloodstone.

Dante.

The prophecy.

She opened one of the old books she'd found on a shelf.

Most of it was written in a language she couldn't understand.

But one page had been translated.

She read slowly.

**When the Vale blood awakens, the protector will be called.**

Her eyes moved down the page.

**When the protector appears, the bond may begin.**

Then she reached the final line.

Her heart stopped.

**But the bond can only be completed through trust.**

Serena closed the book.

Trust.

That was the one thing she didn't have.

Not yet.

She looked toward the library doors.

Dante stood there.

He had been watching her.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough."

Serena sighed.

"You really need to learn how to announce yourself."

"You were distracted."

"Obviously."

He entered the library.

"What are you reading?"

"The truth."

Dante glanced at the book.

"That's a dangerous thing to search for."

"Apparently everything in this house is dangerous."

He sat across from her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Serena asked,

"Do you trust me?"

Dante looked at her.

"Yes."

The answer came too quickly.

She wasn't expecting it.

"Why?"

"Because if you wanted to hurt me, you could have done it already."

Serena smiled slightly.

"That's your reason?"

"It's enough."

She looked down at the book.

"Do you think I can trust you?"

Dante's expression softened.

"I don't expect you to."

"Why?"

"Because trust isn't something you demand."

He stood.

"It's something you earn."

He walked away.

Serena watched him leave.

For the first time since she'd arrived at the estate, she wondered if maybe her father had been wrong.

Maybe Dante wasn't the person she needed to fear.

Maybe the real danger was the secret both families had spent generations protecting.

And somewhere beyond the estate walls, an enemy was already preparing for the Blood Moon.

Nineteen days remained.

And Serena had a feeling that every one of them would change her life.