Moonborn: The Wolf’s Vow

The wind blew hard and cold as Raine Lysaria stepped out of the attractive black car. Her gray silk dress reaching her ankles, but she wasn't comfortable not because she wasn’t cold, but because her heart was beating too fast. Fear and uncertainty filled her from the inside. "This is it, it is really happening, there is no turning back" she thought, staring at the large black iron gates and the guards closing the gate. The Ravaryn estate look like a shadow in the fading light with tall towers almost reaching the sky. Thick stone walls surrounded the place like arms ready to trap her. Everything felt too quiet, too heavy. She adjusted her coat tighter around herself. Her father had made her understand that this was the only way to save their pack. But to her, it felt like betrayal and not been considerate. She was being sold off to marriage like a piece on a chessboard. “It’s not about love. It’s about duty,” she reminded herself, trying to stay strong. Her father’s voice echoed in her mind. “You’ll be safe with the Ravaryns. Kael will protect you.” Safe from what? From who? she wanted to ask, but never had the chance. He had looked so tired, so desperate. She couldn’t break him more than life already had. The large front doors open. A tall man giant with broad chest and big muscles stood there, dressed in dark clothing. “Lady Lysaria?” he asked, bowing slightly. “I’m Darek. I serve Alpha Ravaryn. He’s waiting for you.” “Thank you,” Raine said quietly, stepping inside. The inside of the estate was even colder. The walls were gray stone, the floors black marble. Paintings and drawings of wolves arranged on the walls. The air was full of smell from old books, steel, and pine. “This place is not a home. It’s a fortress,” she thought. Darek walked ahead silently. Raine followed, each step echoing too loudly in the quiet halls. “What kind of man agrees to marry a stranger?” she wondered. “Does he even care?” They reached a large wooden door. Darek opened it. And there he was. Alpha Kael Ravaryn. He stood at the far end of the room, near a large fireplace that wasn’t too visible. He turned slowly to face her tall and strong. He wore a black coat, showing a simple dark shirt and a silver pendant around his neck. But it was his eyes that stopped her. Silver cold yet strangely familiar. “Those eyes… I’ve seen them before… in my dreams?” Her chest pounding. He stared at her with no emotion. “You’ve arrived.” “I have,” she replied, standing straighter. His voice was deep calm and almost too calm. “You’re early,” he said. “My father said not to delay,” she answered, keeping her voice even. He nodded once. “You understand what this is.” “A contract,” she said. He walked toward her slowly. His footsteps were silent. “No more. No less. You become part of my pack. You live under my roof. You follow the rules.” “And in return, my father’s lands and warriors are yours,” she said. He stopped a few feet away. “Correct.” She looked at him closely. He was beautiful in a dangerous way. Like a storm just before it hits. “Do you want this?” she asked suddenly. “This marriage?” His jaw tightened. “It doesn’t matter what I want. This is what must be done.” She understood that too well. “You’ve lost someone,” she said quietly, more to herself than to him. Speaking in a rude tone. “That’s none of your concern.” “But it is,” she said. “If we’re going to live in the same house. Sleep under the same roof. Pretend to be husband and wife.” Kael looked at her for a long moment, then turned away. “You’ll sign the blood vow tonight.” “What if I don’t?” she asked. He turned back immediately. “Then your father’s debt won’t be forgiven. And your people will suffer.” Her chest ached. She hated this. All of it. But she nodded. “Show me the contract.” He pulled out a scroll from his coat. It was tied with silver string, sealed with a black wax mark. “This is the vow. Signed in blood. If you lie, it will burn you. If you break it, it will kill you.” “Lovely,” she uttered. She took the scroll with hands shaking. At the bottom, Kael’s name was already written. Raine closed her eyes. “For my people. For my brother. For what’s left of my family.” She punched her finger with the silver pen and let a drop of blood fall where her name was written. Kael didn’t smile. “It’s done.” She looked at him with hatred in her but he didn’t care. “Welcome to the Ravaryn pack,” he said. “You belong to me now.” She lifted her chin. “I belong to no one.” He almost smiled. Almost. “We’ll see,” he said. As she followed him deeper into the estate, Raine knew one thing: This wasn’t a love story. It was the beginning of something darker. And maybe just maybe she wasn’t the only one with secrets.