"What bond?”
I looked at Damon.
He wouldn't meet my eyes.
The stranger laughed.
“When an Alpha bonds with his mate, their powers become connected.”
My heart stopped.
“Mate?”
Damon finally looked at me.
“Don't listen to him.”
“Am I your mate?”
Silence.
I stepped closer.
“Damon.”
He closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The word barely left his mouth.
My heart raced.
“But you hated me.”
“I thought I did.”
“Then why?”
“Because I could feel what you were becoming.”
He reached for my hand.
The moment our fingers touched, the mark on my palm glowed.
A wave of warmth moved through my body.
The voice inside my head went silent.
The stranger stepped backward.
“No…”
Damon looked at him.
“You're too late.”
The stranger's eyes darkened.
“She belongs to the Bloodborn.”
“She belongs to herself.”
Suddenly, the stranger raised his hand.
The trees behind him exploded into flames.
My mother screamed.
“Run!”
Damon pulled me close.
But I couldn't move.
Something inside me had awakened again.
This time, it wasn't angry.
It was powerful.
I looked at the flames.
Then I heard hundreds of voices whispering my name.
“Luna…”
The stranger stared at me in horror.
“The queen is awake.”
Then he disappeared into the fire.
I looked at Damon.
“What queen?”
He didn't answer.
My mother did.
“The last Bloodborn queen.”
She looked directly into my eyes.
“You.”