Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 30

Estella

Panic clawed at me. Two weeks? Less than that, actually, the solstice was in 12 days. They wanted me to marry Proteus that fast. The thought was unbearable, a violation of everything I held dear, especially now.

"The kingdom needs to know we are secure," Councilman Zev insisted, his voice dripping with venom as he gestured towards the room where Kyros lay recovering. "Especially now that you've allowed that monster within our walls." He turned his chilling gaze back to me. “Once he is healed, I trust you will hand him over to the dungeons so that Leera can begin her interrogation.”

My jaw clenched so tightly that I could feel my teeth grinding. “He is not a prisoner,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. “And Leera is to stay far away from him, or I will personally tear her throat out.” I bared my teeth at the councilman, wishing he could see the full extent of my fury from beneath the fabric covering my face. He must have sensed the gesture, for he paled slightly.

My mother’s eyes widened as she sensed the fierce protectiveness in my tone, the underlying truth that resonated in my words. She instinctively reached up to touch the fading mating marks on her own neck, a wave of understanding washing over her. She and Proteus exchanged glanced out of the corner of their eyes.

"That is quite enough, Councilman," Mother interjected, her voice firm but gentle. "The prince is our guest, and he will be treated with the respect he deserves." Her heart ached for me, for the impossible situation I found myself in. But she would stand by her daughter, her Queen.

"A son bearing Celeste's gift is welcome under the house of Tenebris," Vega added, her voice filled with a bittersweet nostalgia. "Consider it as a way to honor Zephyr." The mention of her lost son, a name whispered in hushed tones through the corridors of the palace, stirred a pang of sorrow in her heart.

My heart clenched at the mention of Zephyr, a name that echoed through the forgotten corridors of my family's history. He had died a decade before Cyrus was born, yet another victim of Phoenix's cruelty, another life stolen by the shadows that plagued our world.

Proteus, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, took the opportunity to usher the still-reeling councilman from the hall. As he passed me, he shot me a strange look, a flicker of possessiveness in his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't shake the unease that settled over me, a sense of foreboding that lingered in the air. His behavior was becoming increasingly unsettling, his possessiveness bordering on obsessive.

Councilman Zev, his face contorted in a mask of smug satisfaction, turned to leave. "I look forward to your wedding, Estella," he called out over his shoulder, his voice dripping with a thinly veiled threat.

My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. A wave of anger washed over me, hot and consuming.

Alone with my mother, I turned to her with gratitude. "Thank you for stepping in, Mother," I whispered, my voice filled with relief. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Don't fret, my dove," Vega said, her voice a soothing balm against my anxieties. "There is a way out of this arrangement." She smiled at the confusion clouding my face, her own eyes twinkling with a knowing warmth.

"A mating bond," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper, glancing towards the door where Kyros slumbered, "once accepted and complete, overrules any arranged pairing."

My heart leaped with a sudden surge of hope. Mother knew. She knew about Kyros, about our connection, about the undeniable bond that tied our souls together. And she was offering me a way out, a chance to defy the council, to choose my own destiny, to be with my mate.

“How did…” I asked, wondering how she had figured it out. My mother only smiled softly before she squeezed my hand, a silent gesture of reassurance and understanding, before turning and gliding down the hallway, leaving me alone with my thoughts, my heart soaring with a newfound lightness.

I stood there, the silence in the wake of the council's departure pressing in on me. My mother's words echoed in my mind, a gentle caress against the raw edges of my heart. Mating bond… How did she know? I didn’t even know if he would accept the bond, if he even knew what it was. It was impossible for those with human blood to have mates, so why were we? Unless…

A wave of dizziness hit me, and I stumbled towards my chambers, my legs heavy, my mind reeling. I shed the blood-soaked clothes and attempted to scrub the dried blood from my skin, the metallic scent clinging to me like a ghost. Then, with trembling hands, I donned a simple green tunic and black trousers, the soft fabric a comfort against my raw emotions.

I replaced the soiled fabric mask with a fresh one, the cool green strip of cloth a stark contrast to the fiery turmoil within me. The mask, once a symbol of protection, now felt like a cage, a barrier between me and the world, a reminder of the secrets I carried, the burdens I bore.

I sank onto the edge of my bed, my gaze drawn to the moonlit garden outside my window. The gentle rustling of the leaves, the soft chirping of the crickets, offered a momentary respite from the chaos within me.

But the silence was soon shattered by the echoes of my mother's words: A mating bond... once accepted and complete, overrules any arranged pairing.

I had no way of knowing how he would react. I knew that mate bonds were extremely rare in Eloria due to the mortal blood. His father was half mortal, yet his scent said otherwise. What did it mean? So many thoughts spun in my head that it made me dizzy as I slipped back into the hall and headed towards the healer’s chamber.