Moonbound and HellMarked

Control and Possession

I blinked at him, startled. Relief was mixed with fear all rumbling through my chest.

My step mother’s one shifted suddenly. “It hasn’t gotten to that yet. Let me speak to my daughter for a moment,” she said softly.

My chest froze. Daughter? Her words made my skin crawl in irritation. Every glance she had ever given me before had been like a knife. Why was she calling me daughter all of a sudden?

Damien stepped back slightly, trusting her. My stomach twisted in suspicion.

Her cruel looking eyes glared at me. “Have you been in contact with the exiled half-witches?” she asked, her tone sounded irritatingly gentle. “You can tell me the truth, sweetheart. You can tell all of us the truth.”

I shook my head. “No,” I said firmly. “I… I have absolutely nothing to do with them.”

She shook her head, I could see a tinge of barely contained fury. “Are you sure? You’ve been behaving strangely later, I heard of it from the head servant. ”

“I said no,” I repeated, trying to keep my voice steady. “I have not been in contact with them. My lady, you know very well that I don’t even have the opportunity to leave the house.”

Her calmness cracked. I could see the softness completely leaving her eyes. The tension crawled through her fingers. “Do not lie to me,” she hissed. “I will know if you do.”

I swallowed hard. My chest ached, and my legs trembled. Every instinct screamed to run, but how could I when I was chained to the bed.

Her hand moved slowly, gently touching my face. Every heartbeat felt like it would explode. My stomach tightened even more.

And then she slapped me fiercely.

I felt the sharp sting across my cheek. I gasped, shaking in fear.

And then in that sudden moment of pain, the bond reacted on the three marked princes.

“What… what is happening?” Jesse’s voice broke. His brown eyes widened, and hand was clutching his chest. He staggered as if struck.

Damien also froze, his golden eyes snapping open, fingers digging into the chest. “Why… Why do I feel so much pain?” The other prince didn’t look so good either. I had never heard of a mate feeling their other mate’s pain so vividly before.

And then, before I could fully register, the King’s fierce eyes darted toward Jesse. “My son? What… what’s wrong with you?”

Jesse doubled over slightly, a sharp hiss of pain escaping him. His hand shot to his chest, his fingers trembling. His golden eyes wide open in shock. It seemed to be affecting him more than the others.

Kieran’s expression changed a little, and I knew it wasn’t only the physical pain that was making him look so hurt. I wondered why the king was showing more concern to Jesse than the remaining princes.

Damien’s growl shook the walls. “By the Moon! What have you done to her? I thought you just wanted to talk to her!”

Kieran’s hands clenched into fists, teeth bared, his wolf snarling. “No matter what she did, she… shouldn’t be able to do this to us!”

I stumbled toward Damien instinctively. “I… I didn’t do anything at all.. I promise that I didn’t. ” My voice broke.

He looked at my step mother again, his eyes already blazing gold. “Why did you hurt her? Why lay your hands on her?”

Her lips pressed together very tight. Her own expression twisted into anger, surprise, and worry. “I… I needed to ask her some questions just to understand the bond and then I got angry and hit her. How was I supposed to know that it would cause such a serious backlash?”

The room spun, and every heartbeat felt amplified. My cheek burned, every nerve alive. The princes around me struggled visibly, their pain mirrored from mine. But eventually the pain calmed down and their faces went back to normal.

The Seer raised his arms, calm but commanding. “Everyone, please listen to me.”

They faltered slightly, though tension still coiled in the room like a spring.

He leaned closer to me, his voice low. “Child… it appears that you are deeply connected to the heirs who marked you. If you are hurt, they feel it even worse.

The bond is alive, powerful, and I believe very dangerous. You cannot leave this palace yet not until I find a way to lessen the effect, and to manage the marks.” Then he turned to look at everyone then he said. “Anyone harming you now would be… catastrophic.”

I simply nodded, completely unsure of what to say in response at that point. I wondered how it all came to this.

Damien came closer to me, his voice was low and rough. “No one will touch you, under my watch. I swear it to you.”

I turned toward Jesse. His eyes were hard, distant, a mixture of confusion and disgust? His lips pressed tight, and his jaw was rigid.

“Should I take you away?” Damien whispered again to me, in a very tense and protective way.

I shook my head, still looking at Jesse. I didn’t want him to misunderstand the situation so I blurted out. “No. I’ll go back home once I heal a little. I want to stay… with them. With my family till this is sorted out, please.”

Damien exhaled slowly, frustration in his jaw, and then he stepped back.

The Seer said a few words and gestured for everyone to be on their way. The princes slowly withdrew. The Luna and the Lycan King’s eyes lingered for a while, before they finally left.

I let out a deep sigh of relief, exhausted, and trembling. The Seer stayed beside me, pale and calm, his sightless eyes on mine.

“Rest,” he murmured. “For now… nothing will be the same. You are not alone but you are not free.”

I nodded at his confusing words. The weight of the bond pressed down on me, impossibly heavy.

“Can I be unchained now?” I asked the Seer, my voice pleading.

He chuckled softly, a warm sound in the cold tension of the infirmary. “Of course, silly.”

He motioned to the guards, and I felt the heavy iron links fall away from my wrists and ankles. Freedom. Finally, relief poured through me, though my limbs still felt weak and trembling.

“Thank you… thank you so much,” I murmured, bowing my head slightly in gratitude.

“You’re welcome, my dear,” the Seer said kindly, his blind eyes smiling even though he could not see. “You may return to your quarters if you wish.”

I nodded, trying to stand up without looking too wobbly. My legs protested with every movement, but I forced myself to focus.

I wanted to find Jesse, to speak to him, to explain that I wasn’t evil… that I didn’t understand what happened either… I thought frantically as I scanned the hall, hoping for a glimpse of him. But the corridors were empty, silent except for the distant voices of servants.

Sighing, I decided I couldn’t find him right now. I made my way back to my house, when I got in, it was oddly quiet, I expected my father and step mother to summon me but there was nothing.

I collapsed onto my bed, the pillow soft beneath my cheek. My hands shook as I grabbed the handkerchief Jesse gave me when we were little from under my pillow, trying to steady my racing heart.

I couldn’t stop replaying his face in my mind. He was even more handsome than I remembered from our childhood, more commanding somehow. I blushed violently, rolling slightly on my bed, letting the memory wash over me until exhaustion dragged me into a shallow, and uneasy sleep.

The next morning, I was abruptly yanked awake by a bucket of icy water pouring all over me. I gasped, shivering violently, and stood immediately, my teeth chattering.

“Aria!” Mellisa’s voice rang across the room, sharp and urgent. “You’re so useless! We have so much to do and you’re still lying there!”

I blinked, still dripping and confused. “Huh… So much to do?”

“You’ve forgotten? The princess is returning today from her expedition!” she scolded, her hands on her hips.

Oh that was right. Panic shot through me as I scrambled to my feet, shivering from the cold water, and my heart hammering.