Chapter 5: Threads of Fate
Somewhere secluded, two figures moved in the dark.
"He's found his mate," a cold voice said.
"What do you mean—he's found his mate already? Isn't it too soon?" another voice answered, incredulous.
"Nothing is too early when the mark burns," the first replied. "If that's a rare blood bound, killing him will be like killing two birds with one stone. You take out the Bloodbound hunter; I take out the vampire. It secures the score—and benefits us both."
"Us both?" the second asked. "What about the third one? Doesn't she get a share?"
"Listen," the first snapped. "We have one chance to take out both the Bloodbound and the vampire at the same time. You're asking about her? She isn't here. You want that person to inherit powers she didn't earn? That's ridiculous." He glanced around. "Keep an eye on the vampire. I'll handle my side. Move now—before anyone notices you're not where you should be."
With that, the second took off into the night, and the first melted back into darkness.
****
Lior — Morning After
Morning came at last. I barely spent any time in my room—just enough to freshen up...but when I reached the dining table Perl was nowhere to be seen. Only Father and the palace staff stood in their usual places.
"Morning," I said, taking a seat. Father nodded from his throne. I lifted my cup of blood-wine.
"Have you seen Perl?" I asked across the table.
"She's spending the morning with her husband," Father replied.
I murmured, "Okay," and returned to my drink. Hours slipped by. Noon came and went. She still hadn't returned. I'd been waiting for her in the library and I had began to suspect she wanted me to stew a little...well played, Perl.
Thirty minutes later she swept in, heels ticking on the floor, breathless and dramatic in a blue dress, red lipstick, and black heels.
"Sorry I'm late," she trilled, taking a seat among the stacks.
"You're not late—you're… spectacularly late," I said.
She shrugged her shoulder, letting the air around her settle. "I'm here now."
"You didn't tell me you were dressed to kill for your husband." I watched her go for a black, thick-bound book on the top shelf.
"Well, anything for my king," she smirked. "I'm not a princess anymore—I'm a queen. Luna of the Werewolf Kingdom, remember?" She hopped up, grabbed the book, and dropped it onto the table with a puff of dust.
"I would have grabbed it for you if you'd said which one," I said.
She shot me a look that said fuck off and opened the book. Pages whispered as she turned them.
"Many rare Bloodbound were killed simply for existing," she read. "Clans feared them, feared the unknown. They were hunted one by one."
She pointed to a passage. "Here—one survived. But it cost many lives. A father died to spare his son. With his last breath, he cast a spell: his descendants would become shadows to guard his son. If he could not see his son in this world, he would remain a shadow to protect him."
"What spell?" I asked, leaning in.
"His family was bound into shadow's. The day his seed was born, he died. The mother had to live among her kind, hiding what she carried." Perl's finger tapped the margin.
I swallowed. "Anything else?"
She read on. "A rare Bloodbound finds his mate only when the half-moon mark on his chest alights—usually after a touch, a shove, or a strike from the mate. Many rare Bloodbound have black hair. The mark burns brightest in those whose mother was a high-ranking hunter and whose father was a high-ranking witch. The offspring becomes a Shadowcraft Bloodbound—a hunter whose blood resists vampiric influence and whose magic manipulates darkness itself."
She looked up at me. "He's not just a hunter ...he's a Shadowcraft witch. He can bind enemies in the dark and twist shadows into weapons."
"Thank you, Perl," I said, standing to leave.
"Wait." She stopped me. "This quest is dangerous. Enemies are closer than you think. Be careful, brother."
I nodded. "I will."
She touched my arm for a moment, then leaned in and whispered, "May the goddess be with you."
Her words hung in the air as I walked away...an omen and a benediction both.