Nolan's POV
I did not know how painful my grip could be on another until I felt the tightness creep into my own neck, until the air itself seemed to flee me as I held my hand around her neck.
I released her at once and turned away, unwilling to let anyone see the color that had rushed to my face, or hear the harsh cough I could not fully suppress as I struggled to draw breath, much like she did. Any sign of weakness would invite questions, and questions would invite suspicion.
After ordering my soldiers to take her back to the place she resided, I made my way toward the waiting carriage where Ian lingered, already restless.
I entered and shut the carriage door swiftly behind me, then leaned back on the seat as I coughed harshly. My breath came heavy from holding it in for so long.
"Uncle," Ian said after I had managed to calm myself somewhat, "why did you let the moon blood go?"
"I cannot harm her," I answered grimly.
I had no desire to say more, not until I understood what had just occurred. Yet I knew him well enough. Silence would only sharpen his curiosity, and he would pry regardless.
So I added, "We are mates."
Ian gasped, his head snapping from side to side as though the carriage itself might be listening, before his gaze fixed on me once more.
"Mates?" he exclaimed. "How is that even possible? Aren't you meant to remain miserable and alone for the rest of your life?" He paused, then added with careless thought, "Which is forever, considering your life does not end."
I shot him a glare sharp enough to silence him at once. He turned his face away, suddenly very interested in the carriage wall.
Still, he was not entirely wrong.
She was not meant to be my mate.
When I forged the mate bond to bind souls together and end infidelity among our kind among other reasons, I did not bind myself to it. I was never meant to have one.
And yet, though she was not my true life mate, something bound me to her all the same. Something I was sure that the Moon Goddess herself could not do. She did not possess that kind of power anymore. Not after I had erased most of her bloodlines and put an end to her worship.
It felt as though fate itself had intervened, binding me to the very last moon blood. The one whose existence would seal the Moon Goddess away for good.
And it unsettled me greatly.
As if reading my thoughts, Ian spoke. "Ironic," he said. "That you are mated to the very being you loathe. Did you feel it? The spark everyone speaks of? All that comes with meeting one's life mate? Did you see the thread—"
I shot him a look, and he quickly looked the other way.
I had felt none of that which affirmed what I already knew… that we weren't mates.
But something else had occurred. Something that had not happened to me in a very long time.
When I stood close enough to perceive her moon blood scent from up close, desire stirred within me.
Usually, I commanded my body as I willed. Arousal bent to my control when I chose to indulge myself. I had only ever been erected once and it was long before I was cursed to be immortal.
Which was why I felt troubled by what was happening to me now.
I could not afford to be drawn to the enemy.
If I was, then this bond, whatever its nature, might be nothing more than another ploy devised to undo me.
"Why are you covered in mud, by the way?" Ian asked suddenly.
I looked down at myself and snorted.
The moon blood had butter for legs and kept tripping as I chased her, sending me sprawling more than once. Each fall had been poorly timed, poorly placed, and maddeningly inconvenient.
By the time I finally caught her scent again, I had collected half the road upon my cloak and boots alike.
"If you are not going to answer me, fine," Ian said, undeterred. "But I will say this, Uncle. Sending her back to that house was not a good decision. And having me marry Olivia is an even worse one."
"I was listening to you," I replied, wiping the mud from my hands, "until you made it about yourself."
"She was incapable of arousing me," Ian continued to lament, "and that has never happened when I look upon a woman."
"Even better," I said dryly. "Perhaps you might finally work for something once in your life."
"I do not wish to be tamed like that. I cannot imagine myself even sharing a bed with her…" he was saying when he suddenly paused, as though something had just dawned on him. "And since you no longer need me… since you have already found the last moon blood, there should be no need for a marriage at all."
I did not respond. Instead, I removed my boots.
"Why not tame me with the moon blood instead?" Ian pressed. "She is the better catch."
For reasons I could not immediately name, a growl tore from my chest.
Ian bowed his head at once. When I retracted my wolf, a thought struck me fully formed.
"That's it."
"That's what?" Ian asked, lifting his head.
"I am going to tame her."
"With me?" he asked, bright with sudden delight.
"No," I said, another growl forcing his head down once more.
"The surest way to watch one's enemy," I continued, "is to keep them closer than anyone else."
"Is that a confession as to why you will not let me live alone?"
I rolled my eyes and stepped from the carriage. We had returned to my palace.
"Uncle," Ian called after me, "how do you intend to tame her?"
I paused, turned back to him, and smiled.
"By asking for her hand."
I left him standing there, stunned, as I continued toward my chambers.
If whoever was orchestrating this thinks they can play me, they are in for a surprise.
————
We were gathered in the main sitting chamber of Luciana's home. All were seated except the Moon blood, who stubbornly remained standing.
I cleared my throat, letting the sound fill the room. "Tell me, where did you come by this girl? Are her parents still living? I would have words with them before any further decisions are made."
"No… I do not know, Your Majesty," Luciana answered, her voice tight.
I turned my gaze to the girl, bruised and trembling. "And you? What is your name, girl?"
She would not meet my eyes. "Freya," she whispered.
"How long have you been in this household?" I asked, my voice leaving no space for evasion.
"Fifteen… fifteen years," she stammered.
I felt a flicker of surprise. I turned to Luciana. "That is before you were wed into this house by the late Lord Ashwood, is it not?"
"That is correct, Your Majesty," she replied, stiffly.
I looked back to Freya. "Do you remember how you came here? Who brought you?"
"Lord Ashwood," she said quietly. "He brought me in… and cared for me as his own daughter."
I allowed my gaze to sweep over her tattered dress. The truth of her life was written there—hardship, neglect, and the absence of mercy. But she was Moon Blood. She did not deserve my sympathy.
Turning back to Luciana, I fixed her with a steady stare. "Since her caretaker is no longer present, I will take responsibility for her myself."
Luciana opened her mouth, but I cut her off with a single, measured question. "Will there be a problem with this, Mrs. Ashwood?"
Her body stiffened. She shook her head. "No, Your Majesty."
"Very well," I said, clasping my hands as I rose.
"But what of the engagement between the Duke and my daughter?" Luciana's voice wavered, but she dared ask.
I felt Ian tense beside me at the question.
"It has been terminated."
I turned to the Moon Blood, seized her hand firmly despite her struggle, and led her from the house, lan following at my side.