Chapter 313 - 47: The Bloodline And The Bond

DESTINY’S POV

The silk of the ivory gown felt heavy against my skin. The damp afternoon air had left a chill in the room, and I shivered as the layers of the dress settled around my hips.

I stared at myself in the tall mirror of the bride’s suite and barely recognized the woman looking back at me.

The dress was simple, with clean lines that fell into a long, sweeping train. It left my collarbones bare except for the traditional BloodMoon silver collar resting around my neck.

Behind me, Dad and Mom stood in the reflection.

My parents looked almost uncomfortable in the grand suite. Dad kept adjusting the cuffs of his suit, while Mom held her purse tightly in both hands.

There was so much we hadn’t said since Dane pulled us out of the dirt.

Mom stepped closer. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached up and tucked a loose curl behind my ear.

"You look beautiful, Destiny," she whispered. "I keep waiting to wake up in that little cabin in the farm and realize we are no longer living there again."

I turned away from the mirror and faced them.

"We don’t have to run anymore, Mom."

Dad let out a rough breath and stepped closer. His hands settled on my shoulders, the same protective way they had when I was a child.

"I am still terrified of us staying here, Destiny," he said quietly. "When Dane took us in, I thought we were only going to face classism, racism, all the ism. And then you chose to marry Dane and the magistrate... Van..."

"I didn’t choose him because I was trapped, Dad."

I reached for his hand.

"He stood between us and the people hunting us. He gave us somewhere to stand."

"He protects you," Dad admitted, glancing toward the oak doors. "I see the way he looks at you. But this world... these politics... they’re dangerous, sweetheart."

"I know."

I took a slow breath.

"But I’m done running. All of us are."

Mom wiped a tear from her cheek and gave a small laugh.

"Your father nearly fainted when he saw the guards in the driveway."

"They’re keeping the peace today," I said gently. "Today, we’re safe."

The double doors of the glass pavilion opened.

The murmur of nearly two hundred guests died almost immediately.

Dad held out his arm. His body had gone rigid, but I slipped my hand through his anyway and stepped across the threshold with him.

The pavilion was decorated with white silk and beautiful laurel. Rows of guests sat quietly, watching us.

On the left were Dane’s maternal relatives, noble elders from the high-ranking packs.

On the right sat Ramon’s side. Hardened families and territorial allies who had come to show their support regardless of what was going on against Silvercrest.

Among them were several other pack leaders.

They were the same people Vance had tried to pressure by closing Redstone Pass. Seeing them here made one thing clear.

Dane had been right.

Vance’s blockade hadn’t isolated us. It had pushed our neighbors straight to our doors.

At the end of the aisle stood Dane.

He wore a dark suit, his shoulders squared and his expression serious.

Then his eyes found mine.

Something changed.

The tension left his shoulders, and for a moment, the pavilion disappeared. So did the guests and everything waiting for us beyond those walls.

There was only him.

When Dad brought me to the altar, he stopped in front of Dane.

He looked directly at him.

He didn’t hesitate or back down. He simply took my hand and placed it in Dane’s.

"Keep her safe," Marcus said quietly.

"With my life," Dane replied.

Dane pulled me onto the platform, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.

The priest began the ceremony.

His words flowed around us as he spoke of the earth, our bloodlines, and the bond between mates.

When it was time for our vows, Dane didn’t hesitate.

He promised to protect me. To stand beside me as an equal. To love me beyond the boundaries of territory and title.

When I spoke my vows to him, declaring myself his mate and his equal, something deep inside my chest seemed to settle.

The bond locked into place.

"I declare you bound," the priest announced.

Dane pulled me into his arms.

His mouth came down on mine in a deep, possessive kiss. Warmth rushed through me, spreading through every part of my body.

The pavilion erupted.

Applause filled the space, loud enough to echo beneath the high glass roof as Dane held me tightly against his chest.

The reception hall became a blur of lights, classical music, and warm toasts.

For hours, Dane and I stood together as pack leaders and elders came to offer their blessings.

My parents sat at the head table beside Sonia and Ramon.

It was strange to look at them all together.

My humble past sitting alongside BloodMoon’s present.

Late into the evening, a small commotion near the main entrance caught Dane’s attention.

Henrik approached him and quietly said something about an update from the trackers stationed near the lower road.

Dane looked down at me.

"I need to step into the study with Henrik for five minutes. Just checking the outer watch."

"Go."

I smiled at him.

"I’ll be right here."

He kissed my temple before walking away through the corridor.

I moved toward the edge of the room and accepted a glass of water from a passing tray. My throat had grown dry from talking and smiling for most of the evening.

"You handle the room surprisingly well for someone who spent her life on a small farm."

The voice was dry and cultured, with just enough sharpness to make me turn.

He stood a few feet away.

He was an imposing man. He was older than Dane, with silver at his temples and sharp eyes that didn’t have the same warmth as his.

He carried himself like a man who had spent his entire life thinking about BloodMoon’s legacy. "I’m Seth Fenris."

"Seth," I said, straightening. "Thank you for coming."

He took a slow sip from his glass, studying my face.

"When Dane refused the match with Silvercrest, I thought he was committing political suicide," Seth said.

He stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Vance’s daughter, Aurora, was the obvious strategic choice. An alliance with Silvercrest would have been what any regular alpha would’ve done."

I kept my expression neutral.

"Dane didn’t want a business transaction. He wanted his mate."

A faint smile touched Seth’s lips.

"A romantic sentiment."

He paused.

"But before Dane made his choice, I put my own name forward during the ceremony of choosing."

I stared at him for a moment before setting my glass down.

"You offered to marry Aurora?"

"I did."

His jaw tightened slightly.

"I hold full lineage rights. Unifying our house with Silvercrest through Aurora would have secured my standing within the council. But Aurora... and her father... rejected it outright."

The anger beneath his calm expression became more obvious.

"Vance didn’t want a secondary alliance," Seth continued. "He wanted BloodMoon beneath him."

He took another sip.

"When Aurora turned me down, she proved that Silvercrest views the rest of us as leverage."

I studied him.

Now I understood why he had approached me.

"You didn’t come over here to talk about an old rejection, Seth."

"I came over to give you a reality check."

His voice was flat.

He leaned toward me slightly.

"Do not mistake Vance’s agreement to sit down with Dane after this wedding as a sign of peace."

I said nothing.

"Vance is an arrogant man who built his reputation on control. His daughter is even worse. Aurora takes after her father in every way. She sees your marriage as a personal insult, and Vance sees this entire thing as a slap to his legacy."

"The High Council is watching the pass," I pointed out.

"The Magistrate is a bureaucrat who wants clean paperwork," Seth scoffed. "Vance knows how to play bureaucrats."

He lowered his voice again.

"He blocked the pass to force Dane to the table, but he won’t walk away from that meeting without taking something from BloodMoon."

His eyes held mine.

"He wants to prove a point, Destiny. And if he can’t break Dane, he’ll look for the softest target."

His gaze dropped to the silver collar around my neck.

"You’re the Alpha’s heart now."

Seth stepped back just as Dane returned to the ballroom.

"Which makes you Vance’s primary target."

His eyes stayed on mine.

"Enjoy your night, Luna. But when Dane goes to meet Vance after these celebrations end... don’t let him go alone."

He turned and disappeared into the crowd.

I stood there for a moment, my pulse suddenly beating harder beneath the cold metal around my throat.

"Everything alright?"

Dane’s voice pulled me back.

He had already reached my side, one hand settling around my waist as he drew me closer.

His eyes moved over my face.

He noticed the tension immediately.

"Seth was talking to you."

"He was."

I leaned against him, letting his presence settle me.

Dane looked across the room at Seth.

"What did he say?"

I looked up at my husband.

The Alpha who had sheltered my family. The man who had stood before the Magistrate and faced everything that came with claiming me today.

"He warned me about Vance," I whispered.

I held his gaze.

"He told me Vance’s pride won’t let this end at a meeting table."

Dane’s hand tightened around my waist.

His expression hardened.

"Vance can try whatever he likes. He’ll find out that BloodMoon doesn’t break."

"We don’t break."

I placed my hand against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm.

"Together."

The hardness in Dane’s face faded.

A small smile appeared.

He lowered his head until his forehead rested against mine while the music continued around us.

"Together, my Luna," he whispered.