Page 8 of Luna Rising

“One day, you will understand that your decision took immense strength.” The king inhaled and exhaled through his nose and puffed out his chest. “Born of the truest love no other living fae will ever know. I commend you, my child.” His smile made the roiling in my gut intensify. “Congratulations. You are the thirteenth winner.”

I opened my mouth to respond. Only Gaia may know what I might’ve said. The scene changed too quickly to get out the words.

Thirteen fae, including myself, encircled a raging campfire. The king and queen stood together in the center, near the flames. I wore a simple white gown, with a heavy cape made of white fur to keep me warm in the cold night air. Stars twinkled around the full moon in the sky, directly above the firelight.

One by one, the king invited the male winners forward to announce their mate selections. I had little interest in the ceremony, my destiny had already been decided. Iliana beamed across from me, the diamonds in her tiara glittering in the light of the flames.

Stavros would say her name, claim her as his wife–his mate. I had no one to blame but myself. Their union was my doing. I had told the prince to pick her, the obvious choice. It was the match the kingdom wanted for him, even before the games.

Does she know her win is a technicality? I wondered. Does she even care?

Diana and I stood together. She sucked in air when the king called Lucien forward. He wore his blond hair loose tonight, the strands just brushing his shoulders. He was a fierce competitor, with a stoic demeanor, which was all I knew of him.

Diana had confided that she hoped he would choose her. He’d shown her kindness, a rarity over the past few weeks. Admittedly, I envied her. They seemed like a good match, and she would likely live a happy life by his side.

I would never know that life.

When Lucien called her name, he extended his hand. The king and queen nodded approvingly, giving their blessing to the union.

Then, it was just Zeno and Stavros left for the guys, and Iliana, Demi, and me. The part of me that understood this was a dream knew what was about to happen. Zosia, however, did not. She truly believed the king had sentenced her to a life of solitude.

“Zeno, please come forward and announce your mate,” King Orrin called, waving the broody, dark-haired boy forward.

There was something about him, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. For a second, I was me. Memories of our lives together flooded my brain, warring with Zosia’s loneliness for my attention. Pressure built in my head as I tried to reconcile all the versions of myself.

“I choose Zosia,” Zeno said to the surprise of everyone gathered.

Hearing my name brought me back to the present, the shock of it rendering me speechless. Demi was from his village. They were friends, and they’d been allies throughout the competition. Why in Gaia’s name had he chosen me?

My eyes darted toward Demi. She balled her fists at her sides, expression thunderous. Under different circumstances, she would’ve made a scene. Temper tantrums were dangerous in front of the royal family, however.

Iliana’s glare followed me as I joined Zeno and the king and queen, as did Stavros’ rage. When I chanced a glance at the prince, his face showed no emotion. Only I felt how close he was to losing control. He was okay with me taking on the role of lone wolf. Bonding with Zeno, however, not so much.

“Zeno and Zosia, you shall be anointed as one of six alpha couples beneath the second full moon.” The king joined our hands. “Your bond will seal at this time, giving you great power to defend the fae from all those who mean us harm.”

“I accept this honor,” Zeno said and bowed his head.

I repeated the words and lowered my eyes, still dazed from the odd turn of events.

“Your arm, dear,” the queen said, holding her palm up.

I did as instructed, and she cradled my wrist. Her magic wrapped me in a fiery cocoon. Just as the heat became unbearable, the queen raised her free hand and began to draw. All her fire magic concentrated in the small patch of skin on her fingertip as she burned a mark onto my wrist.

Then, she did the same to Zeno.

He and I held our arms side by side, the matching marks glowing like twin flames. The queen joined our hands as the king said, “From this point on you shall forsake all others.”

The part of me that was Zosia wanted to cry, while the part of me that was Zara couldn’t stop staring at the mark. I, Zara, had seen it before… when Mat burned the same symbol into my wrist.

I started to hyperventilate, the weight of too many lives landing on my shoulders as, once again, the floodgates opened, and multiple memories invaded my mind.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake. The. Fuck. Up.

Even as I stood at the choosing ceremony with Zeno, our lives bound together. I felt lips on my neck. Strong hands caressing my back. A whispered plea in my ear.

“Come back to me, Zara.”

Ewan held me when I awoke. He never asked about the dream. I wondered if he had dreamt about the ceremony yet. Eventually, we would need to have the talk, and I would need to come clean and tell him why I really rejected our bond all those lifetimes ago.

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