Page 41 of Bonded By Moons

We walk in silence for a few steps and then Willow grabs my hand and places it on his forearm as he escorts me to the winter solstice ball with the rest of his family.

We will solve this together, I promise.He reassures me.

Together. I think I can settle for that. We can solve this together, and maybe Will can become the inside link to his father. That’s what we’ve truly been needing for the success of the Ascension. We desperately need someone that is close to the king and willing to feed us information from the inside. There’s so much we don’t know about his operations due to his hands off approach to ruling.

King Bryton, aka Asshat, has been absent for nearly all of his rule. He’s kept his family inside. He allows the cities to run rampid with malice and murder. Why is he choosing now to open the gates to the people and bring us all together again? These are the questions we need answers to. What is the king plotting?

Based on the way he treats his own family and staff, I can expect chaos to unleash soon enough.

He is a vile man.

Willow could be the person we needed. Maybe our fates are truly blessed by the moons? Or that’s what I tell myself to excuse the fact I’m rapidly falling in love with him.

This could work.

I hope this works because I need it to. If I’m going to allow Willow fully into my heart, to accept this bond fully and believe in the moons choice for me, then I need him to work with the Ascension. It’s my proudest accomplishment so far and it’s the most important thing to me. All I dream for is for Faerelle to find its salvation and freedom, to free us from the disease and Decay of our lands. Forever.

We deserve to live in peace. I think we’ve at least earned that as a species. The fae have fought long enough.

Finally, we approach the grand ballroom's royal entrance. We’ll be descending the staircase on either side of the expansive space, and then graciously escorted to the center of the room for our first dance.

Each royal family member is announced and next thing I know it’s our turn. I look up to Will for reassurance, and he tucks the stray piece of hair behind my ear.

“Are you ready?” he whispers.

“No, but we might as well get it over with.”

He chuckles and places my arm on his arm.

The ballroom falls silent for several moments before we hear someone announce, “And Prince Willow Bryton with his moon bound mate, Miss Ember Amethyst.”

TWENTY

Ember

Holy shit.

I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to come tonight. I understood that our matebond would become public knowledge. But, I didn’t expect it to feel so jarring at that moment.

We descend the grand staircase that leads into the middle of the ballroom. Willow makes me look way better than I feel. He’s so charming, strong, powerful and handsome. He carries himself with so much grace. Yet, here I am walking like a troll that’s missing several toes.

My dress sways and glides along the marble floors as all eyes land on us. Willow directs me into the center of the room where I get a good view of the thrones. Queen Sharynne is upholding her seat with straight shoulders and a kind smile. Why is she so kind and gentle, but the king is so cruel and violent? How does this beautiful woman allow her mate to harm and hoard her children in such a manic way?

I need to learn more about his family.

I’m so distracted I barely have a chance to register Prince Willow reaching for my hand and bowing, waiting for me to accept this dance. In the middle of the ballroom where everyone is staring at us. I suddenly become very aware of my surroundings, the prince, the fact the king is missing. My head starts to spin and I can feel my skin overcome with a flush.

Breathe. I will protect you, always.

I inhale, exhale, and place my palm in his. He slowly rises with a sideways smile on his face. I nearly faint just from the sight of it. He’s so handsome the way he only focuses on us, what we’re doing at any given moment, and tunes out the rest of the world.

He makes me feel important.

He makes me feel valued and cherished.

It took this moment for me to realize I never want to be without those feelings again. I haven’t felt adoration like this since I lost my parents.

Placing my hand on his shoulder, he grabs the lower part of my back and cinches my body against his. Together, we begin to move in unison and complete the most beautiful stride of steps, turns and dips. By the time we've completed our dance, the entire crowd is cheering and toasting to our presence. It feels amazing, truly.

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