"Where is this place?" Emira asked slowly as she looked at the man who had brought her there. Her eyes moved past him, taking in the unfamiliar office around them. It was quite similar to Lance, Zen and Kael’s study in terms of layout and yet different. She shook her head then, determined to not think
"We are not far from the Stormhold Pack," the man replied calmly. "Just the neighbourhood, actually. The Redwood Pack. Welcome home, Mira."
As he spoke, he stepped closer and tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her toward him. His other hand came to rest on her shoulders, as if trying to reassure her as well as remind her that they were in this together.
Emira stiffened at once and shoved at his shoulder, forcing a little space between them. "My name is Emira," she said sharply. "Not Mira."
The man paused, then smiled. Slowly, he lifted his hands as if in surrender and took a step back, though the look in his eyes was as smug as it could be. "Emira, then," he said lightly, as if indulging her. He tilted his head and studied her. "So? What do you think, Emira? About being my mate for life and ruling by my side? I am sure you understand by now that this is what we are."
Emira looked away then as the man continued with a tired sigh.
"Emira. This is right," he said calmly, as if stating an obvious truth. "You are part wolf and part witch. That alone makes you perfect." His voice slowed, becoming almost thoughtful. "For decades... even centuries, the dark witches have been looked down upon. By the White witches. By the Werewolves. No justice. No mercy."
He took a step closer. "But you?" he said softly. "You understand all of them. You would respect all of them. You would give them a safe space." His eyes stayed fixed on her. "Doesn’t that make it right for you to become the next Ruler, just as the prophecy claimed?"
Emira turned her face away. "I have no interest in ruling."
Aron smiled then, a faint, knowing smile. "Tsk, tsk... Mira—"
She sent him a sharp look.
"Emira," he corrected himself quickly. "I’m sorry." His smile widened slightly. "You talk just like my Mira." He waved it off lightly. "Anyway, your interest is the last thing that matters."
His tone changed, becoming deliberate. "Tell me," he said, "if you were mated to the three Alphas, would you not be willing to become the Luna Princess?"
He did not wait for her to answer.
"Of course you would," he continued smoothly. "So why not accept this as your destiny, Emira?" His eyes darkened. "In your last life, Shiqi’s father and Shiqi made a mistake. But in this life, you have a chance to correct those mistakes."
He paused, then added coldly, "If those three men had been good to you, I would have supported you. But they..." He shook his head slowly. "They are weak."
"They are weak," he repeated, "and unwilling to even wait for you. They want to be with Ramona. They did not even think about you."
"Enough," Emira snapped, cutting him off.
The Dark Lord smiled. "Well?" he asked lightly. "You don’t want to listen to the truth? Then so be it." His gaze hardened. "But Emira, now that you are here, I will not let you give up on your destiny a second time."
As he turned and began to walk away, Emira spoke slowly, her voice steady.
"What about Shiqi?"
Aron paused. He turned back. "What about Shiqi?"
Emira frowned. "You love her."
That made him laugh. "Love?" he said softly. "Love is fleeting, Emira." His laughter faded. "I loved Shiqi, yes. But her betrayal changed everything."
His voice dropped. "Do you think I would still cling to that after what she did to me? After years of loneliness? After being forced to depend on other people’s bodies as vessels just to exist?"
His eyes hardened. "She will get her punishment."
Then he looked at Emira again. "What you need to think about," he said calmly, "is how to punish the men who betrayed you. Because, despite you not wanting to believe it, that is the truth. You thought they loved you. It was why you never thought of breaking the slave bond. But you forgot... a slave bond is also a dark magic and every magic has its side effects... because of the bond you forcibly created, they thought they cared for you... but with the bond broken, they forgot all their promises, Emira... They forgot their love for you."
With that, Aron straightened away," You can stay here and think things through for now. Once you are ready to discuss your crowning, come out. I’ll be waiting in the room on the lower floor. Okay?"
As the door closed behind him, Emira’s knees finally gave way and she sank fully to the floor, her back sliding down until it hit the cold surface behind her. The moment Aron was gone, the strength she had been forcing herself to hold onto shattered completely.
She pressed her hand over her mouth, but it did nothing to stop the sound that broke free.
Her chest hurt. It felt tight, as if something was crushing her from the inside. Tears spilled down her cheeks in a steady stream, blurring everything around her. She shook her head slowly, again and again, as if the movement alone could undo his words.
"No..." she whispered hoarsely. "That’s not true. That cannot be true."
From the beginning they were her safe haven. Her safe place. And more.
Her shoulders began to shake as the truth she had been pushing away pressed down on her. Memories rose one after another, of their promises and their indulgence of her. The patience they had shown. Was that all a lie? A result of the Slave bond that they shared with her. And now that the bond was gone, then felt nothing for her?