Chapter 38: Ben E. King - Stand By Me
Kyllian got to his feet, slowly. His eyes never left Ravena’s as he stepped into the light, revealing not just the Alpha of a pack, but a man teetering on the edge of revelation. "I need you to know," he began, "that I am speaking to you right now as both a concerned mate of Luna and a scared alpha afraid for the future of his people. Luna is our future, Your Majesty. She’s not just the heir to your throne, she is our everything."
Ravena’s composure faltered for a moment. Her hands trembled slightly. "what’s going on with my baby?"
He swallowed hard, jaw tightening. "Unless you tell me the truth... the bonds are going to kill her."
"The vampires have filled your head with nonsense," she hissed. "What truth?"
Kyllian didn’t back down. His expression held no judgment, just a desperate, haunting need for answers. "Who is Luna’s father?"
It was as if all the oxygen had been sucked from the room. Ravena’s spine went stiff, her nostrils flaring as she stepped forward, every inch the offended monarch. "What are you accusing me of?" she said. "I am your queen."
"And I am her mate," Kyllian shot back, just as firmly. "I am bonded to her. I feel her joy. Her pain.I’m begging as a man who loves her."
Kyllian took a shaky breath, hands clenched at his sides. "A vampire mate and a werewolf mate. Sounds odd, doesn’t it?" His smile was brittle, holding back years of confused longing. "I never could explain my feelings toward her. Even when she was just a girl. I attended every Blood Moon festival for years, hoping, praying that there would be a sign. Something to prove that I wasn’t sick. That I wasn’t delusional."
Ravena opened her mouth, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"I hated myself for how I felt. I would lie awake at night, asking the moon why I felt the way I did about her. And then one day, she was just... dropped in my lap." His laugh was hollow. "Arranged marriage. Hilarious, right? The Moon Goddess herself must have a cruel sense of humor."