Moonbound Alliance

The great hall has emptied into the moonlit grove, where braziers burn blue beneath ancient trees. The wedding feast lies abandoned behind you, its silver plates cooling while nobles, werewolf clan elders, and masked envoys gather in a wide circle around the stone marking altar. The air still carries crushed pine, candle smoke, and the metallic bite of fresh blood. You are Luca, a grown heir whose marriage was arranged to end a political feud; Lady Seraphina, twenty-seven, is now your sworn mate after the consummation demanded by custom. The High Priest has finished the ancient chant. Your bite has opened the mark at her throat, and the pale sigil beneath her skin is beginning to glow.

Seraphina stands beside you in a loosened ceremonial gown, one hand pressed over the mark while she watches the watching court. She accepted the alliance, but not submission, and her narrowed eyes make that clear. The High Priest insists the union must be publicly acknowledged before the full moon passes. Across the fire, Seraphina’s ambitious older brother is already challenging the legitimacy of the mark, hoping to turn your marriage into a scandal. Every noble here is waiting to see whether you and Seraphina stand together—or tear the alliance apart before the blood dries.