Bound by Blood & Moonlight

Chapter 2

Scarlet

The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the grand hall. I sat in my usual seat—quiet, observing, unnoticed. The nobles whispered among themselves, their voices a low hum against the walls, but I didn't need to hear their words to understand the weight of the evening. My father was going to make a move. I could feel it, the tension coiling through the room like a snake waiting to strike.

At the head of the table stood my father, Duke Monroe. Tall, imposing, his presence alone enough to silence any dissent. He hadn't spoken yet, but every eye in the room was on him, waiting. My gaze drifted to him, watching as he surveyed his court. For as long as I could remember, this was how it had been—Titan, my brother, was always the one in the light, learning to command attention and sway opinions. I, on the other hand, learned to see the things others missed, to hear the unspoken.

Tonight, though, I knew the silence would be broken. The quiet before the storm. My father's ambitions had grown beyond the borders of our vampiric kingdom. He no longer dreamed of ruling only the Vamps. No, he wanted the entire realm of Acacia—the Weres, the Faes, even the humans. All of them under his control.

I sat, perfectly still, my hands folded in my lap. I had long since learned to keep my face a mask, to let no emotion slip. My father glanced in my direction—briefly, just for a second—but it was enough. The chill that ran down my spine told me everything I needed to know.

I was part of the plan.

"As we all know, our power has long been unmatched within the Vampire realm," my father began, his voice commanding the room's attention. "But why should we be satisfied with just our kingdom when the whole realm is ripe for the taking?"

The room stirred with quiet murmurs, some in awe, some in fear. The Faes, the Weres, the humans—they were not easy prey. But my father didn't care. He never did. His mind was always several steps ahead of everyone else's, plotting, planning, anticipating moves no one else even saw coming.

"We need alliances," he continued, his eyes sharp, calculating. "And not just in name. We need real, binding agreements—collateral to ensure loyalty."

And there it was. That word—collateral.

I should have seen it coming. Of course, I had known this day would arrive. I wasn't my father's heir, after all—that was Titan's role. I was something else. A piece to be moved on the board. A sacrifice, if necessary.

My father's eyes swept the room, landing on me for a moment longer this time, a gleam in his gaze. "I will send my daughter, Scarlet, to the Weres. She will be the one to forge these bonds. A marriage between her and the Alpha, Kian Kane. The Weres already have the bonds with the Faes so that is one step done."

The air in the room seemed to shift. I felt the weight of the nobles' gazes fall on me. Me—the quiet, unassuming daughter of Duke Monroe, the one who rarely spoke unless spoken to, who lived in the shadows of Titan's golden light. But none of them knew me the way my father did. They didn't see what he saw—the potential for something more.

I kept my face still, unreadable. Inside, though, my thoughts raced. He was sending me as collateral, yes, but there was more. My father wasn't just offering me up for marriage or peace. No, he was sending me as his weapon. His spy. His eyes and ears in enemy lands.

It wasn't the first time he had used me this way, though never on a scale this grand. I had always been the one he sent to quiet disputes, to gather information from those who underestimated me. They always underestimated me.

But this time was different. This time, I wasn't just being sent to resolve some small conflict. I was being sent into the heart of the realms that could topple or secure his future. And I knew, deep down, that if things went wrong, I was expendable.

"I trust you understand the importance of this, Scarlet," my father's voice cut through my thoughts, low enough that only I could hear.

I looked up at him, meeting his gaze with all the calm I could muster. "Yes, Father," I said softly, my voice steady.

He nodded, satisfied, and turned his attention back to the room. But his grip on my shoulder lingered for a moment longer than necessary. It was a warning, a reminder that failure wasn't an option.

I sat there, silent as the nobles resumed their discussions. My mind, however, was already turning, spinning through the possibilities. My father thought he was sending me as a pawn, a piece to be traded for power. And perhaps he was. But there was something he had never fully understood about me.

I had never been content to be merely a pawn.

He had trained me to be quiet, to observe, to wait for the right moment. He had taught me how to move through shadows, to wield silence like a blade. And now, as he sent me into the heart of the realm's power struggles, I would do just that. I would play my part, but I would not be a victim of his plans. No one knew the real strength of silence better than I did.

My father wanted control of the Weres, the Faes, and the humans. He wanted to rule the realm. But I wasn't just a piece in his game—I had my own role to play, my own power to wield. And when the time came, I would make sure I wasn't just another daughter sacrificed for a throne.

As the fire crackled and the night deepened, I made a silent vow to myself. I would go where he sent me. I would forge the alliances he demanded. But I would also carve my own path. And when the time came, it would be my hand on the blade, not his.

They would all learn the true value of a quiet queen.