Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Tala

Conan all but dragged me back to the temple. Ash follows behind us, quiet but studying my every move. She saw more than I wanted her to see. To be honest, I didn’t want her to see anything at all, but it was foolish for me to think that I could keep Theo hidden forever. My cheeks burned bright red, but not from

embarrassment. The thought of Theo’s lips is forever burned into my mind, and I don’t think I will ever be the same.

The temple doors slam closed behind me, and I jump at the sound. The walls of my home seem to close in on me, and cold air from the dark hallways seems to seep into my bones. I assumed that I would have calmed down by the time we returned, but my pulse still echoes in my ears. It has been the same since I saw Theo in the alley.

The reminder of my betrayal. Of my rejection, whispers in my mind. I can still feel Theo’s hurt and confusion as I shoved him aside. The way his eyes seared into my back as I walked away, but worse of all, I can still feel the lingering touch of his fingers against my skin.

I didn’t mean it. I never meant it. But what choice did I have? If I hadn’t stepped aside, Conan would have drawn steel, and Theo, gods help me, he would’ve fought until blood soaked the stone at our feet. I couldn’t let that happen. I won’t let blood be spilled, not because of me.

“Tala,” Conan’s rough voice breaks through my silence. “I won’t tell your mother…”

I turn, squaring my shoulders as I look at him. “You had no right.”

He growls. His anger filling the small space between us. “I had every right. You are a Daughter of the Moon. No one is to touch you.”

“What about you?” My words taste like venom. “Are you allowed to touch me? I seem to remember your hand wrapped around my bicep as you dragged me back to this prison. Is that not forbidden?”

“I had to ensure you wouldn’t run back to him,” he grumbles.

“And if I did?” I shout. “Then what? My mother would be less one servant. One less Daughter for her to keep under her thumb. He is my mate, Conan. Even she can’t deny the bond between us.”

I spin. My feet stomping down the cold hall. I can hear Conan behind me, calling out my name in desperation, but I don’t care to hear whatever else he has to say. He can’t keep me from Theo. No one can.

When I enter my chamber, Ash is already waiting. Her eyes are wider than usual, cutting right through my attempts at composure. She has always been restless, the Daughter who asks too many questions, who bristles at tradition. Now that fire burns hotter than ever.

“You think no one saw?” she hisses, shutting the door behind me. “You think Conan won’t run to the Moon Goddess with what he witnessed? How do you plan to keep him silent?”

My throat tightens. “Ash…”

Her lips curl in a knowing smile. “It was him, wasn’t it? The cursed wolf. That’s why you’ve been slipping away

in the middle of the night. You have been going to see him.”

I flinch, and that alone is her answer.

Ash steps closer, her tone softer now. “He’s your mate. Isn’t he? That’s why you asked if you thought there were mates waiting for us outside of these walls.”

My eyes sting as I whisper, “Yes.”

She smiles for a moment, and her eyes turn glassy. “He is rather attractive.”

A jealous growl rumbles in my chest, and the word “mine” slips from my lips. Only Ash isn’t scared of my outburst. Her eyes seem to glitter with more excitement than before. She rests a hand on my shoulder, but her touch only makes my skin crawl.

“Relax, sister,” she chuckles. “I have no use for a man. Especially not one that is bound to my favorite sister.”

I draw in a breath, shaking the jealousy from my mind. “What do I do?” I whine. “This wasn’t meant to happen.”

“You could meet him again,” she snickers.

I gasp. “I cannot. Not with Conan sniffing around. He will try to kill Theo, and I am not sure he will be successful. Something dark resides in him, something I am not sure I can fix.”

For a heartbeat, silence reigns. Then Ash lets out a sharp laugh, not cruel but incredulous. “A Daughter of the Moon, herself bound to a man, the Goddess cursed? Tala, do you realize what this means?”

“I know what it means,” I whisper, clutching the edge of the table until my knuckles whiten. “It means if anyone else finds out, he’ll be hunted. It means she will strip me bare of everything I am meant to be.”

Ash’s expression shifts, defiance sparking in her gaze. “Or it means destiny isn’t as rigid as they’d have us believe. Maybe the Goddess is wrong.”

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