Avenging Luna
Chapter 57: Stupid Mate Bond

Chapter 57: Stupid Mate Bond

Drake’s POV:

I still loved her. I couldn’t deny it, even as everything inside me screamed that I shouldn’t. My hands itched to touch her, to pull her close and drown in her scent again. The stupid mate bond didn’t seem to care that this was a doomed relationship, that it was twisted and broken beyond repair. I had allowed the daughter of my parents’ killers to mark me. Worse, I had marked her in return.

It was the ultimate betrayal to their memory. How could I live with myself knowing that I had mated with the bloodline I swore to destroy? And yet... if I had known the truth from the beginning, would I have rejected her? The question gnawed at me every day, because deep down, I wasn’t sure I could have.

Today at the office, I had lost control. I kissed her. I couldn’t help it. Her lips had been inches from mine, and before I could stop myself, I gave in. I missed her—God, how I had missed her. Layla had seduced me countless times when she was in control, tempting me, making me want her even more. But now, with Leila back... my body ached for her in a way that I hadn’t felt in weeks. My wolf, Gile, growled with the need to claim her all over again, to quench the thirst I had resisted for so long.

And then, just as she returned, I learned the truth about her. That she was the daughter of the people I had vowed to wipe from this earth. The very blood that ran through her veins was the blood that had murdered my parents.

I had suspected she was hiding something, but never in my darkest dreams did I think it was this. The weight of it crushed me. I had to walk out on her earlier, knowing that if I stayed, I would do something I’d regret. The rage, the confusion, and the desire were too much to handle.

"Like fuck her until she can’t walk and forgive her for having blood she shouldn’t have," Gile snarled in my head, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts.

He had been on edge ever since we found out, and he hated me for punishing our mate for the sins of her parents. To him, it didn’t matter that her blood was tainted. She was still ours. She was still the one the Moon Goddess had chosen. And he was right in a way that made me hate myself even more. My wolf didn’t see reason, didn’t care about the past. He only saw her—our mate.

But I ignored Gile, not wanting to argue with him again. Every time we clashed, it ended in a splitting headache, and I was in no mood for that tonight. Still, his words lingered, making my imagination run wild. I pictured her in my office, leaning over my desk, breathless and moaning my name as I took her hard and fast, losing myself in her just like I wanted to.

I shook my head, trying to clear the haze of lust that was clouding my thoughts. How could I want her like this, knowing everything I knew? How could I let myself be so weak, so stupid?

But it didn’t matter. No matter how much I tried to distance myself from her, the bond kept pulling me back. The bond didn’t care about revenge or blood oaths. It only cared that she was mine, and I was hers.

But was that enough anymore?

I headed to the guestroom where I had been sleeping for weeks now, hoping tonight would be different—hoping sleep would finally find me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had held Leila in my arms as we drifted off together. It used to be so natural, something I craved every night. But now, it felt like a betrayal to my parents’ memory. I wouldn’t—couldn’t—do that.

Layla had been in control for so long, trying to seduce me night after night, making it impossible to sleep in the same room as her. So, I had moved into the next room. And now that Leila was back, the weight of her identity still hung between us. As much as I missed her, touching her, holding her, felt like dishonoring the very people who had given me life.

Opening the door to the guestroom, I wasn’t prepared to see her sitting on the bed. I stopped in my tracks. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t aroused. Even with the lights off, the soft moonlight that filtered through the window was enough for me to make out her delicate features—the ones that had always undone me. Her skin seemed to glow, her eyes catching the faint light, and I knew I was close to falling apart.

Not wanting her to see the desire that threatened to overtake me, I masked my emotions with a cold expression, forcing indifference as I walked over to the couch, keeping as much distance as I could. The last thing I needed was for her to notice the fire she still ignited in me. I sat down, as far from the bed as possible, though my body ached to be near her. My wolf, Gile, growled in disapproval, but I ignored him.

Leila looked at me with sorrow-filled eyes, and for a moment, I almost wavered. Then she cleared her throat, preparing to speak.

"I was the firstborn of my parents. Since I was born female, they saw me as an invalid... a mistake," she began, her voice soft but steady.

I frowned, disbelief surging through me. "What? You’re the firstborn of an Alpha. How is that possible?" I asked, not understanding how any pack could reject their own blood, especially someone with Alpha blood.

"So you’re an Alpha," I noted, unable to keep the surprise from my voice.

She gave a bitter smile. "Yes, I am. But to them, a female Alpha was a disgrace. They denied me, claiming I was the child of a rogue they had killed. They told the pack they saved me, and in return, I was to serve them like a slave."

Her words cut deep, each one revealing a truth that I hadn’t expected. Leila wasn’t just carrying the blood of my parents’ killers—she had been abandoned and mistreated by them. The anger in me simmered, but it wasn’t directed at her anymore. I felt my walls begin to crack, but I held on to the last thread of my resolve.

"I didn’t mind at first," she continued, her voice growing quieter, "but as I grew older, I realized what they were doing. I was grateful to them for saving me until I overheard them arguing one night. That’s when I found out... I was the daughter of the Alpha and Luna."

She paused, her gaze flicking to me to see if I was still listening. I was. I was hanging on every word.

"I confronted them," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "But that was a mistake. After that, they treated me even worse than before. The Alpha threatened me, told me not to tell anyone I was their daughter. Only the Beta and Raphael—"

"Raphael?" I interrupted, feeling the familiar rage rise at the mention of his name.

"Yes, Raphael," she confirmed, her expression hardening. "He would visit the pack often for business with my father. He became fascinated with me, always asking if he could buy me or take me. My father refused. But Raphael was obsessed. He found out I was the Alpha’s daughter, and after that, he would seek me out whenever he came, telling me how he couldn’t wait until I grew up. He said he would snatch me away and play ’games’ with me."

I clenched my fists, fury rolling through me. The thought of that sick bastard tormenting her—even as a child—made me see red. I didn’t need her to elaborate on what Raphael meant by "games." He was a twisted monster, and the more she spoke, the more I wanted to tear him apart all over again.

"When I turned eighteen," Leila continued, her voice now laced with bitterness, "my father settled a debt with the Blood Moon Pack. Alpha Vanvil demanded me as part of the payment, and that’s how I became his slave. I lived under his rule until the moment I got the chance to kill him and escape."

She finished, her voice trailing off into silence. She didn’t look at me, and I could tell she was bracing herself for my reaction.

I sat there, stunned. My mind was racing, trying to process everything she had just told me. The story, the abuse, the betrayal—it was overwhelming. She wasn’t just the daughter of my enemies. She had been their victim too, trapped in a world of cruelty and lies.

And yet, a part of me still clung to the anger. The blood of my parents’ killers still flowed through her veins. Could I really overlook that? Could I just forgive it and move on?

I stared at her, the woman I had sworn to love, protect, and cherish, now sitting across from me, broken and vulnerable. My wolf growled softly, urging me to close the distance between us, to comfort her, but I remained rooted to the spot.

Because no matter how much I wanted her, no matter how much the mate bond pulled me toward her, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was wrong. That by loving her, I was betraying the memory of the people who had given me life.

And that, above all, was a sin I wasn’t sure I could live with.