The Moonlit Desires: Bound by Blood

King Alessandro

I took a sip of my drink in my swanky mini bar inside my chamber when I heard a gentle knock on the door. Before I could react, the door swung open, and there stood Aristide, holding files in his hands.

My curious gaze swept over the files in his hand and then back at him. “What’s the issue?”

“You know you should stop this habit now; locking yourself up and drowning in alcohol every day of this ceremony,” he chided as he closed the door. “If you can’t stand the ceremony, then stop it,” he continued, dropping the files on my center table and plopping himself on the couch.

This fool is lucky he’s my brother. Otherwise, he might be enjoying crickets six feet under by now.

Ignoring his nonsense, I asked the question that was on my mind, “What’s that for and why are you here?”

“Oh! You mean this,” he pointed at the files, shrugging. “I bumped into one of your slaves in the corridor; she’s here to deliver those to you.”

“Slave?” I knitted my brow up in confusion, sipping my drink.

“Yeah… What’s her name again?” He mused thoughtfully before a teasing smile appeared on his lips. “Emma Giovanni.”

Immediately the name slipped off his lips, the drink I was sipping unknowingly spit out of my mouth to the bar counter. Sh*t, what’s happening?

Clearing my throat, I used the napkin there to wipe my lips and then damp out the spilled drink on the counter. “Where is she and why are you the one delivering those?” I asked, folding the napkin and tossing it to the other side.

I noticed my heart skipped at the mention of her name.

But no words were said, and that caught my attention. “Aristide,” I turned to see him, but the fool was just sitting there, smirking.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just that I thought…” he had barely finished his words when immediately a knock came from the door. Clearing my throat, I said, “Come in,” while sipping my drink.

The door creaked open, and Lucas, Marcus, and Serena walked in. “Good evening, King Alessandro,” Serena greeted.

“Hey buddy,” Lucas smiled, coming for a handshake before pulling out a chair to sit with me.

“We sold a lot tonight, buddy,” Marcus grinned, placing the list of the amount of sales they made from the night in front of me.

I stared down at it and a smile curled up my lips, “This is wonderful,” I complimented, shaking hands with both of them.

Marcus poured myself a drink and took a seat beside Aristide, who was suddenly quiet.

“King Alessandro,” And just then, Serena called, drawing everyone’s attention. “Did any dog come up here?” She spits, her face cringing in disgust.

Before I could open my mouth, Lucas beat me to it. “A dog?”

“Did you send those shitty things up here?” Marcus snapped, not even bothering to hide his distaste, and for some unknown reason, my stomach churned at his remark.

“You sent someone on an errand without proper directions on how to locate the king’s chamber,” suddenly, Aristide snapped, surprising everyone in the room, including me.

What the fuck? Did Aristide just snap at someone right now?

Oh my goodness!

But who are they even talking about? Anyway, it’s none of my business. I have no business with those slaves, but Aristide…

Exhaling deeply, I gritted my teeth, my gaze fixed on them with a bored expression as they delved into a heated argument.

“I don’t care if she gets lost,” Serena snarled.

“That’s my mate you’re talking about,” Marcus snarled, glaring at Aristide. “Then teach her how to treat others,” Aristide said, returning the same energy.

Hmmm… interesting.

“Treat slaves?” Marcus growled.

“Which slaves are you people talking about?” Lucas managed to ask amidst the argument.

“Emma Giovanni,” Serena spits.

And unexpectedly, I snapped my head toward them, my anger starting to bubble up as their argument escalated. So it was her that they were talking about all these while. My fingers clenched around the glass tumbler, a mixture of realization and fury coursing through me as I struggle to control my emotions.

“Oh, that crappy dog…!” Marcus snarled, but without realizing it, I emitted a loud sound that echoed like a roar, causing everyone to freeze. The entire room plunged into silence as all eyes turned towards me.

“What_ what happened?” Lucas stammered, everyone looking stunned, except my dear brother. He shot me a knowing look that truly unsettled me.

Did he know that I am mated to her? He seems so sure of something, especially when it comes to everything related to her.

“We should be making more than that if you’ve permitted us to trade her off,” Marcus’s words jolted me out of my reverie thoughts. I shot him a fierce glare, but the fool continued with his words.

“She should have earned us a staggering fortune,” he adds, rubbing his jaw in frustration.

The tension in the room thickened and noticing the look on my face, Lucas swiftly intervened. Urging Marcus to stop his relentless chatter. But the fool ignored him and persisted with his unsettling remarks, each word chipping away at my patience like an unstoppable storm wearing down a cliff face.

I have this nagging feeling to end him right now, and the prancing of my beast in my head isn’t helping at all.

“ENOUGH!” I growled loudly, already aggravated by his incessant words, my patience completely worn thin.

An unsettling tension hung heavy in the room, so thick it felt suffocating.

“You really want to sell her, aren’t you?” I snapped at him, my words laced with contempt. Fuming with rage, I pushed back from my chair and strode to my wardrobe, retrieving a check from the drawer.

“What’s the top offer today?” Exaggerated, I sighed, casting a menacing glare at everyone present, causing them to shift uneasily on their feet.

“I hate having to say things twice,” I bellowed, my intense stare locked on the now confused-looking Marcus. The beast within me yearns for every ounce of his blood at this moment.

“Mmm… uh,” he stammered, taken aback by the expression on my face.

“Hundred million dollars,” Lucas blurted out abruptly, but immediately I snapped at him. He uncomfortably gulps down his drink in one go.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Marcus,”

“B…. But buddy,” Marcus started and trailed off. “This is a slave……

“Speak!”

“Fine, 100 million dollars,” he stated firmly. My gaze fixed on him as I observed his Adam’s apple bob up and down before he sighed and averted his eyes.

They’re my buddies, and shouldn’t be this terrified of me, but I can’t help it, especially when it involves that she-wolf.

Signing the check, I flung it in his direction. “You want her sold, don’t you? That’ll be 150 million dollars,” I declared, prompting everyone to gape in shock at my words.

A blend of confusion, surprise, and shock crossed their faces, except for Aristide, who wore a look of pure satisfaction.

“What… What do you mean?” Marcus stammered, still clearly in shock.

“That means she’s now under my ownership,” I stated, my expression icy and unreadable. “She is now mine,” I continued, further shocking them.

“W…. What?” They gasped.

Ignoring them, my eyes locked onto the stunned Serena. “She won’t be staying in the slave building anymore,” she gasped, visibly nervous as she met my gaze. “Prepare a room for her in this building; she’ll be residing here from now on.”

The room fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard at this time.

“And let me make this clear,” I raised my brow, shooting a piercing glare at each of them. “She will serve only me in this place, no one else.”

Nervously gulping, they nodded in surprise at me. But before any of them could speak, I cut in, interrupting them. “Luciano said that those dogs are planning something, so stay alert. This should be our sole focus now,” looking at their faces, I paused before continuing. “We need to know what’s on their mind but before then we need to be prepared in case of anything. Lucas get in touch with our warriors before tomorrow afternoon,” letting out a tense smile, he nodded immediately.

“And,” I turned to the rest. ” We are done, I need to be left alone,”