BOUND BY FATE: ENTANGLED WITH MR HELL - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

Maltida's POV
The night was quiet, but my heart thundered with the storm I had summoned.
My father, Minister Draxus, had listened without blinking as I recounted my humiliation. The man who once traced his finger down my jaw, whispered promises in my ear, and set my skin ablaze now treated me like a stranger.
"He's my mate, Father. But he refuses me. I have the mark. Look."
Draxus's eyes flared at the faint glow on my wrist, the mate bond symbol pulsing faintly. A symbol that no one could dispute.
"The Alpha has a duty to the Moon Goddess," he growled. "This is not personal. It's law. He'll be reminded."
He left that night, his steps heavy with fury, and by morning, he was standing in the Great Hall before Alpha Cedric.
Bryant's POV
"You must honor the bond, son." My father's voice cut like a blade. "The Moon Goddess chose her. And we are not above the sacred laws."
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Every fiber in me screamed that something was wrong. Rosa’s scent, her presence, the way she made my wolf restless—wasn’t that the true bond?
But logic and law warred against me.
By sunset, the weight on my shoulders had buried me. I didn’t attend training. I didn’t attend meetings. I walked into my chambers and poured myself glass after glass of wine.
The silence was loud. And it mocked me.
Maltida's POV
I walked into his chambers without knocking. The guards didn't stop me. They wouldn't dare. The bond mark on my wrist practically glowed under the candlelight. My dress shimmered with silver threads that clung to my curves. Everything about me tonight was designed to remind him: I'm the one fate chose.
He was slouched in a chair, shirt open, bottle in hand, eyes blank.
"You've had enough," I said softly, walking to him, taking the bottle from his fingers.
He didn’t resist. His gaze drifted to me and stopped at the mark on my wrist.
"You brought this chaos," he murmured, but his voice was weak, like the fight had drained from him.
"You didn’t ask for this, I know. But maybe it’s not a curse. Maybe it’s exactly what you need."
I handed him another glass, the wine now laced with a drop of the herbal elixir the temple priestess gave me days ago.
His lips touched the glass. And with it, my plan began to unfold.
Narrator
Bryant's vision blurred slightly. The wine dulled the edges of his grief, his confusion, and everything he had tried to suppress. The warmth of the elixir twisted around his senses. The mate bond, amplified by the potion, hummed louder.
Maltida's hands touched his face gently, her lips brushed his. His hand twitched but didn’t pull away.
She led him to the bed, and this time, he didn’t stop her. His world was spinning, his judgment clouded, and she wrapped herself around him like a net tightening.
She would make sure Rosa never had a place again.
Morning
The sun filtered gently into the Alpha's chamber. Bryant blinked against the light, his head pounding, mouth dry. He reached up to rub his eyes and felt a weight against his chest.
Maltida.
Her arm draped over him like she belonged there. Her fingers traced lazy, possessive circles on his bare chest.
"Last night was unforgettable," she murmured, her eyes fluttering open with a satisfied smile.
He stared at her.
And then, a knock.
"Your Majesty," Kael’s voice called softly through the door. "You’re being summoned to the court."
Bryant didn’t move.
His world, once spinning, had just slammed to a stop.