e Burden of t

en's

e city lay shrouded in silence, broken only by the distant hoot of an owl and the whispering of the wind through ancient stone wa

of the fate that had bound me since birth. Centuries of my ancestors' suffering weighed down on me like an anchor tied to a sinki

od-boun

inces. It was etched with sigils that shimmered faintly in the moonlight, symbols of protection and binding magic. The same

omplication that tore at the fragile thr

who failed to find and bind his blood bride before the 300th blood moon would see his

hers. If the bond were to break, the consequences would ripple through the vampire world and beyond. The blood bride's power was rare, a g

ling in the faint breeze. The weight of expectat

such power were exposed. For centuries, the bloodline was protected, shielded from human knowledge and

st prince, bound by blood to a mortal bride centuries ago. The legend was faded, bu

ry but a weapon? Could Aria's fire, her wildness, be the

ins a fierce, stubborn flame igniting a connection that was more than magic. It was recognition. An echo

as uncertainty. Did I wa

uld rule through fear and power. I was meant to

a was d

efiant. U

I represented with a f

door pulled me

" I com

r ancient knowledge, stepped into the chamber. His silver

your bond has spread faster than shadow. They demand you present proof

he court's gaze was sharp, their pa

comply,"

toward a small vial on my desk Aria

t could unravel not just your reign, but destabilize the bala

echoed my

n," I said, voice harden

and wild, laced with fear and determination. The mark on her neck pulsed fai

ch as hers. But words failed me. Instead, I whispered to the

oment she awoke, confusion

s me yours?" she spat, vo

etly. "Binding your

torm, and I was ca

vampires who saw the bond as weakness. I was not only fighting for power but sur

e ahead. To wield the power of the blood bond, I must earn

nd visions from the elder s

orn of a human line blessed

fated to find h

or destr

hreatened the horizon. The city remained sti

caught between duty and desire, burd