Blood Bound
B***d Bound Chapter 1

THERE WERE FIVE CARDINAL

Alphas on this continent, each over centuries-old and known to be one of the most powerful beings still alive on the earth. These five Alphas happened to rule large expanses of land across the states and other Alphas weaker than them.

They were the head honchos.

The Alpha of Alphas.

And the dark sorceress had her eye on a certain Cardinal Alpha to implement in her plans for the b***d ritual. She had never met the Cardinal Alpha herself, but she had heard plenty of him from rumors and stories.

They called him the Southern Lord.

The Cardinal Alpha Xavier Thaeos.

He was said to be more beast than man.

Lethal.

Deadly.

Cruel.

Ruthless.

Brutal.

Corrosive.

That was just to name a few words said to be associated with him.

He was said to kill with or without reason. Any who stood in his way lost their lives beneath his majestic feet, with no remains for burial or closure.

They said no one was worthy to stand by him. Even his true mate was terrified of him, which was why she never showed up all these years. Or perhaps, he had killed her because he didn’t want anything tying him down, especially a weak female.

And all the people he ruled feared him like the plague. They even told bedtime stories about Alpha Xavier Thaeos to scare their children—young or old—from doing bad things. And it worked.

Xavier Thaeos was what nightmares were made of—a terrifying nightmare in the form of a man.

Having lived over one thousand years, he ruled after he killed his b***d father and brothers with his bare claws.

What was there not to like about him?

In fact, he sounded like just the man she was looking for.

One of the best candidates if she had to say so herself.

Who else could do the job as well as Alpha Xavier Thaeos?

A malicious smirk colored Maya’s lips. She straightened the black vest of her staff uniform and carefully tucked a loose strand of midnight-colored hair back into place.

Her pretty red hair was no longer visible. In its place was an inky black color that shimmered under the yellow lighting of the dark hallway. It was meticulously formed into a neat and sleek bun usually seen on the female staff in this hotel.

As she walked, her short heels clicked with every step upon the marble floor, resounding in the seemingly empty halls. She treaded straight to the elevator stationed at the far end and hit the button once before waiting patiently for the doors to open.

Although her face was completely calm and her lips were pulled into a decent smile of some sort, she was extremely anxious on the inside.

Since she was not the type of person to walk muddle-headed into a situation, she had calculated several back up plans before taking action.

If it didn’t work out, she wanted a detailed and easy escape, no matter how minimal that chance was. But her success ratio was currently only at thirty percent, and that was because she had added luck to the equation.

This was the only plan she’d ever drafted with an unknown outcome. The only time she was so irrational as to walk herself to death’s door.

Even Everette had said she was digging her own grave and suggested a small funeral if the dove shifter couldn’t retrieve enough remains for burial. But Maya had laughed it off and continued with the ludicrous plan anyway. She wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, especially when everyone thought her insane. Maya liked proving people wrong. It was in her b***d, and she enjoyed it immensely.

After acquiring the Alpha’s whereabouts, she had precariously taken on the form of a female staff member and prepped to perfection before she dared to walk these halls.

Although she had cast a small spell around herself, Maya kept the black magic to a bare minimum, knowing Xavier Thaeos wasn’t a reigning Cardinal Lord for nothing.

His superior nose would pick out her scent before she could even take a breath, and he could break her neck just as easy the next.

The dark sorceress didn’t want to throw him a bone before she could complete her dastardly plans.

Suddenly, the elevator made a dinging noise and opened to reveal its empty confines. Maya stepped inside and pushed the button for floor thirty-nine.

Not even the boring music could calm her nerves.

As the elevator went up, she stood stock-still and concentrated on the auras close to her.

Nine…Ten…Twelve…Fourteen…Twenty…Twenty-five…Thirty…

The numbers increased until her final stop came and the doors slid open.

Maya hesitated, freezing in her spot as her heart beat like a war drum.

The risk was too high. If she failed today, there was no chance she would walk out of here alive.

Absolutely none.

Maya bit down on her lower l*p and thought of the bigger picture, of what victory would mean, to abate her nerves and fear of failure.

With a sharp intake of breath, Maya pushed the closing elevator doors apart and stepped out into the dimmed halls.

There was only one room on this level, yet the hallway seemed exceedingly long, to the point that she thought it would never end. And at the end of the long hallway stood large oak doors, immaculate and imposing. Yet the guards were nowhere to be seen.

As expected, Everette had done a flawless job in distracting the guards, leaving an opening for Maya to quickly get what she needed and leave. Alpha Xavier Thaeos included, of course.

When Maya took one step forward, she was forced five steps back. She felt the Alpha’s aura and power surround her like a second skin, defensively constricting her body like an anaconda would its prey.

Just from the might and strength of his aura, she could already tell how powerful the man was and couldn’t contain the excitement threatening to tear through her calm facade.

Maya had never met anyone who could push her back with just the might of their aura. It was downright impossible. But he had managed to do so.

The knowledge made Maya extremely excited to strip him of his powers for her own use, to choke him with his strength once it became hers.

From his defensive action, she was sure she was already halfway to victory.

The poison had done its job.

At the realization, all her nervousness and anxiety had shed away. But Maya still kept her defenses up.

She confidently strutted to the door, broke the lock with a simple spell, and put her hands on the golden knob, twisting it easily under her cold palms.

With a deft push, the heavy doors opened to reveal an immaculate hotel suite. It was a luxurious room. The spacious living area had a big TV screen, comfortable couches, a couple of fancy lamps, and a carved coffee table. There was a large bed draped with black silk on the left and a bathroom to the side.

But where the hell was Xavier Thaeos?

Just seconds before she entered the room, his aura had completely disappeared from all around her and the entire area had become empty of life.

Had she miscalculated?

Maya’s eyes widened at the sudden thought, and the panic quickly settled in. She pulled a bottle from her skirt pocket and prepared for the worst. But she barely had the chance to turn around when a set of big hands encircled her neck and lifted her off her feet.

He made no noise when he moved.

Maya immediately swung her arms up, aiming the bottle into his face, and sprayed several times. But his reflexes were ten times faster than her own, almost like a blur when he deflected the liquid with his forearms. Once the caustic mixture touched him, the flesh rapidly rotted away as the concentrated silver ate his skin.

Maya barely managed to free herself when he backhanded her straight across the face, as if he had not been affected by her meager attempts to wound him. She slammed against the television and into the wall almost ten yards away before rolling to the ground with a loud thud. The dark sorceress held on to her stomach, and b***d dripped down the corner of her mouth from the force of his backhand.

Her jaw had completely unhinged, and the inside of her cheek was a bloody mess from when she bit into the soft flesh.

Maya hardly had time to recuperate.

The fearsome Alpha blurred to where she was and lifted her by her shirt until her feet left the ground and dangled rather pathetically underneath her.

The fabric of her vest seemed to squeak under the pressure, and she could hear the sharp crack of one of her black heels hitting the marble floor.

Maya didn’t have any strength to struggle or fight after that.

Her dark concealment shattered like glass all around her until locks of inky hair shimmered into vibrant red and curled around her chin and cheeks, sticking to the b***d dripping off of her face.

The Alpha’s aura moved all around her, manipulating the air until she was left completely motionless and choking pathetically before him.

Maya deemed it one of the most painful things she had ever felt.

“Open your eyes, bitch.” The Alpha’s voice was extremely gruff, sinfully deep, and darkly macabre to her ears.

How did he expect her to open her eyes when his aura was choking her to death?

She wanted to tell him she couldn’t even move a finger but stopped short of croaking the defiant words out. In her mind, she realized she needed to buy time and play a submissive female until she could use her ace card.

With that thought, Maya forced every bit of strength into her eyelids.

When she finally opened them to stare him in the eye, or what she thought was his eye, since her vision had long gone blurry, her head spun uncontrollably.

Some type of electric shock danced upon the surface of her skin where his hands touched, which she quickly shrugged off from the pain.

But it was an instant reaction for the Alpha. His body immediately became rigid, and the force of his hands and aura lightened.

Maya was quick to use the opening. She willed the hidden poison up her throat and blew the black powder into his face, managing to bypass his aura to completely cover him from head to shoulders.

He jerked strongly, and his grip slackened as his bulky body stumbled several steps back.

Without much effort, Maya was able to free herself from his hold and came crashing painfully onto the cold marble floor. She could hear his harsh intake of breath, and then a loud, thunderous thud as he keeled over before her.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

B***d roared in Maya’s ears and dripped down her mouth in rivulets.

With blurry vision, she managed to get back on her feet, stance slightly crooked from the missing heel, but the dark sorceress didn’t care too much. Because she had succeeded.

A wide smirk tipped the corners of her mouth in a malicious and chilling way, while the thrill of beating him made adrenaline pump briskly through her veins and manipulate a blush onto her pale cheeks.

Maya slowly wiped off the b***d collecting on her chin and limped over to his fallen form.

Her entire body was as tense as a spring. She was still wary of him and didn’t want to get caught unawares again because that had cost her dearly.

Using one hand, Maya collected her heel and slipped it on, all the while glancing down her nose at the fallen Alpha.

The black powder was matted on his face and hair, covering his true features like a charcoal mask.

Maya swept her hand across and cleaned off the poison with her magic. In seconds, his regal features were unveiled to her mocking gaze.

So this is what the lethal and dangerous Cardinal Alpha looks like.

The first things she noted were a tall, perfectly shaped nose bridge, long dark lashes, and a head of messy brown-blonde hair. He looked to be in his late twenties and had beautifully tanned skin and high cheekbones. Even his lips appeared perfect with how full and firm they were.

The Alpha was handsome, far more so than she’d thought for a monster everyone feared. If she didn’t know any better, she would have believed this was what a god looked like. But unfortunately, monsters like him had beautiful outer skin to effortlessly fool those around them.

Maya frowned, thinking she was smarter than that.

She kicked him twice in the leg to make sure he was subdued before she threw a dark spell over him and herself.

Within three seconds, the spell completely camouflaged his true features. His masculine traits were replaced with feminine ones, and he became a tall woman with short brown hair and healthy glowing skin.

As for Maya, she had changed from a hotel staff member into a young, nerdy girl with thick glasses and a mouthful of braces. She was now dressed in faded jeans and a dark purple t-shirt.

Using her magic, she lifted the Alpha and settled him over her shoulders, letting his head fall back against her neck.

As he breathed, Maya felt his warmth pillow against the skin peeking from her shirt. It bothered her slightly, tickling her, but she didn’t remove him in her rush to leave the hotel. And because of her haste, she failed to notice the slight quirk on the unconscious Alpha’s full lips.

If only she had seen the sinful smirk on his handsome face, she would have—possibly—decided otherwise in the usage of this particular Cardinal Alpha.

If only.