28: Bound by Blood or Power
28: Bound by Blood or Power
Ava pov
I could feel Dante’s fury crackling in the air beside me.
Tension coiled between us, thick and suffocating.
The elders had just spoken.
And now, everything had changed.
"You will be our queen."
The words echoed in my head, twisting through my thoughts like a slow-burning fire.
The choice should have been easy.
Dante had fought for me. He had protected me, claimed me, broken me apart with pleasure and dominance.
But for the first time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to belong to him.
I wanted to belong to myself.
Dante pov
She wasn’t answering.
The silence was worse than any battle wound.
I had expected resistance, doubt—but not this.
Not the way she stood there, frozen, considering.
"Say no, Ava."
Her fingers curled at her sides.
"Ava." My voice was low, dangerous.
She looked at me then, and for the first time, I saw it.
Not fear.
Not submission.
Indecision.
The elder watched, amused. "It’s tempting, isn’t it?"
Ava’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. "What exactly would this mean?"
"Power," the elder said simply. "Beyond anything Dante could ever offer you. No chains. No collar around your neck. No one above you."
Dante growled. "And no freedom. Don't pretend she would be anything more than a pawn to you."
The elder smirked. "A pawn… or a ruler?"
Ava hesitated.
Dante’s hand shot out, gripping her chin. He forced her gaze to his.
"You think they’ll let you rule, Ava?" His voice was rough, raw with desperation. "They don’t want a queen. They want a weapon. And they’ll use you until there’s nothing left."
Ava’s lips parted, but no words came.
"You already have a choice," Dante whispered. "Me."
Ava flinched. "You mean your mark."
Dante’s jaw tightened. "You know it’s more than that."
The elder chuckled. "Is it?"
Dante turned to glare at him. "She’s not yours."
"She isn’t yours either," the elder countered.
Dante looked back at Ava. His fingers relaxed against her skin, his voice dropping to something almost… broken.
"Tell me I haven’t already lost you."
Ava inhaled sharply, her eyes searching his.
But still—she didn’t answer.
Like she was actually tempted.
Like she wanted this.
I took a slow step forward, my voice a low growl.
"Ava."
She flinched, her fingers tightening around the hem of her dress.
I knew that look.
I had seen it before.
She was slipping away.
And I couldn’t fucking allow that.
Ava pov
I felt Dante’s presence before he touched me.
His fingers closed around my wrist, firm but not bruising.
He could have dragged me from this room, forced me to obey.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he just held me there, watching me with cold, unreadable eyes.
"You don’t want this," he said, his voice eerily calm. "You think you do, but you don’t."
I swallowed. "You don’t know what I want."
His grip tightened.
"I know you better than they do."
I hated that he was right.
I hated that he was making me question myself again.
\--------------
The Elders’ Announcement
The elder in crimson robes watched us like a predator studying prey.
"A decision must be made," he mused. "And soon."
He turned his gaze back to me, his expression dripping with amusement.
"In five days, the coronation will take place. Your rule will begin, Ava."
A sharp inhale left my lips. Five days.
Dante’s rage vibrated through the room.
"She hasn’t agreed," he snarled.
The elder smiled. "She will."
\--------------------
Dante’s Final Warning
As soon as we left the palace, Dante didn’t speak.
Not when we climbed into his car.
Not when we returned to his estate.
Not even when he locked the doors behind us and pressed me against the nearest wall.
His voice was low, deadly.
"You think this is a choice, little one."
I swallowed hard.
"Dante—"
He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear.
"They don’t want you as a queen, Ava." His voice was a dark promise. "They want you as a pawn."
I shuddered, hating how much his dominance still affected me.
But I didn’t break.
Not yet.
I lifted my chin. "And you want me as a possession."
His lips curled into a smirk.
"I want you as mine."
He pulled back, his blue eyes piercing through me.
"Decide fast," he murmured, voice rough. "Because when the time comes, I won’t let them have you."
His meaning was clear.
If I didn’t choose him…
He would take me anyway.