The wind howled through the Vale of Broken Moons, carrying with it the scent of rain—and something darker. Aiko pulled her fur-lined cloak tighter around her body, every nerve in her on fire. Her thighs ached with residual heat, her lips still tingled from the way Kael had left her the night before: on the brink, begging, unsatisfied.
He'd walked away.
Again.
Damn him.
She trudged up the narrow path behind Kael, his silhouette sharp against the dusky sky. His silence wasn't cold—it was calculated. He was teaching her something, though she couldn't tell if the lesson was restraint or cruelty.
They'd stopped at a cliffside ledge overlooking a ghostly valley. Below, ruins stretched like fractured bones beneath silver fog. Kael spoke, voice low.
"That's the Temple of Vessil."
Aiko raised a brow. "And?"
"Your next target is inside."
She bristled. "Another sync?"
"Not like the others," Kael said. "He won't let you choose. He hunts. And he's been waiting for you."
Aiko swallowed. "Who is he?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "Riven. The Hound of Virelia."
The name coiled in her gut like a warning. "Why does he want me?"
Kael looked at her for the first time since morning. "Because you're everything he can't control. And that… arouses him."
Suddenly, a chill slid up Aiko's spine—and not from the wind.
Kael handed her a small vial of black liquid. "Drink this."
"What is it?"
"Venom," he said casually. "Keeps your mind clear when the system wants you to surrender."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No," Kael said. "Just keeps you useful."
Aiko snatched the vial and downed it. Bitter, icy, and vaguely minty. Her heartbeat slowed slightly, her senses sharpening. The warmth in her core dulled, but didn't vanish.
Then the system chimed.
---
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE ====]
New Target Detected: RIVEN, HOUND OF VIRELIA
Class: Predatory Hunter
Sync Skill: Blood Pact – Bind a target's will through erotic imprinting. Requires full surrender.
Danger Level: EXTREME
Psychological Profile: Sadist. Obsessed with domination. Seeks emotional collapse and sexual control.
Warning: This entity will attempt full overwrite of Host's will.
Suggested Response: Avoid physical contact unless dominance is assured. Suppression Protocol Activated.
---
They descended into the ruins.
The temple was ancient, choked in ivy and half-swallowed by the earth. Inside, flickering torches lit the passageways in hues of crimson and gold. Symbols lined the walls—phallic, divine, obscene.
And in the center, seated atop a stone throne as though he'd always been there, was Riven.
He was monstrous beauty: seven feet tall, naked to the waist, skin kissed by inked runes that pulsed faintly with magic. His eyes were amber slits, feline and terrifying. And when he smiled—god, that smile—it promised pleasure and ruin in equal measure.
Aiko stepped into the chamber with Kael, heart racing. Riven rose slowly, every movement a predator's grace.
"So," he purred, "the little virgin goddess finally arrives."
Aiko held her ground. "I'm not yours."
"Oh, you will be," he said, descending the steps like a panther. "I've tasted your scent from leagues away. Your heat sings through the ley-lines. Do you know what that does to a man like me?"
Kael reached for his blade. "Back off."
Riven didn't even glance at him. "She came willingly. You forget what game we're playing."
Aiko stepped forward, surprising them both. "I'm here to sync, not surrender. Try and take me—and I'll make you beg."
That smile widened. "Now that's interesting."
Without warning, he pounced.
Kael drew his sword, but Aiko shoved him aside. "He's mine."
Claws met flesh, lips crashed into hers—not out of affection, but war. She shoved him back with the flat of her palm. Riven growled.
"You fight like you fuck," he said. "Clumsy, but feral. I like that."
His fingers brushed her throat—her body ignited with unwanted pleasure. She staggered, the venom struggling to hold back the system's triggers.
She had to win.
He grabbed her wrist, yanked her close. "I could make you scream in pleasure and never let you stop. You'd forget your name, your purpose… everything. You'd be mine."
Aiko tilted her head—and bit his shoulder, hard.
He hissed. Blood welled. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Yes… That's it…"
But she wasn't done.
She grabbed the chains hanging from his belt, wrapped them around his throat, and yanked. His eyes widened as he stumbled back, crashing to one knee.
She mounted him—goddess to beast—and pressed her lips to his ear.
"Say you belong to me," she whispered.
His hands flexed, torn between resistance and submission.
"I said—say it."
The temple trembled. Riven's claws scraped the stone floor, but he rasped: "I… belong to you."
The system flared.
---
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE ====]
BREEDBOUND SYNC COMPLETE
Target: Riven, Hound of Virelia
Skill Gained: Blood Pact – Temporarily bind another's will through intimate dominance.
Dominance Rank: Subjugator
Emotional Imprint: Obsessive. Risk of future rebellion: HIGH.
Warning: Subject will develop possessive fixation. Suppression advised.
---
Aiko collapsed beside him, shaking.
Kael approached, offering his cloak.
"I had it under control," she whispered.
"I know," he said, wrapping it around her. "That's what scares me."
Riven knelt before her now, trembling with dark reverence. "You are no heroine," he said. "You're a goddess of ruin."
She stared at her hands. "Then this world better start praying."
Outside, thunder cracked.
The Breedbound Heroine had taken her first true prey.
And Virelia would never be the same.