Elara's POV
The kiss burst through me like lightning.
The mate bond sparked instantly—burning, fierce, and undeniable. It felt like every cell in my body suddenly woke up and recognized home.
I pulled back from the Lycan King, breathing. His mask had fallen to the side, and I saw his face clearly for the first time.
My heart stopped.
"Luca?" I whispered.
Those eyes. I knew those eyes. Warm brown eyes that used to light up when we played hide and seek in the bush. Eyes that belonged to my best friend before he left when I turned eight.
Lucian Nightborne. Little Luca who caught fireflies with me. Who promised we'd be friends forever.
He became the Lycan King.
"Hello, Elara," he said softly, his voice deeper than I remembered but still somehow familiar. "I've been waiting for you."
Around us, the Moon Dance had gone totally silent. Everyone stared with their mouths open. I just kissed the Lycan King. In public. Without permission.
People would talk about this for years.
But I didn't care. The mate bond hummed between us, warm and right and real. This wasn't like the false bond I forced with Kieran. This was real.
"You remember me," Lucian said, wonder in his voice. "You actually remember me."
Before I could answer, Cassian grabbed my arm and pulled me backward.
"Elara, what are you doing?" he hissed. "That's the Lycan King! You can't just kiss him!"
"I can if he's my mate," I said, not taking my eyes off Lucian.
The crowd exploded into whispers. The word "mate" spread like wildfire.
Lucian's eyes never left mine. "Is that your claim? Do you choose me as your mate, Elara Silvermoon?"
In my first timeline, I picked Kieran. That choice crushed me.
Now the Moon Goddess had given me another choice. A good mate. Someone who actually cared about me.
Someone who watched me die and came back to save me.
Because suddenly I knew. The way Lucian said he'd been "waiting"—he knew. He remembered the other timeline too.
"Yes," I said clearly, my voice carrying across the silent tent. "I choose you, Lucian Nightborne. You are my mate."
The mate link sealed with a flash of silver light. I felt it lock into place, linking our souls.
Lucian smiled—a real, sincere smile that made him look like the boy I remembered. "Then you're under my protection now. No one can touch you."
A roar of rage broke the moment.
Kieran burst through the crowd, his face twisted with fury. "No! This is wrong! She was supposed to be mine!"
Was going to be. Past tense. Like he already knew how this night was meant to go.
My suspicions were right. Kieran remembers the original timeline. He knew I picked him before. He expected me to do it again.
"The lady made her choice," Lucian said, his voice growing cold and dangerous. "Or do you challenge her right to choose her own mate?"
"She's been manipulated!" Kieran pointed at me with a shaking hand. "That girl refused me—me—and kissed you without hesitation? That's not natural! You used dark magic on her!"
The crowd muttered uncertainly. Some people nodded. It did seem strange when they didn't know the whole story.
"I used no magic," Lucian said quietly. "The mate bond cannot be pushed or faked. Everyone here felt it when we connected."
"Then prove it!" Kieran snarled. "Let the Moon Temple priests check her! If there's no magic, she'll be fine. If there is, the truth will show!"
My blood ran cold. The Moon Temple priests could see everything—including whether someone was telling the truth about their past.
If they examined me, they might find I was a time regressor. They might see my thoughts of dying. They might reveal everything.
"I agree to the examination," I said before Lucian could refuse.
Lucian looked at me sharply. "Elara—"
"I have nothing to hide," I lied easily. "Let them check. They'll find no dark magic."
Because officially, it wasn't dark magic that brought me back. It was the Moon Goddess herself.
Kieran's eyes gleamed with victory. "Excellent. The priests can perform the rite tonight. Right now."
"No," Lucian said strongly. "Elara is under royal protection. Any examination will happen at the Moon Temple with proper planning. Not here. Not tonight."
Kieran's jaw clenched. He was trying to rush this, trying to reveal me before I could prepare.
"Fine," Kieran said through tight teeth. "Tomorrow then. At the Moon Temple. The entire court can witness."
"Agreed," Lucian said.
Kieran shot me one last look—promising revenge—before turning and pushing his way through the crowd. His pack followed, all of them shooting me angry glares.
The moment he was gone, my legs nearly gave out. Cassian caught me.
"What just happened?" my brother whispered. "Elara, did you really just reject Alpha Kieran and claim the Lycan King as your mate?"
"Yes," I said, still feeling dizzy from the mate bond and the excitement.
"Are you insane?"
Maybe. But I was living. And I had a real chance now.
Lucian stepped closer, his hand reaching toward me. "We need to talk. Privately."
"Your Majesty," a guard appeared at his side. "We should return to the house. This situation is—"
"I know what it is," Lucian cut him off. His eyes found mine. "Elara, will you come with me? I can protect you better at the Celestial City."
Leave my pack. Leave my home. Go with a man I haven't seen in ten years.
But that man was my mate. That man remembered the schedule. That man was the only one who could help me survive what was coming.
"Yes," I said. "I'll go with you."
Cassian grabbed my arm. "No! Elara, you can't just leave! What about our family? What about—"
"Cassian, please." I looked at my brother, asking him to understand. "I need to do this. Trust me."
"Then I'm coming too," Cassian said fiercely. "I'm not letting you go alone."
I wanted to fight, but having Cassian close meant I could protect him. Keep him from dying like in the original reality.
"He can come," Lucian said, startling me. "Any family she wants to bring is welcome."
"We leave tonight," a female voice said.
I turned to see a woman in royal guard armor coming. She was beautiful, with short dark hair and sharp eyes that assessed me carefully.
"This is Commander Sera," Lucian said. "She leads my personal guard."
Sera bowed slightly to me. "Future Luna. We need to move quickly. Alpha Kieran will try something before we leave pack lands."
Future Luna. The title made my stomach flip.
"What kind of something?" Cassian asked.
Sera's face darkened. "An trap. An accident. Whatever he can arrange fast. He won't let this insult stand."
She was right. Kieran was already planning my death. Just like before.
But this time I had friends. This time I wasn't alone.
"I need five minutes," I said. "To say goodbye to my parents."
"Three minutes," Sera replied. "And I'm coming with you."
I nodded and turned toward where I'd last seen my mother in the crowd.
But she was gone.
My father stood alone, looking confused and shocked.
"Dad!" I ran to him.
He grabbed me in a tight hug. "Elara, what's happening? Did you really—"
"I'm sorry, Dad. I know this is sudden. But I have to go with the Lycan King. He's my mate."
"Your mate?" Dad pulled back, studying my face. "Are you sure? This is all so fast."
"I'm sure. Please, trust me. I know what I'm doing."
Dad looked like he wanted to argue, but something in my face stopped him. "Where's your mother? She should be here."
"I don't know." I scanned the crowd again. Still no sign of her.
That was wrong. My mother should be here for this. She should be fighting to keep me or at least saying goodbye.
Unless she knew this was going to happen.
Unless she wanted me to leave with Lucian.
Or unless she was working with Kieran to stop it.
"Time's up," Sera said, appearing at my side. "We need to go. Now."
I hugged my father one more time. "I love you, Dad. I'll explain everything later. I promise."
"Be safe," he whispered. "Both of you."
Sera led us through the crowd toward where horses waited. Lucian was already mounted, his mask back in place.
I got onto a horse with Sera's help. Cassian mounted his own horse beside me.
As we started to ride away from the Moon Dance, I looked back one last time.
My mother stood at the edge of the gazebo now, finally visible.
She was talking to someone in the darkness.
Someone with dark hair and green glowing eyes.
Morgana.
My mother was talking to Morgana. Right now. At my mate wedding.
They both turned to watch me leave, and my mother's face was cold.
Not sad. Not worried. Cold.
Like she was watching a plan fall apart.
And I realized with terrible certainty: my mother wasn't just involved in cursing my wolf.
She was working with Kieran and Morgana all along.