Mira's POV
I woke up drowning.
At least that's what it felt like. My lungs burned like I'd inhaled fire, my skin felt too tight, and every heartbeat sent lightning through my veins.
"Easy, easy!" Hands pressed me down—gentle but firm. "Don't move. You're still recovering."
I forced my eyes open. Zara's ancient face hovered above me, her expression worried.
"What... happened?" My voice came out like sandpaper.
"You nearly killed yourself, that's what happened." Zara's worry shifted to anger. "Using the Healer's Voice without training? Are you TRYING to die?"
The battle. Magnus. The bears. I'd stopped them all with that golden lightning.
"Everyone was fighting," I croaked. "They were going to kill each other over me. I had to—"
"You had to NOTHING." Zara's eyes flashed. "Let them fight. Let them die if they're stupid enough. Your life is worth more than a hundred territorial beastmen."
"That's a terrible thing to say!"
"It's a TRUE thing to say." Zara sat back, rubbing her temples. "You've been unconscious for two days, Mira. TWO DAYS. Your body was shutting down, your life force draining away. If I hadn't used the temple's magic to stabilize you, you'd be dead."
Two days. I'd been out for two days.
"The others—Kael, Raith, the rest—are they okay?"
"Physically? Yes. Emotionally? The wolf hasn't left the temple entrance since you collapsed. He's been sitting there in wolf form, refusing to eat or sleep." Zara's voice softened. "His mate-bond is nearly complete. Feeling you die nearly killed him too."
Guilt twisted in my stomach. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know. That's what makes this so difficult." Zara helped me sit up slowly. "You have a healer's heart, Mira. You see suffering and you act. But you need to learn that you can't save everyone. Some battles aren't yours to fight."
The same lesson the ghost Healers had taught me. Choose. Survive. Live to heal another day.
But it still felt like giving up.
"Can I see them?" I asked. "The guys outside?"
Zara hesitated. "They're going to swarm you. All of them want to make sure you're alive. Are you ready for that?"
Honestly? No. But hiding in the temple wouldn't help.
"Let them in."
Zara walked to the temple doors. They opened with a groan of ancient stone.
Kael burst through first—still in wolf form, his grey eyes wild with relief and fear. He shifted mid-run, stumbling the last few steps until he dropped to his knees beside me.
"You're awake." His hands hovered over me, like he wanted to touch but was afraid he'd break me. "Thank the spirits, you're awake."
"I'm okay," I said softly.
"You DIED." His voice cracked. "Your heart stopped. I felt it through the bond. I felt you leave and I—" He pressed his fist against his chest. "It felt like someone ripped my heart out."
The raw pain in his voice made my eyes sting.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know using that power would—"
"Don't apologize." Kael finally touched me, his hand cupping my face with devastating gentleness. "You stopped a war. You saved lives. I just..." He closed his eyes. "I can't lose you. The bond won't let me."
Before I could respond, the others crowded in.
Raith moved with serpent grace, his golden eyes scanning me for injuries. "Heartkeeper. You frightened us."
"Us?" Thorne landed with a rustle of wings. "She terrified US? I had to physically restrain the wolf from breaking down the temple doors. He was ready to tear through stone with his bare hands."
Draven entered last, silent but intense. His amber eyes locked on mine with an expression I couldn't read.
And behind them came Ash—the fox male who'd crashed through the window. He grinned, completely unbothered by the tension.
"So, you're the girl who almost died saving people who were trying to kidnap her. That's either really brave or really stupid." He tilted his head. "I'm going with brave. I like brave."
"Who are you again?" I asked.
"Ash. Professional troublemaker, occasional hero, full-time outcast." He gave a mocking bow. "And your newest protector, apparently. These four won't let me leave until they're sure I'm not a threat."
"Are you a threat?"
"To my enemies? Absolutely. To you?" He winked. "Only to your peace of mind. I'm extremely annoying."
Despite everything, I almost smiled. There was something refreshing about his honesty.
"Why did you come to the temple?" I asked. "You said you were warning us about something."
Ash's grin faded. "Right. That. Bad news—the entire Beastworld knows about you now. Magnus ran straight to every tribe within a hundred miles and told them about the Marked One. By tomorrow, you'll have eagles, snakes, tigers, bears, lions, and every other species showing up to claim you."
My stomach dropped. "All of them?"
"Every unmated male in the Wildlands." Raith's expression was grim. "Thousands of them."
"We can't fight thousands," Thorne said flatly.
"We don't have to fight them." Kael's jaw set stubbornly. "We just need to get Mira somewhere safe. Somewhere they can't reach."
"There's nowhere safe," Draven said quietly. "Not in this world. Not for her."
Silence fell. Heavy and suffocating.
"Then what do I do?" I asked, hating how small my voice sounded. "Just wait here until an army shows up to fight over me?"
"No." Zara stood, her presence commanding attention. "We invoke the ancient law. The Claiming Trials."
Everyone stared at her.
"The Claiming Trials haven't been used in centuries," Raith said slowly.
"What are Claiming Trials?" I demanded.
Kael answered, his voice heavy. "An ancient tradition. When multiple males want the same female, she sets challenges. Only those who complete the trials earn the right to court her. It prevents war."
"So instead of everyone fighting, they... compete?"
"Yes. You choose the challenges. You choose who participates. You choose the winner—or winners." Zara looked at me seriously. "It puts the power in your hands instead of theirs."
"And everyone will accept this?"
"They have to. It's ancient law, older than any tribe. To refuse means exile from the Beastworld." Zara's eyes glinted. "Of course, you'll need to make the trials difficult enough that only the worthy succeed."
My mind raced. This could work. Instead of being a prize fought over, I'd be in control.
"How many males can I choose for the trials?"
"As many as you want. But traditionally, no more than five make it to the final courtship." Zara smiled slightly. "Five protectors is the sacred number."
I looked at Kael, Raith, Thorne, Draven, and Ash. Five males who'd already proven themselves.
"What if I've already chosen?" I asked quietly.
Kael's eyes widened. "Mira—"
"You saved me, protected me, fought for me." I met each of their gazes. "Even when I was dying, you stayed. That means something."
"So we're your chosen?" Ash looked delighted. "Excellent. I love winning without competing."
"Not officially," Zara interrupted. "You still need to announce the trials publicly. Let any male who thinks he's worthy try. These five might be your preference, but you need to give others a chance. Otherwise, the tribes will claim favoritism and war anyway."
"Fine." I stood on shaky legs. Kael immediately moved to support me. "When do we do this?"
"Tomorrow. At dawn. We'll gather at the Sacred Spring—what's left of it." Zara's expression turned serious. "But Mira, you need to understand. Once you invoke the trials, you can't take it back. You'll be bound to whoever wins."
"Bound how?"
"Mate-bonded. Soul-bonded. Forever." Her eyes bore into mine. "Choose carefully. Because this decision will shape the rest of your life."
The weight of that settled over me like a heavy blanket.
Forever. I'd be tied to whoever passed my trials. No divorce. No take-backs.
"I understand," I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.
Zara nodded. "Then rest tonight. Tomorrow, your future begins."
The males filed out, though Kael lingered at the door, looking back at me with such longing it hurt.
"Sleep well, Luna," he said softly.
Then he was gone.
I collapsed back on the stone bench, exhausted.
"Zara?" I called. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"The past Healers—the ones who died—did any of them complete mate-bonds?"
Zara was quiet for a long moment. "One did. Elara, the redhead you met. She bonded with a tiger male. They were deeply in love."
"What happened to him?"
"When she died trying to restore the Eternal Spring alone, he felt it through the bond. He went mad with grief and walked into the mountains. They found his body a week later. He'd frozen to death, but his eyes were still open, still looking toward the temple where she'd died."
Horror crawled up my spine. "So if I die, my mates die too?"
"Slowly. Painfully. And completely aware they're dying." Zara's voice was gentle but firm. "That's the price of the mate-bond, Mira. It's beautiful and terrible. You're never alone—but you're also never free."
I stared at the ceiling, processing.
Tomorrow I'd start trials that would bind me to up to five males. Five souls whose lives would be tied to mine.
If I died, they died.
"No pressure," I muttered.
I closed my eyes, trying to sleep.
But rest wouldn't come.
Because somewhere in the darkness, I heard it.
A voice. Female. Singing.
Not Zara's voice. Someone else. Someone who shouldn't be there.
The singing grew louder, clearer. Words in a language I didn't understand but somehow knew.
The Marked One wakes. The spring will flow. But first, the Marked One must let go...
I sat up, heart pounding.
"Zara? Do you hear that?"
No answer.
I looked around. The temple was empty.
The singing continued, pulling at something deep in my chest. Calling me.
I stood and walked toward it, my feet moving without my permission.
The song led me to a wall I hadn't noticed before. Golden markings—just like my Sigil—glowed faintly on the stone.
I reached out to touch them.
The wall dissolved.
Behind it was a doorway leading down into darkness.
And at the bottom of those stairs, I saw light. Blue-green light, like water reflecting sunlight.
The Eternal Spring.
It wasn't dried up.
It was hidden.
And something was waiting for me in its depths.