Selene's POV
You want to complete the mate bond how?
Kael stood in the center of his room, arms crossed, looking completely unbothered by the question I'd just shrieked at him. It's not complicated. A bite for a bite. Soul recognizes soul. The bond completes.
You make it sound like we're signing a contract! My voice pitched higher. We barely know each other!
We don't have time for courtship, Selene. His tone was flat, practical. Marcus's army arrives in twenty-four hours. You need to be able to use your power without dying. I need my curse broken so I can fight at full strength. The bond solves both problems.
But— I scrambled for arguments, anything to slow this down. What if we're not actually mates? What if it's a mistake?
It's not a mistake. He moved closer, and despite everything, my traitorous body leaned toward him. You feel it. I know you do. The pull. The recognition. Your wolf knows mine.
He was right. I hated that he was right.
I'm scared, I admitted quietly.
Something softened in his expression. I know. So am I.
Before I could respond, Mira pounded on the door. Kael! We've got movement on the southern border! Scouts just reported— She burst in without waiting for permission, then froze when she saw us standing so close. Oh. Am I interrupting?
Yes, Kael said.
No, I said at the same time.
Mira's eyes narrowed. What's going on?
Nothing, I lied.
We're completing the mate bond tonight, Kael said bluntly.
WHAT? Mira's screech could probably be heard in the next territory. Tonight? Are you insane? She just woke up! She's still bleeding from using too much power! And you want to—
I want to make sure she survives what's coming, Kael interrupted coldly. Marcus isn't sending a small force this time. He's bringing an army. Thousands of wolves. My pack can't win that fight unless Selene and I are at full strength.
So you're using her, Mira accused.
I'm saving her. There's a difference.
Is there? Mira turned to me. Lena, you don't have to do this. There are other ways—
Name one, Kael challenged. One way she can use her power without dying. One way I can break this curse without her. Go ahead. I'll wait.
Mira's mouth opened. Closed. She had nothing.
That's what I thought. Kael's attention shifted back to me. It's your choice, Selene. Always your choice. But make it fast. Because ready or not, war is coming.
He walked out, leaving me and Mira alone in tense silence.
You don't have to do this, Mira repeated quietly. Bonding is permanent. Forever. Are you really ready for that?
Was I? Twenty-four hours ago, I'd been scrubbing floors and trying to be invisible. Now I was supposed to tie my soul to a cursed Alpha I barely knew?
I don't think I have a choice, I whispered.
There's always a choice.
Not when people are dying because of me. I touched the marks on my arm. I can't keep being helpless, Mira. I can't keep hiding while others bleed. If this bond gives me control over my power
Then you take it, a new voice said from the doorway.
An old woman stood there—ancient, with silver hair and eyes that glowed faintly gold. She wasn't solid. I could see through her edges.
Who I started.
Eris, Mira breathed, her face going pale. The Blood Oracle.
The ghost smiled. Hello, little queen. We need to talk.
Eris wasn't actually there—not physically. She was a spirit, bound to the bloodline, appearing in visions to teach and guide.
And apparently, to terrify me with brutal truths.
You're dying, she said casually, settling into a chair that shouldn't have been able to support a ghost. Every time you use queenly magic without a complete bond, you burn years off your life. That little display in the courtyard? You lost at least five years.
My stomach dropped. Five years?
Could've been worse. Could've been twenty. She waved a translucent hand dismissively. The point is, you can't keep doing this. Your power is too strong. Too ancient. It needs an anchor or it'll consume you.
Kael, I whispered.
Kael, she confirmed. The mate bond isn't just romantic nonsense. It's survival. His strength balances your magic. Your power breaks his curse. You need each other.
But I don't love him!
Love comes later. Survival comes first. Eris leaned forward, her ghostly eyes intense. Listen to me, child. In three hundred years, no Blood Moon Queen has awakened. No royal magic has touched this world. Your father's family murdered us all and buried the truth. But you—you're the prophecy fulfilled. The last chance to restore balance.
I don't want to restore balance! I want to go back to my normal life!
Your normal life was a lie. Her voice turned hard. You were never the wolfless failure they told you. You were always the queen. They just buried you so deep you believed their story.
The words hit like a physical blow.
The mate bond will hurt, Eris continued. It'll strip away every defense, every wall. You'll feel everything he feels. Know his darkest secrets. And he'll know yours. But it'll also make you stronger than any wolf alive. Strong enough to face your father. Strong enough to take back your throne.
I don't want a throne!
Too bad. Destiny doesn't care what you want. She started fading. Complete the bond tonight, Selene. Or die tomorrow. Those are your choices.
She vanished.
The room fell silent except for my ragged breathing.
Well, Mira said after a long moment. That was terrifying.
I almost laughed. Almost.
Then the door crashed open again, Ryker this time, his face grim.
Kael needs you both. Now.
We found Kael on the roof, staring south. Dawn was just breaking, painting the sky in shades of red and gold.
What's wrong? I asked.
He pointed.
On the horizon, dark shapes moved. Hundreds of them. Thousands. An army so vast it looked like the earth itself was moving.
They're early, Ryker muttered. Marcus said twenty-four hours
Marcus lied. Kael's jaw clenched. He never planned to wait. He wanted us unprepared.
How long until they reach us? Mira asked.
Three hours. Maybe four.
Three hours. Not twenty-four. Not enough time to prepare. Not enough time to
We complete the bond now, Kael said, turning to me. Right now. No more waiting.
But I need to, I have to Words failed me.
Selene. He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. I know you're scared. I know this isn't what you wanted. But we're out of time. My pack can't fight that army without us at full strength. So I need to know: are you with me or not?
I looked at this man—this cursed Alpha who'd saved me when he didn't have to. Who'd protected me even though it meant war. Who was about to tie his soul to mine for the rest of our lives.
If I say yes, I whispered, what happens?
I bite you here. His thumb brushed my throat. You bite me back. The bond completes. Your power stabilizes. My curse breaks. We become stronger together than we ever could be apart.
And if I say no?
His expression turned bleak. Then you die using power you can't control. I die when my curse finally strangles me. And my pack dies defending a queen who was too afraid to claim her strength.
It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.
But life wasn't fair. Eris had said so herself.
Do it, I heard myself say. Complete the bond.
Kael's eyes flashed silver. You're sure?
No. But do it anyway.
He pulled me closer, his hand sliding into my hair. His face moved toward my throat. I felt his breath against my skin, hot and steady.
This is going to hurt, he warned.
I know.
His fangs extended. Sharp. Deadly. Ready to
WAIT! Ryker's shout made us both freeze. Boss, we've got a bigger problem!
What could possibly be bigger than an army at our doorstep? Kael snarled without releasing me.
Lyra. Ryker's voice was grim. She's here. At the front gates. Alone. And she's asking to speak with Selene.
My blood ran cold. My sister is here?
She says she has information about Marcus's plans. Says she wants to help. Ryker didn't sound convinced. But it could be a trap.
It's definitely a trap, Kael said flatly.
Then why is she alone? I pulled away from Kael, my mind racing. If it's a trap, where's the army? Where's the ambush?
Maybe she's the ambush, Mira suggested darkly.
Or maybe I stopped, a horrible thought occurring to me. Maybe she's running from Marcus too.
Why would she run? She's his perfect daughter, Kael argued.
She's a changeling, I countered. A fake. What if Marcus decided he doesn't need her anymore now that I'm awakened? What if he's planning to kill her too?
The possibility hung in the air.
It doesn't matter, Kael decided. We don't have time for this. We need to complete the bond before
I need to talk to her. I headed for the stairs.
Selene, no
She came alone, Kael! That has to mean something! I spun back to face him. What if she has information that could save your pack? What if she knows something about Marcus's plans that we need?
What if she's here to kill you?
Then you'll be right there to stop her. I met his eyes. Please. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking.
Kael looked like he wanted to argue. Then he sighed, defeated.
Five minutes, he agreed. But I'm not leaving your side.
Deal.
We descended the tower together, Ryker and Mira following close behind. My heart hammered against my ribs. I hadn't seen Lyra since the Summit. Since I'd learned she wasn't really my sister. Wasn't even real.
The front gates opened, and there she stood.
Lyra looked terrible. Her perfect hair was tangled. Her clothes were torn. And her eyes—those crimson, wrong eyes, were wide with terror.
Selene, she gasped when she saw me. Thank god. I thought I was too late.
Too late for what? I asked carefully.
To warn you. She stumbled forward, and I saw blood on her hands. Fresh blood. Marcus isn't just bringing an army. He's bringing her. The witch. Morgana. And she has a spell— Her voice broke. A spell that will strip your power and transfer it to me. Make me the real queen. She's going to kill you, Selene. Tonight. During the Blood Moon.
Horror washed over me. How do you know this?
Because I was supposed to help her do it. Tears streamed down Lyra's face. But I couldn't. I can't. You're my sister. You're She collapsed to her knees. Please. You have to run. Get far away from here before
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes going wide with terror.
Then she started screaming.
Her body convulsed. The changeling magic flickered, showing glimpses of what she really was beneath the illusion, nothing. Just emptiness held together by spells.
What's happening to her? Mira cried.
The witch, Lyra gasped between screams. She knows I warned you. She's pulling me back. She's
Her form started dissolving, breaking apart like mist in sunlight.
No! I lunged forward, trying to grab her. Hold on!
But there was nothing to hold. Lyra, fake or not—was disappearing before my eyes.
The Blood Moon, she managed one last time, her voice fading. Midnight. That's when she'll strike. The spell needs royal blood and moonlight. She's going to drain you dry, Selene. She's going to
She vanished completely.
Gone.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Then Kael's hand closed around my arm. We need to complete the bond. Right now.
But Lyra
Is already gone. And if that witch really has a spell to steal your power, the only way to protect it is to anchor it to me. Permanently. His grip tightened. The Blood Moon rises in twelve hours. We're out of time.
He was right. I knew he was right.
But as I looked at where my sister—fake or not—had just dissolved into nothing, one thought consumed me:
What if the bond wasn't enough?
What if Morgana's spell was stronger than anything we could do?
What if tonight, when the Blood Moon rose, I died anyway?