Rowan's POV
My foot caught on the hem of my dress and I stumbled.
Strong hands grabbed my arms, steadying me before I could fall flat on my face in front of everyone.
"Careful," my best friend Kira whispered. "You don't want to trip walking down the aisle."
"Too late for that," I muttered, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
The entire Sun-Stone Pack was watching me. Hundreds of wolves lined both sides of the ceremonial path, all dressed in their festival best. They smiled and whispered as I passed.
This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.
So why did my stomach feel like it was full of rocks?
"You're just nervous," Kira said, squeezing my hand. "Every girl gets nervous before her Binding Ritual."
"Right. Nervous." I forced a smile.
But it wasn't just nerves. Something felt wrong. Had felt wrong all day, actually.
I couldn't explain it. Marcus had been perfect during our courtship bringing me flowers, taking me on romantic walks, telling me I was his fated mate. The whole pack celebrated when he announced we'd bind during the Festival of the Sun.
Everything should be perfect.
So why did I want to run?
"There he is," Kira breathed. "Your mate."
I looked up and saw Marcus waiting at the altar.
He stood tall and confident in his ceremonial robes. His dark hair was perfectly styled. His smile was bright and welcoming.
But his eyes.
His eyes looked cold. Empty somehow.
I blinked and the coldness was gone, replaced by warmth. Had I imagined it?
"Go on," Kira gave me a gentle push. "Don't keep your Alpha waiting."
I walked forward on shaking legs. The festival music played around us drums and flutes creating a joyful melody. Fire dancers performed on either side of the path, their flames reaching toward the darkening sky.
The Festival of the Sun was the pack's biggest celebration. And I was at the center of it.
Lucky me.
Marcus reached out his hand as I approached. "Rowan. You look beautiful."
"Thank you." I placed my hand in his.
His grip was tight. Too tight. It almost hurt.
"Are you ready?" he asked quietly. "Ready to become mine forever?"
Something about the way he said "mine" made my skin crawl.
But I nodded. Because what else could I do? The entire pack was watching. The ceremony had already started.
Elder Willow stepped forward, her ancient face wrinkled with wisdom. She carried the Binding Bowl a sacred vessel filled with moonwater used in mating rituals for centuries.
"We gather under the summer sun," Elder Willow began, her voice carrying across the crowd, "to witness the binding of two souls. Alpha Marcus of the Sun-Stone Pack, and Rowan, daughter of the fallen Hart family."
Marcus's hand tightened even more on mine. I tried to pull away slightly, but he wouldn't let go.
"Do you, Alpha Marcus, accept this woman as your fated mate? To cherish and protect for all your days?"
"I do," Marcus said. His voice was smooth. Confident.
But his eyes were cold again. I definitely wasn't imagining it this time.
"And do you, Rowan, accept this Alpha as your fated mate? To honor and obey for all your days?"
Obey. That word stuck in my throat.
The traditional vows said "honor and obey." But Marcus had promised me we'd change them to "honor and support." He'd said we'd be equals. Partners.
So why was Elder Willow using the old words?
"Rowan?" Marcus prompted. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Say the words."
Everyone was staring. Waiting.
"I... I do." The words came out as barely a whisper.
Elder Willow nodded. "Then let the binding begin."
She dipped her fingers into the moonwater and reached toward our joined hands.
But Marcus pulled back.
"Wait," he said.
The crowd murmured with confusion. You didn't interrupt a Binding Ritual. It was sacred. Once started, it had to be completed.
"Alpha Marcus?" Elder Willow frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." Marcus's smile grew wider. Sharper. "I just want to use a different binding method."
My heart started pounding. "What? Marcus, we agreed"
"Did we?" He turned to face me fully. The warmth was completely gone from his face now. "I don't remember agreeing to anything."
Fear spiked through my chest. "What are you doing?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he pulled something from inside his robe.
Chains. Silver chains that glowed with a sickly green light.
The crowd gasped. Someone screamed.
Because those weren't normal chains. They were cursed. Dark magic.
"Marcus, no!" Elder Willow tried to step forward. "Those are forbidden! The Silver Chains of the Mind are"
"Exactly what I need." Marcus's voice went hard. Cold. "You see, Rowan, I don't actually want a mate. I want power."
The chains started moving in his hands like living snakes.
I tried to run but his grip on my wrist was iron. "Let me go!"
"I can't do that." He pulled me closer, his breath hot on my face. "You have something I need. Something in your blood. Your family's ancient power."
"I don't have any power!" Tears burned my eyes. "I'm just a regular wolf!"
"Liar." His eyes flashed gold. "The Hart family carries the blood of the Frostborn. Ancient ice magic that sleeps in your veins. I've spent months courting you, earning your trust, just to get close enough to take it."
The chains wrapped around my wrists before I could pull away.
Pain exploded through my body.
It felt like my insides were being torn out. Like someone was reaching into my chest and ripping out my soul piece by piece.
I screamed.
The crowd erupted in chaos. People were shouting. Some tried to rush forward but Marcus's guards blocked them.
This was planned. All of it was planned.
"Stop struggling," Marcus said calmly while I writhed in agony. "The more you fight, the more it hurts."
Through the pain, I saw Kira trying to reach me. Guards grabbed her and threw her back.
"ROWAN!" she screamed.
I couldn't answer. Couldn't breathe. The chains were glowing brighter, pulling something out of me.
My wolf. They were pulling out my wolf.
I felt her the spirit I'd carried since my first shift at thirteen being dragged away. Stolen.
"No," I gasped. "Please, Marcus, please don't"
"It's already done." He smiled as silver energy flowed from my body into his through the cursed chains. "I can feel it. Your power. Your wolf. All mine now."
My legs gave out. I collapsed but the chains held me up, still draining me.
The festival fires seemed to dim. The music had stopped. All I could hear was my own heartbeat getting slower and slower.
"The Frostborn power will make me unstoppable," Marcus continued, almost talking to himself now. "I'll be stronger than any Alpha. Stronger than the old kings. I'll be a god."
"You'll... be... a monster," I wheezed.
His smile disappeared. "Call me whatever you want. You won't be around to see what I become."
He yanked the chains hard. The last bit of my wolf's spirit tore free.
I screamed one final time as everything inside me went cold and empty.
The chains fell away. I crumpled to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.
Marcus stood over me, his body glowing with stolen power. My power.
"Take her to the Black Ice River," he ordered his guards. "Throw her in. Let the water finish what I started."
"She's still breathing," one guard said nervously.
"Not for long." Marcus didn't even look at me. "The cold will kill her. And if it doesn't, the fall will. Either way, she's dead."
Strong hands grabbed me. I couldn't fight. Couldn't even lift my head.
They were carrying me away from the altar. Away from the shocked crowd. Away from Kira who was still screaming my name.
"Marcus!" I tried to shout but it came out as a whisper. "Marcus, please!"
He finally looked at me one last time. "You should have been born into a stronger family, Rowan. Then maybe you would've survived this. But the Hart bloodline ends with you."
They carried me through the forest. I could hear water rushing somewhere ahead.
The Black Ice River. The coldest, deepest river in the territory. Wolves who fell in during winter never came out.
And it was winter now. The Festival of the Sun was celebrated in the coldest part of the year to honor the sun's warmth against the darkness.
How ironic.
We reached the riverbank. Dark water rushed past, chunks of ice floating on the surface.
"Alpha's orders," one of the guards said. He sounded almost sorry. "Nothing personal."
They threw me.
I hit the water with a shock so cold it felt like fire. The current grabbed me immediately, dragging me down and away.
I tried to swim but my arms wouldn't work. My legs wouldn't kick.
I was sinking.
Down, down, down into the freezing darkness.
Above me, I saw the lights of the festival fading. Heard the drums starting again. They were continuing the celebration.
Without me.
Like I'd never existed at all.
Water filled my lungs. My heart slowed to almost nothing.
This was it. I was dying.
Marcus had taken everything my wolf, my power, my life and I couldn't even fight back.
I couldn't...
Wait.
Something was happening.
Deep inside my chest, where my wolf used to live, something else was waking up.
Not gone. Not stolen.
Something older. Colder. Angrier.
The water around me started to freeze.
Not just freeze it was turning to ice in patterns that spiraled outward from my body.
My skin began to glow. Not silver like Marcus's stolen power.
White. Pure white like fresh snow.
And cold. So, so cold.
But I wasn't dying from it.
I was becoming it.
The last thing I felt before consciousness left me was the sensation of my body changing.
My bones reshaping. My muscles transforming. Power flooding through me like a blizzard.
Marcus thought he'd killed the last of the Hart family.
But he'd done something far worse.
He'd awakened the Frostborn.