MIRA'S POV
Zeke arrives at the compound gates in the early morning.
Mira sees him from the training grounds and immediately knows something is wrong. She recognizes his face from Silverwood. He was one of the few warriors who never mocked her. One of the few who treated her with basic respect even when everyone else was laughing.
Now he looks uncomfortable and ashamed.
Rhen summons her to his quarters where Zeke is waiting. The warrior's posture is tense. His eyes keep shifting between her and Rhen like he is caught between two forces he does not want to choose between.
"I have a message," Zeke says. His voice is careful and measured. Like he is trying to deliver bad news gently.
Mira's entire body goes still.
"From who," she asks, though she already knows. She can feel it. Something inside her chest just woke up. Something that has been sleeping for months.
"From Kael," Zeke says.
The mate bond ignites.
It is like lightning striking directly into Mira's chest. She gasps and grabs the edge of the table to steady herself. The pain is sharp and real and all-consuming. She can feel Kael's presence suddenly. Can feel him across the distance like he is standing right next to her.
Can feel his desperation. His need. His hunger to reclaim her.
Rhen immediately moves to her side but does not touch her. He is watching carefully. Waiting to see what the mate bond will do.
"What does he want," Mira forces out through clenched teeth.
Zeke shifts uncomfortably. "He knows where you are. He knows what you have become. He sent me because he wanted someone you might trust to deliver his words instead of some stranger."
Mira closes her eyes against the burning in her chest. The mate bond is trying to pull her toward Silverwood. Trying to drag her back to a man she rejected months ago.
"He says he was wrong," Zeke continues quietly. "He says he sees you now. He says that when you rejected the bond, he felt it like his heart was being ripped out. He says the bond still exists between you and that proves you belong together."
Mira's hands clench into fists so tight her nails draw blood from her palms.
"Tell him I am not coming back," she says coldly. "Tell him to stop sending messengers or I will make sure he never sends another one."
She means it. She could do it too. She could stop Zeke's heart with a thought. Could make him suffer for bringing this message. Could ensure that Kael understands she is not some Luna to be reclaimed.
But her voice shakes when she speaks.
Because part of her, the part connected to the mate bond, wants to believe what Zeke is saying. Wants to think that maybe Kael actually sees her now. Wants to believe that he has changed and that the bond means something real.
Zeke nods slowly like he expected this reaction.
"There is more," he says carefully. "Kael says he is coming here. He is preparing to visit Shadow Pack territory under flag of truce. He is bringing warriors but only as a show of respect. He is not coming to fight. He is coming to talk."
The mate bond burns hotter.
Rhen's entire body goes rigid beside her.
"He is what," Rhen says. His voice is deadly quiet.
"Coming to negotiate for her return," Zeke says. "Kael says he made a terrible mistake. He says he understands her value now. He says the mate bond is stronger than anything else in this world and he will not stop trying until she comes back to Silverwood."
Mira feels the power inside her rising. She wants to hurt something. Wants to make someone pay for the confusion and pain flooding through her.
"When," she demands.
"Three days," Zeke says. "He arrives in three days."
Rhen walks to the window and his jaw is clenched so tight it looks like it might break.
"You can go," he says to Zeke, his voice controlled but dangerous. "Tell Kael that Mira will be here. Tell him that we will receive him under flag of truce. And tell him that if he tries anything other than talking, I will end him personally."
Zeke nods and leaves quickly.
The moment the door closes, Mira feels the weight of what just happened settle over her.
She sinks into a chair and the mate bond continues to burn in her chest. It is trying to pull her toward Silverwood. Trying to convince her that this is her destiny. That Kael is her fated mate and that fighting the bond is fighting nature itself.
Rhen stays at the window for a long time without speaking.
When he finally turns back to her, his expression is controlled but she can see the jealousy and fear underneath. Can see that he is terrified of losing her to a supernatural connection he cannot fight.
"Are you going to go to him," he asks.
"I do not know," Mira answers honestly. The shaking in her voice makes the words sound weak. "The bond is so strong. I can feel him pulling at me and I do not know if I can resist it. I do not know if I want to resist it."
Rhen walks over to her and sits down beside her. He does not try to convince her of anything. Does not try to tell her that Kael is wrong or that the bond is false. He just sits with her while the mate bond burns and the power inside her screams and everything falls apart.
"I can feel what you are feeling," Rhen says quietly. "The pull. The confusion. The wanting to believe that he has changed and that everything can be fixed. I can feel all of it in your blood."
He reaches over and takes her hand.
"But I also know something you might not know yet," he continues. "A mate bond is not the same as love. A mate bond is supernatural force. It is instinct and biology and magic. But love is a choice. And you have to decide whether the bond matters more than the choice."
Mira wants to believe him. Wants to think that she can separate the bond from genuine love.
But she can also feel Kael's presence in her blood calling to her. Can feel the supernatural pull trying to drag her back to Silverwood. Can feel the bond healing itself in her chest even though she rejected it months ago.
"He rejected me," she whispers. "He publicly humiliated me. He sold me to your pack. He only cares now because I have power. He only wants me back because I am valuable."
"Yes," Rhen says simply. "All of that is true. But the mate bond does not care about truth. The mate bond only cares about connection."
He pulls her close and she rests her forehead against his shoulder. He does not promise her that she will not go to Kael. Does not promise her that the bond will weaken. He just holds her while she falls apart.
"I do not know who I am anymore," Mira says into his chest. "I do not know if I am strong or weak. I do not know if I am choosing to love you or if I am just running from the bond. I do not know anything except that everything is falling apart and I cannot stop it."
Rhen holds her tighter.
"Then we figure it out together," he says. "When he arrives, you will see him. You will feel what you feel. And you will make a choice. But you will not make it alone. I will be there."
A messenger arrives just as the sun is setting.
It is not from Kael. It is from the Deep Wilds.
The ancient wolf that has been stirring is no longer approaching slowly. It is moving fast. Hunting. The scouts report that it is only hours away from Shadow Pack territory.
And it is not coming alone.
More power is waking in the burial grounds. More ancient wolves are stirring. Something massive is happening and Mira's awakening is at the center of it.
Rhen reads the report and his face goes pale.
"There is no time," he says quietly. "Kael is coming. The ancient wolves are coming. The Council is closing in. Everything is happening at once."
He looks at Mira.
"You are about to run out of time to make your choice about Ascension. Because when those ancient wolves arrive, they will be looking for you. And they will not care whether you have decided to be human or inhuman. They will only care that you are one of them and that you are awake."
A howl echoes across the territory.
It is not a normal wolf sound. It is ancient and wrong and it makes every hair on Mira's body stand on end.
The ancient wolf has arrived.
And it is hunting her.