Ethan's POV
It had been years since I last stepped into these walls—years since I allowed myself to come back to the home that forged me. Yet the moment I set foot on Silverfang grounds, the ghosts of the past stirred, clawing at me from every corner.
And then there was Lila.
Seeing her was like reopening an old wound that had never truly healed. The years hadn't softened what I felt—they had only sharpened it, leaving an ache that echoed deep within me.
I loved her. I always had. I always would. But love was a cruel thing when it came wrapped in impossibility. The worst part—the part that hollowed me out—was knowing she had no idea why I couldn't claim her, why I couldn't let her belong to me the way my heart screamed she should.
I know she'll see it as betrayal—that I've returned with another girl to be bonded. But she'll never truly understand the weight I carry, the burden pressing down on me with every choice I make.
I forced those thoughts down as I walked the familiar halls toward my father's council chamber. The scent of stone and cedar, the echo of my boots on marble floors—it was all a reminder of who I was supposed to be, and the legacy I had long tried to bury.
When the massive doors opened, there he was. Erik Vander, Alpha of the Silverfangs. My father.
It had been too long since I looked upon him, but nothing had changed. His presence filled the chamber, heavy with authority. Seeing him again was like stepping beneath a mountain—it crushed, it demanded, it reminded me of everything I'd been running from.
"You've been away too long," he said, his voice deep, commanding, edged with disappointment. "But it doesn't matter. The blood that runs in you is still mine. It's time, Ethan. Time to stop hiding and take your place as heir."
My throat tightened. "Father, I..."
He cut me off with a sharp gesture. "Your brothers are eager. Always ready to take your place. Do you want to hand it to them? Do you want them to rule while you sulk in the shadows?"
I remembered their faces then—my younger brother's, Ares and Zephyr, with their smirks and cutting words. Always quick to point out my flaws, my failures. My greatest weakness—the one they wielded like a weapon—was the truth I couldn't escape.
I couldn't mate a wolf.
And the Silverfang pack needed a leader with a powerful Luna by his side. Not a fractured heir who couldn't give them what they demanded.
"I can't please the pack," I admitted, my voice low, strained. "You know that, Father. I've made my decision. I'll take a human as my mate. If that means I lose the throne, then so be it. At least I won't destroy Lila's future—or anyone else's—just to cling to power."
My father's eyes narrowed, silver flashing dangerously. He leaned forward. "You think I would ever allow that? That I would let my heir bring a human into this house and call her mate?" His voice cut like a whip. "No son of mine will ever bind himself to a human—not as Alpha, not as heir, not even as blood."
Confusion struck me like a blow. My brows furrowed. "Then why… why tell me to bring her here at all? You gave the order yourself."
A slow, cruel smile spread across his face. "Because you misunderstood. The girl was never meant to be your mate, Ethan. She was meant for the Priestess."
The air between us thickened, pressing on my chest until it burned.
"What do you mean, Father?" My voice cracked with the weight of it.
"Tell me first," he said softly, almost mockingly, "do you love her? Do you still love Lila?"
I didn't hesitate. "Yes."
A faint, cruel smile tugged at his mouth. "Then listen well. The Moon Priestess herself has spoken. If you wish to claim Lila, if you wish to be with her without hurting her, you must first sever your weakness. Kill your first bonded mate with your own hand. During the ritual, you'll mark your mate, bind her to you… and with the same breath, drive the dagger through her heart."
The words struck like steel to my chest. My breath faltered, my pulse roaring in my ears.
"I… I don't understand," I whispered, the words barely holding together.
He rose from his throne, towering, every inch the Alpha he was born to be. "The full moon rises in three days. The ceremony will begin at dawn. You will mark the human girl, bind her in blood, and in the same breath… you will end her. Only then will the curse be lifted. Only then will you be able to claim the one you love."
My blood ran cold.
Sacrifice her. Kill the girl who had followed me here with trust in her eyes, who knew nothing of the monsters hiding in the shadows of this house.
I had spent years in exile, carrying the weight of being broken, of never belonging. Yet in just a single day, Soraya had managed to brighten the shadows I carried. She didn't know who I was, or what curse followed me, but her ease, her simple presence cut through the heaviness I'd worn like armor. For those fleeting hours, she gave me something I hadn't felt in years—lightness. And even if it was only a moment, it mattered. It mattered more than my father's throne. More than the pack. More than blood itself.
The thought of raising a blade against her, of staining her trust with death, nearly drove me to my knees.
"You're asking me to become a murderer," I whispered.
"No," my father said, his voice steady, merciless. "I am asking you to become Alpha. Sacrifice is not cruelty, Ethan—it is law. It is what keeps the Silverfangs alive. On the full moon, you will do what must be done. Refuse… and you lose everything. The throne. The pack. Even Lila."
Lila.
The name struck me deeper than any blade. The one I had always loved. The one I had left everything for.
But now… the price of reaching her was Soraya's blood.
The burden pressed in from every side, crushing, impossible. In three days, the full moon would rise. In three days, I would stand before the Priestess. In three days, I would be forced to choose between love… and the last piece of humanity left in me.
And for the first time, I truly feared what choice I might make.