Caius POV
I'm watching my mate burn alive, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
Draven's flames consume Isla's entire body. She screams—a sound that tears through our mental link and shreds my soul. Through the bond, I feel her pain like it's my own. Every nerve ending on fire. Skin blistering. Lungs filling with smoke.
"STOP IT!" I roar, throwing myself at the dragon even though I'm too weak to fight. "You're killing her!"
Draven catches me one-handed without looking away from Isla. "The trial kills the weak. If she's truly divine blood, she'll survive. If not..." He shrugs. "Then she was never meant to be a dragon's mate."
"She's MY mate!" My wolf is going insane, clawing at my insides, demanding I save her.
"Then your mate better be strong enough to prove it."
Through the cave entrance, I see the Dark King's hunters getting closer. Red eyes gleaming through the black snow. They're fifty feet away. Forty. Thirty.
And Isla is still burning.
Her screams stop suddenly, and my heart stops with them. Through our bond, I feel her consciousness flickering like a candle in a storm.
"No," I whisper. "No, please, Isla—"
Then something impossible happens.
The flames change color. From orange to silver. From burning her to wrapping around her like a protective cocoon. Isla's eyes snap open—glowing molten gold like Draven's.
Her voice comes out doubled, layered with power that makes the cave walls shake. "I. Am. ENOUGH."
She throws her hands forward, and silver fire explodes from her palms. Not Draven's fire. Her own. The flames crash through the cave entrance and slam into the approaching hunters. They shriek and scatter, their dark magic burning away like paper.
The system blazes across my vision—apparently now that we're bonded, I can see it too.
[FIRE TRIAL PASSED!]
[SECOND BOND FORMING: Dragon Compatibility 94%]
[WARNING: Two bonds forming simultaneously - UNPRECEDENTED]
[Wolf + Dragon essence merging in Host]
[This should be impossible...]
Draven is staring at Isla like he's seeing a miracle. "You didn't just survive the trial. You absorbed my fire. Made it yours. In three thousand years, I've never seen—"
"Less talking, more protecting!" Isla snaps, sending another wave of silver flames toward the regrouping hunters. "They're coming back!"
She's magnificent. Terrifying and beautiful and completely out of control. Through our bond, I feel her panic—she has no idea how she's doing this. The power is using her as much as she's using it.
"Draven!" I force myself to stand. "She needs help channeling the power or it'll burn her from the inside!"
The dragon finally moves, positioning himself behind Isla. "Little goddess, stop throwing power randomly. You're bleeding life force with every blast."
"I'm bleeding life force?" She laughs wildly. "I was dead three days ago! At this point I'm just making it up as I go!"
I love her. Gods help me, I love this insane, brave, impossible female.
Through our mental link, she feels my emotion and glances back. Our eyes meet for one second.
"Focus on the enemies!" Draven barks.
But that one second of distraction is enough. A hunter breaks through her flames—bigger than the others, covered in black armor that doesn't burn. He moves faster than anything natural, crossing the cave in a heartbeat.
His clawed hand closes around Isla's throat.
"The Dark King sends his regards," the hunter hisses, and starts to drag her toward the entrance.
My wolf explodes. I don't remember shifting. One second I'm human and weak, the next I'm a silver blur of fur and rage. The bond with Isla floods me with her power—enough to move, to fight, to KILL.
I hit the hunter like a avalanche, my teeth finding his throat. He drops Isla and tries to throw me off, but I'm not letting go. Not ever. This thing touched my mate. Threatened her. Hurt her.
I tear out his throat and paint the cave floor red.
When I shift back to human, I'm covered in blood and gasping. But Isla is safe. That's all that matters.
She's staring at me with wide eyes. "You moved. But you were too weak—"
"Bond works both ways," Draven says quietly. "She gave you power just like you gave her fire. You're connected now. Both of you stronger together than apart."
More hunters are coming. I can smell them—dozens, maybe hundreds. The Dark King sent an army.
"We need to leave," I say urgently. "Now. Before—"
The black snow outside suddenly stops falling. Everything goes silent. Even the wind dies.
That's worse than the storm. Much worse.
A voice echoes through the forest—deep, ancient, wrong. It sounds like grinding stone and dying screams.
"DIVINE BLOOD. I SMELL YOU. COME TO ME, LITTLE GODDESS. COME WILLINGLY, AND I'LL MAKE YOUR DEATHS QUICK. RESIST, AND I'LL TAKE CENTURIES TORTURING YOU."
The Dark King himself. He's here.
Isla goes pale. "That's him?"
"Not him directly," Draven says grimly. "That's his consciousness projected through a host body. The real Dark King never leaves his temple. He's too powerful—his presence alone would shatter this forest."
"Then we run," I say.
"Where?" Draven laughs bitterly. "He's surrounded us. His army is everywhere. We're trapped."
The system flashes desperately.
[CRITICAL DANGER!]
[Dark King's Avatar approaching - Power Level: OVERWHELMING]
[Current party strength: INSUFFICIENT]
[Survival probability: 2%]
[EMERGENCY OPTION UNLOCKED:]
[Accept THIRD BOND immediately to boost power]
[Third Destined Mate detected: 200 feet South]
[Species: Snow Leopard - Master Assassin]
[He's been watching this entire time...]
Isla and I both spin toward the back of the cave. There's nothing there. Just shadows and stone.
Then the shadows move.
A man materializes from literally nothing—tall, lean, with white hair and ice-blue eyes. He's beautiful in a dangerous way, like a knife blade. His gaze locks onto Isla with predatory focus.
"You're loud," he says quietly. "The whole forest heard you awaken. Very stupid."
Draven growls. "Snow leopard. I should've sensed you."
"You didn't because I didn't want you to." The leopard's eyes never leave Isla. "I've been tracking the Dark King's movements for three years. Waiting for an opportunity to strike at him. Then you awakened, little goddess, and gave me exactly what I needed."
"And what's that?" Isla asks warily.
"Bait."
The word hangs in the air like a death sentence.
"You want to use her?" I snarl. "To draw out the Dark King?"
"He'll never fully manifest in this world for anything less than divine blood," the leopard says calmly. "She's the first divine female in centuries. If I can make him believe she's vulnerable, he'll come himself. And when he does—" His smile is cold and sharp. "I'll finally kill the monster who destroyed my clan."
"You're insane," Draven snaps. "We're trying to SAVE her, not sacrifice her!"
"I'm not sacrificing her." The leopard finally looks at us. "I'm offering a deal. She bonds with me. I use my skills to hide her from the hunters and teach her to mask her divine scent. In exchange, when she's strong enough—when ALL her bonds are complete—she helps me destroy the Dark King."
Isla's voice is steady despite her fear. "And if I refuse?"
"Then the Dark King's avatar breaks through in thirty seconds, kills the wolf and dragon because they're too weak to fight him, and takes you anyway. At least my plan keeps you alive long enough to fight back."
The system agrees:
[THIRD MATE OPPORTUNITY: Sebastian Frostvein]
[Species: Snow Leopard - Assassin Class]
[Bond Ability: Perfect Stealth, Cold Immunity, Scent Masking]
[WARNING: He's telling the truth - this is your only survival option]
[TIME TO AVATAR ARRIVAL: 20 seconds]
The ground begins to shake. Something massive is coming.
Sebastian extends his hand. "Choose, goddess. Die now, or live long enough to become strong."