KADE'S POV
The bond is screaming at me.
I stand outside the Royal Court, my hands shaking, and I don't understand why. The pull in my chest the one that's been aching for two years is going crazy.
My rejected mate is close. I can feel her.
But that's impossible. Isla died in the mountains. Everyone said so.
Alpha? My Beta touches my arm. Are you alright?
Fine, I lie. Let's get this over with.
The Royal Court is massive. Guards escort us through hallways that seem to go on forever. With each step, the bond pulls harder.
She's here. Somehow, she's here.
But she's dead. She has to be.
Doesn't she?
We reach huge doors. The guards push them open.
Alpha Kade Blackthorn of Bloodmoon Pack, one announces.
I step into the throne room, and my entire world shatters.
Because sitting on the throne, wearing a crown made of silver moonstone, is Isla.
My Isla.
Except she's not mine. She never was. And she's definitely not the same girl I rejected two years ago.
This woman is powerful. Beautiful. Radiating Queen Alpha energy so strong my wolf immediately drops to his belly in submission.
Our eyes meet across the room.
The bond EXPLODES.
Every wall I've built to suppress it comes crashing down. Two years of pretending I didn't feel her, didn't dream about her, didn't regret every word I said all of it hits me at once.
My knees buckle. I'm on the ground before I can stop myself.
Kade! My Beta grabs my arm, confused. What's wrong?
I can't answer. Can't breathe. The bond is alive and screaming and trying to drag me across the room to her.
Three men sit beside the throne. They're radiating power too princes, I realize. The famous Ashen far brothers.
And they're all looking at me like they want me dead.
Alpha Blackthorn. Isla's voice cuts through my shock. It's cold. Empty. You may approach.
I force myself to stand. My legs barely work. The bond is making me shake.
I walk toward her throne, and with each step, I see more clearly how much she's changed.
Her long hair flows like silver moonlight. Her violet eyes the eyes I used to think were pretty now glow with power. She sits like she was born to rule.
She's magnificent.
And I threw her away.
Isla, I breathe when I reach the throne.
Her expression doesn't change. You will address me as Queen Moonborne. We are not friends, Alpha Blackthorn.
The formal words hit like physical blows.
I didn't know, I say desperately. They told me you died. After you left Bloodmoon, everyone said
That I died in the mountains? Isla's smile is sharp enough to cut. I did die there. The weak omega you rejected is gone forever. I'm what rose from her ashes.
The eldest prince Lucian, I think stands. Perhaps we should discuss business, Alpha Blackthorn. Save your personal drama for later.
I tear my eyes from Isla to look at him. He's watching me with pure ice in his eyes.
My pack needs help, I force myself to say. Resources are failing. Wolves are leaving. We need the Royal Court's support to survive.
And why should I help you? Isla asks. Her voice is still cold, but I see something flicker in her eyes. The pack that threw me away? The Alpha who rejected me for being too weak?
Because innocent wolves are suffering, I say. Children are going hungry. Elders are dying. Whatever I did to you and I know it was terrible they don't deserve to pay for my mistakes.
Isla's expression softens just a fraction. Just enough for me to see that she still cares about innocent wolves.
I'll consider your request, she says finally. You're dismissed.
Wait I step forward before I can stop myself. Isla, please. Just five minutes. Let me explain
There's nothing to explain. Her voice is ice again. You looked at me and saw weakness. You chose my stepsister over me. You destroyed me in front of our entire pack. What could you possibly say that would change any of that?
That I was WRONG! The words explode from me. That I've been dying without you! That I dream about you every night! That the bond won't break because part of me never let you go!
The entire throne room goes silent.
The scarred princeDamienmoves toward me, his hand on his sword. You need to leave. Now.
No. I'm desperate, reckless. Not until she hears me. Isla, the bond is still there. You feel it too. I know you do. That means
It means nothing, Isla cuts me off. The bond exists because you failed to complete the rejection. But that doesn't mean I want you.
Then complete it now, I challenge, even though the words feel like swallowing glass. If you really don't want me, break the bond properly. End it.
Isla's eyes widen slightly. For the first time, she looks uncertain.
She can't, the youngest prince Theron says quietly. The bond won't break fully. We've tried everything. You're tied together whether you like it or not.
Hope flares in my chest. Then we have to
We have to nothing, Lucian interrupts coldly. Guards. Escort Alpha Blackthorn out.
Two massive guards grab my arms.
Isla, please I struggle against them. I know I don't deserve forgiveness. I know what I did was unforgivable. But I'm begging you. Give me a chance to make this right.
Isla stands from her throne. She walks toward me, and every step makes the bond sing.
She stops inches away. Close enough that I can see the violet glow in her eyes. Close enough to feel her power washing over me.
You want to make it right? she asks softly.
Yes, I breathe. Anything.
Then suffer. Her voice is quiet but sharp. Suffer the way I suffered. Feel what it's like to want someone who doesn't want you back. To be rejected by your own mate. To be thrown away like garbage.
She turns away. Take him to the guest quarters. He'll stay until I make my decision about Bloodmoon Pack.
The guards drag me out. I don't fight. What's the point?
I got exactly what I deserved.
ISLA'S POV
The moment Kade leaves, my legs give out.
I collapse onto my throne, shaking so hard my teeth chatter.
The bond is alive. Burning. Screaming. It wants Kade with a force that terrifies me.
Isla? Theron kneels beside my throne. Are you okay?
No, I gasp. Seeing him the bond is so much stronger than before. It's like it's trying to drag me to him.
That's because you're Queen Alpha now, Theron explains gently. The bond has evolved with your power. It's stronger than it's ever been.
How do I make it stop? I ask desperately.
You can't, Damien says quietly. Not without completing the bond or killing one of you.
I press my hands to my chest, feeling the bond pulse. Through it, I feel Kade in the guest quarters. Feel his regret, his pain, his desperate hope.
It makes me want to scream.
He looked broken, I whisper.
Good, Lucian says coldly. He should be broken. After what he did to you
I know what he did to me, I snap. I was there, remember?
Lucian's expression softens. Then why do you look like you want to forgive him?
I don't want to, I say honestly. But the bond it's making me feel what he feels. His regret is real, Lucian. His pain is real.
So was yours, Damien reminds me. When he rejected you. When your father disowned you. When you almost died in the mountains. That was all real too.
He's right. I know he's right.
But the bond doesn't care about right or wrong. It just wants what it wants.
What do I do? I ask them.
You make him prove he's worthy, Sara says from the doorway. I didn't even hear her come in. You make him grovel. You make him work for even the smallest scrap of your attention. And if he can't handle that, then he never deserved you in the first place.
I look at my best friend, grateful for her bluntness.
And if he does prove himself? I ask quietly.
The three princes go very still.
Then you decide, Theron says carefully, whether his change is real or just desperation because he lost something valuable.
Through the bond, I feel Kade pacing his room. Feel his wolf howling for me.
Just like mine is howling for him.
I close my eyes, trying to shut out the connection.
It doesn't work.
Because through the bond, I suddenly feel something else.
Danger.
My eyes snap open. Something's wrong.
What? Lucian demands.
Kade someone's in his room
An explosion rocks the Royal Court.
Screams echo from the guest wing.
Through the bond, I feel Kade fighting for his life.
The Old Guard didn't give up.
They're trying to kill him again.
And if they succeed, the bond kills me too.