Kiera's POV
I'd been pacing my cell for hours.
Through the bond, I felt Theron's emotions churning like a storm—anger, shock, determination, and something else I couldn't quite name. Something that felt like hope mixed with fury.
Whatever he'd discovered in those documents from Shadowmoon, it had shaken him to his core.
And that terrified me.
Because if the Alpha King—the most powerful, controlled wolf in all territories—was rattled, then whatever conspiracy we'd stumbled into was bigger than either of us had imagined.
Phase Two: Breaking True Bonds.
My name on a list. Not as a victim. As a test subject.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces of my sanity together. Someone had deliberately tried to separate me from my true mate. Had given me to Damien instead. Had made me believe a lie so completely that I'd been willing to die for it.
Why? What was I to them? What was Theron?
Footsteps approached my cell, and I spun around.
Theron stood at the bars, his silver eyes intense and unreadable. He held a piece of paper in his hand.
I have something for you, he said quietly.
Not his usual cold command. Something softer. Almost... gentle.
My heart stuttered. What is it?
A message. He unlocked the cell door and stepped inside. From your sister.
The world stopped.
What? The word came out as a whisper.
Theron handed me the letter. My hands shook so badly I could barely hold it. The handwriting was messy, rushed, but I'd recognize it anywhere.
Lyra's handwriting.
Kiera— I'm alive. I'm safe. I have proof about what they did to you. Trust the Alpha King. He's the only one powerful enough to protect us both now. I'll explain everything soon. Stay strong. L
The letter slipped from my fingers.
No, I breathed. No, this can't be real. She's dead. They told me she was dead.
But even as I said it, something inside me—something that had been broken and hollow suddenly blazed to life.
Hope.
Dangerous, painful, beautiful hope.
She's alive, Theron confirmed. The message is real. I verified the seal and the handwriting against records from Shadowmoon.
My knees buckled.
I didn't realize I was falling until Theron caught me, his strong arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me against his chest. The bond exploded between us—hot and bright and overwhelming.
And then I was crying.
Not the silent tears I'd shed in darkness, but real, body-shaking sobs that tore out of my throat like they'd been trapped there for years. All the grief and guilt and terror I'd been holding back since the moment I killed Damien came pouring out.
She's alive, I sobbed into Theron's chest. Lyra's alive. I didn't kill him for nothing.
His arms tightened around me. No. You didn't.
They told me she was dead. The guards came to my cell after—after I killed Damien. They said she'd been executed that morning. That it was already done. The words tumbled out between sobs. They said I murdered my mate for nothing, that she died anyway, that I was a monster who destroyed everything I touched.
Theron's whole body went rigid.
Which guards? His voice was deadly quiet. Names, Kiera. I need names.
I pulled back enough to look up at him through my tears. I don't know. I was in shock. But they were Damien's men. Shadowmoon guards.
They lied to you. Theron's eyes flashed gold, his wolf rising. They made you think you'd failed. Made you believe killing Damien was pointless.
Why would they do that?
To break you. His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb wiping away tears. Someone wanted you destroyed mentally before they killed you physically.
The gentleness in his touch made my heart ache.
I don't understand any of this, I whispered. Why me? I'm nobody. Just a wolf from Shadowmoon who wanted to save her sister.
You're not nobody. Theron's silver eyes held mine with an intensity that stole my breath. You're part of the Ashborne bloodline. Ancient. Powerful. And according to those documents, you're my true mate—a bond someone tried very hard to prevent.
But why?
That's what we're going to find out. He released me, and I immediately felt the loss of his warmth. I'm moving you out of this cell. If your sister has proof, I want you healthy enough to understand it when she arrives.
I stared at him. You're... moving me?
To guest quarters in the fortress. Still locked. Still guarded. But with a real bed, a bath, and actual food. His expression softened just slightly. You're still my prisoner, Kiera. But I'm beginning to think you're a prisoner of circumstance more than crime.
Something warm bloomed in my chest. Hope. Trust. Things I thought I'd lost forever.
Thank you, I said quietly.
Theron nodded once. Can you walk?
I tested my legs. They were shaky but stable. Yes.
Good. Stay close to me. The fortress is dangerous for you right now.
Why?
He hesitated, and through the bond I felt his conflict—the war between telling me the truth and protecting me from it.
Theron, I pressed. What aren't you telling me?
His jaw clenched. Your sister's letter had a postscript. A warning.
What kind of warning?
Someone in this fortress is planning to kill you before your trial. His eyes met mine, deadly serious. We have forty-eight hours to figure out who—or you're dead.
The words hit me like a physical blow.
Forty-eight hours, I repeated numbly.
Starting from when I received the letter three hours ago. Theron's hand went to the small of my back, possessive and protective. Which means we don't have time to waste.
He guided me toward the cell door, but I stopped at the threshold.
If someone's trying to kill me, won't moving me to better quarters make it easier for them? I'll be more exposed.
Yes, Theron agreed. But you'll also be closer to me. And anyone who wants to get to you will have to go through the Alpha King first.
The bond pulsed warm between us. He was protecting me. His prisoner. His mate.
We stepped out of the cell and started down the corridor. Theron kept his hand on my back, alert and watchful. Every shadow made him tense. Every sound made his wolf rise.
Who do you think is trying to kill me? I asked quietly.
Someone connected to the mate bond experiments. Someone who knows that if you and Lyra expose the conspiracy, their entire operation falls apart.
So someone powerful.
Very powerful. His hand tightened on my back. Powerful enough to walk these halls without suspicion.
We climbed stairs, moving deeper into the fortress. Passing guards who stared at us with wide eyes. Passing courtiers who whispered behind their hands.
The mate-murderer being escorted by the King himself. That would feed the gossip for weeks.
Theron didn't seem to care.
We turned a corner and
A woman stood in the hallway ahead of us. Beautiful, with long dark hair and cold eyes. She wore expensive clothes and carried herself like royalty.
The moment she saw us together, her face twisted with rage.
Theron, she said, her voice dripping poison. Taking the prisoner for a walk?
Theron's whole body went tense. Selene. What are you doing in this wing?
Selene. I'd heard that name whispered among the guards. Theron's cousin. The woman who'd expected to become his Queen.
Her eyes raked over me with pure hatred. I could ask you the same question. Since when does the Alpha King personally move prisoners?
Since it became relevant to my investigation.
Investigation. Selene laughed, sharp and cruel. Is that what we're calling it? Because it looks like obsession to me.
Theron stepped slightly in front of me, blocking her view. Careful, cousin.
But Selene's eyes had already found what she was looking for. They locked on where Theron's hand still rested on my back.
And then she smiled. A terrible, knowing smile.
Oh, she breathed. Oh, this is even better than I thought.
Before either of us could react, she turned and strode away, her laughter echoing down the corridor.
Theron cursed under his breath.
What just happened? I asked.
He looked at me, and for the first time since I'd met him, I saw real fear in his eyes.
She knows about the bond, he said quietly. And by tomorrow morning, so will everyone else.