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AlaricHer terror hits me through our bond like a physical blow. I'm moving before conscious thought, abandoning the border patrol reports as her consciousness starts to fade."Sage!" My roar shakes the library windows as I find her crumpled beside ancient texts. Through our bond, I feel her slipping away even as I gather her into my arms.The book fallen beside her catches my eye - a page about poisons used to break mate bonds. My blood runs cold as I read the symptoms listed: fever, chills, weakening powers...Everything she's been trying to hide from me."I need healers!" My voice carries command that brings them running. "Now!"The healing wing erupts in chaos as I burst in with her limp form. Her skin burns against mine even as she shivers uncontrollably."Her powers are fighting something." The head healer's hands glow as she examines Sage. "But I've never seen..."Through our bond, I feel Sage's strength ebbing. Feel how her healing abilities war with whatever poison runs throug
Alaric"She crossed the northern border two hours ago." Garrett marks the location on our map. "Traveling fast, but leaving an obvious trail.""Too obvious." My fingers trace the route. Through our weakening bond, I feel Sage's fever climbing higher, each moment we waste costing precious strength. "She wants us to follow.""Almost certainly a trap." Garrett meets my eyes steadily. "But we're running out of time."He's right. The healers say the poison spreads faster now, targeting not just Sage's body but the very essence of our mate bond. Each hour brings us closer to losing both."The council demands—" An elder starts from the doorway."The council can burn." Power rolls off me in waves. "This is what they wanted, isn't it? Their precious traditions preserved by breaking our bond?""My King—""Get the fuck out." When he hesitates, my roar shakes the walls. "All of you. Out!"Only Garrett remains as I study the map. Letters we intercepted suggest Eris has the antidote, or at least kno
AlaricThe cabin explodes into chaos as we attack. My warriors move with perfect coordination, but something's wrong - the Northern wolves react too quickly, too prepared."Underground!" Garrett's warning comes just as the floor beneath us shifts. Hidden tunnels, escape routes we didn't know about. Through our weakening bond, I feel Sage's heartbeat faltering as precious time slips away."Find her!" My roar shakes the cabin's foundations. "Tear this place apart!"But Eris's guards are everywhere, fighting with desperate determination. Not just protecting their lady - buying her time. Through the battle haze, that detail nags at me. Why delay instead of retreat?A familiar scent catches my attention - fresh, close. Without hesitation, I crash through the hidden panel it leads to, following steep stairs into darkness.Eris waits in a candlelit chamber, her perfect composure intact despite the battle above. "My King." Her smile holds victory. "So predictable.""The antidote." My beast ris
SageThrough the poison's haze, a familiar scent cuts sharp as a blade - Blackthorn territory, power, and something darker. Even half-conscious, my body recognizes the threat."Such a waste." Cassius's voice reaches me through the fever. "All that potential, turned to ash by your own stubbornness."I try to move, to call for help, but the poison has spread too far. My powers flutter weakly as he approaches the bed."You could have been extraordinary, you know." He checks the healing wing doorway - empty, guards mysteriously absent. "If you'd only chosen the right path. The right mate.""Never." The word comes out barely a whisper."No?" His smile holds winter frost. "Did you really think your precious king could protect you? That love would overcome generations of carefully laid plans?"Through our broken bond, I try reaching for Alaric one last time. Feel only empty silence where his presence should be."The ancient healing packs weren't destroyed for being too powerful." Cassius pull
AlaricSage's powers shimmer with new strength as she heals another warrior's training injury. Through our enhanced bond, I feel how differently her abilities work now - not just healing, but understanding the very essence of what she touches."Extraordinary," the head healer murmurs, watching golden light spread from Sage's hands. "The way she adapted to the poison... I've never seen anything like it."I haven't either. Since that night, our mate bond has grown stronger than I thought possible. Even without a mating mark, every touch, every shared thought carries deeper meaning. Even now, across the healing wing, I feel her satisfaction as the warrior's wound closes completely."My King." Garrett's arrival draws my attention. "We found something at the cabin."He hands me a stack of letters - correspondence between Eris and Cassius, carefully coded but damning nonetheless. Through our bond, I feel Sage's interest as she finishes with the warrior."They've been planning this for weeks,
AlaricBlackthorn territory stretches before us, its dense forests shadowed under overcast skies. Through our enhanced bond, I feel Sage's unease warring with determination as we approach the border."We should expect resistance," Garrett warns, scanning the treeline. "Entering another Alpha's territory without permission...""Cassius forfeited any rights to protocol when he tried to kill my mate. Besides, I don’t buy for one minute that Alpha Sloan had no idea what his son was up to. He’ll submit to his king or pay the fucking consequences!" Power ripples through my words. The warriors behind us shift in response, ready for conflict.Sage's hand finds mine, her touch carrying calm through our bond. "We're not here for war," she reminds me. "We need evidence, not blood."She's right, but my beast bristles at the memory of her collapsed form, of poison burning through her veins. Through our bond, she feels my struggle and sends back understanding mixed with resolve."Blackthorn border p
AlaricAlpha Sloane stands flanked by his elite guards, his power filling the laboratory like a physical presence. Unlike his son's calculated charm, Sloane's authority comes from ruthless pragmatism."Investigating treason." I step forward, placing myself between him and Sage. "Your son attempted to murder my mate."Through our bond, I feel Sage's assessment of the new threat – counting guards, evaluating escape routes, calculating our odds if this turns violent."Serious accusations." Sloane's eyes move clinically around the laboratory, betraying no surprise at its contents. "Though I see you've already made yourself comfortable in my facilities.""Your facilities?" Garrett's voice carries disgust. "You claim knowledge of these experiments?"Sloane's expression remains impassive. "What I know or don't know about legitimate research in my territory is hardly your concern.""Legitimate research?" Sage steps beside me, her outrage flowing through our bond. "You call creating monsters to
Cassius"They found the lab." Father's voice crackles through the secure line, his usual control slipping just enough to reveal genuine concern. "Your pet project has been compromised."I lean back in my chair, swirling aged whiskey as I consider this development. "How much did they see?""Everything. The mutants. The formulas. The targeting protocols."A prickle of irritation surfaces, but I maintain my composed facade. "And you let them leave with this information?""The female... her powers have evolved beyond our models. She claims to have memorized everything. All data. All formulas." Now Father sounds truly disturbed. "This development wasn't in any of our projections."Of course it wasn't. Their projections are based on ancient fears and outdated models. They've never truly understood what makes Sage special. What makes her... perfect."The council will be convening an emergency session," Father continues. "We need to prepare our position, reframe the narrative before—""Let me
Alexander"They need you specifically for the binding ritual to work." I mutter to myself, but Lyra picks up my train of thought."Which is why Selene led the attack herself." She says grimly. "She spotted me trying to escape. I used everything I know about the forest to lose her, but she pursued me for miles." She indicates her injuries. "I didn't escape unscathed.""How did you find your way here?" Dominic asks, suspicion edging his voice, making me growl under my breath. "The palace is heavily guarded, especially during the Gala."Lyra's gaze returns to me. "I followed the bond. It led me here—like a silver thread pulling me toward safety. I knew it was dangerous to come to the palace, but somehow I also knew it was the only place I'd be safe from her."The simple truth of her words reverberates through our connection. She came to me—to her true mate—instinctively seeking protection even at great risk to herself."We need to get you somewhere safer than this garden," I say, assessi
AlexanderThe remainder of the Gala passes in a blur of forced smiles and diplomatic niceties. I perform my duties mechanically—dancing with potential matches, engaging in political small talk, maintaining the façade of the dutiful heir considering his options. But my thoughts remain fixed on the conversation with Selene in the garden, her veiled threats echoing in my mind."The final night of the Gala approaches. Traditionally, the heir makes his intentions clear by then. I would hate for... misunderstandings to arise."What did she know about Lyra? How much had she discovered about our meeting in the forest? The questions circle endlessly as I navigate the crowded ballroom, accepting congratulations on my upcoming coronation from nobles who have no idea of the turmoil beneath my carefully composed exterior."You're distracted tonight," Dominic murmurs as he appears at my side, offering a much-needed glass of water. "More than usual.""Something's wrong," I reply under my breath. "Se
Lyra "Or another of your bloodline, though few remain." Thalia’s words bring me back to the present as she reaches for my hands, clasping them in her own. "The Northern delegation seeks a Silverspiral healer for their ritual. Whatever they plan, it involves the prophecy, the Lycan heir, and the disruption of the true mate bond you now share.""But why? What could they hope to gain?""Power," she says simply. "Control over the balanced power that the prophecy promises. If they can bind the heir to their bloodline instead of his true mate, they might redirect the fulfillment of the prophecy to serve their purposes."My mind races, connecting fragments of overheard conversations with this new information. "I overheard them speaking of a binding ceremony, of needing a healer of pure bloodline for a ritual to work properly.""A perversion of ancient magic," Thalia growls. "They would use your blood—your essence—to create a false bond between the prince and their princess, overriding the t
LyraI follow the hidden paths back to our secondary encampment, my mind still reeling from the encounter with Alexander. Every step increases the distance between us, and with it comes a physical ache I've only heard described in tales of true mates separated. The silver bond stretches taut between us, a constant reminder of what fate has decreed and duty denies.The dream flowers in my basket seem to pulse with their own soft luminescence in the fading light, their scent more potent than usual—or perhaps my senses are simply heightened by the awakening of the mate bond. Either way, their presence is a tangible reminder of my responsibilities to my people, responsibilities that now seem at odds with the pull of my heart.Our emergency settlement is well-concealed, nestled against a cliff face with natural caves providing shelter. Unlike our permanent enclave, this location is sparse, functional, designed for temporary safety rather than comfort. As I approach, I sense rather than see
AlexanderMy mother’s watchful eyes pierce right through me as she waits for me to speak. I consider lying, brushing off my questions as nothing more than curiosity. But I’ve never lied to her before, and I don’t intend to start now. "I found my true mate today," I say finally, the words both liberating and damning. "A healer named Lyra, from one of the hidden communities."Elara gasps softly while my mother's expression transforms from shock to a complex mixture of joy and concern. "The mate bond—you're certain?""As certain as you and Father were," I confirm. "The silver connection, instantaneous and undeniable.""Oh, Alex," Elara breathes, understanding immediately the impossible position I'm in. "The Choosing Gala, Princess Selene, the prophecy...""All pointing me in one direction," I finish grimly, "while fate pulls me in another."My mother rises, coming to me, her hands cool against my face as she studies me with those violet eyes so like my own. "A true mate is a gift beyond
Alexander The Grand Ballroom is even more crowded than the previous night, the competition among potential matches growing as the Gala progresses. By tradition, I should be narrowing my preferences, spending more time with those I find most suitable. Instead, I move mechanically through the required dances, my thoughts a thousand miles away in a forest clearing with a woman whose touch brought balance to my warring nature."Your Highness seems distracted tonight," observes Lady Mirella, the daughter of an influential Alpha from the Western territories, as we complete our obligatory dance."Forgive me," I say automatically. "Many matters require my attention with the coronation approaching."She simpers appropriately, but I can see the calculation in her eyes. All of them are watching, evaluating, strategizing—except Selene, who stands across the room in conversation with my father, her poise perfect as always but her gaze finding me repeatedly.I've successfully avoided her so far, pl
AlexanderEvery step away from Lyra feels wrong—physically painful in a way I've never experienced. The silver thread of our mate bond stretches but doesn't break, a constant pull urging me to turn back, to claim what fate has decreed is mine. My head pounds and my dual nature—healing and Alpha—roils inside me, more unsettled than ever before."Alex?" Dominic's voice breaks through my inner turmoil. "You need to slow down. You're practically running."I realize I've been striding through the forest at a punishing pace, as if physical distance might somehow diminish the connection I feel to her. I stop abruptly, bracing one hand against a tree trunk, struggling to bring my breathing under control."A true mate," I say, the words hollow with disbelief. "Now, of all times."Dominic says nothing, just watches me with concern etched on his features. He was there, he saw the connection spark between us, but he can't feel what I'm feeling—the bone-deep certainty colliding with equally powerfu
LyraMy healing ability activates instinctively, energy flowing through my fingertips into his arm. I sense immediately that something is wrong—his dual natures pulling against each other with increasing force, creating internal fractures where they should flow together."Your power is destabilizing," I tell him, medical concern momentarily overriding the more complicated emotions of our situation. "The Alpha strength and healing ability—they're fighting each other instead of balancing."He looks at me with surprise. "You can sense that?""I'm a healer," I remind him. "Diagnosing is what I do." I hesitate, then add, "But this is beyond my experience. I've never felt anything like the conflict in your energies.""The conflict has been growing stronger as my twenty-fifth birthday approaches," he admits. "Headaches, power surges, difficulty controlling either ability."His Beta watches our exchange with growing concern. "We should return to the palace," he suggests. "If you're unwell—""I
LyraThe moment I lock eyes with him, everything inside me shifts—rearranges itself around a truth I never expected to face. The legendary silver connection of true mates flares between us like a living thing, pulsing with recognition so fierce it nearly brings me to my knees.My basket tumbles from my fingers, precious dream flowers scattering across the forest floor. I rise to my feet, unable to look away from the man standing at the edge of the clearing. Even without the royal trappings, I would know him anywhere—the violet eyes that mark his heritage, the commanding presence that no plain clothing can disguise. Prince Alexander, heir to the throne, son of the king who descended from those who hunted my people to near extinction.My true mate."It's you," he whispers, his voice carrying easily across the clearing.I can't speak, can't move. Every instinct urges me forward, toward him, while every rational thought screams danger. The mate bond thrums between us, demanding acknowledgm