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SageThe ancient text blurs before my tired eyes as I search for anything that might help our situation. I've been in the library since dawn, surrounded by dusty tomes about healing pack history, hoping to find some precedent, some loophole in the laws Eris is using against us."—dangerous powers—" The whispered fragment catches my attention as two noble wolves pass nearby. "—remember what happened to her family's pack—""Destroyed for good reason, I heard," the other responds, just loud enough to ensure I hear. "Some abilities are too unpredictable to be trusted."Through our bond, I feel Alaric's protective instinct spike at their words, but I send back calming energy. Let them whisper. Every reaction just gives Eris more ammunition."You should rest." Iris appears beside me, frowning at the dark circles under my eyes. "You've been at this for hours.""I'm fine." But my hands shake slightly as I turn another brittle page. "There has to be something here, some explanation for why thes
Alaric"You can't be serious." I watch Sage prepare a basket of healing supplies and baked goods - a peace offering she intends to take into the pack village. "Not with tensions this high.""That's exactly why I have to do this." She meets my eyes steadily. "Eris wants them to see me as something dangerous, something to fear. The only way to fight that is to show them who I really am.""By putting yourself at risk?" My beast rises at the mere thought. "When half the pack believes her lies about your powers being dangerous?""And keeping me locked away in the packhouse only reinforces those fears." She touches my face gently. "Think about it, Alaric. If you keep me too protected, what message does that send? That even you don't trust me among our people?"The truth in her words doesn't make them easier to hear. Through our bond, I feel her determination warring with her own anxiety. But there's something else too - that core of strength that made me fall in love with her."At least let
Alaric"Where is she?"The wolf chained before me flinches at my tone, throat bared in instinctive submission. He reeks of fear – not just of punishment, but of something deeper. Someone more dangerous than even his king."My King, please..." His eyes dart to the guards, to Garrett, to anywhere but me. "If they find out I spoke...""They?" Power floods the dungeon cell. "Or she?"His silence is answer enough. Through our bond, I feel Sage's pain even from here – each breath sharp with broken ribs, each movement an agony as she refuses magical healing that might frighten the pack further. The rage building in my chest threatens to shatter my control."You will tell me everything." My voice holds deadly calm. "Every word she spoke. Every coin she paid. Every promise she made. Or I will show you exactly why they call me the Lycan King.""She'll kill me." The words burst from him. "Lady Eris, she... she has ways. Powers from the North. She said we'd be heroes, protecting the pack from dang
Sage The elders corner me in the library, their timing perfect - just when Alaric is occupied with border patrols and can't intervene through our bond."My dear." Lord Marcus's concern sounds almost genuine. "We've been discussing how to help ease these... tensions in the pack."I mark my place in the ancient text I've been studying, noting how they've positioned themselves between me and the door. "Have you?""This imprisonment situation has everyone on edge." Victoria's father joins in smoothly. "Pack members turning against each other, noble wolves in chains... it sets a concerning precedent.""They attacked me." My ribs still ache with the proof. "Or had you forgotten?""Out of fear." Lady Regina, one of the elder council members, steps closer. "Fear you could help dispel by showing mercy. By proving you're not the danger they believe."Through our bond, I feel Alaric's attention shift toward my unease, but I send back calming energy. I need to handle this myself."The pack sees o
Alaric "My King." Eris's voice stops me in the hallway. "Might I have a moment of your time?"Through our bond, I feel Sage's attention shift briefly before she returns to her work in the healing wing. These "moments" with Eris have become more frequent lately, each one more desperate than the last."I have duties to attend to." I move to pass her, but she steps deliberately into my path."That's exactly what I wished to discuss." Her smile holds calculated warmth. "Your duties to the kingdom. To our people.""Our people are being well served.""Are they?" She moves closer, her scent carrying notes of expensive perfume. "When half the pack still struggles to accept a queen with uncertain powers? When noble wolves whisper about tainted bloodlines?"I let my power fill the space between us. "Choose your next words very carefully.""I mean no disrespect." Her hand brushes my arm before I can step back. "I understand the attraction. Her power is... remarkable. And having such abilities at
AlaricTime freezes as I watch emotions flash across Sage's face - shock, hurt, understanding, and then... pure rage. But not at me. Through our bond, I feel her absolute certainty in my loyalty even as her power builds like a gathering storm."Really, Eris?" The fury in Sage's voice could melt steel. "This is what you've been reduced to?"Eris's triumphant smirk falters slightly. This clearly isn't the reaction she expected. "I merely gave him what he truly wants. What the kingdom needs. He was quite eager to—"Sage’s growl stops her short but she isn’t deterred for long. "You should be thanking me." Eris sits up, letting the sheet fall away deliberately. "I'm offering a solution that saves everyone's dignity. You can maintain your position in the healing wing, avoid the embarrassment of public rejection—""The only embarrassment here is you." Sage's power fills the room, making the air crackle. "Sneaking into another wolf's bed like a common—""Like a proper mate for a king." Eris's
Sage My heart pounds as I watch him enter our bedroom, water still glistening on his skin from the shower. Through our bond, I feel his breath catch at the sight of me waiting for him, vulnerable yet certain in my choice.Wetness pools between my legs from his hungry gaze alone. My shyness is quickly replaced by a sense of power that my king looks ready to drop to his knees for me, the words “fucking beautiful” whispered from his lips. The towel drops from his waist and I can't help staring, taking in every powerful line of him. Every hard plane, every defined ripple under his golden skin. My Lycan King. My mate. Through our bond, his satisfaction at my obvious appreciation mingles with his own hunger.My perusal stalls when my eyes trail to his long, thick member straining toward me, my entire body heats, a pink flush creeping over my skin. While he’s touched me in ways that make my blush deepen to think about, he’s never let me see all of him before now. A gasp escapes me at the si
AlaricDawn paints her skin golden as I watch her sleep in my arms, still joined from our last coupling hours ago. The mate bond pulses with contentment, memories of the night flooding through me - her gasps of pleasure, the way she trembled beneath my touch, how she finally overcame her shyness to take control.I thought Sage lying naked beneath me, looking up at me with so much trust and adoration while I brought us both to orgasm, would be the most gorgeous sight I’d ever see. But watching her find her confidence, riding me with her head thrown back and her silky blond hair grazing my thighs while she took her pleasure from me… that was fucking stunning. The memory of that vision has me growing hard inside her. I should pull out, she’s probably sore, I took her so many times and wasn’t always gentle. But even so, I can’t bring myself to separate from her. Not yet. Through our bond, I feel her peaceful dreams, her absolute trust in being vulnerable with me like this. My beast rumb
SageMy mind catalogs everything we've discovered as we return to the packhouse – formulas, experiments, evidence of a conspiracy extending generations. Since the poison transformed my abilities, information organizes itself with crystal clarity, connections forming automatically between seemingly disparate details."She hasn't spoken in hours," I hear Garrett murmur to Alaric. "Is she—""Processing," Alaric replies, his confidence flowing through our bond. "Let her work."His faith in me warms something deep inside, even as I continue sorting through the mental library I've built. Names surface in connection with experimental protocols – council members, noble houses, wolves who have opposed us from the beginning.The packhouse comes into view, Helena and Iris waiting anxiously at the gates. Through our bond, I feel Alaric's relief at seeing them safe, his lingering fear that our enemies might have moved against his family while we were gone."You're back." Iris rushes forward, her us
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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