Chapter twelve: I don't deserve her

Finnick's POV

I never expected to see my mother gain.

But there she stood, Luna Margot in the middle of the broken wall, lit by moonlight, silver eyes glowing like fire. Her long cloak blew in the heavy wind, and her face was dark and hard as stone.

She looked at Freya, lying still in my arms. “Step away from her,” she said coldly.

I held Freya tighter. “She saved me.”

“You don’t deserve her,no you don't” my mother replied, her voice sharp. “You left her once. And now she’s dying for you.”

My throat tightened. Freya’s skin was cold. Her chest barely moved. But she wasn’t gone—not yet.

“You didn’t come all this way to scold me,” I said. “Help her. Please.”

Luna Margot came closer and knelt beside Freya. She held her hand above Freya’s chest.

“She’s stuck,” she whispered. “Her soul hasn’t left, but it’s lost. She gave too much power, too fast. It’s burning her from the inside.”

“There has to be something—”

“There is,” my mother cut in. “But it’s a choice. A price.”

I nodded quickly. “Anything. I’ll pay it.”

“You have to give her your bond,” she said.

My heart stopped. “My bond?”

“If you give her your full mate bond, it will tie her back to life. But there will be no hiding after that. She’ll feel everything. All your fears, all your guilt. Your past.”

I looked down at Freya. Even now, broken and burning, she looked stronger than I ever had. She came for me when no one else did.

“I already belong to her,” I whispered.

Luna Margot nodded. “Then speak the oath.”

I placed my hand on Freya’s chest. Her heart was so faint.

“Freya Rynn,” I whispered, “my mate, my moon, my flame—I give you everything. My soul, my blood, my bond. Come back to me.”

A sharp pain shot through me. My chest felt like it was tearing open. My soul twisted. Then—light.

Freya gasped.

She sucked in air like someone pulled her from underwater. Her eyes opened—those golden eyes filled with life again. She glanced at me, confused, then gave a lip tight smile.

“You are here,” she said. Her voice low and soft.

“ no, I’m not leaving, not going anywhere.”

She reached up and touched my cheek. Her hand was warm again. And then I saw it in her eyes—she felt me now. Every part of me.

“Took you long enough,” she whispered.

But we weren’t alone.

Behind us, a low growl filled the room. Kade.

He wasn’t dead.

He looked worse than before—half wolf, one eye swollen shut, his body broken—but he was still crawling toward us, rage burning in what was left of him.

I stood up, placing Freya gently down. “Stay back.”

She grabbed my arm, weak but firm. “No. I have to finish this.”

I nodded, stepping aside.

Freya stood on shaking legs. “You took everything from me,” she told Kade. “But I took it back.”

Silver light sparked around her again, brighter than before. Stronger.

Kade only laughed. “You think this is over? I’ve seen what’s coming. You’re just a pawn, Freya. Just a piece.”

She raised her hand.

“You can’t stop it,” Kade hissed. “Long live the Hollow Queen.”

Then—he was gone.

Not dead. Not escaped.

He *vanished*—like the shadows swallowed him.

The room fell quiet. My pack, the ones who’d stormed in during the fight, stared in shock. Cassian, my second-in-command, stepped beside me.

“Alpha,” he said. “She saved us all.”

I looked at Freya, her body shaking, but her eyes were clear. “She saved *me*.”

She turned to me, confused. “What did he mean? Hollow Queen?”

I didn’t know. But the fear in my chest wasn’t just about Kade anymore. Something darker had begun.

And then the torches blew out.

A cold wind rushed in. The room went dark.

From behind us, my mother’s voice broke the silence.

“Riven,” she said.

The name made the air feel colder.

“Who’s Riven?” I asked.

Luna Margot looked at us—and for the first time, I saw fear in her eyes.

“They’re coming,” she said. “And they don’t want the throne. They want her soul.”