Winter POV:

The plan for today is simple.

I'll get dressed from home, our magic will take us directly to their borders, where we'll be taken to the chapel. I'll meet the wolf, the priest joins us, and then that's it. I'll be mated to Derrick, Father will be returned and peace will reign.

That's what will happen if I can get through today without anyone noticing this stupid mark. I've tried to make it go away, tried using my magic and old spells and washing it away but nothing is working. It really is permanent.

I hiss in irritation. Stupid wolf. Stupid fucking wolf. If he hadn't met me my walk would've gone perfectly and I would've returned home fine, this is all his fault it's always–

What am I doing huh?

Complaining and cursing the rogue does nothing for me. Nothing other than waste my energy levels which are already lower than they should be, considering my power levels. Dammit.

I take a deep breath and step out of my third shower of the day. That's right, this is the third time I'm getting out of the shower today. I tried scrubbing it off on my second shower over and over again but nothing worked.

Mother thinks I'm nervous but that's far from the truth. My insight is itching against my skin.

If anyone found out...

Mother's knock snaps me out of it. "Winter I understand you're nervous and all but we need to arrive on time and the seamstress is here."

Translation: Get out of the shower right now. We're running out of time. Remember why we're doing this.

I take another deep breath, drying my feet. The foggy mirror in front of me shows my milky eyes faded with bags. I look awful.

No matter, that's what the beautician is for.

I step out of the bathroom in a long dress that covers the mark. Mother's face sags in relief. "I'm going to get my wedding pins from the house and bring over Ariana. She'll help with your makeup." I nod once and she vanishes, and I spot the seamstress, holding my finished dress. The original style had a covered front and a slightly revealing back. My lip twitches.

"The dress. Fix it." Her brows furrow. "Cover the back. Now." She pauses for a second, before getting to work. I watch her as she fixes up the dress so I can wear it without the mark showing. Only then do I collect it from her shaking arms.

By the time Ariana comes, I'm already in the dress, and the seamstress is gone, noting no errors in the dress. She smiles at me, mirroring my inner sadness. A part of me is angry I'm the one up for offering. Why couldn't it be her? Oh yeah, she's strong, and I'm not.

Her warm arms embrace me, reminding me of just how different we are. Two witches, bound by blood but on two completely different levels. "How are you Winter?" I smile. "As fine as someone in my shoes can be, I guess." Meaning: I'm not fine, not even a little bit. A small part of me wishes she could take my place instead. As if reading my mind she sighs. "I tried. I tried asking their Beta if I could take your part instead but they were insistent." There are tears in her eyes.

Guilt rushes in through me. How could I ever be mad at my little sister? "It's okay Ari, relax, on the plus side, I hear the wolves are physically endowed." I wiggle my eyebrows in fake excitement. She laughs, a tear running down her cheek. "God you're so dumb Winter. Come on, let's get you looking hotter than sin!" She pulls me towards the vanity.

"You look stunning darling." Mom says as the gates of the Stonefield Pack shine up ahead. I nod, even though I disagree.

She cups my face softly. "This is the only way Winter. For the coven, for peace."

I finish for her. "For father."

She kisses my forehead then steps back, as a chariot of wolves approaches. "It's time."

The reception is boring and brief to say the least. Unlike normal cultures where an engagement party is like a get together for both families, this one is more about wolves digging at us and throwing subtle threats at us. Only a few witches are present, my mother, Ariana, and Paul, Pauline and Paulina, important members of the high council.

My apparent mate has brown hair boring brown eyes, and is sitting in the corner with another buff man Ari tells me is the Beta of Stonefield. Said duo approaches me. The beta is taller, has longer legs and reaches me first. "Miss Winter, lovely to meet you." Derrick growls, forcing him to release me quickly. He laughs. "Relax dude, it's not like I'm marking her or anything. My pulse quickens at the reminder of my mistake. Derrick rolls his eyes. "Whatever." He takes up the hand that was dropped, kissing it. "Hello mate." He smiles at me. It's doesn't suit him, and the way his lips turn upwards has my insight screaming. I fake a blush. The Beta turns his attention towards Ari, smiling. "Ari, how are you?" She smiles, but unlike me I can't tell if she's faking it or not.

That's weird. This whole charade is weird.

Why on earth are we acting like this is a real wedding? The sight is almost comedic.

A few minutes later, just as the wedding us about to begin and the priest demands everyone stand up, the door slams open.

The Alpha of Stonefield enters. Everyone, wolf or witch, bows. My insight is over the charts. When I lift my eyes to spot the rumored tyrant, my breath hitches.

It's him. It's the rogue. Only he's not a rogue, not at all!

Our eyes meet, and my back ignites in heat.

Fuck!

Every from several feet away, the words he whispers reach me loud and clear.

It's a simple four letters word that carries so much weight.

"Mine."

Winter's POV:

Fuck.

Fucking fuck.

The man that forcefully marked me yesterday is not a rogue but the most feared wolf on the continent, Alpha Keon.

None of the rumors whispered about him were accurate enough. He's so tall I would have to turn my neck to catch all of him. His eyes are dark green, so dark it's like the forest floor. My neck won't stop burning. He's built like a Greek god. A beautiful, fatal one. His muscles are on display, the rain pouring outside outlining his torso and V line. I gulp. Luckily, it seems only me catches his words. The wolves are chanting to their Alpha, their King. The hall resonates with their voices.

"Alpha Keon! Alpha Keon! Wise and noble to his people,

Ever wise, ever valiant!

Long may he reign!

By canine and by blood,

Stonefield stands–"

"Silence."

Shit. Is he going to expose me? He knows, he has to. Any no wolf would stand and watch his mate marry another wolf.

The entire room goes dead silent.

"This mating will not stand."

I almost collapse on the spot. Out of the corner of my eye I spot mother's eyes bulge, Ari holding her arm stiffly.

Chaos breaks out. Small whispers turn into loud shouts.

Some are lost, others are angry.

"What? Did he already kill the wizard already?"

"It's the girl, she's marked isn't she? Our people can't be with someone already tainted with another wolf."

"We should just kill all the witches already, haven't they done enough?"

"What the hell is happening?"

"Let the fury of Stonefield rain on all the witches! War on the witches!"

The entire hall is screaming, chanting for our heads.

My heart is beating so violently it might fall out.

Oh well, I heard wolves eat the hearts of their enemies, might as well get a move on.

"Enough." The Alpha speaks once more, forcing everyone, every thought to pause.

His steps toward the altar are delibrate and slow, and my insight is telling me to sprint in the opposite direction. He reaches us, me, Derrick and the priest.

"Do I need to repeat myself? This mating isn't happening." His attention is on the priest.

Derrick hisses beside me. "You can't decide that–"

The Alpha's stare forces him into silence. He smiles, and it's official, the Blackbird Brothers were not built for smiling. It's like he's trying out the movement for the first time, and goosebumps erupt on my spine at the move.

"You were saying?" Derrick's fists tighten.

"Come with me." He turns away, and like a good shadow he follows, out of the halls and away from a confused crowd.

Everyone is staring at me. The feeling makes my skin crawl. I pray to anything and everything no one somehow spots the mark. My Mother is in tears, the Triplets, Paul, Pauline and Paulina are whispering loudly, arguing amoung themselves in the old tongue. The wolves look on with curiosity and disgust. I recognise the blood lust swirling in their eyes. They can't wait to kill me on their King's command. I blink back the tears.

I stand for what feels like forever, but is probably 30 minutes max. A lot of time for a lot of wolves to lose their patience. When they return, I can tell a word from the wolves and we'll be torn to shreds. I gulp.

If Keon ratted me out, then it's over, it's truly all over. I scan their faces. Keon's face is unreadable, but his brother's is calm. Happy even?

What the fuck is happening?

In Derrick's arm is some staff, and I hear Paul and Pauline whisper: "It can't be..." "It is" Paulina completes for them.

Mother's eyes widen even further.

I take a step back, even though my insight isn't telling me to. It's obvious whatever is in Derrick's hand has a lot of power, everyone can tell. He reaches the altar, a small grin on his face. He bellows to the crowd:

"Fear not great people of Stonefield. The mating shall go on." The tension dies down immediately, people sitting back down unsure of what to do next. "My brother here just wants to make sure the witches have no form of escape, an issue noted with the natural marking. Today, the relic of the Blood-Fang known to force bonds permanently between two creatures will be used! What you are about to witness is a once in a lifetime experience!"

The hall erupts in gasps. My jaw loosens. The Blood-Fang is the name for the first witch wolf war that took place centuries ago. Legend says this weapon was used to cause hundreds of deaths on both sides of the war. It was rumored to be lost in the forest. And it's here. It's actually here.

And it's going to be used on me.

Fuck.

Ariana curses under her breath. Mother is on the verge of tears again. Surprisingly, I'm not in the least bit worried. My insight has gone quiet, like there's absolutely nothing wrong about to happen and I'm not about to become a walking puppet for the wolves.

The priest begins the mating, chanting ancient words to deities no one is sure exists anymore. Outside, the rain pours down on us. When the priest lifts the staff to finalise the bond, the staff glows brightly. The people look on, amazed. It flickers like a candle, once, then twice. I'm about to blink when lightning strikes.

Inside the chapel.

Screams erupt in the room. I spot Ariana darting up. Mother's hands are glowing. The Triplets cannot believe their eyes.

I realise half sprint I'm not going to make it. It hit the center of the chapel, right beneath where I stand, and I'm not moving fast enough to not get struck.

Well, this is it. This is how I die. Death by lightning. One of the most unfortunate ways to die. How fitting.

I blink and open my eyes, warmth spreading through me. Above me, Alpha Keon is holding me in his arms, his eyes glowing.

Holy shit.

Winter's POV:

I can't feel the ground.

I can barely feel myself at all.

Alpha Keon's arms are a vice-like grip holding me steadily in place, his bicep hard and warm. Despite the strike behind us, dozens of screams breaking out all around us, all I think about is how good this feels. How right being in his arms feels.

He looks down at me.

His eyes. Up close, they look alive, like his irises are moving, like some sort of live wallpaper. They burn into me like they recognise something I don't. My back pulses, hot enough for my vision to blur at the edges.

He bends down so his breath fans my ears. He licks my ear and I shiver, but the move is so fast it's like he barely moved at all.

"You're mine."

His words are lower than a whisper, meant for only my hearing, and something in me resonates with them. "Keon..." I have no explanation for why I just called his name, but I blame it on the building migraine in the back of my skull.

"Easy streghetta" Did he just call me little witch in Italian? His grip on my waist tightens. "I've got you." Goosebumps spread up my back.

I should be screaming at him, clawing at him for taking a part of me without my wish. Instead I lean into his touch. Too many things are happening at once. It's all coming back.

Ari's scream. Mother's shout. Voices. So many voices. They're overlapping each other, grating against my nerves awfully. My magic is twisting painfully inside me, misfiring, mixing into something that feels a lot like him.

Keon turns quickly. "Move."

The chaos quiets immediately, the crowd splitting in half. He carries me towards the door he came from, my failing eyesight catching Ari's worry and Mother's fear. No one says anything in disagreement. No one tries to stop him.

The thing I see before everywhere goes dark is tanned hands holding on to the still glowing staff.

It's Derrick, and he's smiling, his canines on display.

The last thing I feel is fear. Our eyes meet.

I pass out.

I woke up in a panic.

Normally, witches rarely dream. Unlike humans that sometimes have sleep induced visions, we witches are more or less in a dull fog that we forget about the moment we open our eyes.

This time, I'm dreaming.

I'm on a huge ship, in the pouring rain. Voices are arguing. My head is spinning. Unable to focus on anything with the way the ship sways left to right. The ship sways a little too much to the right and I fall right into the water.

Witches have never been good with water. That's for mermaids. I can't swim, my arms feel heavier than stone. I try to scream but my voice is gone. My body sinks deeper into the ocean floor, and I drown.

I carry my fear into the real world, my body covered with sweat. My arms are shaking, my chest aching as I try to calm myself. Air burns in my lungs as I breathe, like I've run a mile. My nose picks up on the smell of pine, forest and wolf.

I'm not the chapel.

The ceiling above me is made of several precious gemstones around on carved stone. Dim lights flicker from the lanterns above me. I'm lying on something soft. And warm. Really warm.

I sit up, freezing. It's him. Keon is sitting beside me, watching me.

He's calmer now. Looking less like Zeus and more like a man, and that deception is scary in itself. His elbows are propped up beside him, studying me closely.

"You're awake." He says.

"Where am I?" My throat is scratchy. I could really use some water right now. Koen gets up, walking towards the table. He grabs the water and throws it at me. I use my magic to stop it. He nods in approval at me leaving me confused. "You're in my quarters."

My fingers stop opening the bottle. Panic rises in my chest. "Koen, why am I here?" His eyes flicker to my neck, just for a second, before he replies. "Because you're not safe anywhere else."

My laugh is weak and tired. "Yeah right. You interrupted my wedding. I'm pretty sure "safe" left the room when you walked in."

The corner of his mouth twitches. It's not a smile nor is it a frown. It confuses me.

"That wedding was never going to happen." He lays beside me.

I sit up. "You don't get to decide that."

"Already did streghetta."

A heavy charged silence engulfs us. I finally address the huge elephant in the room. "Why did you mark me Koen?" His jaw tightens. He traces my skin delicately. He's careful not to touch the mark. "I didn't mean to."

I raise my brow. "Yeah right. And you expect me to believe that?"

He sighs. "No. But it doesn't matter anyways. The moon chose you."

A cool breeze passes by. What does that mean?

His eyes have darkened, his eyes looking more alive than ever. It looks like something passed through it.

"It means..." he says quietly, "That no matter how many treaties your people sign or who you marry..."

Our eyes meet.

You were never going to belong to anyone else. Anyone other than me.