Damian Thorn stopped exactly three feet in front of me. He held a small glass vial filled with a shimmering silver liquid.

"We are done, Isla," he announced.

His voice carried effortlessly across the crowded pack hall, cutting through the upbeat music.

"I am severing our mate bond tonight."

Whispers erupted from the surrounding pack members. They formed a tight circle around us, eager for the spectacle.

I stared at the vial in his hand. "You want to break the bond right here? In front of everyone we know?"

"I want no misunderstandings," Damian replied, keeping his chin raised. "The pack needs to see their Alpha make the hard choices."

"You call this a hard choice?" I asked. "You claim I am useless. You tell them I am unable to give you an heir."

"Because you are barren," he shot back. "A pack cannot survive without a future Alpha. You know this."

I stepped closer. I lowered my tone just enough to force him to listen.

"I cannot carry a pup because you destroyed my body. You led me into that rogue ambush last winter. You left me to bleed out in the snow while you saved yourself."

He flinched. A brief crack appeared in his arrogant mask.

"I made a tactical retreat," Damian argued, his jaw tightening. "I had to ensure the safety of the remaining warriors."

"You abandoned your mate," I corrected him. "You ran. And now you blame me for the permanent damage you caused."

Vanessa Reed stepped out from behind his broad frame. She hooked her arm through his, pressing her chest against his bicep. She wore a smug smile that made my stomach turn.

"No wolf blames an Alpha for a little collateral damage," Vanessa sneered. "They will just view this as his brief, tragic affair. A mistake he had to rectify."

"Keep your mouth shut, Vanessa," I warned her. "This is between mates."

She leaned forward. Her eyes gleamed with undisguised malice.

"Not anymore," Vanessa continued. "But you are different, Isla Ravenshade. No pack in this territory will ever accept a barren she-wolf as their Luna. You are damaged goods."

I ignored her entirely, keeping my focus locked on Damian.

"You are violating Werewolf Federation law," I told him. "An Alpha cannot unilaterally sever a bond without cause or a formal trial. The council will strip you of your title."

"I am the law in this territory," Damian replied. He puffed out his chest. "The council will not care about a female who cannot breed."

"You also know exactly what my bloodline is," I reminded them both. "You know who my family is. You know what they will do when they find out you humiliated me."

Damian let out a harsh, barking laugh.

"Your bloodline?" He shook his head in mock pity. "You threw that away. You renounced your precious royal name just to be with me. You walked away from them, Isla."

"I did it for you," I whispered, the betrayal stinging my eyes.

"And that was your mistake," Damian said.

He raised the glass vial toward the ceiling, addressing the crowd.

"To the future of this pack," he announced.

He uncorked the glass and swallowed the silver liquid in one gulp.

The reaction hit me immediately.

A searing heat tore through my chest. Invisible claws ripped my heart straight out of my ribcage.

My knees gave out.

I slammed onto the hard wooden floor. A scream tore from my throat, raw and agonizing. The mate bond snapped like a dry twig inside my mind.

Damian stood over me, watching me writhe on the tiles.

"This is your own choice," he muttered. His tone was heavy with disdain. "Your family will never accept a piece of trash who abandoned them anyway. You have nothing left."

Black spots danced at the edges of my vision. The pain radiated down my spine, paralyzing my limbs.

"Get her out of here," Vanessa ordered a nearby guard. "She is ruining the celebration."

Before the darkness could swallow me completely, a deafening crash echoed through the hall.

The heavy oak doors splintered inward. They flew off their hinges and smashed onto the floorboards.

Silence crashed over the murmuring crowd.

Two figures stepped through the ruined entryway. The sheer power rolling off them forced several pack members to drop to their knees immediately.

King Alaric Ravenshade marched into the room. His golden eyes blazed with unrestrained fury.

Beside him moved Cassian Nightbane, a young wolf whose lethal grace made the ambient air turn freezing cold.

Alaric did not waste a single second. He crossed the room in three massive strides, ignoring the guards who scrambled out of his way.

Damian opened his mouth to speak. "King Alaric, what is the meaning of—"

*Smack.*

Alaric’s backhand sent Damian flying into a nearby banquet table. Wood splintered under the Alpha’s weight. Plates and glasses shattered everywhere.

Vanessa shrieked and covered her mouth, taking a frantic step back.

Alaric pivoted. He slapped her across the face, sending her sprawling right next to Damian.

"Two pieces of trash!" Alaric roared.

His voice vibrated the glass windows, forcing the nearest wolves to cover their ears.

"Bloodlines never break! You dare hurt my daughter? You will now face the full wrath of the Ravenshade royals!"

While my father delivered his judgment, Cassian crouched beside me.

His strong arms slid beneath my shoulders and knees. He lifted me from the floor with effortless ease, cradling me against his chest.

"I have got you," Cassian murmured.

He lifted a hand and gently stroked my tangled hair away from my sweaty forehead. His touch brought an immediate, soothing warmth to my fractured chest.

"Father," I rasped, my throat raw from screaming.

"Rest, Isla," Cassian instructed softly. "We will handle the garbage."

Damian pushed himself up from the wreckage of the table. Blood leaked from his split lip. He stared at the scene in front of him, his chest heaving.

He saw Cassian holding me. His eyes flashed with sudden, irrational jealousy.

"Do not touch her!" Damian shouted, staggering forward. "Put her down!"

Cassian stopped. He did not turn his body. He only shifted his icy gaze to lock onto the bleeding Alpha.

"In what capacity are you speaking to me right now?" Cassian asked.

The question hung in the air, cold and absolute. Damian froze. His mouth opened and closed without a single sound escaping.

"She is no longer your mate," Cassian reminded him, his voice devoid of any emotion. "You severed the tie. You hold no claim here."

"She belongs to my pack!" Damian argued, though his voice trembled under Cassian's stare.

"She belongs to the Ravenshade crown," Alaric corrected, stepping between Damian and Cassian. "And you have just declared war on us."

Cassian adjusted his grip on me, securing me tighter against his chest.

"We are leaving," Alaric commanded. He did not spare another glance at the pathetic pair on the floor. "If any wolf tries to stop us, kill them."

"With pleasure," Cassian replied.

He carried me toward the shattered doorway. The pack members parted like a frightened sea. They pressed themselves against the walls to avoid his path, their heads bowed in submission.

My eyelids grew impossibly heavy. The pain of the broken bond finally pulled me down into the dark.

But just before I slipped away entirely, Cassian leaned down. He whispered a promise against my temple.

"They will burn for this, little wolf. I swear it."

The darkness took me, leaving me to wonder what war would ignite when I finally woke up.

"Isla. Look at me."

My eyelids fluttered open. The arched stone ceiling of my childhood bedroom in Ravenshade Palace came into focus. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn back, letting the morning sunlight spill across the floor.

King Alaric leaned over the edge of the mattress. Deep lines of worry framed his golden eyes, making him look older than I remembered.

"Father," I croaked. My throat felt like sandpaper.

"Do not try to sit up," he ordered, pressing a heavy hand to my shoulder. "I have summoned Dr. Julian Graves. You require a full examination immediately."

"I do not need a doctor," I argued, my voice gaining a fraction of its normal strength.

I ignored his command and pushed myself upright against the silk pillows. I braced my body for the agonizing tear of the severed mate bond. I expected the familiar fire in my veins, the crushing weight on my lungs.

Nothing happened.

My chest felt whole. The suffocating emptiness Damian left behind simply did not exist.

"I feel fine," I told him, pressing a palm flat against my collarbone. "The pain is completely gone. How is that possible? A severed bond should take months to heal."

Alaric let out a long sigh and sat on the edge of the bed. He folded his large hands in his lap.

"Cassian Nightbane," my father explained. "He transferred an immense amount of his own wolf energy to stabilize your core. He bypassed the natural healing process entirely."

"He did what?" I asked, shock widening my eyes. "That kind of transfer is dangerous."

"He nearly drained his own life force to save yours," Alaric confirmed grimly.

I stared at him. "Where is he?"

"Resting in the guest chamber next door," Alaric replied. "He refused to leave this hallway until he knew you were awake."

"Cassian Nightbane," I repeated, testing the sharp syllables on my tongue. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

A booming laugh erupted from my father’s chest, shattering the lingering tension in the room. The sound bounced off the stone walls.

"Of course it sounds familiar," Alaric said, shaking his head in amusement. "He was the suitor I arranged for you three years ago. The one you refused to even meet before running away with Damian Thorn."

Total silence fell over the room.

Shame burned the tips of my ears. I dropped my gaze to the intricate embroidery on my quilt, unable to meet my father's eyes. I had abandoned my family and my kingdom for a male who ultimately threw me away like garbage. And the wolf I rejected had just saved my life.

The heavy oak door creaked open.

Cassian stepped into the room. He leaned heavily against the wooden frame. His usually rigid posture sagged, and a sickly pallor clung to his skin. Dark circles bruised the skin under his icy blue eyes.

"Are you feeling better?" Cassian asked. His voice sounded like grinding stones.

I threw the heavy covers off my legs and rushed toward him. "You saved my life. Thank you."

He offered a faint shake of his head. "I do not need your thanks, Isla. I only need you to recover."

He took one step away from the doorframe. His knees immediately buckled.

I lunged across the woven rug. I caught him just before his body hit the floorboards. His heavy frame crashed against mine, smelling of winter pine and sheer exhaustion. We sank to the floor together.

"I need to give your energy back," I insisted. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, struggling to support his weight. "Tell me how to reverse the transfer right now."

A low chuckle vibrated through his chest. He rested his chin on the top of my head.

"No," Cassian murmured. "I will manage."

"You can barely stand," I argued, gripping the fabric of his shirt. "You are going to kill yourself."

"My rut is approaching soon," he explained, his tone casual despite his weakness. "I just need to mate with my Fated Mate to restore my strength."

He let out a tired sigh that stirred my hair. "Unfortunately, she never liked me."

I tilted my head up to meet his gaze. "Then I will help you find her."

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

"I will prove to her that you are worthy of her trust," I promised, my tone fierce and unwavering. "I owe you my life, Cassian. Whoever this she-wolf is, I will make sure she sees your true value."

A small, genuine smile touched his pale lips. "Really?"

"I guarantee she will be a better choice than the one I made," I declared.

Cassian leaned closer. His gaze locked onto mine, intense and stripping away all my defenses.

"Then choose me," he whispered.

The words knocked the air straight from my lungs. I froze. My hands tightened into fists against his chest.

"What?" I asked, completely stunned.

Alaric clapped his hands together. His booming laughter echoed off the stone walls once more.

"His Fated Mate has always been you, Isla!" my father announced.

I stared at Cassian. The fractured pieces of the past few hours suddenly snapped together. The arranged marriage. His lethal fury at Damian's pack hall. The desperate energy transfer that saved my life. He knew. He had always known.

"Me?" I breathed.

"Since you just promised to help him," Alaric continued, his eyes gleaming with obvious amusement, "you might as well marry him today."

I turned my head to look at my father. "Today?"

"Cassian will inherit my throne," Alaric stated proudly. "And you will take your rightful place as the new Luna of the Ravenshade royals."

Marry him. Today.

I pulled back slightly, creating a sliver of space between Cassian and myself. The memory of Damian’s cruel taunts crashed into my mind, poisoning the moment.

*Barren. Damaged goods. A female who cannot breed.*

"Wait," I said, my voice trembling. "You do not understand."

Cassian's smile vanished. "What is it?"

I forced myself to maintain eye contact. I refused to hide my shame any longer.

"Damian's ambush," I forced the words out. "The damage to my body was severe. I might never be able to give you an heir."

Cassian went perfectly still.

"You need a Luna who can bear pups," I told him, my throat tightening. "A kingdom needs an heir. I cannot give you that future."

Cassian did not hesitate for a single second. He wrapped his strong arms around my back, pulling me flush against his chest again.

"Having pups or not was never the reason I chose you," he stated. His tone left absolutely no room for debate.

He rested his forehead against mine.

"If it brings you sorrow, I will find a way to heal you," Cassian vowed. His voice dropped into a dangerous, rumbling growl. "And I will make every single person who hurt you pay in blood."

His thumb reached up, brushing away a stray tear I had not realized I shed.

"But right now, my Luna," he murmured softly, "we should not be trapped by the past anymore."

I closed my eyes. The warmth of his touch seeped into my freezing bones, melting away the last remnants of Damian's cruelty.

"Okay," I whispered. "Today."

"Excellent," Alaric declared, marching toward the door. "I will inform the royal staff. We have a royal wedding to prepare before sundown."

Cassian kept his arms wrapped securely around me. His breathing steadied, though he still leaned heavily against my frame.

"You should rest," I told him. "You need your strength for the ceremony."

"I have all the strength I need right here," he replied, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.

Dr. Julian Graves bustled into the room a moment later, carrying a silver medical case. He stopped short at the sight of us tangled together on the floor.

"Your Majesty," Dr. Graves addressed my father, bowing his head. "I came as quickly as I could."

"Check Alpha Nightbane," I instructed, helping Cassian to his feet. "He transferred too much energy."

Dr. Graves approached and scanned Cassian's pale face. "Alpha Nightbane, you must lie down immediately. Your wolf is running on fumes."

"I will rest," Cassian agreed, finally stepping back. "But only if my future Luna stays by my side."

"I am not going anywhere," I promised.

I helped him walk back to the guest chamber. Once he settled onto the wide mattress, his eyes fluttered shut. The exhaustion finally claimed him.

I sat in the velvet chair beside his bed, watching his chest rise and fall. My mind raced with the events of the past twenty-four hours. Yesterday, I was a rejected, humiliated mate bleeding out on a pack hall floor. Today, I was preparing to marry the future King.

A sharp knock sounded at the door. A royal guard stepped inside, holding a sealed envelope.

"Princess Isla," the guard said, extending the letter. "An urgent message just arrived at the border."

I took the envelope. The wax seal bore the emblem of Damian's pack.

I broke the seal and unfolded the parchment. My blood turned to ice as I read the single line scrawled across the page.

*You belong to me, and I am coming to take you back.*