"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.*