Sage’s Pov

“Starlight, you are mine and I am yours, till the last moon rises over this world.”

The words drifted through the dreamscape like warm sunlight, sinking into my chest and making my heart flutter in that embarrassingly dramatic way only he could trigger.

We were lying on the silver-grass meadow again, the stars glimmering above like they lived just for us. This place had always felt like home — soft, safe, and impossibly beautiful. The place where I’d met him since I was sixteen. My mate. My other half. The man whose smile had been stitched into every year of my life.

I turned toward him, ready to say something equally heartfelt and cheesy — maybe even give my own oath back. But the moment my eyes found his face…

My breath stalled.

He wasn’t smiling.

He wasn’t glowing with affection like usual.

Instead, he looked worried.

He shifted like he didn’t want me to see it, eyes darting away.

“Ronan?” My voice was quiet, careful. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said, too quickly.

I raised a brow. “That’s definitely not nothing.”

He exhaled through his nose, frustrated with himself more than with me. “Sage… just leave it.”

“I can’t leave it. You look like someone told you the world’s ending.”

He didn’t answer, jaw clenching.

“Ronan,” I said softly, “talk to me. You always do.”

He shut his eyes for a moment, like he wished he could. “It’s not that I don’t want to,” he murmured. “I just… can’t.”

There was no heat in his voice — only strain. And that made goosebumps rise on my arms.

“Can’t because…?” I pressed.

He hesitated. Pain flickered over his expression — sharp but unmistakable.

“It’s better if you don’t know yet.”

That stung, but I swallowed it down. “If you’re in trouble, I should know.”

“Don't worry about it,” he said too quickly. “It’s nothing.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Sage—”

“No, don’t Sage me. You just swore eternal devotion like some fairytale prince but you look like someone threatened to set you on fire. What’s going on?”

He dragged a hand through his hair and let out a low, frustrated groan. “I can’t tell you.”

“You can’t or you won’t?”

His jaw locked. “I can’t. Please… don’t push this.”

“Don’t push—?” My voice cracked. “I’ve trusted you with everything. Everything. And now you’re acting like you don’t trust me at all.”

His head snapped toward me. “I do trust you.”

“Really? Because you’re hiding something that's obviously bothering you but you expect me to smile and pretend everything’s fine!”

“It’s not about trust,” he said sharply. “It’s about—”

He cut himself off, swallowing hard.

“About what?” I demanded. “When have I ever made you think I can’t handle the truth?”

He didn’t answer. His eyes just softened in a way that made the panic crawl slowly up my spine.

“Starlight…” he breathed, like he was trying to memorize me. “If I could tell you, I would. I swear it.”

“Then tell me!” My voice cracked. “Please, Ronan… tell me what’s wrong.”

His lips parted. For a moment, a single, precious moment, it looked like he might actually do it. He leaned closer, reaching for my hand, expression torn between fear and resolve—

A deafening BANG shattered the sky.

The stars flickered.

The dream began to fade.

“No—” I reached for Ronan, but my fingers grasped at empty air. His form blurred, his golden eyes the last thing I saw before—

I woke up.

What in the moons was that? Ronan didn’t hide things from me — ever. What could be so bad , he refused to tell me?

A loud banging rattled my door.

“Sage! Get up!”

I shot upright in bed, my heart slamming against my ribs. My mind still trying to figure out what Ronan could be hiding.

Another bang.

“Sage, now!”

I scrambled out of bed, my feet hitting the cold floor. My father’s voice was sharp, edged with something I didn’t recognize—not anger or irritation, urgency.

I barely had time to throw on a robe before yanking the door open.

Alpha Edmund Nightbane stood on the other side, his expression grim. My father never looked worried. He was the strongest wolf I knew after Ronan, a man who commanded respect the moment he walked into a room.

But right now?

There was tension in the hard lines of his face, his usual sharp gaze filled with something that made my stomach twist.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice still rough from sleep.

“Get dressed,” he said without preamble. “We’re leaving.”

I blinked. “Leaving? Where?”

“To the Alpha King’s mansion.”

My breath caught. The Alpha King?

“Why?”

He hesitated.

And it hit me like a punch — that same evasive, fearful look I’d just seen on Ronan’s face.

“Not you too,” I snapped before catching myself. He blinked at me, startled, and I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to soften. “Please. I’m not a child. Tell me what’s going on.”

He let out a long, exhausted breath.

“A world meeting has been called,” he said, his tone clipped. “An emergency one.”

I frowned. “But world meetings are planned months in advance. Why would—”

“Because something is happening, Sag.” He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. It was the first sign of frustration I’d seen from him in years.

My pulse quickened. “What kind of something?”

“The kind that threatens every pack,” he said. “And the kind that means your presence is mandated.”

I stiffened. “What? Why would I be needed—”

“This isn’t up for debate.” His gaze darkened. “Pack your things. We leave within the hour.”

Sage’s POV

The night was unusually quiet as we rode through the thick forests leading to the Alpha King’s mansion. The moon hung low in the sky, casting silver light over the twisting road ahead. It was beautiful from the plane. Now we were in a car, the hum of its engine filling the space between us—the only sound breaking the tense silence.

I stole a glance at my father. Alpha Edmund Night sat rigid in his seat, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. My father was a man of control—calm, strategic, and unreadable to most. But I had spent my entire life observing the small tells that others missed.

The way his fingers tapped against the armrest?

The way his brows drew together, just slightly, in concentration?

He was uneasy. And that alone was enough to put me on edge.

I shifted in my seat. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?”

His expression didn’t change. “I told you. An emergency world meeting has been called.”

“You also told me I had to come, which makes no sense,” I said, crossing my arms. “World meetings are for Alphas, Betas, and high-ranking pack members. I’m none of those things.”

“You’re my daughter.”

“That’s not a reason,” I shot back. “And you know it.”

He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his chin. “Sage, this isn’t the time.”

I narrowed my eyes. “When will be the time? After we get there? After I’m thrown into a room filled with some of the most powerful wolves in the world with no idea why?”

He didn’t answer.

I clenched my jaw, frustration bubbling in my chest. I hated being kept in the dark, especially when it felt personal.

“Dad,” I said, my voice softer this time. “What’s really going on?”

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He was debating something—whether to tell me or keep me guessing. Finally, he sighed.

“There’s been talk of a war.”

I stiffened. “What?”

“A coup,” he clarified, his voice grim. “Someone is planning to overthrow the Alpha King. We don’t know who yet, but the signs are there. That’s why the meeting was called. Every Alpha is required to bring along two important people. I’m bringing my beta—and you.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.

I was still processing his words when the mansion came into view.

And gods, it was massive.

The Alpha King’s estate loomed ahead, built into the heart of the forest like a fortress. The mansion was all black stone and towering spires, stretching wide across the land. Balconies jutted out at every level, banners bearing the crest of the King’s pack—a silver wolf surrounded by a ring of stars—hanging from the highest points. Guard towers lined the perimeter, their torches burning brightly even in the dead of night.

A fortified stronghold.

A place built to protect and imprison in equal measure.

I swallowed hard.

Inside, the grandeur was just as overwhelming. Vaulted ceilings, stone archways, and massive chandeliers dripping in crystals lined the entrance hall. The air buzzed with power as dozens of werewolves—Alphas, Betas, and high-ranking warriors from various packs—filled the space, their voices mingling in a low hum of conversation.

My father placed a hand on my back, guiding me through the throng of bodies. “Stay close,” he murmured.

I nodded, my senses on high alert as I took in the wolves around us. Every pack had a presence here, their scents mingling in a strange mix of familiarity and tension. Some wolves stood tall and composed, their gazes sharp and assessing. Others murmured in hushed voices, their eyes darting around as if expecting an attack at any moment.

The meeting hall itself was enormous—a circular chamber with a domed ceiling, its walls carved with ancient symbols of our kind. Rows of long wooden tables lined the room, arranged in a semi-circle around a raised platform at the front. That was where the Alpha King would sit.

I settled into a seat beside my father, my fingers tapping absently against the polished wood.

Something felt off.

I couldn’t name it, couldn’t place it, but there was a strange pull in my chest—a tension humming beneath my skin that had nothing to do with the unease in the room.

I shifted in my seat, rubbing a hand over my arm.

And then—

A sudden hush fell over the chamber.

A single word rang out, clear and commanding.

“The Alpha King has arrived.”

The air thickened.

The heavy doors at the front of the hall swung open, and the moment I laid eyes on him—

I stopped breathing.

Because the man walking through those doors, the ruler of our kind, the most powerful wolf in existence—

Was him.

Ronan.

The man from my dreams.

My mate.

Sage’s POV

I remembered that we were still in the middle of something important.

The world meeting.

Ronan strode to his seat at the center of the elevated platform, exuding dominance, his every step measured, powerful, commanding.

Every wolf in the room lowered their heads in submission, their bodies stiff with respect.

I didn’t.

Not because I wasn’t respectful—but because I was still too stunned, too fixated on him, too caught in the chaos of emotions unraveling inside me to think about protocol.

His dark, unreadable eyes flicked to me for half a second—then moved on.

I clenched my jaw.

Fine.

If he wanted to act like he didn’t know me, if he wanted to pretend that he didn’t just feel what I felt, then so be it.

I could wait.

The meeting began, the discussion quickly turning to the reason they had all been called here—the coup.

Tension thickened the air as Alphas from various packs took turns speaking.

“We cannot afford to be reckless about this,” Alpha Vaughn of the Shadowfang Pack said, his voice measured. “Declaring war before we have solid proof would be foolish. We need more information.”

“We don’t have time for more information,” another Alpha countered. “Whoever is behind this is already making their move.”

“Which is exactly why we must be careful,” Vaughn shot back.

My father remained silent, listening, his expression unreadable.

Ronan, too, said nothing. He sat back in his chair, his fingers loosely curled over the armrests, watching, his presence alone enough to keep the room on edge.

And yet, despite how detached he seemed, I felt his emotions ripple through the bond—restraint, impatience, calculation.

A long debate followed. Some Alphas wanted preemptive action, others argued for diplomacy.

But it was all political maneuvering.

No one was actually discussing what mattered.

And I was tired of waiting.

So I did something reckless.

I raised my hand.

A ripple of surprise spread through the room. Few unmated wolves spoke at meetings like this—let alone the daughter of an Alpha who was supposed to remain silent.

Ronan’s gaze snapped to me.

My heart pounded, but I held firm.

“Go ahead,” he said, his voice smooth but void of warmth.

I swallowed. “Has anyone considered that the best way to prevent an uprising is to address the root cause? If wolves feel the need to overthrow their king, shouldn’t we be asking why?”

Silence.

Some Alphas exchanged glances. Others sneered.

Ronan’s expression remained unreadable.

Then, in a low, cutting voice, he said:

“I don’t recall asking for the opinion of a pup who has no experience in matters of war.”

The words cut deeper than they should have.

Heat rushed to my face, a mixture of anger, hurt, and embarrassment surging through me.

My mate had just dismissed me. In front of everyone.

The bond between us pulsed—raw and angry.

I clenched my fists. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, I’m not a pup.”

His brow arched. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Laughter rippled through the hall.

I felt like I had been slapped.

This wasn’t Ronan.

Not my Ronan.

Not the man who had whispered my name like a prayer in my dreams, who had held me close, who had promised—

My teeth ground together.

Fine. If he wanted to humiliate me, then I’d make sure he regretted it.

I lifted my chin. “I suppose that’s fair,” I said, my voice deceptively calm. “You probably know more about being a pup than I do, considering you’re the one who’s been sneaking into my dreams since I was fifteen.”

Silence.

Complete, absolute silence.

The entire room stilled.

Ronan’s expression finally, finally cracked. His fingers dug into the armrests, his jaw tightening ever so slightly.

But he didn’t deny it immediately.

The other Alphas turned, confused murmurs spreading through the hall.

And that was when I knew—I had said too much.

I had just exposed our connection.

Ronan slowly stood from his chair, his movements controlled, deliberate. Dangerous.

Every instinct in me screamed to back down.

But I couldn’t.

Not when his entire demeanor shifted—from cold indifference to something else.

Something sharp. Wild. Possessive.

Something I didn’t quite understand.

And as he finally, truly looked at me, acknowledging what we both already knew, I realized something terrifying.

I might be his mate…

But that didn’t mean he wanted me.