- 2 days ago
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00:00My fiancee brought his pregnant mistress to our mating ceremony and told me I would raise their child. He didn't
00:05say it in private. Damon said it on the altar where he was supposed to claim me. In front of
00:09the entire pack, Lyra stood beside him in pale gold silk, one hand resting on her belly. Lyra, my friend
00:14from the Omega Quarters, the girl who had slept two beds away from me for years, on her wrist was
00:18my silver bracelet. Last winter, Damon had given it to me after three young alphas mocked my Omega blood. He
00:23promised no one would ever make me bow again. A week ago, a servant came and asked me to send
00:27it back.
00:28For the ceremony. I didn't question it. Now I understood. Lyra saw me looking. She touched the bracelet gently, like
00:34it might break. He wanted me to have it. I hope you don't mind. She knew I did. Damon didn't
00:38stop her. He only looked at me, cold. I won't bond with you, Serafina. The elders care about your silver
00:43blood. They think it can crown the next Alpha King. He pulled Lyra closer. But Lyra is carrying my air.
00:50My throat burned. That bracelet was mine. Lyra flinched behind Damon's arm, as if I had hurt her. Damon glanced
00:55at the bracelet, then back at me.
00:57It was a promise to a girl who needed protecting. His hand covered Lyra's stomach. She gives me a future.
01:02Lyra looked at me from behind him, tears shining in her eyes. Small. Fragile. Victorious. Then Damon turned to the
01:07entire hall. When my pup is born, Serafina will raise it as her own.
01:13For one second, I thought I had misheard him. Then Damon made it worse. You'll serve Lyra through the pregnancy.
01:19Nurse her through recovery. Raise my air as your own. He said it like he was assigning chores to the
01:24lowest wolf in the room. Maybe he was. I was Serafina.
01:26The only silver blood air silvercrest had seen in a thousand years. The prophecy said whoever completed a bond with
01:32me could awaken true Alpha power and claim the Alpha King's throne. But I was also an Omega. The rank
01:36everyone stepped on until they needed something. Damon had decided my blood was useful. But I was not. Lyra gave
01:42a soft gasp beside him.
01:43Damon, don't say it like that. Serafina has always been so good at taking care of people. In the Omega
01:49quarters. She helped everyone. I'm sure she won't punish an innocent pup just because she's hurt.
01:54The hall went silent. Every stare landed on me. Waiting for me to cry. To beg. To bow like a
01:58good little Omega. My eyes burned. Not because Damon had rejected me. Because Lyra knew every soft place I kept
02:04hidden. And still chose to press her hand against it.
02:06The claim was never sealed. No blood oath. No mark. Under the old laws it can still be revoked.
02:12One elder exchanged a look with another.
02:14That is technically true.
02:16I looked at Damon. I may be an Omega. But I am not her servant. And I will not raise
02:23the child you made with her. I revoke the claim. If any wolf here is willing to claim me tonight.
02:30I accept.
02:33The whispers came fast.
02:34Silver blood. Did Damon just throw away the prophecy? If someone claims her now.
02:39I could see it in their faces. Shock. Hunger. Calculation.
02:42For one second. I thought someone might actually step forward. Then Damon's voice cut through.
02:46Your name is still written into the royal rite.
02:48The room froze.
02:49Until the elders formally dissolve this ceremony. Anyone who steps forward is openly defying the crown.
02:55No one moved. That had been his plan. Not to bond me. Not to free me.
02:58To keep me trapped under the royal rite until the elders could turn me into something quieter.
03:02Something useful. Lyra's servant. His heir's caretaker.
03:05A silver blood Omega no other man would dare touch.
03:08Damon stepped close enough for only me to hear.
03:10Sarah.
03:10My chest twisted. That name used to be soft in his mouth.
03:13Tonight. It was a blade.
03:14Don't embarrass yourself.
03:15Then he turned to the hall.
03:17No one wants you badly enough to start a war.
03:19For one terrible second. I thought he was right.
03:21Not because I wasn't valuable. But because every wolf in that room wanted my blood more than they wanted to
03:25save me.
03:26Then the doors at the far end of the hall swung open.
03:28But before anyone could see who had entered.
03:30Moira arrived first.
03:32Moira. Damon's mother. The Luna matriarch.
03:34Swept into the hall like a storm in silk.
03:36She took one look at Lyra behind Damon.
03:38And slapped her across the face.
03:40The crack echoed off every wall.
03:41Shameless Omega.
03:43You dare turn a royal treat into a spectacle?
03:45Lyra fell to the floor.
03:46Clutching her cheek.
03:47Tears already spilling.
03:48Damon lunged forward and shielded her.
03:49She's under my protection.
03:50Moira stared at him like she was seeing him clearly for the first time.
03:53Then she turned to me.
03:54Her voice softened.
03:55Serafana dear.
03:57Damon has humiliated you.
03:58I will deal with him.
03:59But you must not act rashly.
04:01Let me close this ceremony quietly.
04:03The crown will keep you protected until we decide where you belong.
04:06Where I belonged.
04:07Not what I wanted.
04:08Not who I chose.
04:09I pulled my hand free.
04:10You bound me to Damon for my blood.
04:12Then he brought her here with his heir and told me to raise their child.
04:16My voice shook.
04:17But I did not stop.
04:18I will not be their servant.
04:20The hall went silent.
04:21I will not nurse his mistress through pregnancy.
04:23And I will not raise another woman's child because Damon thinks an Omega should be grateful
04:28for scraps.
04:29Moira's eyes hardened.
04:30Careful, girl.
04:31You are still standing inside a royal treat.
04:33Your blood belongs to Silverhrest before it belongs to you.
04:36My stomach went cold.
04:37There it was.
04:38Damon wanted me useful.
04:39Lyra wanted me beneath her.
04:41Moira wanted me on.
04:42If no one claims you tonight, the elders will decide your future.
04:45Damon smiled again.
04:46For the first time that night, I felt truly trapped.
04:48Then a low voice cut through the hall.
04:50Does her offer still stand?
04:52Every head turned.
04:53Kale stood at the far end of the hall.
04:55Tall.
04:55Dressed in black.
04:56Pale as winter.
04:57Aldric's firstborn.
04:58Damon's older half-brother.
04:59The true alpha heir by blood.
05:01And the cursed one who still couldn't shift.
05:03He took one step forward.
05:04Then stopped.
05:05Just for half a second.
05:06His hand touched the doorframe.
05:07Everyone saw it.
05:08The cursed heir could barely stand.
05:10Damon laughed under his breath.
05:12Careful, brother.
05:12If she chooses you, she won't be a bride by sunrise.
05:16A few wolves laughed.
05:17Moira's face went white.
05:18Kale, don't be stupid.
05:20You know what silver blood does to a cursed wolf?
05:22It could kill you.
05:23Kale ignored her.
05:24His gray eyes stayed on me.
05:25What you just said.
05:27Does it still stand?
05:28My throat tightened.
05:29Before I could answer, Damon stepped in.
05:31No.
05:31The whole hall froze.
05:32Damon's smile sharpened.
05:34She said any wolf.
05:35Not a dead one pretending he still has a claim.
05:38Kale's face did not change.
05:39Damon moved closer to me.
05:40Look at him, Sarah.
05:42He can't protect you.
05:43He can't shift.
05:44He can barely stand.
05:46If you choose him, this wedding becomes a funeral before sunrise.
05:50Lyra's eyes widened, soft and wet.
05:52Don't do this to yourself, Serafina.
05:54You don't have to ruin yourself just because you're hurt.
05:56Moira seized the silence.
05:58If no suitable wolf claims you tonight, the elders will decide your future.
06:02The room closed around me again.
06:04Damon held out his hand.
06:05Not like a lover.
06:06Like a leash.
06:07Last chance, Sarah.
06:08His smile was cold.
06:10Stand down.
06:12For one second.
06:13The whole hall waited.
06:14They all thought I would break.
06:15I looked past his hand.
06:16At Kale.
06:17Thin as paper.
06:18Pale as death.
06:19A cursed heir the entire pack had already buried.
06:21And still.
06:22He was the only man in that room who had asked for my answer.
06:25Not my blood.
06:25Not my obedience.
06:27Not my usefulness.
06:28My answer.
06:28So I stepped around Damon's hand.
06:30His smile vanished.
06:31Lyra's face changed.
06:32The hall went silent.
06:33I walked toward Kale.
06:35Every step felt like I was cutting a rope around my throat.
06:37Damon's voice snapped behind me.
06:39Serafina.
06:40I didn't stop.
06:40Girl, think carefully.
06:42I did.
06:43For the first time all night.
06:44I did.
06:44Then I stopped in front of Kale.
06:46He looked down at me.
06:47Gray eyes steady.
06:48What you said.
06:49Does it still stand?
06:50My hands were still shaking.
06:51But my answer did not.
06:53Yes.
06:53The hall exploded.
06:54Kale did not look at Damon.
06:55Did not look at Moira.
06:57Only me.
06:57Then I claim her.
06:58A few elders half rose.
07:00Then froze.
07:01Because a claim spoken and accepted before the right could not be taken back.
07:04Damon laughed.
07:05Loud enough for the whole hall to hear.
07:06Go on, brother.
07:08Take her hand.
07:09Are you done making a scene, Sarah?
07:11If you stop now, Lila and I might still forgive you.
07:14You can still stay where you belong.
07:15He looked me up and down.
07:17Lyra leaned into him.
07:18Worry flickering across her face like another part of the performance.
07:21The hall went dead silent.
07:22Kale held out his hand.
07:23At the same time, I reached for him.
07:25Our fingers locked.
07:26The ritual lines blazed white.
07:28Then black marks burst from beneath Kale's sleeve.
07:31They weren't veins.
07:32They were his curse.
07:33Black marks tore up Kale's arm, coiled around his throat, and climbed toward his face like
07:38something alive.
07:38The hall gasped.
07:39For one second, the gray in his eyes vanished, replaced by molten gold.
07:43Something caged.
07:44Something feral.
07:45The curse is activating.
07:47He can't hold it.
07:48Stop the ceremony.
07:49The elders surged forward, but the ritual lines had already locked around our wrists.
07:53Once a bond began, no one outside it could break it.
07:56Kale's hand tightened around mine.
07:57Too tight.
07:58His knees buckled.
07:59He hit the altar hard, blood spilling from his mouth onto the silver stone.
08:02The hall went silent.
08:04Kale looked up at me, gold flickering through the gray.
08:06Let go.
08:07If you stop now, you'll still make it out.
08:10He meant it.
08:10Even half dying in front of the entire pack, he was still trying to give me a way out.
08:14Damon stepped forward.
08:16Are you insane?
08:17I already told you, Sarah.
08:19If you stop this now, Lyra and I can still forgive you.
08:22I didn't look at him.
08:23Damon's tone sharpened.
08:24Don't throw your life away just to prove a point.
08:26Still, I did not look at him.
08:28My fingers tightened around Kale's.
08:30The curse burned black between us.
08:31Every wolf in that hall was waiting for me to let go.
08:34Instead, I leaned closer.
08:36Kale, get me.
08:37Then, without looking away from him, I reached for the silver edge of the altar.
08:41I didn't let go.
08:43With Kale's eyes locked on mine, I dragged my palm across the altar's silver edge.
08:47Pain cut sharp.
08:48Silver blood spilled over my skin.
08:49The entire hall gasped.
08:51Before anyone could stop me, I pressed my bleeding hand against the darkest knot of curse
08:55marks on Kale's wrist.
08:56Light exploded between us, cold and blinding, violent enough to shake the altar beneath us.
09:01Kale's body arched, and a broken sound tore from his throat.
09:04The curse fought back under my palm, black marks twisting up his skin, fighting to reach
09:08his throat again.
09:09So I pressed harder.
09:10Stay with me.
09:11The black marks stopped.
09:12Then slowly, unwillingly, they began to retreat.
09:15The ritual lines beneath our feet blazed white hot, spiraling around our joined wrists
09:19until a pale silver mark burned itself into both our skin.
09:22The bond didn't fail.
09:23It held.
09:23Kale collapsed to one knee, blood still on his lips.
09:26But the gold was leaving his eyes.
09:27Gray was coming back.
09:29He was alive.
09:29The oldest elder stared at our wrists.
09:31The bond is sealed.
09:33By old law, Serafina of Silver Blood is now claimed by Kale, firstborn heir of Silvercrest.
09:40A sharp crack split the altar stone.
09:42The royal right mark that had held Damon's name beside mine burned black, then vanished.
09:46In its place, a new name carved itself into the silver light.
09:49Kale.
09:49Damon's face went white.
09:50He forced out a laugh.
09:52He's still cursed.
09:54You think your blood makes him stronger than me?
09:56Before I could answer, the silver mark on my wrist flared again.
09:59So did Kale's.
10:00The ritual light shifted.
10:01It no longer circled me alone.
10:03It moved around him.
10:04The elder's face drained of color.
10:05The blood accepted him.
10:07The hall went silent.
10:08Damon stopped breathing.
10:09The prophecy had not died.
10:10It had moved on.
10:12The hall stayed silent.
10:14Kale was still on one knee.
10:15Blood on his lips.
10:16One hand braced against the altar.
10:17But his grip on me never loosened.
10:19The silver mark on my wrist pulsed once.
10:21His answered.
10:21Damon finally found his voice.
10:23This isn't over.
10:24The oldest elder looked at the burned royal right mark.
10:26Then at our joined hands.
10:28Damon's face hardened.
10:29He can barely stand.
10:30Kale slowly lifted his head.
10:31Through the bond.
10:32I felt the pain he was hiding.
10:33Sharp enough to cut through bone.
10:34Then he rose.
10:35Not easily.
10:36Not steadily.
10:37But he rose.
10:38Then watch me.
10:38No one laughed this time.
10:40Moira stepped forward at once.
10:41Kale.
10:42You need healers.
10:43Serafina will remain here until the council decides what happens next.
10:47Kale looked at her.
10:48No.
10:48One word.
10:49Low and final.
10:50The hall froze.
10:51Moira's expression tightened.
10:52This is not the time for pride.
10:53No one decides for my mate.
10:55A shiver moved through the room.
10:56For 13 years.
10:57They had spoken around him like he was already dead.
10:59Tonight.
11:00He did not raise his voice.
11:01But every wolf in that hall heard the command beneath it.
11:03Move.
11:04The wolves blocking the aisle stepped aside.
11:06Damon stared at me like he still expected me to look back.
11:09Lyra's fingers dug into his sleeve.
11:10I did not turn.
11:11Kale led me out of the hall.
11:12Each step costing him more than he let anyone see.
11:14Only when the doors closed behind us did his hand tighten around mine.
11:17His voice dropped.
11:18Now ask me what you really want to ask.
11:22Kale had set it outside the hall.
11:24His hand still wrapped around mine.
11:25For one second.
11:26The question almost escaped me right there.
11:28But then he swayed.
11:29Just once.
11:30Pain cut through his grip.
11:31So I swallowed the words and followed him to the north tower.
11:33No one stopped us.
11:34No one dared.
11:35His quarters were cold and almost bare.
11:37A narrow bed.
11:38A heavy desk.
11:38Maps pinned neatly to the walls.
11:40No flowers.
11:41No servants.
11:42Nothing prepared for a bride.
11:43But everything was clean.
11:44The bed was made sharp.
11:45The books were lined straight.
11:46Even the medicine bottles stood in order.
11:48Kale had been forgotten here.
11:49But he had not let himself fall apart.
11:51For the first time that night.
11:52No one was watching.
11:53No elders.
11:54No pack.
11:55No Damon.
11:55No Lyra.
11:56Just me and the cursed heir who had become my mate.
11:58Kale removed his black outer robe and set it aside.
12:00Without it.
12:01He looked even thinner.
12:02Too pale.
12:02Too tired.
12:03A man the curse had been eating alive for years.
12:05He leaned one hand against the desk.
12:07Mask.
12:07My fingers curled into my sleeves.
12:09Did you know.
12:10That my blood could help you.
12:12Did you claim me because you wanted me.
12:15Or because my blood can keep you alive.
12:17Kale went very still.
12:18For one breath.
12:19I thought he would deny it.
12:20Then he looked at me.
12:21I don't want to lie to you.
12:22And suddenly.
12:23I knew.
12:23Whatever came next was going to hurt.
12:26Kale did not look a-
12:27Kale saw it.
12:28But he did not follow.
12:29If I only wanted your blood I could have asked for you years ago.
12:31Maybe you waited until I had nowhere else to go.
12:34The words came out smaller than I wanted.
12:35His face changed.
12:36Not anger.
12:37Something worse.
12:38Because he knew I had the right to think it.
12:40Maybe I deserve that.
12:40The fire cracked between us.
12:42I hated that he sounded honest.
12:43I hated that honesty still hurt.
12:45Then why tonight?
12:46Because Damon made you stand alone.
12:48And I know what that feels like.
12:49My fingers twisted in my sleeves.
12:51For a second.
12:52I forgot how to answer.
12:53Because he wasn't asking me to pity him.
12:55He was telling me he had seen me.
12:56If I stay.
12:57It won't be because you need me.
12:59I know.
13:00If I help you.
13:01It doesn't mean you get to use me.
13:03No.
13:04Never.
13:05The room went quiet.
13:06I looked at the place beneath his shirt.
13:08Where the curse had almost killed him in front of everyone.
13:10My hands were still shaking.
13:11But my voice came out clear.
13:13You claimed me before the whole pack.
13:15So show me.
13:17Seraphinda.
13:17Show me the curse.
13:20Hale did not move for a long moment.
13:22Then he loosened the ties of his shirt.
13:23The fabric fell open.
13:24The curse mark sat at the center of his chest.
13:26Dark red against bone pale skin.
13:28Coiled like something alive beneath his flesh.
13:30I had seen blood on him.
13:31I had seen him collapse at the altar.
13:33But this was worse.
13:34The curse was not just sealing his wolf.
13:36It was feeding on him.
13:37My fingers curled once before I forced them still.
13:39I need to touch it.
13:40Seraphina.
13:42You claimed me before the whole pack.
13:44Do not hide from me now.
13:45For one beat.
13:46I thought he would refuse.
13:47Then he gave a single nod.
13:48I pressed my palm flat against the mark.
13:50His whole body locked.
13:51Heat slammed into my hand.
13:52Sharp and violent.
13:53Not mine.
13:53His.
13:54My silver blood answered instantly.
13:55And something inside him answered back.
13:57I felt it hit the seal.
13:58Once.
13:59Twice.
13:59A wolf trapped behind iron.
14:00Throwing itself against the dark.
14:02Kale's breath broke.
14:03Gold flashed through his gray eyes.
14:04Your wolf is still there.
14:06His chest rose hard beneath my hand.
14:08It's not gone.
14:09I feel it every day.
14:10Gold blood through his eyes again.
14:11Like fire under ice.
14:13Then his grip tightened.
14:14And this time.
14:14When he said my name.
14:15It did not sound entirely human.
14:18I didn't even see him move.
14:20One second.
14:20I was standing in front of him.
14:21My palm pressed to his chest.
14:23The next.
14:23My back hit the bed.
14:24Kale was above me.
14:25One hand braced by my ear.
14:27The other locking around my wrist.
14:28Breathing like he'd been dragged up from deep water.
14:30The curse mark blazed under my palm.
14:32Its edges lit up.
14:33Spreading outward like cracks in burning glass.
14:35His eyes were wrong.
14:36I could feel his wolf pressing against the bond like it wanted to tear through his skin
14:39to reach me.
14:40His pupils narrowed.
14:41Jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grind.
14:43Stop touching me.
14:45If you keep going.
14:46He didn't finish.
14:47Because the bond pulsed.
14:48I felt it.
14:48His wolf.
14:49Trapped behind that seal.
14:50Slamming toward my hand with everything it had.
14:52Kale stared down at me.
14:53Half broken.
14:54Half feral.
14:54Every muscle in his body was locked tight.
14:56Holding himself back.
14:57Even like this.
14:58He still wasn't hurting me.
14:59Then Kale kissed me.
15:00Not softly.
15:01Not carefully.
15:02Like the bond had finally pulled too hard for either of us to pretend it was only a
15:05ritual.
15:06The mark beneath my palm flared white gold.
15:08Kale's body locked.
15:08His eyes flashed full gold.
15:10For one terrifying second.
15:11I saw what had been trapped inside him for 13 years.
15:14Not the cursed prince.
15:15The wolf.
15:15Then the room burst into light.
15:18When the light faded.
15:19Kale was on the floor beside the bed.
15:21Unconscious.
15:22The curse mark on his chest had split straight down the center.
15:24For one terrified moment.
15:26I thought I had killed him.
15:27Then I felt it through the bond.
15:28A pulse.
15:29Weak.
15:29But there.
15:30I stayed beside him until his breathing steadied.
15:32Sometime before dawn.
15:33I must have fallen asleep.
15:34I woke to sunlight and the scratch of a pen.
15:36Kale was already at the desk.
15:38Writing like he had not collapsed in front of me hours ago.
15:40He still looked too thin.
15:42Too pale.
15:42But the hollowed out look was not as sharp as before.
15:45There was more color in his face.
15:46His hand no longer trembled around the pen.
15:48Small things.
15:49Impossible things.
15:50He noticed me watching and set the pen down.
15:53His eyes dropped to my bandaged palm.
15:54You reopened it last night.
15:55I looked at my hand.
15:57The cut from the altar had split again.
15:59I'm fine.
16:00No.
16:01You're bleeding for me.
16:02There's a medicine stall in the eastern market.
16:04Their salves are better than anything kept in this tower.
16:06I almost laughed.
16:08After everything that happened, you want to buy me medicine?
16:10I want to do one useful thing before you decide I'm only good at nearly dying.
16:14Before I could answer, a knock sounded.
16:16My lord, the eastern market opened early.
16:17A rare medicine shipment just arrived.
16:19Kale looked at my palm, then reached for his cloak.
16:21We go now.
16:23The market was loud and crowded.
16:25At the south stall, I heard Damon's voice.
16:27Damon's voice.
16:28The strongest prenatal tyniner.
16:30My chosen mate carries the future heir.
16:31He stood at the next stall with Lyra on his arm.
16:33When he saw me, his eyes dropped to my bandaged palm, then to the silver mark on my wrist.
16:38Already bleeding for him, Sarah?
16:39How was the first night?
16:41Or did the curse ruin that too?
16:42Serafina always had a habit of saving people who didn't choose her first.
16:46You used to call that kindness when you needed it from me.
16:49Sarah, I didn't mean...
16:51You mean everything.
16:51That's always been the problem.
16:53I turned to the shelf.
16:54Moonshade root.
16:55Exactly what could weaken a soul-level curse.
16:57My fingers closed around at first.
16:59Lyra's hand landed over mine.
17:00Eyes already wet.
17:02Serafina, please.
17:03I need this.
17:04I didn't let go.
17:05Lyra's lip trembled.
17:06She turned to Damon, voice barely a whisper.
17:09She won't even let me have medicine for our pup.
17:11Damon's face darkened instantly.
17:13He held out his hand.
17:14Give it to her.
17:16I picked it up first.
17:17Damon's smile died.
17:18Before he could speak, Kale stepped forward.
17:21The air shifted.
17:21Glass jars trembled on the shelf.
17:23She's my mate.
17:24Say one more word to her.
17:25Damon stepped back half a step.
17:27Instinct, not choice.
17:29Then something ugly settled in his face.
17:31He stopped looking at me.
17:32Do you remember that night, brother?
17:33The night you were cursed.
17:34You were six.
17:35You screamed for father for hours.
17:37He didn't come.
17:38Damon.
17:39I stepped in front of him.
17:40He blinked, surprised.
17:42You talk about broken things a lot for someone whose mate moves you like a puppet with a single
17:47tear.
17:47Lyra's face went white.
17:49Damon's jaw tightened.
17:50I looked him up and down.
17:51At least Kale's curse has a cure.
17:53What's yours?
17:54Damon's mouth opened.
17:55Before he could answer, Kale's pressure slammed through the stall.
17:58He stepped back.
17:59Everyone saw it.
18:00Kale took the moonshade root from my hand and placed coins on the counter.
18:03This belongs to my mate.
18:04This isn't over.
18:06No.
18:07That's the problem.
18:08Damon dragged Lyra away before his wolf could betray him again.
18:11Only when they were gone did I see the blood at the corner of Kale's mouth.
18:14His curse had heard him act like an alpha, and it was punishing him for it.
18:18I made him sit down.
18:20Kale tried to say he was fine.
18:21Then blood touched his lip again.
18:23I stared at him.
18:24No more pretending.
18:25The bond cracked the curse.
18:27But not enough.
18:29If I want to break it, I have to work on it directly.
18:32How?
18:33My blood.
18:35My hand on the mark.
18:36Every night.
18:37That will hurt you.
18:38It's my blood.
18:40I choose where it goes.
18:42For a moment, he said nothing.
18:43Then he sat on the bed and opened his shirt.
18:45The curse mark looked darker than before.
18:47Angrier.
18:48The moment my palm touched it, his whole body locked.
18:50The seal fought back.
18:51So did the wolf trapped beneath it.
18:53The first night, I kept my eyes on the mark.
18:55By the third, I could no longer ignore the way his breathing changed when the curse pushed back.
19:00The way his jaw clenched.
19:01The way he stared at the ceiling like counting stones was the only thing keeping him still.
19:05Does it hurt?
19:06No.
19:06By the fifth night, it had become routine.
19:09Touch the mark.
19:10Hold the pressure.
19:10Wait until the seal stopped fighting.
19:12Then pull away.
19:13So I pulled away like always.
19:15Kale caught my wrist.
19:16Not hard.
19:16Just fast enough to stop me.
19:18The bond snapped tight between us.
19:20My breath caught.
19:20His eyes lifted to mine.
19:22Dark in the firelight.
19:23Don't pull away like that.
19:24Why?
19:25Because when you do, the wolf wants to follow.
19:29I woke to a sound that didn't belong to any human throat.
19:32The bed beside me was empty.
19:33Kale was in the corner, on his knees, body shaking so hard it looked painful to watch.
19:37His nails had turned to claws.
19:39They dragged across the stone, leaving deep white marks.
19:42Then he looked up.
19:43Gold eyes.
19:43Slit pupils.
19:44Too much wolf.
19:45Not enough man.
19:46Go.
19:47When you're close.
19:48The bond makes it worse.
19:49I got out of bed anyway.
19:50He hit the wall trying to get away from me.
19:52Serafina, don't.
19:53I knelt in front of him and pressed my hand to his chest.
19:56Silver light burst between us.
19:57The curse mark split.
19:59Kale threw his head back with a sound that was half hell, half relief.
20:02Then he looked at me again, breathing hard, half man, half wolf, and said my name like
20:06it was the only thing keeping him from breaking apart.
20:08Tell me to stop.
20:10Say it now.
20:11And I still can.
20:13I'm not going anywhere, Kale.
20:16I didn't run.
20:17Kale stared at me, gold burning through gray.
20:19Then his hand caught my waist and the other came to the back of my neck.
20:22This was the wolf.
20:23The curse mark flared between us, silver and black light crashing together.
20:27Every touch cracked the seal whiter.
20:29I let my blood answer.
20:30Let it flood every fracture.
20:31His claws drove into the stone beside me hard enough to split it.
20:34But he never hurt me.
20:35And the moment I understood that, the last piece of the seal gave way.
20:38The curse shattered.
20:39When the light died, the mark on his chest had faded to almost nothing.
20:43He looked different.
20:44Stronger.
20:44Warmer.
20:45More like the man he should have been all along.
20:47You should have run.
20:49You keep saying that.
20:51You never listen.
20:52Get used to it.
20:54Then he laughed, low, rough, real.
20:56Lifted his hand to the back of my neck.
20:57And kissed me.
20:58Not like the almost kiss the curse had stolen from us.
21:01This one didn't stop.
21:02His claws were gone.
21:03His hands were human again.
21:04Steady, warm, and everywhere.
21:06Nothing interrupted us.
21:07Nothing pulled him away.
21:08When I woke hours later, the moon had crossed the entire sky.
21:12Kale's arm was around my waist.
21:13His breathing slow and deep against the back of my neck.
21:16The man pressed against me felt nothing like the one I had married.
21:18Broader, warmer, solid in a way that made me close my eyes and stay exactly where I was.
21:25Sunlight hit my face before I opened my eyes.
21:27The space beside me was empty, but still warm.
21:29Then I heard water running.
21:31Kale stood by the basin, splashing water over his face.
21:34And I froze.
21:34Because the man standing there did not look like the one I had married.
21:37The hollow frame was gone.
21:38The sharp bones had softened under lean muscle.
21:41His shoulders were broader now.
21:42For 13 years, the curse had been feeding on him.
21:45Now his body was taking everything back.
21:47What?
21:48Nothing.
21:49You look like you could actually win a fight now.
21:51His mouth twitched.
21:53I mean, nothing, nothing.
21:54I could always win a fight.
21:56You couldn't survive a stair race two weeks ago.
21:58Then he lowered his head and kissed me.
22:00When he pulled back, something pulsed beneath my palm.
22:02I hadn't realized my hand was on his chest.
22:05His wolf hit the broken seal like a battering ram.
22:07Kale doubled over.
22:08Black lines flared across the faded curse mark.
22:10Blood dripped from his nose onto the floor.
22:12Kale!
22:13The curse cracked.
22:15But the wolf was waking too fast.
22:18I looked at the mark.
22:19Half faded, half burning.
22:20How long?
22:21Days.
22:23Not weeks.
22:24Kale wiped the blood away and reached for his coat.
22:26Then we move fast.
22:28Because Damon won't wait either.
22:31Kale's change was impossible to hide.
22:33The hollow look was fading from his face.
22:35His shoulders had filled out.
22:36He no longer looked like a man the stairs could kill.
22:39The first time Aldrich saw him cross the council hall without leaning on anything.
22:42The old alpha king stopped mid-sentence.
22:45So did half the elders.
22:46For one breath, they all stared.
22:48Then the moment passed.
22:49Aldrich looked back at the reports.
22:51An elder cleared his throat.
22:52A patrol captain lowered his eyes.
22:54Strength had returned to Kale's body, but not to his name.
22:57Thirteen years of being treated like a dead heir did not disappear because he could stand straight.
23:01Kale knew that better than anyone.
23:02So he stopped waiting for them to remember who he was.
23:05He worked.
23:05Border routes.
23:06Missing supplies.
23:07Patrol gaps.
23:08Old complaints no one had touched in years.
23:10He read everything.
23:11Checked everything.
23:12Corrected everything.
23:13At first, the captains ignored him.
23:15Then one of his warnings saved a patrol from walking into an ambush.
23:18By the next council, two warriors stood behind his chair without being ordered.
23:22By the fifth day, a dispute over Northern Territory reached the council table.
23:25No one had an answer.
23:27Aldrich's eyes moved across the room and, for the first time in thirteen years, stopped
23:31on Kale.
23:31What do you think?
23:32The room went quiet.
23:33Kale answered like he had been waiting thirteen years to be asked.
23:36By sunset, the news had reached Damon.
23:38That night, a patrol wolf came to the North Tower with a message.
23:41He wouldn't meet Kale's eyes.
23:43Damon says, the wolf swallowed.
23:47Enjoy pretending to be heir while you can.
23:49Kale looked up from the border map.
23:50Tell him pretending was his mistake.
23:52The messenger froze.
23:53I'm done pretending.
23:56Lyra noticed it before Damon did.
23:58Every time someone said my name, Damon looked away too late.
24:01At first, Lyra pretended not to see it.
24:03Then she couldn't.
24:04That night, she found him alone.
24:06Am I not enough?
24:07Don't start.
24:08Her eyes filled.
24:09She reached for his hand.
24:10He pulled it away.
24:11I gave up everything for you.
24:13My friends.
24:14My place.
24:15I chose you over everyone.
24:17Our child is right here, Damon.
24:19He looked down at her hand, then removed it.
24:21Lyra's composure cracked.
24:23She doesn't love you.
24:24She chose the cursed one.
24:26She let you go without looking back.
24:28I'm the one who stayed.
24:29I'm the one carrying your heir.
24:31Why isn't that enough?
24:32Because she's standing next to an alpha.
24:34The whole pack is starting to follow.
24:37And you're standing here crying.
24:39I'm carrying your-
24:40Then do it quietly.
24:41He walked out.
24:42Lyra knelt on the floor, tears running, hands on her belly, with no one left to perform for.
24:47The next afternoon, Damon found me alone.
24:50Sarah.
24:51Don't call me that.
24:53His jaw tightened.
24:54Then he smiled.
24:54You don't have to keep punishing me.
24:56Pretending you don't still love me must be exhausting.
24:59You were hurt.
25:00I understand.
25:02Lyra was scared.
25:03You two were friends once.
25:05Be generous.
25:06You want me to forgive her?
25:08I want you to stop embarrassing yourself.
25:11His eyes dropped to the silver mark on my wrist.
25:13Stop wasting your blood on him.
25:15That curse has been eating him for 13 years.
25:17You really think you can turn a ruined wolf into an alpha?
25:20Give your blood to me.
25:21I went still.
25:22Damon saw it and mistook it for hope.
25:24When I become alpha king, I can be generous too.
25:26Lyra gave me an heir.
25:27But you, you could still stand beside me.
25:30Maybe even as my Luna, if you learn your place.
25:33For one second, I could only look at him.
25:35You don't want me, Damon.
25:37You want my blood, my forgiveness, and my silence.
25:40I pulled my wrist away before he could touch the mark.
25:43And you don't get any of them.
25:44Fine.
25:45I'll break him in front of the whole pack.
25:47And when he falls, Sarah, don't come asking for mercy.
25:51By then, you won't have a choice anymore.
25:52By then, you won't have a choice anymore.
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