The corridor erupted with the sound of splintering wood as I slammed my fist into the ancient paneling. Blood welled on my knuckles, but it was nothing compared to the fire racing through my veins.
“Your Highness!”
I spun to find Captain Thorne approaching, his weathered face tight with concern. Behind him, two guards flanked the hallway, their hands hovering near their weapons.
“Stay back.” The words came out as a growl that made even Thorne pause mid-step.
“Sir, you’re bleeding—”
“I said stay back!” My voice echoed off the stone walls, inhuman and commanding. The guards exchanged nervous glances, but Thorne held his ground.
“What happened there?” His eyes flicked toward Lilith’s healing chamber. “The servants heard screaming, saw light pouring under the door—”
“Nothing happened.”
“Your chest.” Thorne’s gaze dropped to where my torn shirt revealed unmarked skin. “The wounds are gone. Completely healed.”
I ripped away the remaining fabric, letting it fall in bloodied strips. Where four claw marks had nearly killed me, nothing remained but smooth skin that still hummed with residual magic.
“She healed you.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“And nothing.” I turned toward my chambers, but Thorne’s voice stopped me cold.
“The bond formed.”
My hands clenched into fists. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” He stepped closer, and I caught the scent of his certainty, his complete lack of fear. “I’ve served three generations of your family, boy. I know what a mating bond looks like when it snaps into place.”
“One bond. One mate.” The words felt like glass in my throat. “That’s how it works.”
“For most wolves, yes.” His voice carried the weight of age and wisdom. “But you’re not most wolves, are you?”
I stared at him, this man who’d trained me since childhood, who’d seen me at my weakest and strongest moments. “What are you saying?”
He reached into his jacket, pulling out a leather-bound journal I’d never seen before. “Your grandmother kept records. Prophecies. Dreams that came to pass.”
“No.” I slammed the journal shut, thrusting it back at him. “I won’t be some breeding experiment for ancient prophecies.”
“War is coming, Your Highness.” Thorne’s expression grew grave. “The Western Pack grows stronger by the day. The Southern territories are on the brink of starvation. And the Eastern Cliffs…” He shook his head. “The death of Alpha Willowclaw weakened their defenses.”
“And you think marrying three women will somehow fix all of that?”
“I think uniting three of the most powerful bloodlines under one crown might give us the strength to survive what’s coming.” His voice dropped to barely above a whisper.
Before I could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the corridor. Light, graceful steps that made my wolf immediately lift its head in recognition.
“She’s coming,” Thorne said unnecessarily.
“I can’t—” I turned toward my chambers, but he caught my arm.
“Running won’t change what’s already begun.”
“Your Highness.” Lilith’s voice carried down the hallway like music, soft but commanding. “We need to talk.”
I closed my eyes, feeling the pull of the bond like a physical weight in my chest. When I opened them again, she was there—silver hair flowing around her shoulders, storm-colored eyes holding depths of knowledge that terrified me.
“I said we need to talk.” Her voice carried an edge of authority I’d never heard before. “Now.”
Thorne bowed respectfully. “I’ll leave you to.”
Lilith’s gaze never left mine as she moved closer, and I caught her scent—rain and lightning and something indefinably her.
“The visions haven’t stopped. They’re getting stronger. Clearer.”
“I don’t want to hear this.”
“But you need to.” She reached for me, and I didn’t pull away when her fingers traced the unmarked skin of my chest. “The bonds are already forming, Kieran. With or without your permission.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Is it?” Her touch sent electricity racing through my veins. “Tell me you don’t feel them. Tell me you don’t sense the other threads pulling at you even now.”
I couldn’t. Because she was right.
Even standing here, I could feel something tugging at the edges of my consciousness. Two other connections, fainter than the one burning between Lilith and me, but growing stronger by the hour.
“Astrid Stormclaw.” Lilith’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Northern Territories. She’s dreaming of you.”
My breath caught. “How do you—”
“Because I can feel her through our bond. Just like I can feel Nyx Willowclaw in the Eastern Cliffs.” Her eyes held mine, unflinching. “They know, Kieran. They know what’s coming.”
“And If I reject the bonds?”
“Then they’ll die.” The simple statement hit me like a physical blow. “The prophecy is clear. Unite the three bloodlines, or watch the territories burn.”
“The choice is mine to make.” I pulled away from Lilith’s touch, but the warmth of her skin lingered on mine. “You’re asking me to abandon everything I was raised to believe. Everything I am.”
“No.” Lilith’s voice was firm, unyielding. “I’m asking you to become everything you were meant to be.”
“A king with three queens? A wolf with multiple mates? That’s not natural—”
“Natural?” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Nothing about our kind is natural. We shift into beasts, heal from mortal wounds, live for centuries. And you’re worried about the number of bonds your heart can hold?”
“It’s not about numbers—”
“Then what is it about?” She stepped closer, close enough that I could see the flecks of silver in her storm-colored eyes. “Fear? Pride? The terror that you might actually be loved for who you are instead of what you represent?”
The words hit their target with devastating accuracy. I staggered back, my shoulders hitting the stone wall behind me.
“Three chances to save everything that matters, Your Highness.” She placed her palm against my chest, directly over my heart. “The bonds don’t choose weakness but strength. And right now, the territories need more strength than any one person can provide.”
I stared down at her, this small, dangerous woman who’d just turned my world upside down with a touch and a prophecy.
I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of choice settling on my shoulders like a crown made of lead. “This is insane.”
“Yes,” she agreed, rising on her toes until her lips were inches from mine. “But it’s also inevitable.”
When she kissed me again, the world exploded into sensation. Every nerve ending came alive, the bond between us flaring so bright I could feel it burning behind my eyelids.
And underneath that fire, I felt them—two other connections stirring to life, calling to me across the vast distances that separated us.
My mates.
The prophecy wasn’t a curse, I realized as Lilith’s lips moved against mine. It was salvation dressed in starlight.