KADE’S POV
I haven't spoken to Ivy in three days. Not since I told her we were true mates and she just... stared at me. No words. No response. Just silence that cut deeper than any blade.
Every morning, I wake up planning to see her. Every morning, something stops me. A meeting with the council. A training session with the guards. An urgent matter that requires my attention.
All excuses. All lies I tell myself.
The truth is, I can't face her rejection again. I can't handle seeing that look of uncertainty in her eyes when she looks at me. She hasn't given me an answer about the mate bond, and her silence speaks louder than words ever could.
"Your Highness," Derek says, finding me in the armory. "You're avoiding her again?"
"I'm not avoiding anyone," I reply, checking the edge on my sword with more force than necessary. "I've been busy."
"Busy hiding."
I look up at him sharply. "Careful, Derek."
"Someone needs to say it. You haven't seen Ivy since you told her about the mate bond three days ago."
The mate bond. The words taste bitter in my mouth now. I'd been so certain, so hopeful when I'd finally worked up the courage to tell her the truth. But her reaction - or lack thereof - had shattered something inside me.
"She needed time to process," I say, but even I don't believe it anymore.
"Time to process, or time to figure out how to reject you gently?"
The sword slips in my grip, nearly cutting my palm. "She hasn't rejected anything."
"She hasn't accepted anything either, has she?"
I set down my sword harder than necessary. "What do you want me to say, Derek?"
"I want you to tell me why you're giving up without a fight."
"I'm not giving up. I'm being realistic." The words come out harsher than I intend. "Look at me, Derek. Really look at me. I'm cursed. I transform into a monster every full moon. Every shewolf from all the Pack's around rejected me for being a monster. I nearly killed Ivy the last time she tried to help me."
"But you didn't kill her. You stopped yourself."
"Barely," I snarl, and I can hear the wolf in my voice. "What kind of mate would I be? What kind of life could I offer her?"
"You could offer her honesty. You could offer her a choice."
"I did offer her a choice. She chose silence."
Derek shakes his head. "Maybe she's scared too. Maybe she doesn't know what being true mates means."
Before I can answer, Captain Ryan enters the armory.
"Your Highness, Lady Ivy is asking to see you."
My heart jumps, hope flaring in my chest before I can stop it. Maybe she's ready to give me an answer. Maybe...
"Tell her I'm unavailable."
The hope dies as quickly as it came. I can't face another conversation where she looks at me like I'm a problem to be solved.
"Sir, she's been asking every day for three days."
"Then tell her I'll see her when my schedule permits."
Captain Ryan looks uncomfortable. "She seemed... upset, Your Highness. She said it was important."
Important. Maybe she's finally ready to reject the bond officially. Maybe she wants to make sure there are no misunderstandings.
"Just deliver the message."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After he leaves, Derek stares at me. "You're really going to keep this up?"
"I'm doing what's best for everyone."
"According to who? The voice in your head that tells you you're not good enough?"
I don't answer, which is answer enough.
"Kade, you can't let your fear make decisions for both of you."
"It's not fear," I lie. "It's practical. She deserves better than a cursed prince who might lose control and hurt her."
"That's her decision to make, not yours."
"Is it?" I ask, turning to face him fully. "You didn't see her face when I transformed. You didn't see the terror in her eyes."
"I saw her heal you. I saw her stay when anyone else would have run."
Derek's words hit something raw inside me, but I push the feeling down. "That was before she knew what it really meant. Before she understood what being mated to me would cost her."
"And now?"
"Now she knows. And her silence is her answer."
Derek shakes his head. "That's not fighting. That's surrendering."
He leaves me alone in the armory with my thoughts and my guilt.
The truth is, it's not just her silence that's eating at me. It's the full moon approaching. I can feel it in my bones, in my blood. My wolf is getting more agitated every day, more desperate to be near our mate.
Yesterday, I nearly shifted in the middle of a council meeting. Elder Marcus was discussing trade agreements when a wave of rage hit me. My vision went red. My hands started changing.
I had to excuse myself and run to the nearest empty room, where I spent twenty minutes fighting off the transformation.
This curse is getting worse. The rejection from my mate, the distance I'm forcing between us - it's making my wolf more volatile, more dangerous.
I managed to slip into my chambers, glad that Ivy wasn't there waiting for me. I just finished taking a shower when I see that the full moon has risen. The symptoms hit me immediately.
Pain shoots through my bones as they start to elongate. My muscles spasm as they try to expand. My skin burns as fur tries to break through.
I grab the bedpost to steady myself as another wave hits.
"Not tonight," I growl to myself. "Stay in control."
But the wolf is fighting harder than usual. Three days of suppressed mate bond instincts, three days of denying our connection to our mate, have made him desperate and angry.
She needs us, he seems to snarl. Why are you keeping us apart?
"Because she doesn't want us," I say out loud, but the words feel hollow now.
You never gave her a chance to want us.
"She had her chance. She chose silence."
Because you scared her. Because you dumped the truth on her and then ran away like a coward.
I crash to my knees as my spine tries to reshape itself. The pain is excruciating, made worse by the emotional torment.
A knock at my door makes me freeze.
"Kade?" Ivy's voice calls softly. "I know you're in there."
I try to answer but only a growl comes out. My wolf surges forward at the sound of her voice, making the transformation symptoms worse.
"Please," she continues, and I can hear tears in her voice. "I just want to talk. I need to understand what I did wrong."
Wrong? She thinks she did something wrong?
"You told me we were true mates and then you disappeared," she says through the door. "I've been trying to figure out what that means, what you want from me, but you won't even look at me.
I crawl to the door and press my back against it, using all my strength to hold back the change.
She continues. "I've been trying to understand. But all I know is that you're avoiding me, and I don't know why."
"Did I respond wrong when you told me? I was shocked. I didn't know what to say. I've never had anyone... I mean, no one's ever..." Her voice breaks. "I'm sorry if I disappointed you."
No, I try to say, but the word comes out as another growl.
"I can hear you in there," she says. "Are you hurt? Are you transforming?"
I want to open the door. I want to hold her and explain everything. But I can't let her see me like this, not when I'm losing control.
"Please don't shut me out," she begs. "I need you to tell me what being true mates means. I need you to tell me what you want from me."
The mate bond flares at her words, making the transformation symptoms even worse. I bite down on my own hand to keep from howling.
"I think... I think I'm falling in love with you," she whispers. "And I don't know if that's what you want to hear, but I needed to say it."
The words hit me like lightning. She's falling in love with me. Not rejecting me - falling in love with me.
But it's too late. The confession, the mate bond flaring, the emotional overload - it's all too much.
The wolf breaks free.
My bones crack and reshape. My muscles expand rapidly. My clothes tear as my body grows larger.
But this time, the change feels different. More violent. More uncontrolled.
I'm not just transforming. I'm losing myself completely.
The beast inside me is taking over, and I'm powerless to stop it.
"Ivy," I manage to say before my voice changes completely. "Run."
But I can hear her on the other side of the door, not running but calling my name, and I know that no matter what happens next, I've already lost the most important battle of my life.