My chambers look like a storm tore through them. Sheets stripped from the bed, drawers emptied onto the floor, every piece of clothing turned inside out. My hands shake as I search through my jewelry box for the third time, knowing it won't be there but unable to stop looking.
The moonstone pendant is gone.
Not misplaced. Not accidentally left somewhere. Gone.
"Where is it?" I whisper to the empty room, dropping to my knees to check under the dresser again. The smooth wood floor offers nothing but dust and shadows.
I'd taken it off last night for the first time since arriving. Just while I bathed, leaving it on my nightstand. This morning—empty.
This isn't random anymore. Wine spilled on my dress. My door locked from outside. Whispers about my "unnatural hold" on the king.
Lady Morgana's face flashes in my mind. The red-headed woman who's been at court for years, whose influence runs deep. Her green eyes track my movements with calculated intensity.
"Please, please be here somewhere," I beg the universe, crawling to check beneath the bed frame. My fingers scrape against wood, finding nothing but emptiness that mirrors the growing hollow in my chest.
That pendant was more than jewelry. It was Ryder's first gift, my talisman through everything. Without it, I feel naked, vulnerable.
"Coralina?"
I jerk upright so fast I bang my head on the bed frame. Nathan stands in my doorway, and for a moment I forget to be embarrassed about the chaos surrounding me. His green eyes, with that distinctive dark fleck, take in the destroyed room before settling on my face.
"What happened here?" His voice carries that protective edge that makes my wolf want to bare her throat. "Are you hurt? Did someone—"
"My pendant," I interrupt, hating how my voice cracks. "The moonstone pendant Ryder gave me. Someone took it while I slept. I can't find it anywhere, and I've looked everywhere, Nathan. Every single place it could possibly be."
His expression shifts from concern to something cold and dangerous. The temperature in the room seems to drop as his jaw tightens, hands clenching into fists at his sides.
"This isn't the first incident, is it?" It's not really a question. "Tell me everything. Every single thing that's happened since you started visiting Ryder regularly."
"It's just harem politics," I start, but he cuts me off with a look that could freeze fire.
"Coralina. Everything."
So I tell him. About the ruined dress, locked door, whispers and snubs about stupid cheap perfumes. About Lady Morgana's watching eyes. About feeling hunted.
With each word, Nathan's expression grows darker. By the time I finish, he looks ready to tear the palace apart.
"I'll handle this," he says, voice deadly quiet.
"Nathan, no. I don't need you fighting my battles. This is my problem to solve, and getting you involved will only make things worse. If people find out about us, about the mate bond—"
"Stop." The command makes my protests die. "You're my mate, Coralina. Whether this court knows it or not, you are mine to protect. This isn't optional. Someone is targeting you, and that ends today."
The fierce protectiveness makes tears prick my eyes. After weeks alone, having someone beside me feels like breathing after drowning.
"I have connections," he continues, moving closer. "People who see everything. Give me two hours, and I'll know exactly who took your pendant. But first, we find it."
"I've looked everywhere—"
"You've looked where you expected it to be. Whoever took it wouldn't hide it somewhere obvious." He studies my room with calculating eyes. "They'd want it close enough to retrieve if needed, but hidden enough that you'd never think to check."
He moves through my room methodically, checking places I hadn't considered. Behind frames, inside lamp fixtures, along doorframes. I watch him work, this focused version of him that makes my heart race.
"Here," he says suddenly, reaching behind my wardrobe. There's a small gap between it and the wall, barely wide enough for a hand. He pulls out a small silk pouch, and when he opens it, moonstone gleams in the afternoon light.
"How did you know?" I breathe, taking the pendant with trembling fingers.
"Because keeping it in your room maintains their power. They can return it after you've been thoroughly humiliated, claiming you simply misplaced it. Classic manipulation tactic." His fingers brush mine as he helps me fasten the chain around my wrist. "But this ends now. Lady Morgana just made a serious mistake."
"You know it's her?"
"I've suspected for days. She's been testing boundaries, seeing how far she can push before someone pushes back. Well, she's about to learn that attacking my mate has consequences."
He sits on my bed, pulling me down beside him. The destroyed room around us feels less chaotic with him here, his solid presence anchoring me.
"Nathan," I start, but he cups my face gently, thumb brushing away a tear I didn't realize had fallen.
"Let me protect you. Not because you're weak, but because you're mine. Because the thought of anyone hurting you makes my wolf want to tear this palace down to its foundations."
I lean into his touch, exhaustion suddenly overwhelming me. "I'm so tired of fighting alone."
"You're not alone. You never were." His arms wrap around me, pulling me against his chest.
"Luca and I, we've been talking about everything. About Ryder, about sharing you, about what this all means. It's not easy for us. My wolf wants to claim you completely, to keep you away from anyone else. But we're trying to understand, trying to accept that you care for Ryder too."
"Really?" The hope in my voice embarrasses me, but Nathan doesn't judge.
"Really. We see how you look at him, how he looks at you. It's different from the mate bond, but it's real. Luca thinks maybe the Moon Goddess has plans we don't understand yet. I'm not sure I believe in divine plans, but I believe in you. If you need all three of us, then we'll figure it out."
The confession breaks something in me. These proud Alphas, trying to reshape their entire worldview for me. "I don't deserve this," I whisper.
"You deserve everything," he corrects firmly. "You deserve to be cherished, protected, loved without limits or conditions. And whether it takes two of us or three or an entire pack, you'll have it."
His scent surrounds me, pine and leather and safety. My eyes grow heavy as the adrenaline fades, leaving only exhaustion and the warm comfort of his arms.
"Sleep," he murmurs against my hair. "I'll be here when you wake. And by then, Lady Morgana will have learned exactly what happens when she targets someone under my protection."
"Don't do anything that will get you banned from the palace," I mumble against his chest.
"I won't get caught," he promises, and there's something dark and satisfied in his voice that should probably worry me. Instead, it makes me feel protected, cherished, no longer alone in this fight.
I fall asleep in his arms, fingers wrapped around my recovered pendant, feeling less alone than I have in weeks. Whatever Lady Morgana plans next, she'll find I'm no longer an easy target. Not with Nathan beside me, not with my mates finally accepting the complicated reality of our bond.
The harem intrigue continues to simmer, but for the first time since arriving, I'm not facing it alone.