The night after Kaelen showed me the memory—his memory, raw and unfiltered, drenched in the agony of a choice made under threat—the Northern Stronghold settled into an uneasy quiet. The bonfires of the Moon Festival had long burned to ash, but the embers of what had happened still glowed beneath the stone, pulsing with loyalty, with truth, with something deeper: change. The wolves moved through the halls with a new purpose, their eyes no longer wary, but watchful. Protective. Mine.
And I—
I was still trembling.
Not from exhaustion, though my body ached from the blood magic, from the fight, from the sheer force of everything we’d survived.
From him.
Kaelen had carried me to his chambers after the vision, laid me down on the furs with hands so gentle they made my chest ache. He hadn’t tried to claim me. Hadn’t pressed his mouth to my neck, his body to mine. He’d simply sat beside me, his presence a solid weight, his golden eyes burning in the dim light.
“Sleep,” he’d said, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I’ll be here.”
And I had.
But the dreams—
They weren’t mine.
They were ours.
—
I stood in the Fae High Court, but it wasn’t the cold, gilded chamber I knew. The marble was cracked, veined with silver like frozen lightning. The chandeliers hung crooked, their crystals shattered. The air smelled of blood and ozone, of something ancient and broken. And in the center—
The Contract.
But it wasn’t parchment anymore.
It was alive.
Not just pulsing. Not just shifting.
Watching.
Its silver veins throbbed, the black ink writhing like serpents beneath the surface. And then—
It spoke.
Not with sound.
With thought.
“You have returned,” it whispered, the voice layered, ancient, hungry. “The challenger and the signatory. The destroyer and the bound.”
I didn’t flinch. “We’re not here to destroy. We’re here to see. To know.”
“To claim,” it corrected. “To fulfill. To break.”
“Then show us,” I said, voice steady. “Show us the truth.”
The Contract pulsed.
And then—
Transfer.
The world blurred.
Reformed.
I stood in a hidden chamber beneath the Court—same stone, same silver veins—but older, colder. And in the center—
My mother.
She was on her knees, blood on her hands, her silver hair matted with sweat. But her eyes—sharp, defiant—locked onto mine.
“You’ve found it,” she said, voice weak but steady.
“Found what?” I asked, stepping forward.
“The truth,” she said. “That the Contract was never meant to enslave. It was meant to protect. To keep your bloodline safe from those who would exploit your magic.”
“Then why did it bind Kaelen?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Why did it force us together?”
She looked at me—really looked at me. “Because love,” she said, “is the only magic strong enough to break a curse.”
And then—
The vision shifted.
Not past.
Not future.
Now.
We stood in the Council Chamber, but it was in ruins. The chandeliers shattered. The marble cracked. And in the center—
Kaelen.
He was on his knees, blood dripping from his mouth, his golden eyes dim. Cassian stood over him, a dagger in hand, the Contract glowing in the air above them. And beside me—
Me.
Another version of me—cold, furious, her eyes black with magic. She raised her hand, a sigil flaring to life, and spoke.
“You signed it,” she said, voice hollow. “You enslaved my mother. You destroyed my bloodline. And now—”
She stepped forward, the dagger in her hand—Kaelen’s dagger, the one with the wolf sigil.
“Now you die.”
And then—
She drove it into his heart.
He gasped. Fell. Blood pooled beneath him.
And the Contract—
It laughed.
A sound like tearing parchment, like breaking chains, like a century of lies finally winning.
I screamed—
And then—
I was back.
The dream shattered.
—
I gasped, my chest heaving, my vision blurred with tears. The furs were tangled around my legs, the fire in the hearth burned low. The room was dark, but I wasn’t alone.
Kaelen was beside me.
Not asleep.
Watching.
His golden eyes glowed in the dim light, fierce, unyielding. His hand rested on my hip, warm, steady. The bond between us pulsed—hot, heavy, alive. The mark on my neck throbbed faintly, a constant reminder. Mine. Claimed. Bound.
“You saw it,” he said, voice low, rough.
Not a question.
A certainty.
“I saw what happens if I don’t choose love,” I whispered. “I saw me—another me—kill you. And the Contract—” I shuddered. “—it won.”
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. Just pulled me into his arms, holding me like I was the only thing keeping him alive.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said, voice rough. “Because you’re not that woman. You’re not vengeance. You’re not hate. You’re—”
“I’m afraid,” I said, my fingers clutching his arms. “I’m afraid I’ll lose myself. That I’ll become what they made me—what the Contract wants me to be. A destroyer. A killer. A monster.”
“You’re not a monster,” he said, pulling back just enough to look at me. “You’re the only one who’s ever seen me as a man. The only one who’s ever made me feel like I’m worth saving.”
My breath caught.
And then—
The bond pulsed.
Not with desire.
With something deeper.
Connection.
And the world—
It vanished.
—
We stood in the dream again.
But this time—
We were together.
Kaelen’s hand was in mine, his grip firm, his presence solid. The Fae High Court loomed around us, but it wasn’t broken. It was whole. The marble gleamed, the chandeliers sparkled, the air hummed with magic. And in the center—
The Contract.
But it wasn’t alive.
It was sleeping.
The silver veins pulsed faintly, the black ink still. And then—
It spoke.
“You have returned,” it whispered. “The challenger and the signatory. The destroyer and the bound.”
Kaelen stepped forward, his voice low, rough. “We’re not here to destroy. We’re here to see. To know.”
“To claim,” it said. “To fulfill. To break.”
“Then show us,” I said, stepping beside him. “Show us the truth.”
The Contract pulsed.
And then—
Transfer.
The world blurred.
Reformed.
We stood in a hidden chamber beneath the Court—same stone, same silver veins—but warmer, brighter. And in the center—
My mother.
She was on her knees, blood on her hands, her silver hair glowing in the torchlight. But her eyes—sharp, knowing—locked onto ours.
“You’ve found it,” she said, voice strong, clear.
“Found what?” I asked.
“The truth,” she said. “That the Contract was never meant to enslave. It was meant to protect. To keep your bloodline safe from those who would exploit your magic.”
“Then why did it bind us?” Kaelen asked, his voice tight.
She looked at him—really looked at him. “Because love,” she said, “is the only magic strong enough to break a curse.”
And then—
The vision shifted.
Not past.
Not future.
Now.
We stood in the Council Chamber, whole, unbroken. The chandeliers sparkled, the marble gleamed. And in the center—
Us.
Hand in hand. Marked. Claimed. Bound.
And beside us—
Cassian.
He stood, his face pale, his eyes filled with hate. But he didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Because the Council was with us. The pack was with us. The truth was with us.
And then—
We stepped forward.
Not to attack.
Not to threaten.
To claim.
I turned to Kaelen, my dark eyes locking onto his golden ones. “I choose you,” I said, voice steady. “Not because of the bond. Not because of magic. Because of love.”
And then—
I kissed him.
Not soft. Not gentle.
Violent.
My hands fisted in his hair, yanking his head down. My mouth crashed onto his, hot, demanding, possessive. A growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating through my bones. The bond between us burned, a pulse of heat, of magic, of something deeper—something primal.
And the chamber—
It erupted.
The wolves roared—approval, loyalty, truth. The silver chains shattered. The sigils on Cassian’s robes flared—and then splintered.
He screamed.
Not from pain.
From fear.
Because he saw it.
The bond wasn’t just unbroken.
It was stronger.
And then—
Kaelen pulled back, his lips wet with my blood. His eyes glowed gold. His chest rose and falls fast.
“You want a choice?” he said, stepping toward Cassian. “Here’s mine.”
He lunged.
Not for the chains.
For him.
His hand closed around Cassian’s throat, slamming him against the wall. The chains shattered. The sigils splintered. And then—
He dropped him.
Cassian stumbled back, his eyes filled with hate.
But he didn’t fight.
Because he knew.
The game was over.
And then—
The dream shifted.
Not vision.
Not memory.
Desire.
We stood in Kaelen’s chambers, the fire roaring, the furs piled high. The bond pulsed between us, hot, heavy, alive. The mark on my neck throbbed, a constant reminder. Mine. Claimed. Bound.
And then—
He kissed me.
Not hard. Not desperate.
Soft. Slow. Aching.
His lips moved against mine, gentle, searching. One hand cupped my jaw, his thumb brushing my cheek. The other gripped my wrist, the one that had borne the chain.
And the chain—
It pulsed.
Not with magic.
With connection.
I pulled him closer, my arms wrapping around his waist, lifting me slightly. My legs wrapped around his hips, my body pressing into his. The kiss deepened, our tongues meeting, slow and sweet and real.
And then—
He laid me down on the furs.
Slow. Deliberate.
His hands—calloused, warm—glided over my body, tracing the curve of my spine, the dip of my waist, the swell of my hips. The bond pulsed—hot, heavy, alive—a pulse of heat, of magic, of something deeper.
“You’re trembling,” he said, voice rough.
“It’s the magic,” I said, my voice breaking.
“No,” he said. “It’s not.”
His hands moved lower, gliding over the curve of my ass, his thumbs brushing the sensitive skin where thigh met hip. I gasped, my body arching into his touch.
“Blair,” he growled.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered.
And he didn’t.
His hands moved back up, tracing the line of my shoulders, the slope of my neck, the mark he’d left at the base of my throat. His fingers lingered there, pressing just enough to make me gasp.
“This is mine,” he said, voice low, rough. “Not the Contract. Not Cassian. Not Mira. Mine.”
My breath caught.
“Say it,” he said.
“It’s yours,” I whispered.
“Say it like you mean it,” he growled.
“It’s yours,” I said, louder, fiercer. “All of me. My body. My magic. My heart.”
He didn’t speak.
Just pulled me back against him, his chest to my back, his arms wrapping around me, his cock pressing against my ass, hard, insistent.
And the bond—
It screamed.
A pulse of heat, of magic, of something deeper—something primal.
“You feel that?” he whispered, his breath hot on my neck. “That’s not the baths. That’s not the magic. That’s us.”
I nodded, my body arching into his.
“And you want it,” he said.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Say it,” he growled.
“I want you,” I said, my voice breaking. “I want your hands on me. Your mouth on me. Your cock inside me. I want—”
And then—
The dream shattered.
—
I gasped, my chest heaving, my vision blurred with tears. The furs were tangled around my legs, the fire in the hearth burned low. The room was dark, but I wasn’t alone.
Kaelen was beside me.
Not watching.
Shaking.
His golden eyes were wide, his chest rising and falling fast. His hand gripped mine, tight, desperate. The bond pulsed between us—hot, heavy, alive. The mark on my neck throbbed faintly, a constant reminder. Mine. Claimed. Bound.
“You saw it,” I said, voice trembling.
He didn’t answer.
Just pulled me into his arms, holding me like I was the only thing keeping him alive.
And then—
He whispered, “I’m afraid.”
My breath caught.
Kaelen. The Alpha. The predator. The man who had faced down Cassian, who had shattered chains, who had claimed me in front of his pack.
Afraid.
“Of what?” I asked, my fingers brushing his jaw.
“Of losing you,” he said, voice raw. “Of not being enough. Of failing you. Of becoming what they made me—what the Contract wants me to be. A monster. A tyrant. A killer.”
My chest tightened.
Because I knew that fear.
It lived in me too.
“You’re not a monster,” I said, my voice breaking. “You’re not a tyrant. You’re a man who made an impossible choice. And I—” I cupped his face, my thumbs brushing his cheeks. “—I love you for it.”
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. Just pulled me closer, his forehead pressing to mine. “And I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anything. More than my pack. More than my life. More than my soul.”
My breath caught.
And then—
I kissed him.
Not soft. Not gentle.
Violent.
My hands fisted in his hair, yanking his head down. My mouth crashed onto his, hot, demanding, possessive. A growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating through my bones. The bond between us burned, a pulse of heat, of magic, of something deeper.
And the room—
It went silent.
When I pulled back, my lips were wet with his blood. His eyes glowed gold. His chest rose and falls fast.
“You don’t get to say that,” I said, my voice raw. “You don’t get to love me like I’m worth saving.”
“Why not?” he whispered.
“Because I’m not,” I said. “I signed the Contract. I let them enslave your mother. I let them erase your bloodline. And I—” My voice broke. “—I don’t deserve you.”
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. Just reached up, her fingers brushing the mark on my neck. “You kept this. You kept my bite. You kept the one thing that proves I chose you. Not because of duty. Not because of magic. Because I *wanted* to.”
My breath caught.
“So don’t tell me you don’t deserve me,” she said, her voice fierce. “You *do*. Not because you’re perfect. Not because you’re the Alpha. Because you’re *mine*. And I’m yours. And that’s all that matters.”
I didn’t speak.
Just pulled her into my arms, holding her like I’d never let go.
And as the runes on the walls pulsed, the bond humming between us—
I knew.
The Contract was broken.
But our story?
That was just beginning.