The scream still echoed in my skull as we sprinted through the torch-lit corridors of the Fae High Court, Blair’s hand locked in mine, the silver chain between us pulling taut with every stride. Riven followed close behind, his vampire speed a silent shadow in the flickering light. My heart pounded—not from exertion, but from the storm still raging inside me.
The kiss. The bite. The way her body had arched into mine, her breath hot against my lips, her fingers clawing at my shoulders like she was drowning and I was the only thing keeping her above water.
And then—
Elara.
Captured. Again.
It was a trap. It had to be. Too convenient. Too perfectly timed. Just as Blair and I had finally broken through the walls we’d built between us, just as I’d tasted her—really tasted her—the world had ripped us apart.
But not before I’d felt it.
The shift.
Not just in her. In me.
I’d spent centuries building myself into something unbreakable—cold, controlled, impenetrable. The Alpha didn’t falter. The Alpha didn’t feel. The Alpha didn’t need.
And then Blair walked in.
Half-breed. Witch. Challenger.
And she’d shattered me with a single slap.
Now, as we turned the corner toward the Blood Cells, the scent of iron and old blood thick in the air, I could still feel the ghost of her mouth on mine. The way her thigh had wrapped around my waist. The softness of her breast beneath my fingers, just before—
I cut the thought off.
I couldn’t think about that now.
Not with Elara in danger.
Not with Blair’s life on the line.
We reached the heavy iron door of the Blood Cells, guarded by two fae sentinels in black armor. They stepped forward, spears crossed.
“No one enters,” one said, voice flat.
Blair didn’t slow. “Move.”
“You are not authorized—”
“I said move,” she snarled, raising her hand. A sigil flared to life—crimson, sharp—and the air between us crackled with magic.
They hesitated.
And that was all I needed.
I stepped forward, my presence alone a weapon. “Stand down. Now.”
The sentinels exchanged a glance. They knew me. Knew what I was capable of. And more importantly, they knew what happened to those who defied the Alpha.
They lowered their spears.
I pushed the door open, Blair rushing past me. The Blood Cells were a series of stone chambers beneath the Court, lit by sconces that flickered like dying stars. The air was thick with the scent of fear, blood, and old magic. Chains hung from the walls. Bloodstains marked the floor.
And in the center cell—
Elara.
She was on her knees, her silver hair matted with blood, her hands bound in silver cuffs that burned her skin. Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. But she was alive.
Blair reached the bars first, her fingers gripping the cold iron. “Elara. Elara.”
The elder witch’s eyes fluttered open. When she saw Blair, a weak smile touched her lips. “You came.”
“Of course I came,” Blair said, her voice breaking. “I thought you were gone. I thought—”
“I’m not that easy to kill,” Elara said, coughing. “But they’re strong. The cuffs—they’re laced with fae venom. It’s slowing my magic.”
Blair turned to me, her eyes blazing. “Get her out.”
I studied the lock—a complex ward, woven with fae magic and blood-oaths. It would take time to break. Time we didn’t have.
“Stand back,” I said.
Blair didn’t move. “I said—”
“Stand back,” I growled, shifting just enough to let the wolf rise—claws extending, eyes burning gold. I grabbed the bars and pulled.
Iron groaned. Stone cracked. The lock shattered.
I tore the door open.
Blair rushed in, dropping to her knees beside Elara. “I’ve got you,” she whispered, working at the cuffs. “I’ve got you.”
Elara winced as the silver burned her wrists. “They wanted to know about you. About the Contract. About your mother.”
“You didn’t tell them,” Blair said, voice fierce.
“I told them nothing,” Elara said. “But they’ll try again. And next time, they won’t be so gentle.”
Blair looked up at me. “We have to get her out.”
I nodded. “Riven.”
He stepped forward. “I’ll take her. My kind can move through the shadows. I can get her beyond the Court walls before dawn.”
Blair hesitated. “I don’t know you.”
“You know me,” I said, meeting her gaze. “And I trust him with my life.”
She searched my face. Then nodded. “Keep her safe.”
Riven knelt, lifting Elara with surprising gentleness. “I will.”
“Wait,” Elara said, reaching for Blair’s hand. “Before I go—there’s something you need to know.”
Blair leaned in. “What?”
“The Contract,” Elara whispered. “It’s not just a prison for your bloodline. It’s a lock. And the key isn’t just blood. It’s claiming. Full. Final. Unconditional.”
Blair’s breath caught. “You mean—”
“You have to claim Kaelen,” Elara said. “Not as a prisoner. Not as a symbol. As a mate. And he must claim you the same way. Only then can the Contract be broken.”
Blair looked at me—her eyes wide, dark, searching.
I didn’t look away.
Because I already knew.
I’d known since the first time she’d looked at me like I wasn’t a monster.
“Go,” Blair said to Riven, her voice steady. “Now.”
He nodded, vanishing into the shadows with Elara in his arms.
Then we were alone.
The silence was heavier than the chains on the wall.
“You heard that,” Blair said, standing.
“I did,” I said.
“And?”
“And nothing,” I said, stepping closer. “It doesn’t change anything.”
“It changes everything,” she said, her voice rising. “You heard her. To break the Contract, I have to claim you. I have to—”
“Be with me,” I finished. “Willingly. Fully. As my mate.”
She stared at me. “And you’re just… okay with that?”
“No,” I said. “I’m not okay with it. I’m not okay with the idea that the only way to free you is to bind you. I’m not okay with the fact that magic is forcing this. That the Contract is manipulating us.”
“Then why—”
“Because I want it anyway,” I said, stepping into her space. “Not because of the Contract. Not because of magic. Because of you. Because every time you look at me, I feel like I’m coming back to life. Because every time you fight me, I want to pin you down and never let go. Because when you kissed me back—”
My voice broke.
“—I felt like I’d finally found something worth dying for.”
She didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
Just stared at me, her chest rising and falling fast.
And then—
She reached up.
Her fingers brushed the mark on my neck—the one she’d left when she’d bitten me during the fight in the training yard. It was faint, already healing. But it was there.
“You still have it,” she whispered.
“I didn’t let it heal,” I said. “I kept it. As a reminder.”
“Of what?”
“Of the first time you didn’t fight me,” I said. “The first time you took what you wanted.”
Her breath hitched.
And then—
She kissed me.
Not like before. Not violent. Not desperate.
Soft.
Slow.
Aching.
Her lips moved against mine, gentle, searching. One hand cupped my jaw, her thumb brushing my cheek. The other gripped my wrist, the one bound by the chain.
And the chain—
It pulsed.
Not with magic.
With connection.
I pulled her closer, my arms wrapping around her waist, lifting her slightly. Her legs wrapped around my hips, her body pressing into mine. The kiss deepened, our tongues meeting, slow and sweet and real.
And then—
A sound.
Footsteps.
We broke apart just in time.
Cassian stepped into the chamber, flanked by four guards. His silver hair gleamed in the torchlight, his smile sharp as a knife.
“How… touching,” he said. “The Alpha and the challenger. Sharing a moment in the Blood Cells. How poetic.”
Blair stepped in front of me, her back straight, her chin high. “Let her go, Cassian. Elara’s gone. You’ve lost.”
“Oh, I haven’t lost,” he said. “I’ve merely adjusted my strategy. You see, I didn’t capture Elara to get to you.” He stepped closer, his gaze flicking to me. “I captured her to get to him.”
My spine went rigid.
“You’ve been weakening the Contract,” Cassian said. “Sabotaging my orders. Protecting hybrids. And now, you’ve allied yourself with the very woman sent to destroy it.” He smiled. “So I had to remind you where your loyalty lies.”
“My loyalty is to my pack,” I said, stepping forward, placing a hand on Blair’s shoulder. “And to the truth.”
“Then you’ve already betrayed me,” Cassian said. “And betrayal has a price.”
He raised his hand.
And the chain between Blair and me burned.
She gasped, clutching her wrist. I grabbed her arm, but the silver was searing hot, pulsing with dark magic.
“The Contract obeys me,” Cassian said. “And right now, it’s punishing you for disobedience.”
Blair dropped to her knees, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her skin was pale, her veins dark beneath the surface. The bond-heat was tearing through her, amplified by Cassian’s magic.
“Stop it,” I snarled, dropping to my knees beside her. “She’s not the one who defied you. I am.”
“But the bond is shared,” Cassian said. “And she suffers for your sins.” He smiled. “How does it feel, Alpha? To watch the woman you’re starting to care for burn because of you?”
Blair looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain—but also defiance. “Don’t… give in,” she gasped. “Don’t let him… win.”
“I won’t,” I said, gripping her hand. “I promise.”
But Cassian wasn’t done.
He raised his other hand—and a second chain erupted from the floor, wrapping around my wrist.
Our blood dripped onto the stone.
And the Contract—
It rewrote itself.
A new clause formed in the air, glowing red and black:
“The challenger shall bear the mark of the signatory, or the bond shall be severed by fire.”
My breath stopped.
Blair looked at me, her eyes wide. “What does that mean?”
It meant only one thing.
I had to claim her.
Now.
Or the bond would be broken—and the Contract would destroy her in the process.
Cassian smiled. “Well, Alpha? Will you claim her? Or will you let her die?”
I looked down at Blair—her face pale, her body trembling, her eyes filled with pain and something else.
Trust.
She believed in me.
Even now.
And I wouldn’t fail her.
I pulled her into my arms, my voice low, rough. “Hold on to me.”
She nodded, her fingers clutching my shirt.
Then I shifted—just enough to let the wolf take over. My fangs extended. My eyes burned gold. And I pressed my mouth to the curve of her neck.
She gasped.
And then—
I bit her.
Not gently.
Not carefully.
With everything I had.
A deep, claiming bite—just above her pulse, where the world could see it. Blood welled, hot and rich. The chain between us shattered, dissolving into silver dust.
And the Contract—
It screamed.
A sound like tearing parchment, like breaking chains, like a century of lies collapsing in on themselves.
Blair cried out, her body arching into mine. Her magic flared—crimson and wild—and the walls of the Blood Cells trembled.
And then—silence.
I pulled back, my lips wet with her blood. Her eyes fluttered open, dazed, stunned.
And on her neck—
A mark.
My mark.
Deep. Permanent. Mine.
Cassian’s smile was gone. His face was pale. “You fool,” he hissed. “You’ve just bound her to you forever. She’ll never be free.”
“She was never free,” I said, standing, pulling Blair with me. “Not while the Contract lived. But now?”
I looked down at her.
And she smiled.
“Now,” I said, “she’s free to choose.”
And she chose me.
Her fingers brushed the mark on her neck. “It doesn’t hurt,” she whispered.
“It shouldn’t,” I said. “It’s not a prison. It’s a promise.”
She looked up at me—her eyes bright, fierce, alive.
“Then keep it,” she said. “Because I’m not letting you go.”
Cassian snarled, raising his hand—but I was faster.
I lunged, grabbing him by the throat, slamming him against the wall. “You’re done,” I growled. “No more games. No more lies. The Contract is broken. And if you come near her again—”
“You’ll what?” he choked. “Kill me? You can’t. I’m Council.”
“Then I’ll exile you,” I said. “And if you ever return, I’ll rip your heart out myself.”
I dropped him.
He stumbled back, his eyes filled with hate.
But he didn’t fight.
Because he knew.
The game was over.
I turned to Blair, pulling her into my arms. “We should go.”
She nodded, her head resting against my chest. “Where?”
“Home,” I said. “My pack. My den. My life.” I cupped her face, my thumb brushing her cheek. “If you want it.”
She smiled. “I want it.”
And as we walked out of the Blood Cells, the chain between us gone but the bond stronger than ever—
I knew.
The Contract was broken.
But our bond?
That was just beginning.