The next morning, the Citadel buzzed with whispers.
Not just about the bond. Not just about the public marking. But about me. The witch who’d tried to kill the Alpha. The infiltrator. The liar. I heard it in the hushed tones of passing envoys, the flicker of judgment in a fae noble’s gaze, the way the Northern Pack guards stiffened when I walked by. I was no longer invisible. I was a scandal. A threat. A woman who’d come to assassinate their Alpha and ended up bound to him instead.
And yet, I walked the corridors with my spine straight, my expression unreadable. Let them talk. Let them fear me. I wasn’t here to win their approval. I was here to find the truth.
The bond hummed beneath my skin, a constant, low pulse that kept me tethered to Kael. I could feel him, even now—somewhere in the eastern wing, his presence a shadow at the edge of my awareness. We hadn’t spoken since last night. Not after the library. Not after his warning—*Next time, I won’t stop.*
I didn’t know what he meant. Didn’t know if it was a threat or a promise. But my body remembered. The heat of his breath. The nearness of his lips. The way my magic had risen, eager, desperate, as if it had been waiting for him all along.
I pushed the memory away.
He was the enemy. The obstacle. The man who’d let me believe he’d killed my mother. And no matter how close we’d stood in that aisle, no matter how much the bond had flared between us, I couldn’t forget that.
I turned a corner and nearly collided with a figure stepping out of the council antechamber.
“Apologies,” I murmured, stepping back.
But the man didn’t move. He just smiled—a slow, knowing curve of lips that sent a chill down my spine.
Silas Vale.
Kael’s second-in-command. A vampire of House Nocturne, his stillness unnatural, his dark eyes too sharp, too observant. He wore a tailored black coat, his silver-streaked hair pulled back, his presence calm, controlled. Dangerous.
“No need to apologize,” he said, his voice smooth as aged wine. “I was just looking for you.”
“Me?” I asked, wary. “Why?”
He tilted his head, studying me. “You’ve made quite an impression, Opal of the Lunar Coven. Even for someone who’s supposed to be from the Ember Circle.”
My breath stilled. “You know.”
“Of course,” he said, unfazed. “Kael’s scouts weren’t the only ones watching. I’ve been aware of your true identity since you crossed the Veil.”
“And you didn’t report me?”
“Why would I?” he asked, stepping closer. “You’re far more interesting than the average envoy. And far more dangerous.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It’s an observation,” he said. “You came here to kill Kael. That takes courage. Or stupidity. I’m still deciding which.”
I didn’t flinch. “And what do you want?”
“To warn you,” he said, his voice dropping. “There’s a storm coming. And you’re standing in the eye of it.”
“I’m not afraid of storms.”
“You should be,” he said. “Especially the ones with fangs.”
Before I could ask what he meant, a voice cut through the corridor—sweet, melodic, laced with venom.
“Oh, Silas. Always so dramatic.”
I turned.
And there she was.
Lyra Nocturne.
She stepped into the torchlight like a queen entering her court—tall, flawless, her raven-black hair cascading over one shoulder, her crimson dress hugging every curve. Her lips were painted blood-red, her eyes lined in kohl, her collarbones bare—except for the jagged bite mark just above her pulse.
Kael’s mark.
My stomach twisted.
She didn’t look at me. Not yet. Just smiled at Silas, her fingers brushing his arm in a way that was too familiar, too intimate.
“You’re early,” he said, stepping back slightly.
“I couldn’t wait to see you,” she purred. Then, finally, her gaze slid to me. Cold. Calculating. “And *you*, of course.”
“Me?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.
She stepped closer, her heels clicking against the stone. “The woman who stole my Alpha.”
“I didn’t steal him,” I said. “We were bound by magic. Not choice.”
“And yet,” she said, circling me like a predator, “you wear his mark. You sleep in his chambers. You claim to be his consort.”
“I claim nothing,” I said. “The bond claims me.”
She stopped in front of me, her smile sharp. “Then you must not know what a *real* consort looks like.”
Before I could react, she reached up and unfastened the top button of her dress.
And then another.
And another.
Until the fabric slipped slightly off one shoulder—revealing not just the bite mark, but a second one, deeper, older, just beneath it. A mating mark.
My breath caught.
She let the dress fall back into place, but the damage was done.
“He fed me his blood,” she said, voice low. “Slept in my bed. Told me I was the only one who could calm his heat.”
“And now?” I asked, forcing calm into my voice.
“Now?” She smiled. “Now he’s bound to you. But bonds can be broken. And Alphas… always return to what they know.”
I didn’t answer. Just held her gaze, refusing to flinch.
But inside, the doubt was already creeping in.
Had Kael really fed her? Had they really been intimate? Was that why he’d hesitated in the library? Why he’d refused to tell me the truth?
“You’re lying,” I said.
“Am I?” She stepped closer, her scent filling the air—expensive perfume, blood, something dark and intoxicating. “Ask him. Go on. Ask Kael if he’s ever tasted another woman’s blood. If he’s ever let another woman into his bed.”
My pulse spiked.
She knew. She *knew* it would eat at me. That the bond would amplify every doubt, every fear, until I was drowning in them.
“I don’t need to ask,” I said. “Because it doesn’t matter. The bond is real. The mark is real. And he is *mine*.”
She laughed—soft, cruel. “Oh, darling. You think a forced bond makes you his? You think a public marking gives you power? You’re nothing but a curse he has to endure. A witch who came here to kill him and failed.”
“And you?” I shot back. “A vampire who clings to the past. Who wears his scars like trophies. You’re not his consort. You’re his *mistake*.”
Her smile vanished.
For a second, I saw it—raw fury, a flash of fang. But then it was gone, replaced by icy calm.
“Careful, witch,” she said, stepping back. “You’re not the only one with secrets. And not the only one who can make them bleed.”
She turned to Silas, her voice sweet again. “We’ll talk later, darling. I have a meeting with the Council.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
She walked away, her hips swaying, her message clear.
This wasn’t over.
When she was gone, I turned to Silas. “You’re allies?”
“Not allies,” he said. “Acquaintances. She’s useful. And dangerous. Like you.”
“Then why warn me?”
He studied me, his dark eyes unreadable. “Because I’ve never seen Kael hesitate before. Not for anyone. But for you… he flinches.”
My breath caught.
“He sees something in you,” Silas continued. “Something that terrifies him. And that makes you the most dangerous woman in this Citadel.”
“Or the most vulnerable.”
“Perhaps both,” he said. “But be careful, Opal. Lyra doesn’t play fair. And she doesn’t forget.”
He turned to leave.
“Silas,” I said.
He paused.
“Why are you helping me?”
He looked back, his expression unreadable. “Let’s just say… I have my own reasons for wanting the truth to come out.”
And then he was gone.
I stood there, alone in the corridor, the bond humming beneath my skin, Lyra’s words echoing in my mind.
He fed me his blood. Slept in my bed.
I didn’t know if she was telling the truth. Didn’t know if Kael had ever let another woman into his life like that. But the doubt was there. Sharp. Poisonous.
And the bond would make it worse.
I turned and walked toward the private wing, my steps steady, my jaw tight. I wouldn’t let her get to me. Wouldn’t let her make me weak.
But when I reached Kael’s chambers, the door was open.
And inside, standing by the hearth, was Kael.
He turned as I entered, his gold eyes locking onto mine. He didn’t speak. Just studied me, his expression unreadable.
“You were with Lyra,” he said.
It wasn’t a question.
“She found me in the corridor,” I said. “Decided to share some… history.”
He didn’t react. Just stepped closer, his presence filling the room. “And?”
“She says you fed her your blood,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “That you let her into your bed. That she was your consort before me.”
He didn’t deny it.
Didn’t confirm it.
Just looked at me, his gaze piercing. “And what if I did?”
My breath caught.
“Was it true?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
“I did what I had to for the truce,” he said. “Just as I’m doing now.”
“So it *was* true.”
“Does it matter?” he asked, stepping closer. “The bond is real. The mark is real. You’re here. She’s not.”
“But you let her believe she was yours,” I said. “Just like you let me believe you killed my mother.”
He flinched.
And in that split second, I saw it—regret. Guilt. Something raw and human.
“I didn’t let her believe anything,” he said, voice low. “She knew the truth. Just as you will.”
“And what truth is that?” I demanded. “That you use women for politics? That you discard them when they’re no longer useful?”
“No,” he said, stepping so close I could feel the heat of his body. “The truth is that I’ve spent my life doing what’s necessary to protect my pack. To keep the peace. And if that means making hard choices, then so be it.”
“And what about *me*?” I asked. “Am I just another hard choice? Another political move?”
He didn’t answer.
Just reached up and brushed his thumb along the bond mark on my neck.
Fire shot through me.
My breath hitched. My body arched toward him, betraying me completely. My magic surged, rising like a tide, drawn to his like it had its own will.
“You’re not a choice,” he said, voice rough. “You’re a force. A storm. And I don’t know if I can control you.”
“Then don’t,” I whispered. “Let me go.”
“I can’t,” he said. “The bond won’t let me.”
“Then break it,” I said. “Help me find the truth. Help me break it.”
He looked at me, his gold eyes burning. “And if the truth destroys us both?”
“Then we burn together,” I said. “But I won’t live in the dark.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
Just stood there, his hand still on my neck, the bond humming between us, the weight of everything unspoken hanging in the air.
And then—
A knock at the door.
We both froze.
“Enter,” Kael said, stepping back.
The door opened. A Northern Pack guard stepped in, his expression grim.
“Alpha. We’ve received word from the northern border. The Iron Fangs are on the move. They’ve breached the outer wards.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Mobilize the sentries. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
The guard nodded and left.
Kael turned to me. “Stay here. It’s not safe.”
“I’m not staying,” I said. “I’m coming with you.”
“No.”
“The bond keeps us within ten feet,” I said. “You think I’ll just wait here while you fight? While you *die*?”
His eyes flashed. “You care if I die?”
“I care if the bond kills me when you do,” I shot back.
He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nodded. “Fine. But you stay behind me. You do *exactly* what I say. Understood?”
“Understood,” I said.
He turned to leave, but I caught his wrist.
“Kael,” I said, voice low. “About Lyra—”
He didn’t look back. “There’s nothing to say.”
And then he was gone.
I stood there, alone in the chamber, the bond humming beneath my skin, Lyra’s words still echoing in my mind.
He always comes back to me when the moon is high.
I didn’t know if it was true.
Didn’t know if I could trust him.
But I knew one thing.
If he died tonight, I died with him.
And that—
That changed everything.