“Good evening, sunshine.”
A soft voice stirred me from unconsciousness. My body tensed as I slowly opened my eyes. I expected the familiar ache of the cold, hard floor I usually woke up to—but instead, I felt something soft. A bed.
Panic flared in my chest. Where was I?
“Can you hear me?” The voice came again, and as my vision came to focus, I found myself staring into a pair of wide, bulbous blue eyes. A girl.
I bolted upright, my pulse hammering, and scrambled off the bed, my instincts kicking in. My eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, landing on the nearest sharp object—a fire poker. Without hesitation, I snatched it up, brandishing it between us.
The girl didn’t flinch. Instead, she simply smiled.
“Oh, good! You’re finally awake.” She shifted comfortably, watching me with an amused expression.
My gaze flickered over my surroundings—this wasn’t the filthy servant hall where I usually slept. This was someone’s home. Hers, most likely.
“Who are you?” I demanded, tightening my grip on the fire poker. “How did I get here?”
She sighed, crossing her legs at the edge of the bed as if I wasn’t threatening her. “Questions, questions. Aren’t you going to thank me first for saving you?”
I hesitated. Saving me? My mind was still struggling to piece everything together.
“A—thank you?” I muttered, still wary.
She grinned. “Yes.”
Still dazed, I repeated it, slower this time. “Thank you?”
She clapped her hands together, beaming. “You’re welcome!” Then, with an exaggerated flick of her hair, she added, “I’m Raya Nightbane, healer extraordinaire and a proud member of the prestigious Nightbane family. But please, no need to fawn over me.”
"I’m Ivy," I said cautiously. "And how exactly did I get here?" I slowly lowered the fire poker as I realized she wasn’t a threat. Still, I kept my guard up—weak wolves were never truly safe, even from the smallest dangers.
“We found you beaten half to death and brought you here to heal.” Her smile never faltered.
“We?”
“Yes, my brother and I.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Anyway, from my analysis so far, I’ve discovered that you’re unable to take your final wolf form.”
I stiffened. “You examined me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Of course. It’s my job as a healer.” She tilted her head, watching my reaction. “Your regenerative cells are slow because you can’t shift. The force of the attack shattered most of your body—especially your spine. If I’d left you to heal on your own, you would’ve died long before the process even started.”
A cold chill ran down my spine. I would’ve died.
“How long have I been out?” My gaze darted to the window—it was nearly dark outside.
“We found you yesterday evening, and you woke up today. So… I’d say just a few hours.” She shrugged.
The ceremony.
Panic surged through me. “The ceremony!” I gasped. “I’m going to be late.” My eyes fell to the dress I had on—it was almost my size and it was prettier than the ragged clothes I owned.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary anymore.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
Before she could answer, I rushed to the door—only to find it locked.
“Let me out.” My voice trembled.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Raya said, strolling over to her closet and rummaging through it as if my entire world wasn’t falling apart.
“No, you don’t understand.” I took a shaky step forward, “I can’t miss this. It’s my last chance. If I don’t find a mate, I’ll be killed.”
“You’ll be fine, I promise.” Her voice was muffled as she shifted through her belongings.
I clenched my fists. “How can you say that so casually? My life is on the line.”
Raya paused, turning slightly. “Ivy, was it?”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
“You’re not going to die.”
A flicker of hope ignited in my chest, but I waved it off just as quickly. “How can you possibly know that?”
“Because you’re my mate.”
The voice didn’t belong to Raya.
It was deeper, smoother—undeniably male.
A shiver ran down my spine. My instincts screamed at me to run, but before I could react, I spun around and let out a startled scream, hurling the fire poker at the intruder.
With lightning-fast reflexes, he caught it effortlessly, his fingers wrapping around the metal like it weighed nothing.
Raya groaned from across the room. "Kieran, I’ve told you to knock or at least use the mindlink first."
I barely heard her. My eyes locked onto the stranger—tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair and icy blue eyes that sent a chill through my bones.
Raya sighed, gesturing toward him. "That’s my brother, Kieran. It was thanks to him that we found you."
Kieran studied me with an unreadable expression, fingers still curled around the fire poker. He looked almost… amused.
I forced myself to hold his gaze, despite the way my instincts yelled at me to lower my head. He was an alpha. I could feel it, my wolf senses were tingling to submit to him.
“You should’ve left me,” I said, my voice cold.
A muscle in Kieran’s jaw ticked. “That wasn’t an option.”
I clenched my fists. “Why not?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly turned the fire poker in his hand before tossing it aside with a dull clank. “I'm pretty sure I made it clear earlier that, You are my mate.”
Kieran Nightbane.
I've heard rumors about him, Leader of the Nightbane pack. If Blue Moon pack was ruthless then Night bane was hell itself.
His bloodline was powerful; it should be continued by someone with a nearly equally powerful bloodline.
Not me.
Not a broken wolf who couldn’t even shift.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “There’s been a mistake.”
His icy blue eyes darkened, locking onto mine with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. “There’s no mistake.”
I took another step back, but the bed blocked my escape. “I— I’m not strong enough. You need a mate who—”
“Stop.”
I shook my head again, refusing to accept what he was saying. “You don’t want me.”
A flicker of something unreadable passed over his face. Then, before I could react, he closed the space between us in an instant.
“Look at me.” He ordered.
I hesitated but my body was programmed to take orders, so my body betrayed me and my eyes met his.
His voice was deep yet somehow cold.
“You are my mate.”
