Chapter Eight

The Mate Bond

Lynnek stared at the blood-red message.

Kill them before the next full moon.

The council chamber fell into a heavy silence.

"Who sent this?" she asked, looking at Miguel.

General Kael answered before Miguel could.

"It was nailed to our southern gate before dawn. The guard who found it said no one was there."

Miguel rested both hands on the table.

"This isn't a random threat."

"No," Lynnek agreed. "Someone knows we're working together."

She looked at the list again.

There were only two names.

Hers.

And Miguel's.

Whoever their enemy was, they wanted both of them dead.

---

The meeting lasted another hour.

The generals discussed border patrols, hidden routes, and possible enemies, but Lynnek couldn't shake the feeling that someone was hiding something.

As everyone prepared to leave, Miguel spoke.

"Lynnek, stay."

The generals bowed and filed out of the chamber, leaving the two of them alone.

She folded her arms.

"What is it?"

Miguel walked toward the window overlooking the pack.

"When the rogue called you the last descendant of the Moonfang Bloodline..."

He paused.

"...had you truly never heard that name before?"

"No."

He studied her face.

"You aren't lying."

"I have no reason to."

Miguel nodded slowly.

"Then someone kept the truth from you."

Before Lynnek could ask another question, the chamber doors burst open.

"Alpha!"

A young guard rushed inside, breathing heavily.

"Elder Evelyn has collapsed!"

Miguel was already moving.

"Lynnek, come with me."

---

They found Evelyn in the manor's garden.

Several healers surrounded her.

She looked pale, struggling to breathe.

Miguel knelt beside her.

"Grandmother."

She smiled weakly.

"I'm not dying, child."

"You scared everyone."

Her eyes shifted to Lynnek.

"You..."

Lynnek stepped closer.

"Yes?"

Evelyn reached for her hand.

The moment their skin touched...

A brilliant silver light erupted between them.

The wind howled.

The ground trembled.

Lynnek gasped as images flashed through her mind.

A woman with silver eyes running through a burning forest.

A baby wrapped in a crimson blanket.

A necklace shaped like a crescent moon.

Then...

Miguel.

Much younger.

Standing beside the same woman.

The vision vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Lynnek stumbled backward.

"What... was that?"

The healers looked terrified.

Miguel caught her before she fell.

"You saw something."

She nodded.

"I don't understand it."

Evelyn smiled faintly.

"The Moon Goddess has begun revealing the truth."

Miguel frowned.

"What truth?"

Evelyn closed her eyes.

"The truth... that your destinies were never meant to be separated."

Suddenly—

Pain exploded through Lynnek's chest.

She cried out, clutching her heart.

Miguel froze.

He felt it too.

A sharp pull deep inside his soul.

His wolf surged forward, restless and excited.

Mate.

The word echoed in his mind.

He looked at Lynnek.

She was staring back at him with the same shock.

She had heard it too.

For one long moment, the world around them disappeared.

There was only the two of them.

The bond between them pulsed like a heartbeat.

Neither could deny it anymore.

Miguel took one step toward her.

Lynnek didn't move away.

"You feel it," he said quietly.

She swallowed hard.

"Yes."

The air between them grew warmer.

Neither noticed the servants quietly backing away.

Neither noticed Evelyn smiling to herself.

Miguel gently brushed a loose strand of hair from Lynnek's face.

His touch was careful.

Almost hesitant.

Lynnek's heart raced.

She should have stepped away.

She should have reminded herself that this was the Alpha she had promised never to trust.

Instead...

She found herself looking into his blue eyes.

Without thinking, Miguel leaned closer.

Their lips met in a brief, gentle kiss.

The mate bond flared with overwhelming warmth, sending a wave of energy through both of them.

When they finally pulled apart, they simply stared at each other.

Neither spoke.

Neither understood why the kiss had felt so... right.

From the balcony above, hidden behind a curtain, a pair of green eyes watched them.

Aria.

Her nails dug into her palms until they bled.

"No," she whispered through clenched teeth.

"He's supposed to be mine."

A cruel smile spread across her face.

"If I can't have him..."

She turned away from the window.

"...then neither of you will live long enough to be together."