Chapter nine

A Dangerous Promise

The kiss lasted only a heartbeat.

Yet it felt like time itself had stopped.

Lynnek was the first to step back. Her cheeks burned as she tried to steady her breathing.

"What... was that?"

Miguel looked just as unsettled.

"The mate bond."

"No." She shook her head. "I've heard stories about the mate bond. No one said it felt like... this."

His wolf growled possessively inside him, urging him to pull her back into his arms.

Instead, Miguel took a step away.

"We should keep our distance until we understand what's happening."

Lynnek frowned.

"You kissed me."

"I know."

"And now you're telling me to stay away from you?"

"If I lose control of the bond, I could put you in danger."

She wanted to argue, but the seriousness in his voice stopped her.

---

High above them, Aria watched from the balcony.

Her face twisted with rage.

"So the rumors were true," she hissed.

"They're mates."

Claudia stepped out from the shadows.

"You saw it?"

Aria nodded.

"They kissed."

Claudia's eyes narrowed.

"Then we can't wait any longer."

She handed Aria a tiny crystal vial filled with a dark purple liquid.

Aria stared at it.

"What is this?"

"Nightshade venom."

Aria's eyes widened.

"It won't kill them."

Claudia smiled.

"It will weaken the mate bond... and make them question each other."

Aria tucked the vial into her sleeve.

A slow smile spread across her face.

"Then I'll make sure Lynnek drinks every last drop."

---

That evening, the Blackstone Pack gathered in the Great Hall for a welcoming feast.

Long wooden tables overflowed with roasted meat, fresh bread, fruit, and wine.

Music filled the hall as warriors laughed and celebrated.

Lynnek entered beside Miguel.

The room fell silent.

Then every member of the pack stood.

One by one, they bowed.

"Welcome, future Luna."

Lynnek froze.

No one had ever bowed to her with such sincerity.

Miguel leaned toward her.

"They're honoring your courage."

She looked around the hall.

Not a single face showed pity.

Only respect.

For the first time since her exile, she felt she belonged somewhere.

---

As the feast continued, servants carried trays of silver goblets filled with spiced berry wine.

Aria, disguised beneath a servant's hood, slipped quietly among them.

No one recognized her.

Her fingers tightened around the tiny vial hidden in her sleeve.

"There you are," she whispered as she spotted Lynnek.

While the musicians drew everyone's attention, Aria uncorked the vial and poured the venom into Lynnek's goblet.

She smiled.

"Goodbye, stepsister."

She placed the cup back on the table and disappeared into the crowd.

Moments later, Lynnek reached for her drink.

Before the goblet touched her lips—

Miguel's wolf roared inside his mind.

Danger.

Without thinking, Miguel struck the goblet from Lynnek's hand.

It crashed onto the stone floor.

Purple smoke hissed from the spilled wine.

The entire hall fell silent.

Miguel's blue eyes swept across the room.

"Lock the doors."

His command thundered through the hall.

"No one leaves."

Blackstone warriors rushed to obey.

Lynnek stared at the smoking liquid.

"Someone tried to poison me."

Miguel stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body.

His voice was cold enough to freeze the room.

"Whoever came into my home to harm my mate..."

His eyes scanned every frightened face.

"...will wish they had never crossed the Blackstone Alpha."

Outside the hall, hidden in the darkness beyond the windows, Aria watched the chaos unfold.

Her smile vanished.

Miguel had sensed the poison before Lynnek could drink it.

She clenched her fists.

"If poison won't separate them..."

She looked toward the forest, where a cloaked figure waited for her.

"...then I'll make a deal with the devil himself."