Bonded to My Mate's Uncle

I found the old communication crystal.

Silas's forgotten promise.

He had vowed long ago that if I ever chose to be his mate, this was how I should call him.

I sent a pulse of energy into it.

His shock vibrated through the psychic link.

"Aurora. You are certain?"

"I am certain. Does the offer stand?"

"It was never withdrawn."

Dizzying relief washed over me.

He wasn’t just an alternative. He was an ascension.

"Good. I accept."

My chamber door flew open.

Caspian stood there.

"The Binding is off," he stated.

No warmth in his voice.

"My true mate will be Vivian."

His Alpha aura was a suffocating weight.

His eyes held a cold, decisive light.

It was too knowing. Too cruel for this night.

Did he remember too?

I saw my son's still form in the Grey Zone mud. I remembered the first death that paved the way for all others—his brother, the true heir, mysteriously poisoned. Caspian’s rise began with that funeral pyre.

This time around, he was in for a disappointment.

"Good," I said, my voice flat.

"I was coming to tell you the same."

Confusion flashed across his face.

"What game are you playing?"

I walked past him into the great hall.

The elders lingered there. I needed witnesses.

"Caspian Blackwood, Alpha of the Shadowmoon Pack."

My voice was clear and carried. All murmuring stopped.

"I, Aurora Sterling, reject you as my mate."

Sharp gasps filled the air.

"I sever our proposed bond."

Caspian's face paled, then darkened with pure fury.

The ritual demanded his response.

Through clenched teeth, a growl building, he spat the words.

"I accept."

The pathetic, fading tether between us snapped. Gone.

He stepped close. His breath was hot on my ear.

"You will die scratching in the dirt." He paused. "Just like before."

Just like before. The confirmation was a bolt of ice. He remembered everything.

"We will see," I said. It was a promise.

I walked out into the cool night air. It tasted of freedom. And danger.

Silas found me at the Silverbend clearing.

Alive. Vital. Not the shattered man from my memories. The power around him was quiet, a deep, still lake compared to Caspian’s churning, violent river. It didn’t demand submission. It commanded it by its very nature.

Tears welled up. I walked into his open arms.

He held me. No questions. Just a shelter.

"Tell me what you need," he murmured.

"Safety. A chance. To never be at his mercy again."

"Done."

He took my left wrist. His thumb pressed over my pulse point.

Warm, tingling energy flowed. It felt clean and sharp, like moonlight given form. It didn’t just mark me. It seemed to gently overwrite the lingering, greasy feel of Caspian’s claim.

A delicate, silvery sigil wove itself under my skin.

It glowed once, soft and sure. Then it faded to a faint tracing.

A promise. A shield.

"You are under my protection. My intended," he said.

"When you are ready, we complete the bond."

He arranged a secure apartment far from pack lands.

I was safe. For now.

My reprieve was brief. News, it turned out, had already spread like wildfire.

By morning, my rejection was the scandal of the supernatural circles.

My phone buzzed incessantly.

Unknown numbers. Pack mates with fake concern or open ridicule.

I ignored them all.

The most persistent was Caspian.

His messages started as arrogant demands.

They quickly degraded into vitriolic rants about my ingratitude, my downfall.

I blocked him.

His retaliation was petty.

A pack enforcer arrived, dumping a single box on the porch.

It held the few personal items I'd left behind.

All but one thing was returned.

My little shadow-kitten, Nyx, was not in the box.

A scrawled note from Vivian was inside.

[We do not harbor useless creatures.]

My heart clenched. I had to go back.

At twilight, I returned to the Blackwood estate.

Vivian answered the door. She was draped in silk, smirking.

"The discarded mate returns." Her voice was a purr. "Here to beg for a servant's position?"

Caspian appeared behind her. His arm snaked around her waist.

His gaze was icy. "Changed your mind already?" He sneered.

"You can kneel. Swear fealty. That is all that is left."

"I am here for Nyx," I said flatly. I moved to step inside.

As I passed under the chandelier, the light caught the silvery tracing on my wrist.

Caspian moved with shocking speed. He grabbed my arm. His fingers dug in.

"What is this?" he demanded. Fury colored his voice. "A cheap glamour? Who did this?"