Chapter 6

Roisin 

Jaeni stirred within me, her energy shifting with uneasy ripples that mirrored the questions swirling in my mind.

“I really wish I could tell you everything,” she said softly, her voice almost pained, “but this… this is beyond me.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

“There are things you need to find out on your own,” she continued. “As long as you keep your eyes and ears open, the truth will surface eventually. Just ensure to be careful… or you could be swallowed up by the brewing storm.”

The brewing storm?

Her voice tightened like a warning chime in my chest. She wasn’t trying to scare me, but her words came with a weight that left my throat dry.

“Everything is beginning to unfold,” she added, quieter now. “I will be with you. I’ll guide you in every way that I can.”

And then—silence.

No matter how hard I tried to press her, beg her, demand more, she refused to say another word. She receded into the background of my mind like mist vanishing into the night.

She gave me no answers. Only more questions.

What storm? Was she implying I wouldn't be accepted by the council tomorrow? That something worse was coming?

No. I shook the thoughts away. I couldn’t afford to spiral. I had to stop conjuring terrible scenarios in my mind before they consumed me. I’d suffered enough. I deserved something good. Didn’t I?

Everything will be fine, I told myself. The meeting will go well tomorrow. I’ll be accepted.

I chanted the words silently like a mantra, trying to summon them into reality. Hope was a fragile thing—but I held it like it was armor.

I didn’t even know when I drifted off, but sleep came eventually—wrapped in nervous thoughts of tomorrow’s trial…

I was wrenched awake by an incessant tapping. My eyes flew open to find two maids already in the room, standing above me like they'd been waiting forever.

They didn’t give me time to breathe, let alone blink away the grogginess, before tugging me up and leading—dragging—me into the bathroom.

Steam billowed around me as they scrubbed and rinsed, the scent of jasmine and sandalwood clinging to my skin.

Then, just as quickly, I was pulled back into the bedroom, where a stunning black sequin dress awaited me, shimmering like starlight and shadows fused into one.

One maid worked on my hair, weaving it into an elegant updo with carefully curled tendrils framing my face. The other adorned me with expensive jewelry, then brushed light makeup onto my skin with practiced grace.

And finally, they sprayed me with something cold—sharp. A scent suppressant. “The council will be easier to sway this way,” one whispered.

My heart squeezed.

Then came the shoes—black satin, modest heels—and before I could gather my thoughts, I was standing outside the King’s throne room.

Waiting.

Dread twisted in my gut like a living thing. My legs trembled slightly beneath the weight of the moment. My fingers curled into fists at my sides.

I wanted to turn and run. But I didn’t.

Because I couldn’t.

This was my best option. No—my only option. It would be recklessly stupid to make an enemy out of the Lycan King, not with everything I was already up against.

The giant doors creaked open, and a voice echoed throughout the chamber. “Her Royal Highness, Roisin Sinclair!”

My breath caught.

I kept my gaze low, fixed to the gleaming floor as I walked inside, step after tentative step. The weight of a dozen eyes bore down on me like stones.

King Visaris met me halfway. He extended his hand without a word, and I reached for it instinctively. The moment our fingers touched, a spark jolted through my arm—real, pulsing heat that surged into my chest.

He turned, leading me to the front of the room, stopping just short of his throne.

His voice thundered across the chamber:

“This woman here is my mate, and is to be known and regarded as the future Queen of this Kingdom from now henceforth.”

A wave of whispers surged through the room like a tide crashing into rock—harsh, disapproving murmurs between council members cloaked in prestige and suspicion.

I could feel it: their judgment. Their resentment. The heat of their disdain pressed down on me like a second skin.

My stomach coiled tightly. My breathing turned shallow. Was this it? Was this where it all went wrong?

Then the throne room doors were thrown open again with a dramatic crash.

And everything stilled.

A tall man strolled in with infuriating nonchalance, oblivious to the tension in the air. All heads turned. Including mine.

A strange euphoria sparked within me; a fluttering warmth that frightened me far more than it soothed.

“Sorry I’m late,” the man said with a shrug. “Had urgent business to take care of.”

His voice was rich. Smooth. Confident.

But with every step he took toward us, that feeling built. The sensation growing like an itch beneath my skin… then a warmth that curled in my stomach… then a pull—dangerous and undeniable.

“Olivine,” Visaris said, his tone reproachful. “You know better than to be tardy. You’re a brother to the crown. You ought to be something of a role model.”

Olivine just shrugged again, a crooked grin playing on his lips.

Brother to the crown. So this was Visaris’ younger brother.

He was striking, yes—less polished than Visaris, but just as captivating. Raven-dark hair and icy gray eyes that gleamed like wildfire, a complete contrast to his brother's larger than life aura. A rogue prince, through and through.

But it wasn’t his looks that terrified me.

It was the feeling.

The deep, earth-shaking, soul-binding pull.

My hand gripped Visaris’ tighter without thinking.

This couldn’t be happening. This shouldn’t be happening. Second chance mates were rare but having two? It was impossible.

Unheard of.

“Mate.”

Jaeni’s voice sliced through the panic in my mind, her tone firm and undeniable.

My heart plummeted. My chest heaved.

No. No no no.

But even as I tried to deny it, I felt it crackling inside me—pulling me toward him like a magnet to its other half. My skin buzzed. My wolf howled inside, restless.

I was already struggling to survive the implications of being the Lycan King's mate but now things had gotten so much more complicated.

Jaeni's warning last night echoed in my head like thunder.

How could I be mated to two brothers?!