JESSICA

I woke up feeling like my life was a dream—or a nightmare I hadn't quite woken up from. I stayed there on my bed, staring at the white ceiling for what felt like hours. My mind was miles away, back in that hallway, back to the heat of Kaelen’s skin and the way his eyes looked right before he pulled away.

The rejection at the altar should have been the end of it, but the atmosphere said otherwise.

A soft knock came at the door. It was Anne. She looked pale, her hands shaking as she held my morning robe.

"Lady Jessica?" she whispered. "You’ve been summoned to the Great Hall. Your father and... and Prince Nathan are waiting."

"Summoned?" I sat up, my heart doing a nervous skip. "For what?"

“I wish I knew,” she replied. “But the Elders are there. Everyone is there.”

I hesitated before stepping out of the bed. Something in me tells me this is Nathan's doing. Nathan wasn't someone that lets things slip off his grip. He was going to do something, anything, just to have it back.

I dressed in a plain black gown, wrapping my hair in a bun. I stared at my reflection in the mirror for minutes; “Was it bad to not want someone to yourself?” I let out a heavy sigh.

“Let's go.”

We stepped out of the room and into the hallway. The quietness was so alarming, I didn't even notice Kaelen wasn't standing at the doorway. It was after walking a few meters away that I looked back.

“Where is Kaelen?” I asked.

“At the Great Hall,” she answered.

Nathan was doing all he could to figure out who the Moon had chosen in his place. But then, what if it wasn't Kaelen? What if it was someone neither of us knew? Would he be this bent to act stupidly?

We finally made it to the hall. The guards at the corner bowed before pushing the doors open.

I glared into the already filled room, staring at the Elders until my gaze landed on Nathan who had that smug smile of triumph on his face. He looked like a mess, that was the first thing I noticed. And even that annoying smile on his face couldn't do justice to it. Then I saw Kaelen with a few other guards standing at one side.

‘What the hell is Nathan up to?’ I thought.

"There she is," Nathan said aloud, his voice echoing the hall. "The bride who broke a kingdom."

I finally stepped in, trying my best to appear calm. “What are you up to, Nathan?” I barked, walking toward him. "You’re overreacting. The ceremony is over. The Moon said no. We should be figuring out how to move forward, not standing here in front of the Elders like this."

Nathan laughed so hard I nearly smacked a tooth off that mouth of his. "The Moon didn't say no, Jessica. The Moon was silenced. I’ve spoken to the ancient texts, a Divine Rejection only happens when the bond is pure. But what happened yesterday? That was chaos. That was corruption."

He turned to the Elders, spreading his arms wide.

"I claim that the Princess has been corrupted by a dark bond. A low-life, someone beneath her station, has used a shadow link to steal her heart and trick the Goddess. I won't let my name be dragged through the dirt because of a lie."

“What are you even talking about?” I snapped. I could feel a cold sweat break out on my neck. “There is no shadow link, and nothing like magic is practiced in the Silver Moon pack. So what point are you trying to prove right now?”

"Then prove me wrong!" he roared, stepping into my space. "If you have nothing to hide, you won't mind the test."

My father stood up, staring at Nathan with a grim face. "Nathan, the Silver Touch is an ancient law. We haven't used it in a hundred years."

"Because we haven't had a traitor in the royal house in a hundred years!" Nathan countered, looking at my father with narrowed eyes. "Unless you're afraid of what we’ll find, Alpha Silas?"

My father looked at me, then at the Elders. He looked trapped. "Proceed," he muttered, sitting back down.

A large, ornate silver bowl was brought to the center of the room. It was filled with sacred water, and a heavy silver coin which sat at the bottom.

"The Silver Touch," the High Priest announced. "If a fated mate touches the Princess while under the influence of the sacred silver, the Moon’s power will react. Know this, the truth cannot be hidden."

Nathan grabbed my hand and forced me to stand beside the bowl.

"Every high-ranking guard," Nathan ordered, his voice echoing. "Every warrior in the inner circle step forward. Touch the silver, then touch her hand."

The line started. One by one, they began to come forward. They'd dipped their fingers into the silver bowl and then pressed their hand against mine. Nothing.

Each time a hand touched mine and stayed cold, I felt a tiny spark of relief. But Nathan, every time the silver failed to react, he got angrier.

"Next!" he barked.

My palm was starting to feel like it wasn't mine from the constant contact. I could hear my heart thumping so hard against my ribs I thought it might burst. I kept my eyes on the door, on the walls, on anything but the line of men.

Suddenly, it's like the room went deathly silent, as though the atmosphere respected the very man now standing before me. The bond in my chest pulled so hard I almost gasped.

Kaelen stepped forward.

Despite the stone-cold mask of his face, I could see the slight tremor in his shoulders. He wasn't looking at me, and for some reasons, I loved it that way. And for the first time, I didn't want him to touch me.

‘Don't do it,’ I pleaded silently. ‘Please, Kaelen, don't touch me.’

If he touched me, things would go South. The silver would react to our bond, and the blast from the wedding would happen all over again. In front of the Elders, in front of Nathan—it would be a confession. Nathan would kill him before he could even take another breath.

Kaelen reached for the bowl, his fingers hovering over the water.

The silence was suffocating. I couldn't breathe. I looked at Kaelen, my eyes wide with terror. He glanced at me for a split second, and I saw the flash of desperate love in his eyes.

He dipped his fingers into the water. Stepping toward me, his raised his hand to meet mine. Just as our skin was about to touch, Kaelen’s knees twisted, causing him to fall. His body landed into the silver bowl, and the sacred water splashed across the floor.

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but it just happened so fast it looked real.

"You clumsy mutt!" Nathan screamed.

Kaelen groaned, clutching his side. He stayed on the ground, his face pressed to the ground. He looked genuinely hurt—and maybe he was, considering his back was already a mess of bruises.

Then Nathan stepped forward, kicking Kaelen hard in the ribs.

"Get up!" He hissed. "You've ruined the ritual! You're so useless you can't even stand in a straight line!"

At this point, my blood was boiling. I wanted to scream. I wanted to fly at Nathan and tear his eyes out for touching him. I saw Kaelen flinch under the kick, his fingers clawing at the floor, but he didn't fight back. He couldn't.

"Nathan, stop!" I cried out, unable to hold it anymore. "Enough! Give up already! Look at this mess. You're kicking a wounded man because your crazy logic didn't work. There is no shadow bond, and there is no magic. Stop being a jerk and just accept the Moon's finality. It's over!"

Nathan looked at me, heaving heavily. He looked like a wild animal. He stepped away from Kaelen, but he didn't look defeated as I expected. Rather, he looked like he had just found a new way to win.

"You're right, Jessica," he said, his voice dangerously low. He smoothed back his hair, his lips curling into a sick smile. "The silver test is a mess, but I'm not finished. There is one more test. A test of survival."

He turned to my father, who was watching with a look of pure shame.

"Alpha Silas," Nathan said, his voice turning formal. "Since we cannot find this mate among the living in this hall, and since the Princess is clearly too distracted to focus on her duties, we need to handle the real threats. The Northern Waste is crawling with Rogues, making our borders weak."

My heart sank to my stomach. The Northern Waste was a wasteland of mountains and constant snow, like it wasn't entirely a part of this world. No one went there unless they were looking to die.

"I want the most capable guards sent to the Northern Waste tonight," Nathan continued, his eyes locking onto mine. "A scouting mission to clear the path. And since he's so eager to be near the Princess, I think he should lead the way."

He pointed his finger down at Kaelen, who was still struggling to catch his breath on the floor.

"Him," Nathan said. "The mutt. Let's see how well he guards the border."

"He’s injured!" I yelled, stepping forward. "He can't even stand, Nathan! You're sending him to his death!"

"He’s a soldier, isn't he?" Nathan shrugged, looking at me with cold, dead eyes. "A soldier’s life belongs to his Alpha. Your father agrees. Don't you, Silas?"

My father looked at Kaelen, then at me. He didn't want to meet my eyes. He knew it was a death sentence, but he was too afraid of losing the alliance with the South.

"The mission is set," my father whispered. "The guards depart at midnight."

“Dad?” I looked at him, really looked at him. “You really are going to do this?”

“I'm sorry, sweetheart,” he said. “Some sacrifices have to be made.”

Nathan walked up to me. He leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear.

"If he survives the night, maybe I’ll believe the Moon wants him," Nathan whispered, his voice full of venom. "But we both know he won't come back in one piece, Jess. By morning, your little secret will be nothing but a memory in the snow."

He pulled away, giving me a wink that made my skin crawl, and walked out.