LOGINASHERAT THE PACK"We need to leave now." I turned to Buttercup as the message from Draven hit the bond against my mind. "Seraphina's father is moving, and the pack meeting can wait a short time. There is somewhere I must take you first."Buttercup's green eyes narrowed, searching mine. "Asher, what's wrong? Your bond feels heavier than usual like you're bracing for something."I kept my voice steady, though the weight in my chest pressed harder with every second. "The temple. The place where I first felt the call to protect you. I need to face something there. With you. Now, before I lose the nerve."Kai glanced over from the truck, his patience was growing thin. "Go. We'll hold the line until you return. Don't make us regret it."Draven's nod was clipped, his tone edged with warning. "Make it quick. Trouble is gathering, and I can't stall Seraphina's father forever."Lila spoke. "I'll keep watch from the outer path."We drove in silence, tension coiling tighter with every mile, unti
KAI"I need to go alone for a bit," I told Buttercup as we left the meeting room.She widened her eyes. "Alone? After everything, you still shut me out?""It's not like that." I raked a hand through my hair. "There's somewhere I have to visit. This is something I should've done years ago."She stepped closer, her fingers gripping my arm. "Kai, Don't lie to me and call it nothing.""I'm not lying." My voice came out sharper than I intended. I softened, though the ache in my throat didn't ease. "It's just old ghosts. Come with me if you want. But part of this I need to do myself."Draven pushed off from the window,m. "Take your time. Just don't disappear on us again. We'll handle the pack's noise about the sanctuary, though it's already getting loud.""Loud how?" Buttercup asked, rounding on him. "You said you had it under control.""I said I would handle it. That's different from easy." Draven's tone stayed level, but the muscle in his jaw ticked.Asher's voice came as a warning. "Grie
BUTTERCUP "Send them in," I told the guard at the door. "Alone. No one else from the pack should enter."The messenger nodded and left. The neutral packs had come for me, not Draven. Kai stood near the window, his gaze fixed on the courtyard below. "Are you sure about this? They might try to use you. Or worse.""I have to do it," I said, forcing courage into my voice even as my stomach twisted violently. "If I keep standing behind all of you, nothing changes. I'll always be the thing that happened to Draven, never my own person.""That's not..." Draven started, stepping closer, his expression carefully controlled though I felt the fury coiled under it through our bond, hot and barely leashed. He stopped himself, then exhaled hard. "Fine. We'll be right outside.""They'll see that as weakness," Asher cut in sharply from his corner. "Hovering outside like guard dogs undermines everything she is about to say. Let her stand alone or don't pretend this is her choice at all."Draven's hea
DRAVEN The next day"The pack is waiting, Buttercup." I stood at the entrance to the main hall, my hand resting against her back. Buttercup looked up at me, her green eyes tired "They already saw what happened to the shadow keeper" She took a breath. "But yeah. They need to know I'm not just your mate anymore, and they will definitely hate it."Kai walked up. "The council is restless. Some are grateful. Others are scared out of their minds." He glanced toward the hall doors, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Seraphina's father is spreading poison in the corners. We have to shut that down before it spreads like wildfire."Asher joined us. "The bonds are stable. The shared pain from her trauma is there, but it's making us stronger...for now." He met my eyes, unflinching. "Use that in your words, Draven. Don't hide from it. They'll smell weakness before you finish the sentence."Lila stood guard at the door. "The pack needs to see her as Luna, and not a threat." Her expression softene
BUTTERCUP The darkness lifted completely as the Shadow Keeper settled inside the bonds. I stumbled back toward the mansion. Every step felt heavier than the last, as though I carried the weight of what I had just done in my very bones. Draven caught me first, his strong arms wrapping around me with desperate urgency. "Buttercup," he breathed into my hair, his voice rough. "You scared the hell out of us. Don't ever walk into that alone again. Do you hear me?" Kai approached right behind him, his hand settling on my back with light pressure. Through our connection, I felt the echo of his terror, now fading into relief. I leaned into Draven's embrace, letting them surround me like a living shield. Their presence filled the hollow spaces the fear had left behind. "I feel different," I admitted. "Lighter. But the bonds feel heavier too. Like I gave you all pieces of my old pain, and now you're carrying what I couldn't anymore." Draven placed a kiss to the top of my head, lin
BUTTERCUP "I'm done with this deadlock." I shot, my voice ringing louder than I'd intended in the tense room. The sound seemed to bounce off the walls, making everyone freeze. "You all want to die for me. I won't let that happen. I'm going to the Shadow Keeper. Alone." Draven's hand closed around my arm. "Buttercup no," he said. "That's suicide. We just sealed the bonds." Kai moved to block the door, his broad shoulders filling the frame. "Listen to him," he urged, his eyes pleading. "You felt what it does. It tears bonds apart. You can't face it alone." Asher's eyes met mine, and I saw fear flashing under his usual composure. "The risk is too high," he said. "Your power is new. Let us prepare first." Lila gripped her blade so tightly. "I'm your guardian," she insisted, her jaw was set. "If anyone goes first, it's me." I pulled my arm free from Draven's grasp and looked at each of them in turn. Their faces showed the same mixture of fear and determination, and I felt my res
BUTTERCUP I covered my mouth with the back of my palm and I was barely breathing. “A human? Don’t be ridiculous,” Seraphina said below me. “But if you’re serious about this double mate bond thing with her, we handle it quietly. She can never know the full truth.” Draven’s voice came next, low a
“Well, well, well...” Seraphina said again, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Am I interrupting the show?”I froze under Draven, my dress still bunched around my waist, his body covering mine as heat rushed to my face as I tried to push him off. “Get off me.”Draven sat up fast, shielding me
BUTTERCUP What the hell was I supposed to do now?I turned away from the cheering crowd, my legs were shaking as I did. Then a strong hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me hard. “Come with me, now.” Draven’s voice was low and rough in my ear. I didn’t fight with him, I couldn’t even if I wanted
BUTTERCUP “Harder Draven, don’t you dare hold back tonight,” I said.I gasped the words against his neck as he pinned me to the wall in the side room, my legs wrapped tight around his waist. His large arms gripped my thighs and his fingers were digging in just right. The full moon was already pull







