Episode 3

I discharged myself from the hospital two hours later. The doctor protested but I signed the papers anyway and walked out.

Every step hurt. My head throbbed where it hit the stairs, but no one offered to help me. The pack members I passed didn't even look at me.

The pack was celebrating.

Lanterns hung from every building across the main square. Tables were loaded with food and drink. Wolves laughed and danced and hugged each other like it was the best day of their lives.

I heard them talking as I walked past.

"Did you hear? Miss Veronica is pregnant!"

"Finally! A real heir for this pack."

"Thank the goddess. I was starting to worry we'd be stuck with that nightblood's spawn forever."

They didn't know I could hear them.

"I heard Luna Riley lost her baby today. Fell down the stairs."

"Good riddance. The moon goddess knows what she's doing. That child would have been cursed anyway."

I kept walking past the celebration. "Who do you think will win?"

"Win what?"

"The crown, obviously. Which nightblood couple will the nation choose as Alpha King and Queen?"

I stopped walking.

"My money's on Alpha Kael and whoever he finally picks as his mate. The man's a legend."

"They say he can manipulate his bone structure during battle. Extends his claws to twice their normal length, reinforces his skeleton so he can't be broken. Makes him practically invincible."

"And he's gorgeous. Have you seen him? Built like a god."

"Every she-wolf in the nation wants him, but no one knows who he will choose as his true mate: his queen."

A memory hit me. Six years ago. Before Jason, before I threw everything away.

I met Kael at a border negotiation between our packs. He was nineteen, I was seventeen. The moment we locked eyes, I knew. True mates. The bond snapped into place so fast it hurt.

We fell in love.

It should have been simple. My parents were from different nightblood families- they chose each other and ruled side by side. Most nightblood kingdoms did the same. They married each other, united their power, ruled together. For centuries, this was normal. Expected, even.

Because everyone knows what happens when a nightblood mates beneath their station.

I'm living proof of it now.

Our wolves aren't made to bond with someone weaker. The power doesn't vanish overnight, but it bleeds away slowly. The wolf recoils, trying to protect what's left. Year after year, I've gotten weaker. I can barely shift. I can't hear like I used to. I can't hunt.

This is what happens when you break the natural order.

But Kael's family didn't believe in nightblood unions for different reasons. His father was a monster. Cruel, ruthless, hated by everyone who knew him. He thought love was weakness. He thought sharing power was stupidity. Generations ago, his family made an oath, never marry into another bloodline. Never dilute their strength.

When Kael and I fell in love, he said he'd walk away from it all. From his father, his pack, his throne. He promised he'd come for me.

We planned to run away together, build a life where our families' politics couldn't touch us.

I waited in the rogue forest outside my pack's border, hidden, terrified and hopeful.

But Kael never came.

Instead, Jason found me. He was just a poor rogue alpha passing through the forest.

When the full moon rose and we looked at each other, and the moon revealed we are fated mates. He was my second chance mate, a fated replacement for Kael. We fell in love at first sight, and instead of running for Kael, I eloped with Alpha Jason instead.

I'd forgotten about Kael. Forgotten about everything except the man standing before me, the man the universe had destined me to love.

I'd been such a fool.

I passed by the market district. Most shops were closed but one had a crowd gathered outside, pressing against the windows, watching the only television in the entire pack.

Old Marcus, the shopkeeper, is the only wolf here who can afford human technology. He bought the television three years ago and now his shop is the gathering place whenever something important happens in the werewolf nation.

Tonight, at least a hundred wolves were crammed inside and spilling out onto the street, all watching the screen.

I moved closer.

The television showed a grand hall decorated with flowers and the royal crest. An announcer stood at a podium.

"Welcome, citizens of the werewolf nation!" The announcer said. "As you know, our beloved Alpha King and Queen passed away six months ago, leaving the throne empty. According to our ancient laws, the crown will pass to whichever nightblood couple wins the hearts of the masses."

The crowd in Marcus's shop started cheering.

"Over the next three months, each nightblood heir will present themselves to the nation. They will show us their strength, their wisdom, their love for each other and for our people. The couple that wins our hearts will become our new Alpha King and Queen."

The screen changed to show different nightblood couples.

First came Dante Ironclaw and his mate, a beautiful she-wolf with silver hair. They stood together in formal dress, looking regal and powerful.

"Dante Ironclaw of the Second Pack and his mate, Luna Sera," the announcer said. "Married for three years, beloved by their people, known for their charity work across the nation."

The crowd murmured appreciatively.

Next came another couple. Then another. Five different nightblood pairs, all looking perfect and powerful and in love.

Then the screen showed Kael.

He stood alone. No mate beside him. He wore all black, and he looked exactly as I remembered. Strong. Beautiful. Dangerous.

"And finally, Alpha Kael Thornheart of the First Pack," the announcer said. "The only heir competing without a mate. Alpha Kael has stated he will present his chosen mate to the nation within the next month."

"Who do you think he'll choose?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Does it matter? Look at him. He could choose anyone and the nation would love her."

"I heard he's been rejecting she-wolves for years. Won't settle for anyone less than perfect.”

"He's waiting for his true mate, obviously. A nightblood like him deserves another nightblood."