: The Vows That Bind

His hands are shaking.

I notice it the moment our fingers intertwine. The slight tremble against my palm, the way his breath catches when the priestess begins to speak. This is not the steady, controlled Alpha I remember. This is not the man who watched me die with cold indifference in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" I whisper.

Rhydian blinks, as if surprised I noticed. "I should be asking you that."

"I asked first."

A ghost of a smile crosses his lips. It disappears before I can decide if it was real. "I am fine. Just... this matters to me. More than you know."

What does that mean? I want to demand answers. I want to shake him until he tells me the truth about everything. But the priestess is speaking, her voice ringing across the garden, and I have to focus.

"We gather beneath the light of the Moon Goddess to join two souls, two packs, two futures."

I have heard these words before. In my past life, they felt like a promise. Now they feel like a cage.

"Do you, Vespera Vale, daughter of the Silvermoon Pack, accept this bond freely and without reservation?"

I look at Rhydian. He is watching me with an intensity that makes my chest ache. His dark eyes search mine, looking for something I cannot name.

"I do."

The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. Before I can run.

"And do you, Rhydian Crowe, Alpha of the Blackmoon Pack, accept this bond freely and without reservation?"

His throat bobs as he swallows. "I do."

The priestess wraps a silver cord around our joined hands. The fabric is cool against my skin. I remember this cord. I remember thinking it was beautiful, a symbol of our eternal bond.

I remember Virelle using it to strangle me in my nightmares.

"Then by the power of the Moon Goddess, I pronounce you bonded. May your union bring strength to your packs and peace to your hearts."

Rhydian leans in. I freeze, my body screaming at me to pull away, to run, to do anything but let this man kiss me. But I cannot move. I cannot breathe.

His lips brush mine. Gentle. Tentative. So different from the cold, possessive kisses I remember from our marriage.

When he pulls back, his eyes are wet.

"I will not let you down," he says. "I swear it."

I do not trust myself to answer.

The celebration is loud and warm and everything I remember.

The great hall of the Blackmoon Pack house is filled with people, wolves from both packs mingling and laughing and drinking. Music drifts through the air. Children run between tables. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread fills the space.

I move through it all like a ghost.

"Luna Vespera." An elderly woman approaches, her silver hair braided down her back. "I am Tressa Morcant. The pack seer."

Something cold slides down my spine. I remember Tressa. She was always watching me in my past life, her ancient eyes seeing things I did not understand.

"I am honored to meet you," I say carefully.

Tressa tilts her head. "Are you?"

"I do not know what you mean."

"I think you do." She steps closer, close enough that no one else can hear. "You are not what you seem, Luna. There is something different about you. Something... old."

My heart stops. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Do you not?" She smiles, and it is not a kind smile. "We will speak again. When you are ready to tell the truth."

She walks away before I can respond. I stand frozen, my hands trembling, my mind racing. She knows. How can she know?

"Vespera?"

I spin around. Corvin Crowe, Rhydian's brother, approaches with two cups of wine. He is younger than Rhydian, softer somehow. But I see the wariness in his eyes, the same wariness I see in my own mirror.

"I thought you might need this," he says, offering me a cup. "My brother can be... overwhelming."

"Thank you." I take the cup, grateful for something to do with my hands. "You are Corvin, yes?"

"The forgotten brother." He smiles, but there is no warmth in it. "Rhydian is the Alpha. I am just the spare."

"That sounds lonely."

He looks at me sharply, as if surprised by my words. "It is. But I suspect you understand that more than most."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." He takes a sip of his wine. "Just... you looked as lonely as I felt. Walking down that aisle. I thought you were going to run."

"I considered it."

The words slip out before I can stop them. Corvin's eyebrows rise.

"Did you?"

"For a moment." I force a laugh, trying to cover my slip. "Cold feet. That is normal, is it not?"

"Most brides do not look like they are walking to their execution."

I have no answer for that.

Corvin studies me for a long moment. Then he sighs. "My brother is not a bad man, Vespera. Whatever you have heard about him, whatever you think you know... he is not the monster people make him out to be."

"And what do you think I have heard?"

"I do not know. But I see the way you look at him. Like he is a threat. Like he is going to hurt you."

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Of course you do not." He sets his cup down. "Just... give him a chance. That is all I ask. Give him a chance to prove you wrong."

He walks away before I can respond.

The hours pass. I dance with Tavian. I accept congratulations from strangers. I watch Rhydian move through the crowd, speaking to elders, laughing with warriors, kneeling to talk to a small child who tugs on his sleeve.

He is not what I remember. He is not cold. He is not calculating. He is warm and kind and patient.

Or he is a very good actor.

"Where is Virelle?"

The question slips out during a quiet moment. Rhydian and I are standing near the edge of the celebration, watching the dancers. At my words, his entire body goes rigid.

"Why do you ask about her?"

"I heard she was your... before me." I keep my voice light, curious. "I thought she might be here."

"She is not." His voice is clipped. "She will never be here. She is not welcome in my pack."

"Why not?"

He turns to look at me, and I see something in his eyes that I did not expect. Pain. Raw and real and bleeding.

"I do not want to talk about her. Not tonight."

"Rhydian."

"Please." He takes my hand. His palm is warm against mine. "Tonight is about us. About our future. I do not want to waste it on the past."

I should push. I should demand answers. I should not let him distract me with pretty words and warm hands.

But the truth is, I am tired. So tired of being afraid, of being angry, of carrying the weight of a death that has not happened yet.

"All right," I say. "Not tonight."

He smiles, and for a moment, he looks young. Hopeful.

"Thank you."

We stand there, hand in hand, watching the dancers. The moon is bright above us. The music is soft. For just a moment, I almost forget.

But then I remember the blade. The blood. The laughter.

And I know that this peace cannot last.

That night, I lie in bed next to Rhydian.

He is asleep, his breathing slow and even, his face relaxed in a way it never was during the day. In sleep, he looks like the man I fell in love with in my past life. The man who made me laugh, who held me when I cried, who promised to protect me.

The man who let me die.

I watch him for a long time. I study the curve of his jaw, the line of his nose, the way his dark lashes rest against his cheeks. I remember kissing him awake on lazy mornings. I remember the sound of his laugh. I remember the way he said my name, like it was something precious.

I remember the look on his face when Virelle told me the truth. The cold indifference. The way he did not even flinch when the blade entered my heart.

Or did he?

The memory is fuzzy. Distorted. I was dying, my vision fading, my mind screaming. Can I trust what I saw? Can I trust what I remember?

I do not know anymore.

Rhydian shifts in his sleep, his arm reaching out for me. He finds my hand and holds it, even in unconsciousness. His grip is gentle. Possessive.

I should pull away. I should put distance between us. I should do anything but lie here and let this man hold my hand.

But I do not.

I am tired of fighting. Tired of being strong. For just one night, I want to pretend that none of it ever happened. That I am just a bride on her wedding night. That the man beside me is my husband, my love, my future.

Tomorrow, I will remember the truth. Tomorrow, I will plan my revenge.

But tonight, just for tonight, I let him hold my hand.

And I close my eyes.