Kane's Wedding

Chapter 4

Kane hadn't slept properly in three weeks.

He blamed the wedding preparations. The endless council meetings. The decision to double the border patrols.

But he knew the real reason.

Ever since he had severed his bond with Elena, a dull ache had settled beneath his ribs. It never quite went away. At night, when the castle was quiet, it became almost unbearable.

It was supposed to be a necessary sacrifice.

Pack law demanded a strong Luna, and the evidence against Elena had seemed clear. She had supposedly been passing patrol schedules to enemy packs.

A traitor.

So why did rejecting her feel like he had torn something out of himself?

“You're doing it again.”

Priscilla's voice pulled him back.

She tapped her pen against the grand oak table.

“The staring.”

Kane looked down at the documents in front of him.

“I'm reviewing the border rotations.”

Priscilla studied him.

“You're thinking about her.”

For a moment, the sweetness disappeared from her face.

Then she smiled again.

“The wedding is in six weeks, Kane. You made the right choice.”

She set down her pen.

“Elena was a filthy traitor. She would have destroyed Silvercrest. You saved us.”

Saved us.

Kane said nothing.

He had believed the evidence the moment it had reached his desk.

But lately, one question had kept returning.

Why had those documents appeared so conveniently before the wedding?

He rubbed his forehead.

“I'm tired.”

He pushed back his chair.

“I'm turning in.”

“Don't be late for the elder council tomorrow.”

Priscilla stood and leaned toward him.

Her lips touched his cheek.

The kiss was brief.

Almost mechanical.

Kane forced a smile before leaving.

---

An hour later, he was still awake.

Unable to rest, Kane wandered through the quiet halls of the west wing.

Most of the castle had gone dark. Only a few wall lamps remained lit.

As he passed a half-open doorway, a familiar voice stopped him.

Priscilla.

Kane frowned.

Something about her tone made him pause.

She wasn't speaking softly because she was affectionate.

She was being careful.

Calculating.

“...the timeline hasn't changed,” she whispered into a communication mirror. “Kane is still completely oblivious.”

Kane went still.

“The fool actually believes the forged documents I planted on the girl.”

His breath caught.

Forged documents?

He didn't move.

Priscilla continued.

“It doesn't matter if he misses her.”

A quiet laugh came through the doorway.

“Once the wedding happens, the Ashworth pack takes full control of Silvercrest's eastern territory.”

Kane's fingers curled at his sides.

“By the time Kane realizes Elena was innocent, she'll already be dead in rogue territory.”

Priscilla paused.

“And I'll be Luna.”

Kane stared at the door.

For several seconds, his mind refused to accept what he'd heard.

Elena was innocent.

The evidence had been fabricated.

And he had believed it.

He had rejected his true mate.

He had allowed the elders to burn her mark away.

Then he had sent her beyond the border with a death sentence hanging over her head.

All because Priscilla had lied to him.

Kane stepped back from the doorway.

He couldn't breathe properly.

What have I done?

His claws slipped from his fingertips and cut into his palms.

He barely noticed the pain.

For days, he'd wondered why the rejection still haunted him.

Now he understood.

He hadn't simply lost Elena.

He had been the one who had handed her over to the dangers beyond Silvercrest's borders.

And she could already be dead.

Kane turned toward the western side of the castle.

Beyond the walls, the woods stretched into darkness.

Somewhere beyond them was the border.

Somewhere beyond that was Elena.

His jaw tightened.

He didn't know where she was.

He didn't know whether she was alive.

But he would find her.

And whoever had helped drive her away would answer for it.

Kane made the vow silently.

He would tear apart every lie, every alliance, and every piece of Silvercrest's power structure that stood between him and Elena.

Nothing was going to stop him from bringing his mate home.