Chapter 4

Freya glanced at me, drenched in blood from head to toe, then strolled over to the table and sat down. One of her attendants handed her a cup of spirit spring tea, and she took a leisurely sip.

"I'm not a petty she-wolf. Male wolves have always been driven by desire, especially powerful Alphas. Keeping two or three mistresses on the side is perfectly normal.

"I can tolerate your existence. However, as the future Luna of the Thunderpeak pack, my pup has to be born first and receive the Moon Goddess's blessing."

I braced myself against the wall, barely holding my broken body upright. "So you decided to kill my pup."

Freya let out a soft laugh, her eyes full of contempt. "I don't dirty my hands with that kind of work. Kael was the one who drugged you. He gave up your pup on his own. All I did was lay out the consequences for him."

I stared at her, my nails digging so deep into my palms they nearly punctured skin.

She stood and walked toward me, one hand resting lightly on her own stomach, her posture dripping with superiority.

"You should count yourself lucky, really. Even if your pup had been born, without a proper bonding to back it up, the b*stard would've been nothing more than a nameless stain, scorned by the entire pack. It's better off dead than living like that."

She turned to her attendants and gave a cold order. "Bring out the 'tonic' I prepared for her."

An attendant came forward and pried my jaw open. A wave of bitter, acrid liquid flooded my throat.

I recognized it instantly. Barren root. A forbidden drug among wolves. It would destroy a she-wolf's ability to bear pups permanently. Once it took hold, there would be no reversing it.

I thrashed and tried to spit the liquid out, but the attendant pinned me down and forced every last drop into my stomach.

Freya crouched in front of me and patted my cheek. "Be a good little mistress and stay in your place. Stop dreaming about clawing your way up through a pup. It's better for both of us.

"My bonding ceremony is in two days. I still need to go back and try on the Moonveil Crown so I don't have time to waste on you."

As she straightened up, an antique wolf-shaped stone pendant at her waist slipped into view.

It was Kael's most personal keepsake. I had asked him for it once, but he refused. He told me it was the only thing his father had left behind and that he needed to keep it with him always.

Now he had given it to Freya.

Freya paused at the door and glanced back with a smile.

"Oh, one more thing. I heard you like a quiet, simple life, so Kael had you placed here out of consideration.

"But this estate has already been transferred to my name. You're on my property now, so make sure you follow my rules."

Every muscle in my body went rigid. When Kael burned down the cabin we had built together, he told me he had bought this estate just for me.

From the very beginning, he had never intended to leave me anything at all.

"Freya." My voice came out raw and hoarse.

She turned, looking down at me. "What?"

"Have you ever heard of Princess Serafina?"

Freya blinked, then snapped. "Watch your mouth. You think a lowborn wretch like you has the right to speak her name?"

I managed a hollow smile. "I've heard that Princess Serafina's favorite thing in the world is the silver moon flare.

"If your bonding ceremony could draw the princess herself to attend, the honor it would bring to you and to the Thunderpeak pack would be immeasurable, wouldn't it?"

Freya's expression was pure disdain. "Princess Serafina has never made a public appearance. Outside the royal court's inner circle, no one knows what she looks like or what she favors. How could a lowly Rogue like you possibly know any of that?"

"Believe me, or don't. Even if it turns out to be false, you lose nothing. But if it turns out to be true..."

I left the sentence unfinished. Something shifted behind Freya's eyes, and the contempt gave way to calculation.

After she left with her entourage, I curled into the corner of the bed, unable to move.

The barren root was tearing through my body. My lower stomach felt as though it was being split open by a silver blade. Even breathing felt like agony.

No one came for me.

It was at that moment I finally understood. Meeting Kael, and being his fated mate, had never been a blessing. It was a curse.

Through the haze of fading consciousness, I saw something through the window.

A silver moon flare shot into the night sky and burst into a perfect silver crescent. Light scattered outward in a shimmering haze, breaking apart into countless silver-white sparks that drifted down like falling stars.

A quiet wave of relief washed through me.

It was one of the rarest and most expensive fireworks in the wolf kingdom. It was also the private distress signal I shared with my father. No matter where I was, the moment a silver moon flare lit the sky, he would know I was in danger and send someone to bring me home.

I did not know how long I was out. When I woke, my entire body was drenched. I could not tell if it was sweat or blood.

Kael was sitting at the edge of my bed.

He reached over and pressed his hand to my neck, then let out a sigh. "Your vitals have stabilized. That's good. I had someone make spirit-infused broth for you. It'll help your body recover."

I pushed myself upright, every movement a struggle. "Freya came to see me. She forced barren root down my throat. Did you know about that?"