All Chapters of BloodBound Crown : Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

The mate mark *burned*.Not painfully—nothing like the silver that had seared his palms or the wounds from last night's violence. This was different. A constant, warm pulse just beneath his skin, right at the juncture where neck met shoulder. A brand that announced to the world exactly what he'd done.*Who* he'd claimed.Kael stood at the lodge's cracked mirror, studying the mark with a mixture of pride and dawning horror at its implications.Two crescent-shaped scars, perfectly symmetrical, raised slightly above the surrounding skin. They gleamed in the morning light—not quite silver, not quite gold, but something in between. The color would fade eventually, but the shape would remain forever. Visible. Undeniable.*Permanent.*He traced the marks with his fingertips, feeling the strange resonance that pulsed through them. Every time he touched the mate mark, he felt Lyra through the bond—felt her stirring on the couch, felt her awareness of him sharpening as she climbed toward full w

The palace erupted.Not literally—though the magical shockwave from the healing wing had been strong enough to rattle windows throughout the entire complex and send courtiers diving for cover. But *politically*, the explosion was just as devastating.Within an hour of Kael's arrival, the rumors had spread through the palace like wildfire through dry grass.*The Crown Prince has a mate.**He marked her himself.**She's packless. Common. Nothing.**No, worse—she's a VALE.**Impossible. The Vales are dead.**Then explain the girl in the healing wing with Primal magic strong enough to freeze half the corridor.**The King will kill him for this.**The King will kill HER.**Civil war. This means civil war.*In the corridors, servants whispered behind their hands. In the courtyards, guards exchanged dark looks and checked their weapons. In the grand halls, nobles gathered in tight clusters, their voices rising and falling with speculation and scandal.And in the throne room, King Aldric Drav