“You’re making a mistake.”
Alpha Moonwhisper’s voice cut through the morning air like a blade. I didn’t turn from where I stood checking my travel pack, but I felt the weight of his disapproval settling on my shoulders.
“Your opinion is noted,” I said, tightening the leather straps with more force than necessary.
“This isn’t about opinion.” He moved closer, his footsteps crunching on the frost-covered courtyard stones. “This is about abandoning my daughter for political expediency.”
Now I turned, letting him see the gold that flared in my eyes. “I’m not abandoning anyone.”
“Aren’t you?” His pale blue eyes held mine without flinching. “You’re leaving her here while you go to claim another mate. How is that not abandonment?”
“Because the prophecy—”
“The prophecy says nothing about leaving the first bond to wither while you chase the others.” His voice rose, drawing stares from the assembled guards and servants. “My daughter gave you everything, and now you’re walking away.”
“I’m following my duty to the territories.”
“You’re following your fear.” The accusation hit like a physical blow. “You’re terrified of what you feel for her, so you’re running to the next territory hoping it will be easier.”
Before I could respond, Lilith’s voice cut through the tension.
“Father, stop.”
She appeared at the top of the palace steps, wrapped in a white cloak that made her look ethereal against the gray morning sky. But there was steel in her voice, authority that made even her father step back.
“Lilith—”
“I said stop.” She descended the steps with fluid grace, her storm-colored eyes never leaving mine. “This is my choice as much as his.”
“Your choice?” The Alpha’s voice cracked with disbelief. “You’re choosing to let him leave you?”
“I’m choosing to trust the bond.” She reached the bottom of the steps, close enough that I could catch her rain-and-lightning scent. “And to trust him.”
“He’s abandoning you for another woman!”
“He’s fulfilling a prophecy that could save all our territories.” Her voice carried absolute certainty. “The Triple Bond isn’t about abandonment. It’s about completion.”
Alpha Moonwhisper stared at his daughter as if seeing her for the first time. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious about anything.” She looked at me then, and I saw something fierce burning in her eyes. “The bonds don’t work in isolation. They strengthen each other. When he finds Astrid, when he finds Nyx, it won’t diminish what we have. It will make it stronger.”
“That’s insane,” the Alpha said flatly.
“Is it?” Captain Thorne stepped forward, his weathered face grim. “Or is it exactly what the territories need? Unity through bonds that transcend traditional politics?”
“You’re all mad,” the Alpha said, but his voice lacked conviction.
I moved closer to Lilith, close enough to see the gold flecks in her storm-colored eyes. “You’re sure about this?”
“I’m sure about us.” She reached up, placing her palm over my heart. “I’m sure about what we’re building together.”
“And if I change? If the other bonds alter who I am?”
“Then you’ll still be mine.” Her voice was soft but unshakeable. “Just like I’ll still be yours, no matter what happens.”
The certainty in her voice made something in my chest ease. I covered her hand with mine, pressing it against my heart.
“I’ll come back to you,” I said.
“I know.” She rose on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Just don’t come back alone.”
The kiss was brief but electric, sending fire through my veins. When she pulled back, her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
“Time to go, Your Highness.” The carriage driver’s voice carried across the courtyard. “The road to Ironheart is long.”
I nodded, but didn’t move. Couldn’t move. Leaving her felt like tearing away part of my soul.
“Go,” she whispered. “Before I change my mind and chain you to the palace.”
I kissed her forehead, breathing in her scent one last time. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She stepped back, wrapping her cloak tighter around herself. “Now go find our sister-queens.”
The words hit me like a revelation. Not rivals. Not threats. Sister-queens. Partners in something larger than any of us could imagine alone.
I climbed into the carriage, but left the window open so I could see her as we pulled away. She stood there in the courtyard, small but blazing with inner light, surrounded by her pack but somehow apart from them.
My mate. My queen. My beginning.
The journey to Ironheart took two days of hard riding through increasingly hostile terrain. The soft beauty of Silver Moon gave way to jagged rocks and bitter winds. Everything here was sharper, harder, built for survival rather than comfort.
“Different world entirely,” Captain Thorne observed as we crested a hill and saw the Ironheart capital spread below us.
He was right. Where Silver Moon had been elegant curves and flowing lines, Ironheart was all sharp angles and defensive positions. The city looked like it had been carved from the mountain itself, every building a fortress, every street a potential battlefield.
“They’re not going to welcome us with flowers and poetry,” I said.
“No,” Thorne agreed. “They’re going to test us. See if we’re worthy of their Alpha’s daughter.”
As if summoned by his words, a contingent of Ironheart warriors appeared on the road ahead. Twenty riders, all armed, all carrying themselves with the confidence of wolves who’d never known defeat.
“Prince Kieran.” The leader, a scarred veteran with iron-gray hair, pulled his horse alongside our carriage. “I’m Commander Hayes. Alpha Stormclaw sent us to escort you.”
“Escort or guard?” I asked.
His smile was sharp as a blade. “Depends on how you behave.”
The escort surrounded our carriage as we entered the city gates. Citizens lined the streets, but they didn’t cheer or wave. They watched with the calculating eyes of predators assessing potential prey.
“Friendly place,” Thorne muttered.
“They’re warriors,” I said. “They respect strength, not courtesy.”
The carriage stopped in front of a massive structure that looked more like a military barracks than a palace. Stone walls rose four stories high, punctuated by narrow windows that could serve as archer’s nests if needed.
“Welcome to Ironheart,” Commander Hayes said as I stepped out. “Alpha Stormclaw waits in the training yard.”
“The training yard?”
“She’s not much for formal receptions.” His grin widened. “Prefers to meet potential suitors with a blade in her hand.”
We followed him through corridors lined with weapons and battle standards. The sound of clashing steel grew louder as we approached a set of double doors.
“One piece of advice,” Hayes said, his hand on the door handle. “Don’t expect her to go easy on you because you’re royalty. If anything, that makes her more likely to test your limits.”
He pushed open the doors, and I stepped into chaos.
The training yard was a symphony of violence. Dozens of warriors sparred with deadly precision, their movements a dance of steel and fury. But my attention was immediately drawn to the center of the yard, where a single figure moved through her opponents like a force of nature.
Red hair blazed in the afternoon sun as she ducked under a sword swing, pivoted, and drove her elbow into her opponent’s ribs.
He doubled over, and she followed up with a knee to his chest that sent him sprawling.
“Again!” she called out, her voice carrying absolute authority. “You’re all fighting like pups! I want to see—”
She stopped mid-sentence, her head turning toward the entrance. Toward me.
Our eyes met across the yard, and I felt it—the snap of recognition, the electric pull of a forming bond. Not gentle like it had been with Lilith, but fierce, demanding, impossible to ignore.
She was magnificent. Tall and athletic with, with flame-red hair braided for battle and green eyes that held the promise of violence. Scars marked her strong arms and hands—evidence of countless fights won through skill and determination.
“You,” she said, pointing her practice sword at me. “You’re the prince.”