Sera's POV
My feet start moving before my brain can stop them.
No. No, I'm not going to him. I hate him. He killed my parents. I don't care what this stupid bond says
But my body doesn't listen. Step by step, I'm being pulled toward Alpha Kael like a puppet on strings. The crowd parts around me, everyone staring with their mouths open.
The omega? Someone whispers.
That's the traitor's daughter!
This can't be right.
Kael steps down from the platform, and the hunger in his ice blue eyes makes my stomach flip. He's looking at me like I'm the only person in the entire world.
Stop, I whisper to myself. Please, stop walking.
But I can't. The bond is too strong.
We're ten feet apart now. Then five.
I can see every detail of his face the sharp jaw, the small scar above his left eyebrow, the way his hands are clenched into fists like he's fighting the same pull I am.
Sera, he says, and hearing my name in his voice does something strange to my chest.
Alpha, this must be a mistake. Marcus Thorn appears beside Kael, his face tight with worry. She's an omega. She can't possibly be
Get away from me, Kael growls without looking at Marcus. His eyes never leave mine.
Three feet apart.
I open my mouth to tell him I don't want this that I'd rather die than be his mate, but before I can speak
The second scent slams into me like a train.
Smoke. Blood. Wild forests. Pure danger.
The pain in my chest doubles, triples. I scream and stumble backwards, clutching my ribs. It feels like my heart is being ripped in two different directions.
What Kael starts forward, but stops when he sees my face.
I turn toward the edge of the clearing, and the entire world tilts.
A man is standing at the border of the Neutral Grounds. He's even bigger than Kael, with long dark hair and eyes that glow amber gold in the red light of the Blood Moon.
Alpha Darius Bloodmoon.
The savage. The enemy. The monster whose father murdered Kael's brother five years ago.
And every cell in my body is screaming that he's mine.
No, I whisper. This isn't possible.
Darius takes one step into the clearing. His eyes are locked on me with an intensity that makes it hard to breathe.
The two bonds are at war inside my chest, both trying to drag me in different directions. I feel like I'm being torn apart.
Mine. Kael's voice is a low, dangerous growl.
Mine. Darius's voice is even deeper, more savage.
Then they see each other.
The temperature drops about twenty degrees. Every wolf in the clearing can feel the rage rolling off both Alphas in waves.
Bloodmoon, Kael snarls. What are you doing in my territory?
Your territory? Darius's smile is all teeth. The Neutral Grounds belong to no one. And apparently, neither does she.
He points at me.
The crowd explodes.
Wolves are shouting, gasping, backing away from the platform. Vivian is screaming something about witchcraft. Marcus is trying to restore order, but nobody's listening.
This is impossible! Someone yells. Omegas don't have mates!
She must have used dark magic!
Two Alphas? Two mate bonds? That's against the Moon Goddess's law!
I stand frozen between them, feeling both bonds pulling at me with equal strength. My chest hurts so bad I can barely breathe. My whole body is shaking.
This can't be real. This is a nightmare. I'm going to wake up in the servant quarters and
Sera. Kael's voice cuts through the chaos. He's staring at me with something that might be wonder or might be horror. Come here.
Don't. Darius moves closer, his whole body radiating danger. She's mine. I felt the bond.
She's MINE. Kael's eyes start to glow blue sign his wolf is coming to the surface. And you need to leave. Now.
Make me.
They're going to fight. Right here, right now, they're going to kill each other, and it's my fault.
Lyssa appears beside me and grabs my arm. Sera, we need to go. Now.
She's right. I need to run. I need to get as far away from here as possible.
But the bonds won't let me. Every time I try to step backwards, the pain gets worse.
Kael and Darius are circling each other now, both ready to shift into their wolf forms. The crowd is scattering, trying to get out of the way.
She used magic! Vivian's voice rises above the noise. She's pointing at me with shaking fingers. The traitor's daughter cursed them both! Someone stop her!
Several wolves start moving toward me.
That breaks the spell.
Terror floods through me, stronger than the mate bonds. I turn and run.
SERA! Both Alphas shout my name at the same time.
But I don't stop. I push through the crowd and sprint toward the forest. Behind me, I hear snarls and the sound of fighting. I hear Lyssa calling my name. I hear the entire festival descending into chaos.
But all I can focus on is running.
The bonds are screaming at me to go back. Every step I take away from Kael and Darius feels like knives in my chest. But I push through the pain and run faster.
The forest swallows me whole. Branches scratch my face and arms. My lungs are burning. The blue dress Lyssa gave me catches on thorns and rips.
I don't care.
I run until my legs give out, and then I collapse against a tree, sobbing.
Two mate bonds. Two Alphas who hate each other.
And me the omega who isn't supposed to have any mates at all.
I press my hands against my chest, trying to stop the pain. But it's not getting better. It's getting worse.
Because somewhere behind me, getting closer with every second, I can hear them.
Two sets of footsteps.
Two predators.
Both hunting the same prey.
Me.
And I have nowhere left to run.