Kira's POV
My hands gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.
Six hours of driving. Six hours to prepare myself. Six hours that weren't nearly enough.
The sign appeared through my windshield: Welcome to Silverpeak Royal Pack Territory.
My wolf stirred inside me for the first time in weeks. She recognized this place. Remembered what we lost here.
Shut up, I muttered to her. You don't get an opinion. Not after what we did.
She whimpered and retreated. Good. I needed to focus.
The road curved upward into the mountains. Trees crowded both sides thick, ancient pines that blocked out the sun. This wasn't the friendly forest near my sanctuary. This was wolf territory. Dangerous. Wild. A place where humans didn't venture without permission.
A place I'd sworn never to return to.
My phone buzzed. Elena's fifth text that hour: Please be safe. Call me when you get there.
I couldn't answer. My throat was too tight. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it.
What was I doing? Walking into the territory of the mate I rejected? Begging the Alpha Kingthe most powerful wolf alive for mercy?
This was insane.
But the image of my sanctuary flashed through my mind. The wolves. The pup I'd saved just yesterday. All of them depending on me.
I pressed the gas pedal harder.
The trees opened suddenly, and I gasped.
Silverpeak City spread before me like something from a dream. Buildings made of stone and wood climbed up the mountainside. Shops, homes, parks all designed to blend with nature. Wolves walked the streets in both human and animal form. Children played in the squares.
It was beautiful.
It was everything I'd run from.
And sitting at the very top of the mountain, dominating everything below it, was the palace.
My breath caught.
The Royal Pack fortress wasn't a building. It was carved directly into the mountain itself black stone walls that looked like they grew from the rock. Towers reached toward the sky. Massive gates guarded the entrance. It looked ancient and powerful and absolutely terrifying.
That's where Rowan lived now.
In a fortress fit for a king.
My hands shook as I drove through the city. Wolves turned to stare at my car. Some pointed. Others pulled their children closer.
They knew. Somehow they knew who I was.
Or maybe they just smelled what I was.
Halfblood.
My father was human a researcher who'd fallen in love with my wolf mother. Their marriage was rare. Controversial. And it marked me as lesser in pureblood eyes.
I'd forgotten how much that hurt until now.
The palace gates loomed ahead. Two guards stepped into the road, forcing me to stop. Both were massive pure warrior wolves with scars and cold eyes.
I rolled down my window. Tried to keep my voice steady.
I need to enter.
The first guard looked me over. His nose wrinkled. State your business.
I need to see the Alpha King.
Both guards laughed. The sound made my wolf snarl.
The Alpha King doesn't see anyone without an appointment, the second guard said. Especially not He sniffed the air. His expression turned disgusted. Halfbloods.
The slur hit like a slap.
I have business with him, I said, fighting to keep my voice level.
I'm sure you do. The first guard smirked. But the Alpha King doesn't have business with your kind. Turn around. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of.
Rage flooded through me. Hot and sharp and seven years in the making.
I'd taken this insult my whole life. Kept my head down. Accepted being treated as less than.
Not today.
Tell him Dr. Kira Thorne is here. I met the guard's eyes without flinching. He'll see me.
Dr. Thorne? The second guard's smirk faded. He exchanged a look with his partner. Wait here.
He pulled out a phone. Walked a few steps away. I couldn't hear what he said, but I watched his face change. Confident to shocked to pale.
He practically ran back to the car.
The Alpha King says to bring you to the throne room. His voice had lost all its arrogance. Immediately.
My heart stopped. Hehe said that?
He said immediately. The guard opened my car door like I might explode. Park over there. We'll escort you inside.
I parked with numb hands. Got out on shaking legs.
This was real. Rowan knew I was here. And he wanted to see me.
Right now.
The guards flanked me as we walked toward the palace entrance. The massive gates swung open without a sound.
Inside was worse than outside.
The palace was all black stone and soaring ceilings. Torches burned in holders along the walls. Wolves in expensive clothes moved through hallways that seemed to stretch forever.
And every single one of them stopped to stare at me.
That's her, someone whispered.
The halfblood.
The one who rejected him.
What's she doing here?
Probably begging for money.
Or a second chance.
Laughter. Cold and cruel.
My wolf wanted to run. To shift and bolt out of this place where everyone hated us.
But I forced my head up. Kept walking. Let them stare.
They could hate me. They could whisper. But they didn't know why I was here. Didn't know what I'd sacrifice to save my wolves.
Let them judge.
The guards led me through winding corridors. Past rooms filled with wolves in formal clothes. Past windows that showed the city sprawling below. Past portraits of Alphas long dead.
Then we stopped at a set of doors so tall they seemed to touch the ceiling.
The throne room.
He's waiting, the first guard said. He wouldn't meet my eyes. Good luck.
The way he said it made my skin crawl.
The doors opened.
My breath left me in a rush.
The throne room was massive. Rows of pillars held up a ceiling carved with wolves and moons. Torches cast dancing shadows. And at the far end, on a raised platform, sat a throne made of black stone.
And on that throne sat Rowan.
My mate.
My heart stopped. Then started again too fast.
He'd changed.
Seven years ago, Rowan was tall and lean. Gentle. Approachable. The kind of wolf you wanted to know.
The male on that throne was a stranger.
He was bigger now. Broader. Muscles filled out his frame in a way that screamed power. His dark hair was longer. His jaw harder. Scars marked his hands where they rested on the throne arms.
But his eyes those green eyes I'd dreamed about for seven years those were the same.
And they were looking right at me.
The mate bond dormant since the rejection suddenly pulsed. Weak but there. A ghost of what we'd had.
My wolf surged forward, desperate and keening. Mate. Our mate.
I shoved her down. Buried the feeling. I couldn't afford to feel anything right now.
Rowan didn't move. Didn't smile. Just watched me with those eyes that saw too much.
Then he spoke.
His voice was deeper than I remembered. Rougher. Each word felt like it scraped against my skin.
Hello, Dr. Thorne.
The formal address hurt more than any insult.
I've been expecting you.
The throne room fell silent. I realized with horror that we weren't alone. Wolves lined the walls councillors, advisors, warriors. All watching. All waiting to see what their king would do to the female who rejected him.
I forced myself to walk forward. Each step echoed in the massive room. Each step brought me closer to the male I'd destroyed.
Closer to the mate I'd thrown away.
When I reached the base of the throne platform, I stopped. Looked up at him.
Rowan leaned forward slightly. The torchlight caught his face, and I saw something flash in his eyes.
Pain? Anger? Hate?
You received my letter, he said. Not a question.
Yes. My voice came out steady. A miracle. That's why I'm here.
To beg? One eyebrow rose. To plead for your sanctuary?
To negotiate. I lifted my chin. You're a king now. Kings negotiate.
Something that might have been amusement crossed his face. Then it was gone.
Kings also take what they want. He stood in one smooth motion. Wolves around the room tensed. And I want my land back.
He descended the platform steps. Slowly. Each footfall deliberate.
Coming toward me.
My wolf whined. The bond pulsed stronger with every step he took. By the time he reached me, standing close enough to touch, I could barely breathe.
He was taller than I remembered. Broader. And the power radiating off him made my instincts scream to submit.
But I didn't bow. Didn't drop my eyes.
Seven years ago, Rowan said quietly so quietly only I could hear, you told me your dreams were bigger than being my mate.
His words cut like knives.
You said you needed to save wolves. Not play house with one. He circled me slowly. A predator sizing up prey. So tell me, Dr. Thorne. Did it work?
Did what work?
Rejecting me. He stopped in front of me again. Was it worth it?
I thought about my sanctuary. My degree. The hundreds of wolves I'd saved.
Then I thought about the emptiness inside me. The seven years of regret. The mate bond that never quite died.
I don't know, I whispered.
For just a second one heartbeat something cracked in his expression. Something raw and wounded.
Then the ice returned.
You have sixty seconds to state your case, he said, voice cold again. Then you leave. Forever.
All around us, wolves watched. Waited. This was it. My one chance.
The sanctuary saves lives, I started. Forty-three wolves depend on me. Staff who need jobs. Seven years of work
That sits on my land. Rowan's voice cut through mine. Land stolen from my family generations ago. Land I'm taking back.
Then let me pay rent! Desperation leaked into my voice. Let me lease it. I'll pay whatever you want
I don't want your money.
Then what? The question burst out. What do you want, Rowan?
His name on my lips made him flinch. Just barely. But I saw it.
The throne room went dead silent.
Rowan stared at me. Through me. And in his eyes, I saw seven years of pain. Of rage. Of something deeper I couldn't name.
You want to know what I want? His voice dropped to something dangerous. Something that made every wolf in the room take a step back.
He leaned close. So close I could smell cedar and winter storms his scent. The scent my wolf had mourned for seven years.
I want you to feel what I felt. His breath touched my ear. I want you to lose everything. I want you to know what it's like when the person you'd die for chooses something else. Anything else. Over you.
He pulled back. Met my eyes.
I want you to hurt the way you made me hurt.
The words hit like physical blows.
So no, Dr. Thorne. There will be no negotiation. No mercy. No second chances. His smile was cruel. You made your choice seven years ago. Now you get to live with it.
He turned away. Started walking back to his throne.
It was over. I'd failed.
Wait!
The word tore from my throat.
Rowan stopped. Didn't turn around.
Please. My voice broke. Punish me. Hate me. I deserve it. But don't punish them. The wolves didn't do anything wrong.
Neither did I. He looked over his shoulder. But you punished me anyway.
I know. Tears burned my eyes. I know, and I'm sorry. I've been sorry every day for seven years. But this taking the sanctuary it won't change what happened. It won't make the pain go away.
No. Rowan's voice was soft. Deadly. But it might make me feel better.
He took another step toward his throne.
And something inside me snapped.
I never stopped loving you!
The confession exploded through the throne room.
Every wolf froze. Even Rowan went completely still.
I couldn't stop now. The dam had broken.
I rejected you because I was terrified. Because the bond was so strong I thought I'd disappear into it. But I never stopped My voice cracked. I never stopped loving you. Not for one single day.
Slowly, Rowan turned to face me.
His expression was unreadable.
You love me, he said flatly.
Yes.
After seven years.
Yes.
After rejecting me. Running away. Building a life without me. Each word was sharp. You love me.
Yes.
He walked back toward me. This time there was something different in his stride. Something that made my heart race for entirely different reasons.
He stopped inches away. Close enough that the bond between us screamed.
Prove it, he said.
I blinked. What?
His eyes locked on mine. Cold. Calculating. The eyes of a king who'd learned to be cruel.
You say you love me. That you're sorry. That you'd do anything to save your sanctuary. One corner of his mouth lifted. Then prove it.
How?
Rowan's smile was sharp as glass.
Be my mate.
The world stopped.
What? I couldn't have heard right.
You rejected me once to chase your dream. Now that dream belongs to me. He circled me again. I'll give you a choice, Dr. Thorne. The same choice you gave me seven years ago.
He stopped in front of me. His hand lifted, almost touching my face. Almost.
Accept the mate bond. Publicly. In front of my pack. Let me mark you. Claim you. Make you my Luna Queen. His voice dropped. Or watch me burn your sanctuary to the ground in sixty days.
My mind couldn't process his words.
You want me to be your mate? After everything?
I want what was always mine. His eyes glittered. You. Here. Bound to me. Unable to run. Unable to choose anything over me ever again.
That's not love, I whispered. That's revenge.
Maybe. He leaned closer. Or maybe I'm giving you a chance to fix what you broke. To choose me this time. To prove those words you just said weren't lies.
My heart pounded. And if I refuse?
Then you have fifty-nine days left. He stepped back. Choose wisely, Dr. Thorne. Because this offer expires the moment you leave this room.
The throne room spun around me.
Accept the bond. Become his mate. His queen.
Or lose everything.
II need time to think
No. Rowan's voice was steel. You don't get time. You don't get to run and hide and decide later. That's what you did before. This time? His smile was cruel. This time you choose. Right here. Right now. In front of everyone.
He gestured to the wolves lining the walls. All of them watching. Judging.
Say yes, and the sanctuary is yours. Protected. Funded. Safe forever. He paused. Say no, and I'll make sure not one wolf survives the eviction. I'll salt the earth so nothing ever lives there again.
You wouldn't
Try me.
I stared at him. At the male who used to bring me roses. Who used to look at me like I was his whole world.
This wasn't that male.
This was a king. Hard and ruthless and willing to destroy everything to get what he wanted.
Me.
My mind raced. If I said yes, I'd be bound to him forever. His mate. His property. Living in this palace with wolves who hated me. Trapped.
But my wolves would live.
If I said no, I'd lose everything I'd built. Forty-three wolves would die. Seven years of work would burn.
But I'd be free.
Except I'd never been free. Not really. Not since the moment I rejected him.
The phantom bond pulsed between us. Weak but there. Waiting.
Rowan watched me. Patient. Certain I'd choose myself again.
But he didn't know what the sanctuary meant to me. Didn't know I'd built it to prove his sacrifice was worth something.
Didn't know I'd do anythingto save those wolves.
Even become the mate of a male who wanted revenge more than love.
I took a deep breath. Met his eyes.
And spoke the words that would either save me or destroy me completely.
I accept.