Kiera's POV
"You're not seriously planning to hide for three nights and then just accept exile, are you?"
Lyra stood in the doorway of my bedroom, her arms crossed and her expression furious. She'd followed me home from the Gathering and now watched me throw random clothes into a bag with shaking hands.
"That's exactly what I'm planning," I said, grabbing another shirt from my dresser. "I'll find some cave in the Lunar Grounds, stay hidden until the Hunt ends, then take my chances in the Rogue Lands."
"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard."
"It's MY plan." I spun to face her, my control finally snapping. "I'm done with mates, Lyra. Done with bonds and claims and Alphas who pretend to love me until they discover what I really am. Three times, Lyra. Three times I believed someone wanted me, and three times I was wrong."
My voice cracked on the last word. I hated how weak I sounded, but the pain was too raw, too close to the surface.
Lyra's expression softened. She crossed the room and pulled the bag from my hands, setting it aside. "Sit down. You're packing like a tornado hit your closet."
I didn't want to sit. I wanted to run, to scream, to shift into my wolf and race into the forest and never stop. But my legs suddenly felt too weak to hold me up, so I collapsed onto my bed.
Lyra sat beside me, her shoulder pressing against mine. "I know they hurt you. I know you're scared to trust again. But Kiera, what if your real fated mate is actually out there? What if the Moon Goddess was saving him for you this whole time, and you're about to throw away your only chance?"
"Then the Moon Goddess has a cruel sense of humor," I muttered.
"Maybe. Or maybe She's finally giving you what you deserve." Lyra squeezed my hand. "Someone who actually loves you for you, not for your bloodline or your power or what you can do for them."
I wanted to believe her. Some small, desperate part of me still believed in fairy tales and happy endings. But that part was buried under months of rejection and betrayal.
"What if I find my mate and he rejects me too?" The question came out barely above a whisper. "I can't survive a fourth rejection, Lyra. It will actually kill me."
She was quiet for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was gentle but firm. "Then don't find him. Hide like you planned. But at least give yourself the option, okay? Don't mask your scent so completely that even your true mate can't find you."
From her pocket, she pulled out a small leather pouch. "These herbs will dim your scent but not erase it. If your mate is searching for you, really searching, he'll still be able to track you down. But everyone else?" She smiled. "They'll lose you in minutes."
I took the pouch, feeling the dried herbs inside. "Where did you even get these?"
"Rogue network has its perks." Lyra stood and grabbed my bag, dumping out my terrible packing job. "Now let me help you do this properly. You'll need warm clothes, food that won't spoil, and this."
She pulled out a silver wolf mask from her own bag. It was beautiful and terrifying at once, with intricate designs etched around the eyes.
"Everyone in the Hunt wears masks," she explained, handing it to me. "No one can know who you are until you choose to reveal yourself. It levels the playing field."
I traced the mask's edges with my fingers. Behind this, I could be anyone. Not the cursed girl with three rejections. Not the Oracle everyone feared. Just another wolf searching for her mate.
Except I wasn't searching. I was hiding.
A soft knock interrupted us. My father stepped into the room, his face haggard with worry and lack of sleep.
"Kiera, sweetheart," he said quietly. "Can we talk? Alone?"
Lyra squeezed my shoulder and slipped out, taking the half-packed bag with her. "I'll finish this in the guest room. Come find me before you leave."
The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with my father.
He sat on the bed beside me, suddenly looking every one of his fifty years. "I need you to reconsider this Hunt."
"Papa—"
"Listen to me." His voice cracked. "The Lunar Grounds are dangerous even in the best circumstances. But with the Council watching, with those three Alphas likely to enter the Hunt themselves? Kiera, they could hurt you. Or worse."
"What's worse than being exiled to die alone in the Rogue Lands?" I asked bitterly.
"Being trapped in another bond with someone who doesn't value you." His hands trembled as he took mine. "Your mother, rest her soul, she always said the mate bond was sacred. But she also said it should be a choice, not a cage."
This was the first time he'd mentioned my mother in months. She'd died giving birth to me, and talking about her always hurt him too much.
"What are you saying?" I asked.
"I'm saying if you want to hide for three nights and then run, I'll help you. I'll give you supplies, money, contacts in the neutral cities. You don't have to face the Rogue Lands alone." His eyes filled with tears. "But if some part of you still believes in the mate bond, if there's any chance your true mate is out there waiting, then fight for it. Fight for yourself, Kiera. You deserve real love."
I hugged him then, breathing in his familiar scent of woodsmoke and old books. "I don't know what I deserve anymore."
"You deserve everything." He kissed my forehead. "And anyone who rejected you was a fool who didn't see your true worth."
After he left, I finished packing with Lyra's help. She showed me how to apply the scent-masking herbs, rubbing them into my skin and hair until my natural scent was muted but not gone.
"Remember," she said as she worked, "trust your wolf. She'll know your mate before your human mind does."
My wolf had been quiet since the rejections, retreating into the back of my mind like she was ashamed. But when Lyra mentioned mates, I felt her stir with cautious hope.
As dawn approached, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold, I stood at my bedroom window and stared toward the distant Lunar Grounds. Somewhere in that ancient forest, my fate waited.
Find a mate or face exile.
Trust or hide.
Risk everything or lose it all.
Lyra appeared beside me, pressing the silver mask into my hands. "It's time."
The walk to the Lunar Grounds felt both too long and too short. My father and Lyra flanked me like guards, while other wolves heading to the Hunt gave us a wide berth. Word had spread fast about the cursed girl invoking sacred law.
The forest loomed ahead, dark and mysterious even in the morning light. Ancient trees twisted toward the sky, their branches forming a canopy so thick it looked like another world waited beyond.
At the forest edge, a Council official checked off names on a list. He barely looked at me as he waved me through. "Masks on before you enter. Good luck."
Like he cared about my luck.
I hugged my father one last time. "I love you, Papa."
"I love you too, sweetheart. Be safe."
Lyra grabbed my shoulders and looked me dead in the eyes. "Listen to me. Don't trust anyone, especially not the Alphas. If you find your mate, make absolutely sure he's real before you accept any bond. And Kiera?" Her expression turned fierce. "You're stronger than you think."
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
Then I turned toward the forest, pulling the silver mask over my face.
The moment I stepped past the tree line into the Lunar Grounds, everything changed.
The air felt different here, charged with ancient power. My skin prickled with awareness. Magic hummed through the earth beneath my feet, old and wild and dangerous.
And then the scent hit me.
Pine trees after a rainstorm. Wild mountain winds. Something dark and dangerous and utterly intoxicating. It wrapped around me like smoke, making my head spin and my heart race.
My wolf surged forward inside me, more alert and alive than she'd been in months.
MATE! she howled with desperate urgency. Our true mate! He's here! FIND HIM!
No. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not when I'd decided to hide.
But the scent grew stronger, closer, like whoever it belonged to was hunting me.
And my traitorous wolf wanted to be caught.