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00:00My fiancee brought his pregnant mistress to our mating ceremony and told me I would raise their child. He didn't
00:05say it in private. Damon said it on the altar where he was supposed to claim me. In front of
00:09the entire pack, Lyra stood beside him in pale gold silk, one hand resting on her belly. Lyra, my friend
00:14from the Omega Quarters, the girl who had slept two beds away from me for years, on her wrist was
00:18my silver bracelet. Last winter, Damon had given it to me after three young alphas mocked my Omega blood. He
00:23promised no one would ever make me bow again. A week ago, a servant came and asked me to send
00:27it back.
00:28For the ceremony. I didn't question it. Now I understood. Lyra saw me looking. She touched the bracelet gently, like
00:34it might break. He wanted me to have it. I hope you don't mind. She knew I did. Damon didn't
00:38stop her. He only looked at me, cold. I won't bond with you, Serafina. The elders care about your silver
00:43blood. They think it can crown the next Alpha King. He pulled Lyra closer. But Lyra is carrying my air.
00:50My throat burned. That bracelet was mine. Lyra flinched behind Damon's arm, as if I had hurt her. Damon glanced
00:55at the bracelet, then back at me.
00:57It was a promise to a girl who needed protecting. His hand covered Lyra's stomach. She gives me a future.
01:02Lyra looked at me from behind him, tears shining in her eyes. Small. Fragile. Victorious. Then Damon turned to the
01:07entire hall. When my pup is born, Serafina will raise it as her own.
01:13For one second, I thought I had misheard him. Then Damon made it worse. You'll serve Lyra through the pregnancy.
01:19Nurse her through recovery. Raise my air as your own. He said it like he was assigning chores to the
01:24lowest wolf in the room. Maybe he was. I was Serafina.
01:26The only silver blood air silvercrest had seen in a thousand years. The prophecy said whoever completed a bond with
01:32me could awaken true Alpha power and claim the Alpha King's throne. But I was also an Omega. The rank
01:36everyone stepped on until they needed something. Damon had decided my blood was useful. But I was not. Lyra gave
01:42a soft gasp beside him.
01:43Damon, don't say it like that. Serafina has always been so good at taking care of people. In the Omega
01:49quarters. She helped everyone. I'm sure she won't punish an innocent pup just because she's hurt.
01:54The hall went silent. Every stare landed on me. Waiting for me to cry. To beg. To bow like a
01:58good little Omega. My eyes burned. Not because Damon had rejected me. Because Lyra knew every soft place I kept
02:04hidden. And still chose to press her hand against it.
02:06The claim was never sealed. No blood oath. No mark. Under the old laws it can still be revoked.
02:12One elder exchanged a look with another.
02:14That is technically true.
02:16I looked at Damon. I may be an Omega. But I am not her servant. And I will not raise
02:23the child you made with her. I revoke the claim. If any wolf here is willing to claim me tonight.
02:30I accept.
02:33The whispers came fast.
02:34Silver blood. Did Damon just throw away the prophecy? If someone claims her now.
02:39I could see it in their faces. Shock. Hunger. Calculation.
02:42For one second. I thought someone might actually step forward. Then Damon's voice cut through.
02:46Your name is still written into the royal rite.
02:48The room froze.
02:49Until the elders formally dissolve this ceremony. Anyone who steps forward is openly defying the crown.
02:55No one moved. That had been his plan. Not to bond me. Not to free me.
02:58To keep me trapped under the royal rite until the elders could turn me into something quieter.
03:02Something useful. Lyra's servant. His heir's caretaker.
03:05A silver blood Omega no other man would dare touch.
03:08Damon stepped close enough for only me to hear.
03:10Sarah.
03:10My chest twisted. That name used to be soft in his mouth.
03:13Tonight. It was a blade.
03:14Don't embarrass yourself.
03:15Then he turned to the hall.
03:17No one wants you badly enough to start a war.
03:19For one terrible second. I thought he was right.
03:21Not because I wasn't valuable. But because every wolf in that room wanted my blood more than they wanted to
03:25save me.
03:26Then the doors at the far end of the hall swung open.
03:28But before anyone could see who had entered.
03:30Moira arrived first.
03:32Moira. Damon's mother. The Luna matriarch.
03:34Swept into the hall like a storm in silk.
03:36She took one look at Lyra behind Damon.
03:38And slapped her across the face.
03:40The crack echoed off every wall.
03:41Shameless Omega.
03:43You dare turn a royal treat into a spectacle?
03:45Lyra fell to the floor.
03:46Clutching her cheek.
03:47Tears already spilling.
03:48Damon lunged forward and shielded her.
03:49She's under my protection.
03:50Moira stared at him like she was seeing him clearly for the first time.
03:53Then she turned to me.
03:54Her voice softened.
03:55Serafana dear.
03:57Damon has humiliated you.
03:58I will deal with him.
03:59But you must not act rashly.
04:01Let me close this ceremony quietly.
04:03The crown will keep you protected until we decide where you belong.
04:06Where I belonged.
04:07Not what I wanted.
04:08Not who I chose.
04:09I pulled my hand free.
04:10You bound me to Damon for my blood.
04:12Then he brought her here with his heir and told me to raise their child.
04:16My voice shook.
04:17But I did not stop.
04:18I will not be their servant.
04:20The hall went silent.
04:21I will not nurse his mistress through pregnancy.
04:23And I will not raise another woman's child because Damon thinks an Omega should be grateful
04:28for scraps.
04:29Moira's eyes hardened.
04:30Careful, girl.
04:31You are still standing inside a royal treat.
04:33Your blood belongs to Silverhrest before it belongs to you.
04:36My stomach went cold.
04:37There it was.
04:38Damon wanted me useful.
04:39Lyra wanted me beneath her.
04:41Moira wanted me on.
04:42If no one claims you tonight, the elders will decide your future.
04:45Damon smiled again.
04:46For the first time that night, I felt truly trapped.
04:48Then a low voice cut through the hall.
04:50Does her offer still stand?
04:52Every head turned.
04:53Kale stood at the far end of the hall.
04:55Tall.
04:55Dressed in black.
04:56Pale as winter.
04:57Aldric's firstborn.
04:58Damon's older half-brother.
04:59The true alpha heir by blood.
05:01And the cursed one who still couldn't shift.
05:03He took one step forward.
05:04Then stopped.
05:05Just for half a second.
05:06His hand touched the doorframe.
05:07Everyone saw it.
05:08The cursed heir could barely stand.
05:10Damon laughed under his breath.
05:12Careful, brother.
05:12If she chooses you, she won't be a bride by sunrise.
05:16A few wolves laughed.
05:17Moira's face went white.
05:18Kale, don't be stupid.
05:20You know what silver blood does to a cursed wolf?
05:22It could kill you.
05:23Kale ignored her.
05:24His gray eyes stayed on me.
05:25What you just said.
05:27Does it still stand?
05:28My throat tightened.
05:29Before I could answer, Damon stepped in.
05:31No.
05:31The whole hall froze.
05:32Damon's smile sharpened.
05:34She said any wolf.
05:35Not a dead one pretending he still has a claim.
05:38Kale's face did not change.
05:39Damon moved closer to me.
05:40Look at him, Sarah.
05:42He can't protect you.
05:43He can't shift.
05:44He can barely stand.
05:46If you choose him, this wedding becomes a funeral before sunrise.
05:50Lyra's eyes widened, soft and wet.
05:52Don't do this to yourself, Serafina.
05:54You don't have to ruin yourself just because you're hurt.
05:56Moira seized the silence.
05:58If no suitable wolf claims you tonight, the elders will decide your future.
06:02The room closed around me again.
06:04Damon held out his hand.
06:05Not like a lover.
06:06Like a leash.
06:07Last chance, Sarah.
06:08His smile was cold.
06:10Stand down.
06:12For one second.
06:13The whole hall waited.
06:14They all thought I would break.
06:15I looked past his hand.
06:16At Kale.
06:17Thin as paper.
06:18Pale as death.
06:19A cursed heir the entire pack had already buried.
06:21And still.
06:22He was the only man in that room who had asked for my answer.
06:25Not my blood.
06:25Not my obedience.
06:27Not my usefulness.
06:28My answer.
06:28So I stepped around Damon's hand.
06:30His smile vanished.
06:31Lyra's face changed.
06:32The hall went silent.
06:33I walked toward Kale.
06:35Every step felt like I was cutting a rope around my throat.
06:37Damon's voice snapped behind me.
06:39Serafina.
06:40I didn't stop.
06:40Girl, think carefully.
06:42I did.
06:43For the first time all night.
06:44I did.
06:44Then I stopped in front of Kale.
06:46He looked down at me.
06:47Gray eyes steady.
06:48What you said.
06:49Does it still stand?
06:50My hands were still shaking.
06:51But my answer did not.
06:53Yes.
06:53The hall exploded.
06:54Kale did not look at Damon.
06:55Did not look at Moira.
06:57Only me.
06:57Then I claim her.
06:58A few elders half rose.
07:00Then froze.
07:01Because a claim spoken and accepted before the right could not be taken back.
07:04Damon laughed.
07:05Loud enough for the whole hall to hear.
07:06Go on, brother.
07:08Take her hand.
07:09Are you done making a scene, Sarah?
07:11If you stop now, Lila and I might still forgive you.
07:14You can still stay where you belong.
07:15He looked me up and down.
07:17Lyra leaned into him.
07:18Worry flickering across her face like another part of the performance.
07:21The hall went dead silent.
07:22Kale held out his hand.
07:23At the same time, I reached for him.
07:25Our fingers locked.
07:26The ritual lines blazed white.
07:28Then black marks burst from beneath Kale's sleeve.
07:31They weren't veins.
07:32They were his curse.
07:33Black marks tore up Kale's arm, coiled around his throat, and climbed toward his face like
07:38something alive.
07:38The hall gasped.
07:39For one second, the gray in his eyes vanished, replaced by molten gold.
07:43Something caged.
07:44Something feral.
07:45The curse is activating.
07:47He can't hold it.
07:48Stop the ceremony.
07:49The elders surged forward, but the ritual lines had already locked around our wrists.
07:53Once a bond began, no one outside it could break it.
07:56Kale's hand tightened around mine.
07:57Too tight.
07:58His knees buckled.
07:59He hit the altar hard, blood spilling from his mouth onto the silver stone.
08:02The hall went silent.
08:04Kale looked up at me, gold flickering through the gray.
08:06Let go.
08:07If you stop now, you'll still make it out.
08:10He meant it.
08:10Even half dying in front of the entire pack, he was still trying to give me a way out.
08:14Damon stepped forward.
08:16Are you insane?
08:17I already told you, Sarah.
08:19If you stop this now, Lyra and I can still forgive you.
08:22I didn't look at him.
08:23Damon's tone sharpened.
08:24Don't throw your life away just to prove a point.
08:26Still, I did not look at him.
08:28My fingers tightened around Kale's.
08:30The curse burned black between us.
08:31Every wolf in that hall was waiting for me to let go.
08:34Instead, I leaned closer.
08:36Kale, get me.
08:37Then, without looking away from him, I reached for the silver edge of the altar.
08:41I didn't let go.
08:43With Kale's eyes locked on mine, I dragged my palm across the altar's silver edge.
08:47Pain cut sharp.
08:48Silver blood spilled over my skin.
08:49The entire hall gasped.
08:51Before anyone could stop me, I pressed my bleeding hand against the darkest knot of curse
08:55marks on Kale's wrist.
08:56Light exploded between us, cold and blinding, violent enough to shake the altar beneath us.
09:01Kale's body arched, and a broken sound tore from his throat.
09:04The curse fought back under my palm, black marks twisting up his skin, fighting to reach
09:08his throat again.
09:09So I pressed harder.
09:10Stay with me.
09:11The black marks stopped.
09:12Then slowly, unwillingly, they began to retreat.
09:15The ritual lines beneath our feet blazed white hot, spiraling around our joined wrists
09:19until a pale silver mark burned itself into both our skin.
09:22The bond didn't fail.
09:23It held.
09:23Kale collapsed to one knee, blood still on his lips.
09:26But the gold was leaving his eyes.
09:27Gray was coming back.
09:29He was alive.
09:29The oldest elder stared at our wrists.
09:31The bond is sealed.
09:33By old law, Serafina of Silver Blood is now claimed by Kale, firstborn heir of Silvercrest.
09:40A sharp crack split the altar stone.
09:42The royal right mark that had held Damon's name beside mine burned black, then vanished.
09:46In its place, a new name carved itself into the silver light.
09:49Kale.
09:49Damon's face went white.
09:50He forced out a laugh.
09:52He's still cursed.
09:54You think your blood makes him stronger than me?
09:56Before I could answer, the silver mark on my wrist flared again.
09:59So did Kale's.
10:00The ritual light shifted.
10:01It no longer circled me alone.
10:03It moved around him.
10:04The elder's face drained of color.
10:05The blood accepted him.
10:07The hall went silent.
10:08Damon stopped breathing.
10:09The prophecy had not died.
10:10It had moved on.
10:12The hall stayed silent.
10:14Kale was still on one knee.
10:15Blood on his lips.
10:16One hand braced against the altar.
10:17But his grip on me never loosened.
10:19The silver mark on my wrist pulsed once.
10:21His answered.
10:21Damon finally found his voice.
10:23This isn't over.
10:24The oldest elder looked at the burned royal right mark.
10:26Then at our joined hands.
10:28Damon's face hardened.
10:29He can barely stand.
10:30Kale slowly lifted his head.
10:31Through the bond.
10:32I felt the pain he was hiding.
10:33Sharp enough to cut through bone.
10:34Then he rose.
10:35Not easily.
10:36Not steadily.
10:37But he rose.
10:38Then watch me.
10:38No one laughed this time.
10:40Moira stepped forward at once.
10:41Kale.
10:42You need healers.
10:43Serafina will remain here until the council decides what happens next.
10:47Kale looked at her.
10:48No.
10:48One word.
10:49Low and final.
10:50The hall froze.
10:51Moira's expression tightened.
10:52This is not the time for pride.
10:53No one decides for my mate.
10:55A shiver moved through the room.
10:56For 13 years.
10:57They had spoken around him like he was already dead.
10:59Tonight.
11:00He did not raise his voice.
11:01But every wolf in that hall heard the command beneath it.
11:03Move.
11:04The wolves blocking the aisle stepped aside.
11:06Damon stared at me like he still expected me to look back.
11:09Lyra's fingers dug into his sleeve.
11:10I did not turn.
11:11Kale led me out of the hall.
11:12Each step costing him more than he let anyone see.
11:14Only when the doors closed behind us did his hand tighten around mine.
11:17His voice dropped.
11:18Now ask me what you really want to ask.
11:22Kale had set it outside the hall.
11:24His hand still wrapped around mine.
11:25For one second.
11:26The question almost escaped me right there.
11:28But then he swayed.
11:29Just once.
11:30Pain cut through his grip.
11:31So I swallowed the words and followed him to the north tower.
11:33No one stopped us.
11:34No one dared.
11:35His quarters were cold and almost bare.
11:37A narrow bed.
11:38A heavy desk.
11:38Maps pinned neatly to the walls.
11:40No flowers.
11:41No servants.
11:42Nothing prepared for a bride.
11:43But everything was clean.
11:44The bed was made sharp.
11:45The books were lined straight.
11:46Even the medicine bottles stood in order.
11:48Kale had been forgotten here.
11:49But he had not let himself fall apart.
11:51For the first time that night.
11:52No one was watching.
11:53No elders.
11:54No pack.
11:55No Damon.
11:55No Lyra.
11:56Just me and the cursed heir who had become my mate.
11:58Kale removed his black outer robe and set it aside.
12:00Without it.
12:01He looked even thinner.
12:02Too pale.
12:02Too tired.
12:03A man the curse had been eating alive for years.
12:05He leaned one hand against the desk.
12:07Mask.
12:07My fingers curled into my sleeves.
12:09Did you know.
12:10That my blood could help you.
12:12Did you claim me because you wanted me.
12:15Or because my blood can keep you alive.
12:17Kale went very still.
12:18For one breath.
12:19I thought he would deny it.
12:20Then he looked at me.
12:21I don't want to lie to you.
12:22And suddenly.
12:23I knew.
12:23Whatever came next was going to hurt.
12:26Kale did not look away.
12:27That was how I knew the answer before he said it.
12:29Yes I knew your silver blood might hold back my curse.
12:32For a moment.
12:32I could not speak.
12:33Damon wanted an heir.
12:34The elders wanted a prophecy.
12:36And Kale wanted a cure.
12:37I stepped back before I could stop myself.
12:39Kale saw it.
12:40But he did not follow.
12:40If I only wanted your blood I could have asked for you years ago.
12:43Maybe you waited until I had nowhere else to go.
12:46The words came out smaller than I wanted.
12:47His face changed.
12:48Not anger.
12:49Something worse.
12:50Because he knew I had the right to think it.
12:52Maybe I deserve that.
12:53The fire cracked between us.
12:54I hated that he sounded honest.
12:55I hated that honesty still hurt.
12:57Then why tonight?
12:58Because Damon made you stand alone.
13:00And I know what that feels like.
13:01My fingers twisted in my sleeves.
13:03For a second.
13:04I forgot how to answer.
13:05Because he wasn't asking me to pity him.
13:07He was telling me he had seen me.
13:08If I stay, it won't be because you need me.
13:11I know.
13:12If I help you, it doesn't mean you get to use me.
13:15No.
13:16Never.
13:17The room went quiet.
13:18I looked at the place beneath his shirt.
13:20Where the curse had almost killed him in front of everyone.
13:22My hands were still shaking.
13:23But my voice came out clear.
13:24You claimed me before the whole pack.
13:27So show me.
13:29Serafinda.
13:29Show me the curse.
13:32Kale did not move for a long moment.
13:34Then he loosened the ties of his shirt.
13:35The fabric fell open.
13:36The curse mark sat at the center of his chest.
13:38Dark red against bone pale skin.
13:40Coiled like something alive beneath his flesh.
13:42I had seen blood on him.
13:43I had seen him collapse at the altar.
13:45But this was worse.
13:46The curse was not just sealing his wolf.
13:48It was feeding on him.
13:49My fingers curled once before I forced them still.
13:51I need to touch it.
13:52Serafina.
13:54You claimed me before the whole pack.
13:56Do not hide from me now.
13:57For one beat.
13:58I thought he would refuse.
13:59Then he gave a single nod.
14:00I pressed my palm flat against the mark.
14:02His whole body locked.
14:03Heat slammed into my hand.
14:04Sharp and violent.
14:05Not mine.
14:05His.
14:06My silver blood answered instantly.
14:07And something inside him answered back.
14:09I felt it hit the seal.
14:10Once.
14:10Twice.
14:11A wolf trapped behind iron.
14:12Throwing itself against the dark.
14:14Kale's breath broke.
14:15Gold flashed through his gray eyes.
14:16Your wolf is still there.
14:18His chest rose hard beneath my hand.
14:20It's not gone.
14:20I feel it every day.
14:22Gold bled through his eyes again.
14:23Like fire under ice.
14:25Then his grip tightened.
14:26And this time.
14:26When he said my name.
14:27It did not sound entirely human.
14:30I didn't even see him move.
14:32One second.
14:32I was standing in front of him.
14:33My palm pressed to his chest.
14:35The next.
14:35My back hit the bed.
14:36Kale was above me.
14:37One hand braced by my ear.
14:39The other locking around my wrist.
14:40Breathing like he'd been dragged up from deep water.
14:42The curse mark blazed under my palm.
14:44Its edges lit up.
14:45Spreading outward like cracks in burning glass.
14:47His eyes were wrong.
14:48I could feel this wolf pressing against the bond.
14:50Like it wanted to tear through his skin to reach me.
14:52His pupils narrowed.
14:53Jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grind.
14:55Stop touching me.
14:57If you keep going.
14:58He didn't finish.
14:59Because the bond pulsed.
15:00I felt it.
15:00His wolf.
15:01Trapped behind that seal.
15:02Slamming toward my hand with everything it had.
15:04Kale stared down at me.
15:05Half broken.
15:06Half feral.
15:06Every muscle in his body was locked tight.
15:08Holding himself back.
15:09Even like this.
15:10He still wasn't hurting me.
15:11Then Kale kissed me.
15:12Not softly.
15:13Not carefully.
15:14Like the bond had finally pulled too hard for either of us to pretend it was only a ritual.
15:18The mark beneath my palm flared white gold.
15:20Kale's body locked.
15:20His eyes flashed full gold.
15:22For one terrifying second.
15:23I saw what had been trapped inside him for 13 years.
15:26Not the cursed prince.
15:27The wolf.
15:27Then the room burst into light.
15:30When the light faded.
15:31Kale was on the floor beside the bed.
15:33Unconscious.
15:34The curse mark on his chest had split straight down the center.
15:36For one terrified moment.
15:37I thought I had killed him.
15:39Then I felt it through the bond.
15:40A pulse.
15:41Weak.
15:41But there.
15:42I stayed beside him until his breathing steadied.
15:44Sometime before dawn.
15:45I must have fallen asleep.
15:46I woke to sunlight and the scratch of a pen.
15:48Kale was already at the desk.
15:50Writing like he had not collapsed in front of me hours ago.
15:52He still looked too thin.
15:54Too pale.
15:54But the hollowed out look was not as sharp as before.
15:57There was more color in his face.
15:58His hand no longer trembled around the pen.
16:00Small things.
16:01Impossible things.
16:02He noticed me watching and set the pen down.
16:05His eyes dropped to my bandaged palm.
16:06You reopened it last night.
16:07I looked at my hand.
16:09The cut from the altar had split again.
16:11I'm fine.
16:12No.
16:13You're bleeding from me.
16:14There's a medicine stall in the eastern market.
16:16Their salves are better than anything kept in this tower.
16:18I almost laughed.
16:20After everything that happened, you want to buy me medicine?
16:22I want to do one useful thing before you decide I'm only good at nearly dying.
16:26Before I could answer, a knock sounded.
16:28My lord, the eastern market opened early.
16:29A rare medicine shipment just arrived.
16:31Kale looked at my palm, then reached for his cloak.
16:33We go now.
16:35The market was loud and crowded.
16:37At the south stall, I heard Damon's voice.
16:39Damon's voice.
16:40The strongest prenatal tyniner, my chosen mate, carries the future heir.
16:43He stood at the next stall with Lyra on his arm.
16:45When he saw me, his eyes dropped to my bandaged palm, then to the silver mark on my wrist.
16:50Already bleeding for him, Sarah?
16:51How was the first night?
16:53Or did the curse ruin that too?
16:54Serafina always had a habit of saving people who didn't choose her first.
16:58You used to call that kindness when you needed it from me.
17:01Sarah, I didn't mean...
17:03You mean everything.
17:03That's always been the problem.
17:05I turned to the shelf.
17:06Moonshade root.
17:07Exactly what could weaken a soul-level curse?
17:09My fingers closed around at first.
17:11Lyra's hand landed over mine.
17:12Eyes already wet.
17:14Serafina, please.
17:15I need this.
17:16I didn't let go.
17:17Lyra's lip trembled.
17:18She turned to Damon.
17:19Voice barely a whisper.
17:21She won't even let me have medicine for our pup.
17:23Damon's face darkened instantly.
17:25He held out his hand.
17:26Give it to her.
17:28I picked it up first.
17:29Damon's smile died.
17:30Before he could speak, Kale stepped forward.
17:32The air shifted.
17:33Glass jars trembled on the shelf.
17:35She's my mate.
17:36Say one more word to her.
17:37Damon stepped back half a step.
17:39Instinct, not choice.
17:41Then something ugly settled in his face.
17:43He stopped looking at me.
17:44Do you remember that night, brother?
17:45The night you were cursed.
17:46You were six.
17:47You screamed for father for hours.
17:49He didn't come.
17:50Damon.
17:51I stepped in front of him.
17:52He blinked.
17:53Surprised.
17:54You talk about broken things a lot for someone whose mate moves you like a puppet with a single tear.
17:59Lyra's face went white.
18:01Damon's jaw tightened.
18:02I looked him up and down.
18:03At least Kale's curse has a cure.
18:05What's yours?
18:06Damon's mouth opened.
18:07Before he could answer, Kale's pressure slammed through the stall.
18:10He stepped back.
18:11Everyone saw it.
18:12Kale took the moonshade root from my hand and placed coins on the counter.
18:15This belongs to my mate.
18:16This isn't over.
18:18No.
18:19That's the problem.
18:20Damon dragged Lyra away before his wolf could betray him again.
18:23Only when they were gone did I see the blood at the corner of Kale's mouth.
18:26His curse had heard him act like an alpha, and it was punishing him for it.
18:30I made him sit down.
18:32Kale tried to say he was fine.
18:33Then blood touched his lip again.
18:35I stared at him.
18:36No more pretending.
18:37The bond cracked the curse.
18:39But not enough.
18:41If I want to break it, I have to work on it directly.
18:44How?
18:45My blood.
18:47My hand on the mark.
18:48Every night.
18:49That will hurt you.
18:51It's my blood.
18:52I choose where it goes.
18:54For a moment, he said nothing.
18:55Then he sat on the bed and opened his shirt.
18:57The curse mark looked darker than before.
18:59Angrier.
19:00The moment my palm touched it, his whole body locked.
19:02The seal fought back.
19:03So did the wolf trapped beneath it.
19:05The first night, I kept my eyes on the mark.
19:07By the third, I could no longer ignore the way his breathing changed when the curse pushed back.
19:12The way his jaw clenched.
19:13The way he stared at the ceiling like counting stones was the only thing keeping him still.
19:17Does it hurt?
19:18No.
19:19By the fifth night, it had become routine.
19:21Touch the mark.
19:22Hold the pressure.
19:22Wait until the seal stopped fighting.
19:24Then pull away.
19:25So I pulled away like always.
19:26Kale caught my wrist.
19:28Not hard.
19:28Just fast enough to stop me.
19:30The bond snapped tight between us.
19:31My breath caught.
19:32His eyes lifted to mine.
19:34Dark in the firelight.
19:35Don't pull away like that.
19:36Why?
19:37Because when you do, the wolf wants to follow.
19:41I woke to a sound that didn't belong to any human throat.
19:44The bed beside me was empty.
19:45Kale was in the corner.
19:46On his knees.
19:47Body shaking so hard it looked painful to watch.
19:49His nails had turned to claws.
19:51They dragged across the stone, leaving deep white marks.
19:54Then he looked up.
19:55Gold eyes.
19:55Slit pupils.
19:56Too much wolf.
19:57Not enough man.
19:58Go.
19:59When you're close.
20:00The bond makes it worse.
20:01I got out of bed anyway.
20:02He hit the wall trying to get away from me.
20:04Serafina don't.
20:05I knelt in front of him and pressed my hand to his chest.
20:08Silver light burst between us.
20:09The curse mark split.
20:11Kale threw his head back with a sound that was half howl, half relief.
20:14Then he looked at me again, breathing hard.
20:16Half man.
20:17Half wolf.
20:17And said my name like it was the only thing keeping him from breaking apart.
20:21Tell me to stop.
20:22Say it now.
20:23And I still can.
20:25I'm not going anywhere Kale.
20:28I didn't run.
20:29Kale stared at me.
20:30Gold burning through grey.
20:31Then his hand caught my waist and the other came to the back of my neck.
20:34This was the wolf.
20:35The curse mark flared between us.
20:37Silver and black light crashing together.
20:39Every touch cracked the seal whiter.
20:40I let my blood answer.
20:42Let it flood every fracture.
20:43His claws drove into the stone beside me hard enough to split it.
20:46But he never hurt me.
20:47And the moment I understood that, the last piece of the seal gave way.
20:50The curse shattered.
20:51When the light died, the mark on his chest had faded to almost nothing.
20:55He looked different.
20:56Stronger.
20:56Warmer.
20:57More like the man he should have been all along.
20:59You should have run.
21:01You keep saying that.
21:03You never listen.
21:04Get used to it.
21:05Then he laughed.
21:06Low.
21:07Rough.
21:07Real.
21:08Lifted his hand to the back of my neck.
21:09And kissed me.
21:10Not like the almost kiss the curse had stolen from us.
21:13This one didn't stop.
21:14His claws were gone.
21:15His hands were human again, steady, warm, and everywhere.
21:18Nothing interrupted us.
21:19Nothing pulled him away.
21:20When I woke hours later, the moon had crossed the entire sky.
21:24Kale's arm was around my waist.
21:25His breathing slow and deep against the back of my neck.
21:28The man pressed against me felt nothing like the one I had married.
21:30Broader.
21:31Warmer.
21:31Solid in a way that made me close my eyes and stay exactly where I was.
21:36Sunlight hit my face before I opened my eyes.
21:39The space beside me was empty, but still warm.
21:41Then I heard water running.
21:43Kale stood by the basin, splashing water over his face.
21:45And I froze.
21:46Because the man standing there did not look like the one I had married.
21:49The hollow frame was gone.
21:50The sharp bones had softened under lean muscle.
21:53His shoulders were broader now.
21:54For 13 years, the curse had been feeding on him.
21:57Now his body was taking everything back.
21:59What?
22:00Nothing.
22:01You look like you could actually win a fight now.
22:03His mouth twitched.
22:05I mean nothing, nothing.
22:06I could always win a fight.
22:08You couldn't survive a stair race two weeks ago.
22:10Then he lowered his head and kissed me.
22:12When he pulled back, something pulsed beneath my palm.
22:14I hadn't realized my hand was on his chest.
22:17His wolf hit the broken seal like a battering ram.
22:19Kale doubled over.
22:20Black lines flared across the faded curse mark.
22:22Blood dripped from his nose onto the floor.
22:24Kale!
22:25The curse cracked.
22:27But the wolf was waking too fast.
22:30I looked at the mark.
22:31Half faded, half burning.
22:32How long?
22:33Days.
22:35Not weeks.
22:36Kale wiped the blood away and reached for his coat.
22:38Then we move fast.
22:40Because Damon won't wait either.
22:43Kale's change was impossible to hide.
22:45The hollow look was fading from his face.
22:47His shoulders had filled out.
22:48He no longer looked like a man the stairs could kill.
22:51The first time Eldrick saw him cross the council hall without leaning on anything.
22:55The old Alpha King stopped mid-sentence.
22:57So did half the Elders.
22:58For one breath, they all stared.
23:00Then the moment passed.
23:01Eldrick looked back at the reports.
23:02An elder cleared his throat.
23:04A patrol captain lowered his eyes.
23:06Strength had returned to Kale's body, but not to his name.
23:08Thirteen years of being treated like a dead heir did not disappear because he could stand straight.
23:13Kale knew that better than anyone.
23:14So he stopped waiting for them to remember who he was.
23:17He worked.
23:17Border routes.
23:18Missing supplies.
23:19Patrol gaps.
23:20Old complaints no one had touched in years.
23:22He read everything.
23:23Checked everything.
23:24Corrected everything.
23:25At first, the captains ignored him.
23:27Then one of his warnings saved a patrol from walking into an ambush.
23:30By the next council, two warriors stood behind his chair without being ordered.
23:34By the fifth day, a dispute over Northern Territory reached the council table.
23:37No one had an answer.
23:39Eldrick's eyes moved across the room and, for the first time in 13 years, stopped on Kale.
23:43What do you think?
23:44The room went quiet.
23:45Kale answered like he had been waiting 13 years to be asked.
23:48By sunset, the news had reached Damon.
23:50That night, a patrol wolf came to the North Tower with a message.
23:53He wouldn't meet Kale's eyes.
23:55Damon says, the wolf swallowed.
23:59Enjoy pretending to be heir while you can.
24:01Kale looked up from the border map.
24:02Tell him pretending was his mistake.
24:04The messenger froze.
24:05I'm done pretending.
24:08Lyra noticed it before Damon did.
24:10Every time someone said my name, Damon looked away too late.
24:13At first, Lyra pretended not to see it.
24:15Then she couldn't.
24:16That night, she found him alone.
24:18Am I not enough?
24:19Don't start.
24:20Her eyes failed.
24:21She reached for his hand.
24:22He pulled it away.
24:23I gave up everything for you.
24:25My friends.
24:26My place.
24:27I chose you over everyone.
24:29Our child is right here, Damon.
24:31He looked down at her hand, then removed it.
24:33Lyra's composure cracked.
24:35She doesn't love you.
24:36She chose the cursed one.
24:38She let you go without looking back.
24:40I'm the one who stayed.
24:41I'm the one carrying your heir.
24:43Why isn't that enough?
24:44Because she's standing next to an alpha.
24:46The whole pack is starting to follow.
24:49And you're standing here crying.
24:51I'm carrying your-
24:52Then do it quietly.
24:54He walked out.
24:54Lyra knelt on the floor, tears running, hands on her belly, with no one left to perform for.
24:59The next afternoon, Damon found me alone.
25:02Sarah.
25:03Don't call me that.
25:05His jaw tightened.
25:06Then he smiled.
25:06You don't have to keep punishing me.
25:08Pretending you don't still love me must be exhausting.
25:11You were hurt.
25:12I understand.
25:14Lyra was scared.
25:15You two were friends once.
25:17Be generous.
25:18You want me to forgive her?
25:20I want you to stop embarrassing yourself.
25:23His eyes dropped to the silver mark on my wrist.
25:25Stop wasting your blood on him.
25:27That curse has been eating him for 13 years.
25:29You really think you can turn a ruined wolf into an alpha?
25:32Give your blood to me.
25:33I went still.
25:34Damon saw it and mistook it for hope.
25:36When I become alpha king, I can be generous too.
25:38Lyra gave me an heir.
25:39But you, you could still stand beside me.
25:42Maybe even as my Luna, if you learn your place.
25:45For one second, I could only look at him.
25:47You don't want me, Damon.
25:49You want my blood, my forgiveness, and my silence.
25:53I pulled my wrist away before he could touch the mark.
25:55And you don't get any of them.
25:56Fine.
25:57I'll break him in front of the whole pack.
25:59And when he falls, Sarah, don't come asking for mercy.
26:03By then you won't have a choice anymore.
26:06Kale came back after sunset.
26:08Mud on his boots.
26:08Blood on his sleeve.
26:10But the first thing he looked at was my wrist.
26:12His eyes narrowed.
26:13Damon came here.
26:13He found me near the border tents.
26:15Did he touch you?
26:16My silence answered too quickly.
26:18Gold flashed through his eyes.
26:19What did he say?
26:20He said I was wasting my blood on you.
26:23That when you fall, I won't have a choice left.
26:25Kale went still.
26:26Then the room changed.
26:27Hot.
26:27Sharp.
26:28His claws slid out against the table edge.
26:30I can take anything he says about me.
26:32But when he talks about you like something to win back.
26:36It wants out.
26:38Kale.
26:38If you come closer tonight, I don't know if I can stay human.
26:42I stopped.
26:43Not because I was afraid.
26:44Because I understood the trap.
26:46He wants this.
26:47He wants your wolf loose before you're ready.
26:49Kale's breathing was ragged.
26:51Then a horn sounded from the courtyard below.
26:53A challenge horn.
26:54Kale looked toward the window.
26:55And smiled without warmth.
26:57Then let him watch me choose not to bite.
27:01Kale moved before the challenge horn finished sounding.
27:04I followed him down the tower stairs.
27:05His eyes were still gold.
27:07His claws had not fully gone back.
27:09Every wolf we passed stepped aside.
27:10But when we reached the great hall, it was not a fight waiting for us.
27:13It was a trial.
27:14Every elder was already seated.
27:16Aldric sat on the high chair.
27:17Face dark.
27:18Damon stood in the center of the council floor.
27:20Theron on his left.
27:21Basile on his right.
27:22All three dressed for judgment.
27:24Not battle.
27:24Damon looked up at Kale.
27:26And smiled.
27:26Did you think I was gonna challenge you with my fists brother?
27:29The hall went silent.
27:30Kale stopped at the entrance.
27:31For one second, I felt the wolf and him pull hard toward Damon.
27:34Then Kale forced it still.
27:36Damon saw the struggle.
27:37So did the elders.
27:38That was the trap.
27:39Kale has been questioning patrol captains without rank.
27:41He accessed sealed border reports without authority.
27:44And every change began after Serafina started bleeding for him.
27:49Every eye turned to me.
27:50Damon did not raise his voice.
27:51He didn't need to.
27:52A cursed wolf who cannot shift suddenly looks strong.
27:55A forgotten heir suddenly gives orders.
27:58Are we supposed to call that recovery?
27:59I call it blood manipulation.
28:01I call it a threat.
28:03Kale.
28:04What do you have to say?
28:06What do you have to say?
28:08Every elder stared at Kale.
28:09Damon stood in the center.
28:11Certain he had won.
28:12Kale's eyes were still touched with gold.
28:14Have the scribe write down every charge.
28:16What?
28:16Every word.
28:17This is not a game.
28:19No.
28:19It's a record.
28:20The hall stirred.
28:21Damon stepped forward.
28:23Strip his claim before that Omega's blood puts a monster on the throne.
28:27My blood is not evidence against him.
28:29It is mine.
28:31And I choose where it goes.
28:32Damon's face hardened.
28:34Kale finally looked at him.
28:35You accused me of checking patrol reports.
28:37You accused me of questioning captains.
28:39I checked them.
28:40And I found out why you were so afraid I would.
28:43A patrol captain stepped forward and placed three sealed reports on the council table.
28:47Kale did not touch them.
28:48Theron sold patrol routes to Iron Flag.
28:50Basile buried complaints from wolves he punished off-record.
28:53Basile stepped back.
28:54Then Kale looked at Damon.
28:55And Damon held back winter supplies from the northern border.
28:58Paid captains to stay quiet and prepared to blame the unrest on me.
29:02Damon's face went white.
29:03For the first time, the chamber looked at him.
29:05Even Eldrick.
29:06The old Alpha King stared at his son like he was seeing a stranger.
29:10Check the seals.
29:11The scribes moved at once.
29:13One report.
29:14Then another.
29:14Then the third.
29:15The longer they read, the quieter the hall became.
29:17Finally, the oldest scribe lifted his head.
29:20Authent.
29:21Eldrick descended from the high seat.
29:22Damon took one step back.
29:24Father.
29:24The slap cracked through the hall.
29:26Eldrick seized his hand and ripped the air ring from his finger.
29:29Stripped of succession.
29:31Damon stared at his bare hand.
29:32A prince with no ring.
29:33An Alpha with no claim.
29:35A son his father would not protect.
29:36Confined under Elder Guard.
29:38Kale's claim stands.
29:40Damon looked around the room like someone would save him.
29:42No one did.
29:42Under the old ancient reet.
29:44A stripped air may issue one formal challenge before the next full moon.
29:49Damon's eyes lifted.
29:50Slowly, he looked at Kale.
29:52Next full moon.
29:53I'll take that title off you myself.
29:56His gaze slid to me.
29:57And when you're kneeling brother.
29:59I'll take back the woman you stole from me too.
30:03Damon didn't waste a single day.
30:04By the second morning, half the border had heard his promise.
30:07He would take back the title.
30:09Then he would take back the woman Kale stole.
30:10From outside the inner stronghold, he worked through Moira.
30:13She still had loyalists.
30:14Messages moved again.
30:16Gold changed hands.
30:17Lyra heard the rumors by noon.
30:18By sunset, she was in his doorway, shaking.
30:21Take her back.
30:23After everything I did for you.
30:25You told me her prophecy was fake.
30:27You said her blood was worthless.
30:29You whispered it every night until I believed you.
30:33And I threw her away on that altar because of it.
30:37She broke a 13 year curse.
30:40She turned a dying wolf into something the whole pack kneels for.
30:46That power was supposed to be mine.
30:49Her head.
30:50And you told me it was a lie.
30:52I'm carrying your air.
30:53That's the only reason you're still here.
30:55He walked out.
30:57Lyra's knees hit the floor.
30:58As the full moon drew closer, I could feel Kale's wolf changing through the bond.
31:02The pain was gone.
31:03What remained felt sharper, hungrier.
31:05Like something ancient had stopped dying and started waiting.
31:07On the 11th night, I pressed my hand to his chest.
31:10The curse mark was barely there now.
31:12One more push and it's done.
31:16Not yet.
31:17I wanted to break where everyone can see.
31:21The full moon rose over Silvercrest like a blade.
31:24The whole pack was already in the square.
31:26They had not come to watch a ceremony.
31:27They had come to watch a verdict.
31:29Damon stood at the center in black armor.
31:31Border wolves at his back.
31:32I invoke the ancient route.
31:34Shift.
31:34Or step aside.
31:35And if you can't, brother, you don't get the title.
31:39You don't get her either.
31:41Kale walked forward.
31:42Damon struck first.
31:43Fast.
31:44Brutal.
31:44No warning.
31:45Kale took the hit.
31:46Staggered.
31:47Then came back harder.
31:48For three vicious exchanges, they were matched.
31:50The square erupted.
31:51Then Damon whistled.
31:52The wolves behind him spread out.
31:54Not retreating.
31:54Surrounding us.
31:55The elders surged to their feet.
31:57This violates the right.
31:58The right is for alphas.
32:00He hasn't shifted.
32:01He hasn't proven he has won.
32:02Three wolves lunged at Kale at once.
32:04He dropped the first.
32:05Broke the second's charge.
32:07The third drove him to one knee.
32:08I moved toward him.
32:09Damon saw.
32:10His eyes dropped to the silver mark on my wrist.
32:12Then he understood.
32:13Keep her away from him.
32:14The wolves turned toward me.
32:15My blood went cold.
32:16Damon wasn't trying to beat Kale anymore.
32:18He was trying to cut off the one thing still holding him together.
32:21Kale lifted his head.
32:22Gold burning through his eyes.
32:24The wolves moved to block me.
32:25I didn't stop.
32:26I broke through the gap before they could close it.
32:28Stop her!
32:29Too late.
32:29But by the time his wolves moved, I was already at Kale's side.
32:32I reached Kale as he hit one knee.
32:34My palm slammed against his chest.
32:36Silver light exploded between us.
32:40Silver light burst from my hand and tore through the last of the curse.
32:43Kale's head snapped back.
32:45And what came out of him was not a scream.
32:47It was a howl that shook the whole square.
32:48Under the full moon, his body changed.
32:50Bone widened.
32:51Muscle surged.
32:52And silver gray fur broke through beneath the moonlight.
32:54In the space of one breath, the man was gone.
32:57A wolf stood where he had been.
32:58Massive.
32:59Silver gray.
32:59With moonlight sliding over his fur like metal.
33:02But the eyes were still his.
33:03Deep gray.
33:04Steady.
33:05Unmistakable.
33:05The silver wolf.
33:07Silvercrest had not seen that form in a thousand years.
33:09The wolves who had surrounded us furs first.
33:11Then, one by one, they dropped to their knees.
33:14Not because they wanted to.
33:15Because something older in their blood knew exactly what stood before them.
33:18The crowd followed.
33:19Warriors.
33:20Elders.
33:20Patrol captains.
33:21All kneeling.
33:22Damon's face went white.
33:23His wolf knew before he did.
33:25His knees bent.
33:26And he fought it with everything he had.
33:27Pride.
33:28Rage.
33:28Denial.
33:29None of it was stronger than instinct.
33:31His wolf was trying to submit.
33:32No.
33:33No!
33:35Attack!
33:36No one moved.
33:37They were already on the ground.
33:38And Damon finally understood.
33:39They could betray him.
33:40They could cheat for him.
33:41They could lie for him.
33:43But they could not rise against Kale.
33:44Then his eyes found me.
33:45The woman he had rejected.
33:47The woman who had run to Kale instead.
33:48The woman whose blood had made the whole pack kneel.
33:51Something in Damon snapped.
33:52If he could not take the title.
33:53If he could not command the wolves.
33:55Then he would take back the one thing that had crowned his brother.
33:58Me.
33:58He lunged.
34:00The silver wolf moved before I saw it.
34:02One second Damon was lunging.
34:04The next.
34:04Kale stood between us.
34:05And the snarl that hit the square dropped every wolf still standing.
34:08Damon's knee slammed into the dirt.
34:10Not his choice.
34:11His wolves.
34:12Kale shifted back.
34:13Bare chested.
34:13I still burning gold.
34:15Look at her like she belongs to you again.
34:16And I'll remind your wolf why it nept.
34:19Damon forced his head up.
34:20Found me.
34:20The rage was gone.
34:21The pride was gone.
34:22Tara.
34:23She was mine first.
34:24I should have chosen her.
34:26He tried to crawl forward.
34:27Kale moved once.
34:28Damon stopped.
34:29It was Lyra.
34:31She lied to me.
34:33Told me the prophecy was fake.
34:35That your blood was worthless.
34:36I believed her.
34:37I'll get rid of her.
34:39Tonight.
34:39The child.
34:40The bond.
34:41All of it.
34:41Gone.
34:42Just come back.
34:43He let me.
34:44Because this part was mine.
34:45You lost me the moment you put my bracelet on her wrist.
34:50I was stupid.
34:51I was proud.
34:53I was...
34:53You were cruel.
34:54And you're still blaming everyone but yourself.
34:57Keep Lyra.
34:59Keep the child.
35:00Keep your excuses.
35:03I have an alpha king to stand beside.
35:05Damon folded.
35:06Kale didn't look away from him.
35:08Drag him out.
35:11Three days later.
35:13Aldrich announced he would step down.
35:14The coronation would be held at dawn.
35:16Moira was arrested that same night.
35:18Kale didn't have her executed.
35:19He stripped her of title, guards, rooms, jewels, and every loyalist she had left.
35:24Then he sent her out of Silvercrest for good.
35:26Not as Luna matriarch.
35:27Not as kingmaker.
35:28Just Moira.
35:29Damon was sealed in the deepest hold beneath the stronghold.
35:31No light.
35:32No visitors.
35:33No title.
35:33No airing.
35:34At first, he demanded to see me.
35:36Then he begged the guards to tell me he was wrong.
35:38When no answer came, he finally broke.
35:40They said he went mad in that cell.
35:42One moment cursing Kale.
35:43The next crying my name.
35:45Over and over, he said the same things.
35:47That I had loved him first.
35:48That I should have been his Luna.
35:50That my blood should have made him king.
35:51That he should have chosen me.
35:52Then the final news reached the hold.
35:54Kale would take the mantle at dawn.
35:56And I would stand beside him as his Luna queen.
35:58Damon's last hope shattered.
35:59He had lost the throne, the pack, the prophecy, and the woman who could have given him everything.
36:04They said he held in despair until his voice broke.
36:06But no one came for him.
36:07No one answered.
36:08No one even listened anymore.
36:11Lyra fell fastest of all.
36:13Damon's name was gone.
36:14Moira's protection was gone.
36:15The child would be kept.
36:17Lyra would not.
36:17Her room had been reassigned.
36:19Her jewels cataloged.
36:20Even the bracelet she once wore like a crown had been taken back.
36:23On the morning she was escorted out.
36:25The coronation procession passed.
36:27Silver banners.
36:28White cloaks.
36:28Drums rolling through the road.
36:30Lyra stood barefoot in the dirt and watched me walk beside Kale.
36:33Sarah.
36:34I stopped.
36:34Lyra's eyes failed.
36:36We were friends once.
36:38No.
36:38You were never my friend.
36:40You were the girl who knew every promise Damon made me.
36:44The girl who knew I believed in him.
36:46And the girl who whispered in his ear that my prophecy was a lie.
36:50You told him my blood was worthless.
36:53That choosing me would make him look weak.
36:56You didn't steal Damon because you loved him.
36:59You stole him because you couldn't stand that an Omega like me had something you never would.
37:05I was scared.
37:07No.
37:08You were jealous.
37:09She had no answer.
37:10Behind her, the guards waited.
37:12I turned back to Kale.
37:13Not my place.
37:14Not my future.
37:15Not even my pity.
37:17The coronation was held at dawn.
37:19Kale shifted into the silver wolf for the right.
37:21His fur blazing in the first light like forged metal.
37:24When he returned to human form, Aldrich placed the mantle across his shoulders.
37:27I stood beside him in silver and white.
37:29When the pack knelt, Kale reached for my hand.
37:31His palm was warm.
37:32His grip was steady.
37:34Nothing like the cold, fragile fingers I had held on that altar weeks ago.
37:37For a moment, I was back there again.
37:39The white dress.
37:40The silent pack.
37:41Damon standing beside Lyra like I had already been erased.
37:44Then the doors opened.
37:45Kale had walked in half dead, cursed, and barely able to stand.
37:48No one thought he would survive the night.
37:50Maybe part of me didn't either.
37:51But he looked at me when everyone else looked at my blood.
37:54He asked for my answer when everyone else wanted my obedience.
37:57That was why I chose him.
37:58Not because the prophecy told me to.
38:00Not because I needed revenge.
38:01Because he saw me standing alone and decided that was enough reason to risk his life.
38:05My blood broke the curse.
38:06But it did not make him worthy.
38:08That part had always been his.
38:09Damon had everything and threw it away because he thought I was replaceable.
38:12Kale had almost nothing and still chose me like I mattered.
38:15The prophecy said my blood would crown an alpha king.
38:18It was right.
38:19But it was my choice that decided which man deserved it.
38:21Kale turned to me.
38:22For a second, I saw the same question in his eyes.
38:25Does it still stand?
38:26I laced my fingers through his.
38:27Below us, the whole pack remained on their knees.
38:30Yes, it still stands.
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