Chapter 3 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐃

The carriage rattled and heaved as it hauled us toward the border. I tugged my red hood lower, the rough fabric a flimsy barrier between me and the world.

We were closing in on the invisible line that split the Lunaria Pack from the Bloodvale Pack. If we crossed it, maybe I could ditch Liora and vanish into the unknown.

Liora's plan was insane. She wanted me to pose as her and become the king's bride. She and Micah would bolt the second we hit Bloodvale territory.

Lying to an Alpha King was not an escape. It was just a slower, messier death than the one I was already running from.

The carriage lurched to a sudden stop, throwing me forward.

"What the—" I started, but Liora's hand slammed over my mouth.

"Sorry, we just need to check the carriage," a rough voice called from outside.

The checkpoint. Of course.

"You cannot search a royal carriage carrying the future Luna Queen!" Micah barked, leaning out the window.

"Micah," the guard said, his voice clipped. They knew each other. These were our own people.

"Stand down. For all we know, you are smuggling the traitor out."

Micah spat onto the frozen ground. "How dare you? Do you know who I am?"

"I do not care who you are. Our Alpha is dead. Every carriage gets searched. By force if we have to."

The guards' fury was a living thing, pressing in through the carriage walls. My heart pounded so loud I was sure they could hear it.

"Micah, let them search," Liora said, her voice smooth as glass.

What? What the hell was she doing?

I shot her a look, but her face was a perfect mask of calm. The calculation was clear. If I got caught, she would be safe. Her status as the future Luna Queen would pardon her.

I watched a guard's hand reach for the carriage door, and my world narrowed to that single, horrifying moment.

"Halt!"

A sharp voice cut through the air. The hand froze. I finally sucked in a breath.

A horse galloped up and stopped beside us.

"Are you out of your mind?" the newcomer barked. "You dare stop a royal carriage? Do you have a death wish?"

"I am sorry, Beta Maxwell," the guards stammered, bowing low.

From their bowed heads, I tried to get a look at the man they feared so much. Whoever he was, he held power.

"Clear the road. Now."

The guards scattered. The carriage lurched forward, rolling past the border of the Lunaria Pack.

The royal horses tore through the woodlands and carried us into Bloodvale territory.

Finally, I could breathe.

I whipped around to face Liora. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She raised an eyebrow and pointed at herself. "Me?"

"You would have let them find me and die. Is that how much you despise me?"

"I did not tell you to kill the Alpha, did I?" she hissed.

My throat closed up. "He was going to rape me. I did not mean to—"

"Rape?" She let out a mocking laugh. "Who do you think you are talking to? A child?"

"He was going to force himself on me," I said, my voice shaking. "You know what that means for a woman—"

"Enough." Liora cut me off, her voice sharp. "Do not raise your voice at me. Shut up and sit still."

I swallowed my curses and turned to the window, sliding it open.

The forest blurred past, dark green and white. Freedom. That was what I told myself.

Hours later, the horses stopped on a narrow, empty road.

Micah stepped down and helped Liora out. They both turned to me.

"Good luck, sweetheart. The horse will take you to the capital. From there, you will go to the palace," Micah said with a smile.

Liora did not even glance my way.

And then they were gone.

The horse started moving again, hooves pounding the dirt like it already knew the way. Of course it did. They had planned this down to the last detail.

They actually thought I would go along with it. They must have been out of their minds.

Now, how the hell do I stop this horse?

I looked around, my heart racing. I could not let it carry me to the capital. I had to escape.

I slid the carriage door open, and the wind slammed into me. My stomach dropped as the ground sped past below. One wrong move and I was dead.

I gripped the edge of the carriage, steadying myself. In the distance, the lights of the capital city flickered. Too close.

I closed my eyes, took one last breath, and jumped.

A scream tore out of me as my back slammed into a tree. Pain exploded up my spine, but I forced my eyes open.

That was when I saw them. Riders. Dozens of them, charging straight at me.

"She jumped! Grab her! That is the traitor!" one of them yelled, sword pointed at me.

My blood turned to ice.

Had they followed me? Gods, why would they go this far?

No time to think. I scrambled up and ran, plunging deeper into the forest.

I ran harder than I ever had in my life.

The riders had dismounted and were chasing me on foot. They were fast, way faster than I was. My legs were already giving out.

I knew they would catch me. I knew I was probably going to die. But I kept running, gasping, stumbling, forcing myself forward.

Just when my body hit its limit, something massive swept me off my feet.

A wolf.

It carried me through the trees, faster and deeper, until the shouts of my pursuers faded into nothing.

---

Kaël Raewor

---

She was beautiful. Soft. Short black curls and green eyes that cut through the dark.

I had just finished a brutal day at the palace when her scent hit me. Sweet. Wild. Irresistible. My wolf went berserk, thrashing in my head, screaming mate, mate, mate!

He had hated my decision to marry for power. He had hated that I did not care about finding a mate. But I did what was best for my pack. A Luna had to be strong. Not some fragile girl who would make us a joke.

Yet here she was.

Because of him, I saved her. I should have let them take her. I wanted to. But my wolf would not let me.

I carried her through the forest until we reached a clearing. I set her down, and she stared up at me with terror in her eyes. She crawled backward, shaking, and my wolf whined at the sight. He wanted to kill whoever made her this scared.

I forced him down.

When I shifted, her breath caught. Her eyes traveled from my bare chest to my face.

"Leave," I said, my voice rough. "Go."

She blinked, stunned that I was letting her walk, then scrambled to her feet.

She gave a small bow and turned away from me.

Jade was howling inside me, wild and broken, clawing to take over. Do not do this, he snarled. But I had no choice.

My throat tightened as I looked at her one last time. I knew I would never see her again. I forced the words out, my voice cracking.

"I reject you…"

She stopped. Her shoulders stiffened. Her breath caught. The bond snapped between us like a severed thread, ripping through my chest.

She turned, her eyes wide and glassy. I held my pain in place. But she was breaking right in front of me, and it was destroying me to watch.

"…as my mate."

The last word almost shattered me. I turned before she could see the weakness in my eyes, before Jade could rip control from my hands.

I shifted, letting the agony tear through my body, and ran into the darkness, leaving her behind.