Chapter 3 The Union That Can't Be

I made it halfway down the royal wing before I felt a hand grip me,

Before I could resist the grip, or even have the chance to see the person, Veyra screamed . Mate!

When I looked it was Sir Kaelen. He looked grim enough with his glowing eyes to make mating feel like a death sentence.

“Let me go”

I protested, completely uninterested in Veyra’s demand.

“You don't get to decide that.”

His voice sounded coarse in my ears, and Veyra leapt with joy inside me. “Now that's what you call a mate.”

“Shut up. Your constant nonsense has done nothing but get me into trouble.”

I warned her

And just when I'm lost on what to do, Luna called Sir Kaelen, followed by his wife.

The moment his attention shifted, I slipped away and running off to the center ring. Leoric was supposed to be my mate. He was supposed to choose me.

“I won't let you choose her” I raged at Elara, completely ignoring Leoric.

She stood without panic at the same spot but Leoric blocked me off before I could get to her.

“Leo! What did she do to you?”

I reached up to hold his as I always did,

“Snap off it Morwen” Leoric growled, avoiding my touch. “What do you think you're doing?”

I chuckled instinctively, “Don't be ridiculous Leo. She can't be your mate.”

I searched for the Leoric I knew. The man who had whispered that he loved me. I know he's still in there. I guess he never mustered the courage to admit our relationship in public.

He loves me.

He always had.

His mother and Elara must have teamed up and did something.

“Say something Leo. Everyone is here, tell them” I pressed my palm against my mouth to stop myself from sobbing.

I got no response, instead Elara strutted forward with an evil smile and bumped me with her shoulder.

“Quite a nerve you have got in there, Maid. Disrupting a graced ceremony”

The quiet surroundings were broken by her statement. Whispers and howls filled every corner. I pinched my palm, suppressing the overflowing grief.

Leoric still didn't say a thing to stop the howls, or put up any defence.

“If you can't admit it. I will then”

His cowardice couldn't cost me the future I'd built while enduring countless maltreatment in Thorne's slaves quarter since I was six

Ignoring the countless ridicule ringing in my ears I turned the direction where Alpha king and other important dignitaries were sitting.

“Long live your Majesty.” I didn't forget to bow, “Forgive my intrusion but I have something important to say.”

A subtle wave of his staff told me to go ahead, I casted one final glance at Leoric, hoping he'd speak up.

Silence.

I narrated everything, from the beginning down to what happened moments ago in the stable. Making sure not to omit anything to the best of my knowledge.

“Leoric and I love each other. Just stop all this” I pleaded, dropping to my knees.

“This is quite a heavy claim” I heard the Alpha say. “What do you have to say? Leoric?”

“Lies”

I turned swiftly, utterly shocked. “She uttered nothing but lies.”

It was really Leoric.

“She had been nothing but obsessed with me” My voice seized for the briefest moments. “A whore who offers herself cheaply.”

“Leo! What are you saying?”

“The truth” he snapped at me furiously. “You've always been the one coming after me. Mother and sister could attest to that.”

I turned toward the king and saw Luna Isolde giving him a reassuring nod.

“Mother sent me off to Shadow fang Pack, when she found out about her plot. Still she wouldn't give up and continued when I returned.”

“Father! She's just trying to trap me and use me to escape her identity. For goodness sake she's a thrall, and cannot be trusted, just like her ancestors.”

The court erupted into chaos, accusations hurling at me. Regrets washed in. Maybe I was foolish to believe someone like Leoric could love me.

He's just been using me as his plaything all this while, but how could he forget everything so easily. The promises. The oaths.

“Jerk” Veyra huffed in her own little act of disgust. “Told you he was no good.”

“Sentence her”

The crowd chanted. “She's a shame.”

“Hold it wolves” Alpha Brannock rose and I held my breath.

“I must be fair. Girl you have a chance. Call up your witnesses and bring forth a proof that Leoric consented to your acclaimed affair.”

“You're dead.” Veyra snapped, dripping with sarcasm.

“If you can't prove your innocence, then I will have no choice but to sentence you under the Silvermane law.”

The words landed cruelly on my chest and that was when the gravity of what I did settled in.

I looked around the whole court and realized that I was alone. Nothing was going to save me now. Leoric has his mother and sister to back his claim and I had nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

“You had your chance Morwen” Elara mocked, walking over to Leoric. “Admit you're a whore and maybe the punishment will be less.”

“No,” I protested. “I won't take back what I said.”

“Grab her” the king's order resonated and everywhere roared with applause. “Her fate is already decided.”

The Gamma's coldly grabbed me and headed towards the dungeon. Sir Kaelen appeared out of nowhere and lunged straight at me.

I shut my eyes, waiting for him to rip me apart but Veyra didn't shake. She simply stood inside me like a shadow, certain of what I didn't know.

“Mate! He's here to save us”

I felt a hand pull me in and the next thing was lips closing in on mine.

I quickly opened my eyes.

Horror surged through my veins and I shoved him away. Hard.

This can't be.

I'd already been violated and publicly humiliated. And now another Thorne brother was claiming me as his mate?

“Very absurd.”

Veyra scoffed and gave the mental equivalent a tail flick and went back to pacing. Satisfied.

Sir Kaelen stumbled back a step. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then his expression changed.

I saw him move his hand to his chest with a gasp. A sharp growl tore through his lips and he dropped to one knee.

A new wave of terror gripped me, did I really push him hard?

“Kaelen?”

Sister Althea called and rushed to his side but I didn't hear any response from him.

Instead I saw his fingers dug into the ground.

Crack.

He pulled a chunk of earth and the whole arena around us immediately went silent.

Another crack came.

Then another. His shoulder jerked violently in rhythm to the cracking sound.

“His curse was awakening” a voice warned from the crowd and I immediately took a step back. Leoric and the other wolves in the ring retreated. Seeking covers.

"Kael..." Sister Althea called again and he still didn't answer.

Maybe he wasn't hearing her.

Or perhaps he could.

Something inside me went cold.

I needed to escape because I dreaded that I was dead if he thought of coming after me because of the impact of my push on him. I never finished that thought and suddenly his head snapped toward me.

His pupils had disappeared.

His eyes were now completely silver and I knew I was going to be his first prey.

Thankfully I saw the Bone oracle and some Gamma's, approach behind Sir Kaelen, carrying the ancient iron fetter.

Drómi.

In a single throw, they restrained him.

“What is this?” Sister Althea questioned.

The Bone oracle looks up towards the moon. “The blue harvest moon is high and the moonbeams are at their marks…….”

I didn't wait to hear the rest, I quickly turned running as fast as my legs could carry me.

I have already done enough.

Behind me I heard Alpha Brannock declare the ceremony officially over. But I never looked back, I couldn't. Every instinct I had was focused on putting as much distance between myself and the demon as humanly possible.

This union is just something that can't be.