Kate followed her younger sister down the grand staircase, her wolf’s anxiety twisting her nerves into a tight coil. She knew what was waiting: another ball, another Alpha, another night of humiliation. “Stop fidgeting,” Bianca scolded gently, catching her restless fingers. “I have a good feeling about this one.
”
Kate barely held back a snort. Every predatory stare and whispered judgment followed them into the ballroom, comparing the Alpha’s two daughters. Lovely, agreeable Bianca with her sweet Omega temperament, and difficult, scowling Kate. Undesirable, undeserving, and most of all, unmated.
“I heard this Alpha is supposed to be very kind, very handsome,” Bianca insisted. “How can you still hold hope every time? ” Kate whispered, throat tight. This would be the sixth Alpha to seek courtship, and the sixth to leave within minutes of meeting her.
“One day it will work out,” Bianca squeezed her hand. “You’ll see. ”
Kate studied her sister. Next to Bianca’s ethereal beauty and gentle grace, Kate’s dark hair and midnight blue gown seemed severe, unwelcoming.
Yet Kate was the eldest, the heir, and her continued failure to secure a match while her sister stood engaged hadn’t escaped the pack’s notice. “Are you angry with me? ” Kate asked softly. Her mother’s dying wish, enforced by pack law, meant the younger daughter couldn’t mate before the elder.
Because of Kate, Bianca’s happiness hung in limbo. But Bianca just smiled, gentle as dawn. “Never. You’ll find the one, sister.
I know it. ”
Through the crowd, Kate caught the powerful scent of an approaching Alpha. Her wolf went instantly alert. Another suitor about to despise her.
Her father’s Alpha voice rang out. “My daughters, may I present Alpha Kane, who has traveled far to meet with us. ”
Silence fell as Kate took her place beside her father’s throne. Across the room, Bianca’s encouraging smile made Kate’s heart sink.
Beside her sister stood Silas, his sky-blue eyes and falsely gentle scent drawing admiring glances. Silas, who had once sought Kate’s hand himself. Now he was to be Bianca’s mate, or so he thought. Kate smirked, resolved.
She could do this. Same as always. “Lady Katrina,” Alpha Kane bowed. “I’ve journeyed from the western territories hoping you might grant me permission to court you.
”
The entire room turned to Kate, holding its breath. She settled back into her chair, crossing her legs in deliberate challenge. “To court me? ” She arched an eyebrow, studying her nails.
“And what made you think I’d be open to that? ”
“Well, your father already indicated—”
“My father gave you his blessing,” Kate interrupted with a snort. “And you thought that equated to having mine? ”
Whispers grew sharper, wolves shifting restlessly at this breach of protocol.
Kate felt her father’s disapproval radiating beside her, but she pressed on. “Did you think you’d simply walk in here and I’d swoon? You’re not even the most handsome Alpha to stand in this very spot begging for my time. ”
“Kate,” her father’s warning growl crackled through the air.
Once, she’d have dug her nails into her palms at that tone. Now she sat straighter, ice crystallizing around her heart. “I meant no disrespect. I’m sure Alpha Kane has a great personality.
”
A collective growl rumbled through the hall. Six years of disappointment and hostility had taught her to wear their hatred like armor. Let them see her as an insufferable brat. “Is there anything else you’d like to add to make yourself look more pleasing in my eyes?
” Kate asked sweetly. She got a snarl in response. “Then I believe I shall retire for the evening, father. ”
As she descended the dais, she felt their fury like burning brands against her skin.
But passing her sister, she met Silas’s perfect lying smile. As long as Kate remained unmated, so must Bianca. She lifted her chin higher, returning his smile with defiance. Her sister would never be his, not as long as Kate lived.
—
Kate barely made it three steps from the Great Hall before Bianca caught up, Silas in tow. Her wolf bristled at his scent, something sickly sweet, like rotting flowers. “Are you all right? ” Bianca asked, reaching for Kate’s hand.
“You seemed upset in there. ”
“Just tired,” Kate forced herself to say. “Let me speak with her,” Silas cut in smoothly. “Brother to sister, if you will.
”
Bianca beamed. “What a wonderful idea, my love. You always know exactly what to say. ”
“The sight of him makes me sick,” Kate snapped, canines lengthening with her anger.
But Bianca just smiled wider. “Don’t worry about being alone with him. I trust you both completely. ”
Before Kate could protest, Silas’s hand was gripping her elbow, steering her toward a private balcony.
Her wolf recoiled at his touch. “Don’t touch me. ”
Silas laughed. “Women should know their place,” he proclaimed loudly, making someone nearby exclaim what a feminist he was.
On the balcony, Kate gripped the rail, her enhanced hearing picking up snippets of conversation from the party below. She’d known him since she was young, when she’d rejected his courtship. Now she knew the truth was far uglier. “What are you thinking about?
” Silas asked, too close. “How if I’d known how evil you were upon meeting you, I’d have ended you right then and there. ”
His answering smile was radiant. “You know, it gets rather boring when everyone worships you.
”
“Your point? ”
“My point, dear sister, is that your hatred,” he leaned in to whisper, “amuses me. ”
“Don’t call me sister. I’ll never be your sister.
I’ll never be your anything. And neither will Bianca. ”
“Bianca’s already mine. So trusting, so willing.
”
Kate’s hand flew up to slap him, but Silas caught her wrist. “Careful now. Better they think you’re just a bitter hag I passed over for Bianca than the alternative. ”
“The alternative?
You mean that you’re a power-hungry sociopath who somehow cursed everyone to see you as perfect? ”
Silas grinned. “I mean the fact that you don’t like me. Rather deranged of you, really.
Everyone likes me. Watch. ” He turned to the courtyard below. “Hey, Kyle!
I murdered your son because I didn’t like his face. Thank you for your condolences! ”
Kyle smiled tearfully. “Thank you, Silas.
”
“See? ” Silas turned back to her, triumphant. “I’m never letting you near my sister. ”
“Well, there’s a simple solution.
One I keep offering. ” His voice turned silky. “Be mine instead, Kate. It’s what I always wanted.
Your father’s pack, you as my Luna. You wouldn’t have to worry about little Bianca. ”
“Then you disgust me. ”
Something flashed behind his eyes—impatience, hunger.
“Either you’ll have me, or you’ll let me have Bianca. You won’t be able to keep pushing suitors away forever, Katrina. ”
“You mean the ones you keep paying to court me? Watch me.
”
“Can you blame me for wanting the best for my darling sister? ”
“Don’t pretend this is about me. You just want father’s pack. ”
“And what I want, I get.
You never got me,” Kate smirked, knowing how her continued resistance grated on him. His perfect mask slipped, revealing an ugly scowl. “And how’s that working for you? Everyone in your pack hates you.
Your father’s at his wit’s end. And your sister? Bianca would never turn against me. ”
“We’ll see about that.
” Silas’s laugh echoed as he left her alone on the balcony. “Your time’s running out. These little games of yours have gone on long enough. ”
Kate watched him go, her nails now more claw than human.
In the courtyard below, people were praising his kindness, his wisdom, his gentle heart. Her wolf howled in frustrated rage. —
Five days later, Ryder studied his champagne glass at a party meant for negotiating a trade deal over the silver route. Everything about this screamed old money—Alpha Derek’s reminder that despite his success, Ryder was still considered new blood.
The blonde shifter pressed in, her scent radiating interest. “They say you’re the most eligible Alpha in three territories. ”
Ryder quirked a brow. “Do they really?
”
“They say you’re dangerous,” she purred, tracing a finger down his arm. “A lone wolf who came from nothing and built an empire. ”
“Careful,” he caught her wrist, amusement in his tone. “A man might think you’re after more than just his empire.
”
“And if I am? ”
Ryder held back a snort. “Dangerous territory, little wolf. ” He released her hand with a wink.
“That’s the third one tonight,” Derek commented as she sashayed away. “You can’t turn them all down. ”
“I can,” Ryder said. “A pack needs a Luna, so I’ve been told.
”
The double doors crashed open, sending crystal glasses rattling. A stormy presence strode in, grabbing an expensive whiskey. Derek perked up. “Well, well.
If it isn’t Alpha Kane. I take it the courtship didn’t go as planned? ”
Kane took a long pull from the bottle. “She’s a fury.
An absolute fury. ”
“They say she’s rejected hundreds,” Derek exclaimed. “At least,” Kane growled. “Never in my life have I met such a spoiled, aggravating woman.
”
Ryder tuned them out, recalculating how to get the conversation back on track. “As if you’re not planning to try your luck too,” Kane grumbled. “Her father owns enough gold mines to buy entire territories. Whoever mates with Alpha Jensen’s daughter would be set for life.
”
Ryder stopped listening. That name. Jensen. His former Alpha, the man who’d rescued him from his abusive mother, given him a home.
A man he’d once been desperate to impress. But Ryder had never been Jensen’s son, just another guard trained on his estate. And on that estate had lived two daughters. “Wait,” Ryder interrupted.
“Are you saying Bianca Winters was the one to wrong you? It doesn’t make sense. Sweet Bianca, who used to chase him around with cookies? ”
Kane laughed.
“Of course not. She’s been engaged to Silas Thorne for ages now. Everyone knows that. ”
“But you said you’d been courting Alpha Jensen’s daughter, so I assumed—”
“I meant his eldest.
”
Ryder nearly choked on his drink. “Look how he scowls,” Derek crowed. “Won’t even say her name, that’s how shaken he is. ”
“Shut up,” Kane growled.
“Go on, big guy. What was the little lady’s name again? ”
“Katrina,” Ryder muttered, barely aware he’d spoken. He saw flashes of dark hair, a mocking smirk.
A girl who, unlike her sister, never shared her cookies. Or anything else for that matter. “She’s unmated,” the words slipped out before he could stop them. “She’s unhinged, that’s what she is,” Kane scoffed.
“But what about Silas Thorne? ”
Ryder pressed, and immediately regretted it as pain lanced through his skull. Fragments of memory surfaced: a handsome blonde man, Kate mentioning a proposal. But trying to focus made his head throb.
“Oh, Silas. Great guy,” Kane brightened. “You know these people? ”
Ryder ignored him, rubbing his temples.
This couldn’t be right. Silas had asked for Kate’s hand, not Bianca’s. And Kate had said yes. Hadn’t even told Ryder first, just agreed like he was nothing more than a plaything she’d tired of.
“I think I’ll retire for the evening,” Ryder said, pushing to his feet. Halfway down the moonlit corridor, a voice stopped him. A lean wolf with Kane’s pack markings hurried to catch up. “Forgive the interruption.
I’ve been charged with delivering this. ”
He produced a sealed envelope from a rather beautiful young lady. The Winter pack seal was in the dark wax, and his heart stuttered. His fingers didn’t shake as he broke the seal.
They didn’t. But when he saw the flowing signature—not Kate’s precise strokes, but Bianca’s gentle curves—something in his chest clenched. He waited until the beta’s footsteps faded before leaning against the cool stone wall. What could sweet little Bianca want with him after all these years?
Ryder opened the letter and read. —
A week later, Kate barely had time to reach her chambers before her father’s heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. “That’s enough! ” Jensen’s voice carried both paternal concern and an Alpha’s command.
“Seven suitors, Kate. Seven respected Alphas you’ve driven away with deliberate cruelty. What game are you playing? ”
“This isn’t a game,” Kate said, keeping her voice light.
“You promised I could marry for love. ”
“Love? ” He barked a laugh that was more growl than humor. “Love requires you to give someone, anyone, a chance.
Instead you’ve turned away every suitable match without so much as a conversation. ”
“Neither were suitable. ”
“How would you know? You spent all of five minutes insulting them!
”
“Which was plenty enough to know neither were the one. ”
Her father’s frustration rolled off him in waves. “Kate, please think of your sister. Bianca and Silas have waited patiently, but it’s been long enough.
”
“It definitely hasn’t been long enough. If it were up to me, Bianca and Silas would keep waiting forever. ”
There was a pause, a short second during which Kate met her father’s eyes and forgot. She forgot things weren’t as they should be, that her father wouldn’t understand.
But then something like relief passed over her father’s face, and Kate’s heart sank. “You’re absolutely right,” he exclaimed. “The sooner they marry, the better. Silas will make an excellent addition to our pack.
”
Kate flinched. No matter how many times she’d seen it happen over the past six years, hearing her own words twisted into a different meaning still cut deep. What magic could do this? What had Silas done to enchant the entire world so completely?
And how come only Kate had been spared? “You were different once,” Jensen observed quietly. “You never did tell me what happened six years ago, when you and—”
“Don’t,” Kate’s voice cracked. “I don’t want to talk about it.
”
“Look, Kate, it’s clear that whatever happened between you two—”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it! ” Kate snapped, canines lengthening. Her father’s patience visibly thinned. “Kate, your mother wouldn’t want this for you or for Bianca.
”
The mention of her mother made Kate’s chest ache. Would she have seen through Silas’s spell? Would she have believed her daughter? “Silas told me how restless the pack grows,” Jensen continued.
“He mentioned how your behavior reflects poorly on my leadership. ”
“Of course he did,” Kate snarled. “Yes. He is concerned about you.
We all are. The pack needs stability, Kate. We need to show strength, especially now. ”
“Since when do you let an outside wolf dictate pack matters?
”
“Your continued defiance undermines my authority! The other packs are starting to talk. ”
“This isn’t about your authority,” she tried. “This is about—”
“This is about you refusing to act like the future leader you’re meant to be.
Silas was right. I’ve been too lenient. ”
“Are you joking? ”
“I’ve been patient.
I’ve respected your wishes, but you’re not playing fair, Katrina. You leave me no choice. By pack law and tradition, I invoke the trial of courtship. ”
Kate’s blood ran cold.
“Father, please. ”
“The next unmated Alpha male who walks through our gates will have the right to court you through the ten trials. And if he completes them successfully, and still wants you as his mate, you will accept. ”
“You can’t do this.
”
“I can, and I will. I am still your Alpha, daughter, and it’s time you remembered that. ”
Kate’s wolf thrashed against the command, but it was no use. She knew the law, knew there was no escape.
The curse breaks, or I do, she thought as her father strode from the room. —
Ryder drove up to the Winter estate, and the sight of it rose out of the evening mist like a ghost clawing its way out of his past. Six years, and the place hadn’t changed. “Jensen must be eager to ship his daughter off, throwing an impromptu ball this size,” Derek muttered.
“He invited half the continent. Hell, he even invited you. ”
Ryder rolled his eyes. His fingers brushed the letter in his pocket.
Bianca’s words had been vague, but why would she request to see him now unless it were important? In the grand ballroom, Jensen’s voice carried. “As many of you may have heard, my eldest daughter, Katrina, has yet to find a suitable mate. To remedy this, I will be holding a tournament.
A series of trials open to any Alpha willing to compete. The victor,” he paused, “will win my daughter’s hand in marriage. ”
Silence. Then whispers.
“Does she even want a mate? ” someone asked. “Everyone knows she doesn’t. Seven Alphas, all rejected.
Heard she made the last one cry. ”
Ryder frowned. Something wasn’t right. This didn’t sound like the Kate he knew.
Jensen’s voice cracked through the hall like a whip. “Enough! Whoever wins these trials, Kate will accept as her mate. ”
The great doors blasted open with enough force to rattle the chandeliers.
Ryder’s wolf surged forward. Katrina Winters was here, chin lifted in deliberate challenge, draped in blood-red silk. She was different and exactly the same. Still all steely gaze and deadly grace, though there was something harder in her now that made Ryder frown.
“You wanted to see me, Father? ”
“I was just explaining about the trials. ”
Kate’s shrug was disdain personified. “Right.
Your little trials. Well, Father, I only hope these gentlemen don’t care much for their private parts. ” Her smile turned wicked as the crowd collectively gasped. “Are we to expect grievous injury during these trials, Lady Kate?
” Derek called out. “That depends on your own confidence. Though I promise you will be gravely injured if you dare climb into my bed uninvited, Alpha whoever. And trust me, none of you will ever be invited.
”
“Kate is only joking,” Jensen ground out. “Kate is being very serious,” Kate smirked. Enough. Jensen roared, and the hall fell silent.
“Whoever wins these trials, Kate’s hand will become more than just her mate. I hereby declare the winner to be this pack’s next Alpha. Everything—every acre of territory, every silver mine, our alliances, our resources, our power—all of it will pass to whoever proves worthy of being my daughter’s mate. ”
The silence was deafening.
Then chaos erupted as Alphas surged forward. Ryder’s eyes fell on Kate, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. Again he heard her voice from long ago, soft but sure: “I’m sorry, Ryder, but Silas understands me in a way you never could. He just makes more sense as a mate.
”
Ryder winced. He was being stupid. He pivoted to walk away. Derek’s hand caught his arm.
“Where do you think you’re going, big guy? ”
“I’m not interested in forcing myself on a woman who clearly doesn’t want a mate. ”
“This isn’t about what she wants. This is about becoming Alpha of the most powerful pack in three territories.
She’ll accept her duty soon enough. They all do. ”
Ryder shook his head. “Time to move on.
I wish you luck in the competition. ”
“Don’t be stupid. We could help each other. You win, and that trade deal you’ve been pushing for?
Consider it done. ”
Ryder paused, looking at Kate again. “And if I win? ” he heard himself ask.
Derek’s smile was sharp. “You won’t. We’ll work out a strategy. But I guarantee you, if you get me this pack, we’ll be more than just allies.
We’ll be brothers. And I make sure my family thrives. Your deal, the resources, whatever you need. ”
Ryder’s wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin.
The practical part of his brain catalogued the benefits. He had responsibilities, people depending on him. He wasn’t that lovesick guard panting after the unreachable Alpha’s daughter anymore. Couldn’t afford to be.
And besides, she’d disregarded him, made him feel like less than nothing. His hand met Derek’s. “Deal. ”
—
Kate watched the Alphas scramble like dogs fighting over a fresh bone and fought to keep her hands from shaking.
She wasn’t even a person to them, just a means to an end. The humiliation burned. Then her gaze found Silas in the crowd, and for once, his perfect mask slipped. He was smiling, but this clearly wasn’t part of his plan.
The sight of his barely contained rage almost made this disaster worthwhile. “Father,” Kate approached Jensen. “A word. ”
In his study, Kate let loose.
“You’re trading me like cattle! ”
“You left me no choice, Katrina. This is entirely your doing. ”
“My doing?
I wanted to marry for love! Look at them out there. They’re not here for me. They’re here for the pack, for the wealth, for the power.
You’ve made sure I’ll never know if anyone could actually want me only for me. ”
Something like regret flickered in Jensen’s eyes. “Perhaps I got a little carried away in my anger. But Kate, I can’t look back on my words now.
I’ll look like an idiot. Besides, the trials will test more than strength, darling. I’ll design them myself, ensure they reveal care, character, compatibility. ”
“Compatibility?
” Kate let her voice crack perfectly. “Compatibility with someone who’s only here because you promised them your wealth? Father, you’ve ensured my unhappiness forever. ”
She turned away from him dramatically, summoning her most lethal, effective weapon to the surface.
The waterworks. As the first tear fell, then the next, she threw in a little whimper for dramatic effect. “Baby, please don’t cry,” her father’s voice edged toward panic. Kate responded by crying harder.
“Katie-cat,” Jensen hovered helplessly. “Please, I never meant… this is for your own good, for your future. ”
“My future? ” She turned back, face streaked with tears, the very picture of devastation.
“Father, I’ll take my own life before letting you force me into a lifetime of misery. Not that you’d care. You never loved me anyway. ”
Her father looked on the verge of panic.
“Don’t say that, Kate. Baby, I love you more than anything. ” The big Alpha pleaded. “Tell me how to fix this.
Anything, please. ”
Kate smirked for a short second before revealing her perfectly composed face once more. “Would you be willing to call off the trials? ” she asked shakily.
Jensen’s face fell. “I… I can’t. The pack needs a clear succession plan, and I need to know you’ll be taken care of.
I promised your mother. ”
“Fine,” Kate sniffed delicately. “I understand, father. I shall do my duty.
”
The relief on his face was almost comical. “On one condition,” Kate interrupted, making a show of drying her tears. “Anything, sweetheart,” her father said, actually dropping to one knee. “Anything, name it.
”
Kate took a deep breath, channeling every ounce of dramatic timing she possessed. “I’ll allow these trials. And I’ll mate with whoever wins them. If… if you let me compete, Father.
”
Silence. Jensen blinked. Then blinked again. “I’m sorry, what?
”
“Let me compete in the trials. For my own hand, and for the pack. ”
Kate held in a triumphant smirk. Her father might be an Alpha, might command hundreds of wolves with a single word, but he never did learn how to handle her tears.
—
The next morning, the reception room was packed with unmated Alphas. Ryder leaned against the wall, watching the circus. Jensen’s presence brought immediate silence. “Over the next ten days, you will face challenges designed to test not just strength but character.
To win, you must not only complete all the trials, but complete them before your opponents do. Each day brings elimination. Those who fail a trial are immediately cut. Among those who succeed, the slowest will also be eliminated if too many remain.
”
“Currently, we have 30 competitors. ”
“31,” a voice cut through the room like a blade. “Or did daddy forget to mention that part? ”
Kate materialized in the doorway.
“My daughter,” Jensen confirmed, looking pained, “will also be competing. For her own hand. ”
The room erupted into furious protest. “Preposterous!
Women can’t compete against Alphas! ”
Kate held up one delicate hand, and the gesture was so incongruously graceful that people actually shut up. “By all means,” she said sweetly. “Please explain to your future mate why you don’t think she’s your equal.
I’m sure that won’t come back to bite you in the slightest. ”
She began to pace. “Do try to beat me and take my own pack away from me. See what happens.
I will defeat you, and then I’ll be coming for you. I’ll come for everything you own, starting with your resources, your businesses, your alliances. And after that, I’ll come for what’s left of your crumbling dignity. By the time I’m done, you’ll be lucky if you can command the respect of a geriatric Chihuahua.
”
Someone actually gulped. “But that’s just for warm-ups. Because once I’ve destroyed everything you own, I’ll destroy you. I mean I’ll physically end you, slowly, piece by piece, until every inch of you hurts so completely you’ll wish you’d never been born.
”
Ryder’s eyes traveled down to Kate’s lips as she spoke. He’d forgotten how often she wet them when threatening bodily harm. “I’ll start by crushing your fingertips,” Kate said, her tongue licking her lower lip again. “I’ll be cutting everything off, each finger, one by one, slowly, deliberately.
And don’t even get me started on what I’ll do to your genitals. I have this lovely collection of rusty garden tools for that. The pruning shears are my favorite! ”
Ryder was having a crisis.
He was supposed to be angry with her, but all he could think about was how perfectly she used to fit in his lap. “So, gentlemen,” Kate paused her litany of creative dismemberment to survey the room. “Ask yourselves: is competing for a pack you probably won’t actually win worth earning my eternal ire? Do you really think your territories can withstand my attention should I decide to pay you a visit?
Because I have such a good memory for faces. ”
The silence was deafening. Then one Alpha, pale as milk, stepped forward. “I…
I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I actually need to return home. ”
“Home? Really?
So soon? ” Kate asked innocently. “My apologies, my lady,” he squeaked, backing toward the door. It was like a dam breaking.
Half the room was suddenly stumbling over excuses. When the dust settled, only 15 Alphas remained. “Well, now you’ve all met my daughter,” Jensen clapped his hands. “Perhaps we should go around the room with introductions.
”
Kate pointed around the room rapid-fire, not letting anyone finish. “You’re too old. You’re too young. You look stupid.
Jesus, what is wrong with your hair, man? Are you actually sporting a mohawk? ”
Ryder realized she’d be noticing him in just a few seconds. Kate Winters would actually be looking at him and insulting him for the first time in six years.
For the first time since she’d butchered his heart. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped forward and out of the shadows. “You’re too tall,” Kate’s finger swung toward him, her mouth already open. “You’re too—” Then her eyes fell on Ryder, and she froze.
Finger raised midair, lips parted. “Hi, Kate. ” Ryder’s voice came out steadier than he felt. He managed a small smirk, rather pleased with the way Kate was gaping at him, color draining from her face.
“It’s been a while,” Ryder joked, realizing his joke wasn’t particularly funny when Kate just stared at him. A thousand emotions flashed across her face too quickly to name: shock, pain, fear. And suddenly Kate ran. She didn’t walk quickly, didn’t make excuses.
She flat-out ran from the room like the hounds of hell were on her heels. “First trial begins at dawn,” Jensen said, his voice artificially bright. —
Kate pressed her forehead against the cool window of the car, her hands shaking. Ryder.
Standing there after all this time. She’d made such a fool of herself, gaping like some star-struck teenager. “Don’t pout,” Bianca said beside her. “You should use tonight to your advantage.
Scout the competition. Find their weaknesses. Maybe even make some alliances. ”
Kate stared at her sister.
“Are you actually trying to help me, despite what me winning might mean for you? ”
Kate having to mate with the winner of the trials would immediately allow Bianca to finally be with Silas. Something her sister sadly yearned for, due to the curse. “I’m always on your side, Kate.
I’d never wish for something that could make you unhappy. Never. ”
The words caught in Kate’s throat. She wanted to tell Bianca everything, about Ryder being here, about why seeing him again felt like having her chest carved open.
But Silas’s guards hovered closer in the front seat, and Kate swallowed it all back down. At the club, Silas materialized between them. “My love,” he purred to Bianca. “Would you be a dear and fetch us some drinks?
”
The moment Bianca disappeared, his grip tightened. “Dance with me,” he demanded. “I’d rather not. ”
“Oh, is that Ryder I see by the bar?
”
Kate couldn’t help her reaction, her head immediately tilting right. There he was, leaning against a stool, the club lights painting shadows across his jaw. The jaw she used to kiss. “You must be thrilled to have him back.
It would be a shame if he were to disappear again. ”
Kate’s blood ran cold as Silas pulled her against his chest. “Are you threatening me? ”
“Threatening you?
My dear Katrina, I thought we were past such obvious statements. Yes, I’m threatening you. And him. Keep up.
” On the dance floor, his hands wandered with calculated possession. “Your father’s asked me to help organize the trials. Judge them, even. Isn’t that wonderful?
”
Kate’s stomach churned. Across the floor, she caught Ryder’s gaze, dark and angry. As soon as someone pulled Silas away for a conversation, she bolted. Strong hands caught her waist as she rounded a corner, pulling her into a shadowed alcove.
Her wolf recognized his scent before she did. “Ryder,” she said, hating herself for sounding breathless. “What do you want? ”
“What do I want?
” He scoffed. “That’s all you’ve got after all this time? ”
“Well, what were you expecting? ”
“A kiss?
” An arrogant smile painted his lips as his eyes shimmered gold. “Are you asking for one? ”
“You’re the one who showed up out of nowhere. ”
“Yeah, you did seem a little surprised.
Well, you have been gone for six years. And you never asked after me. ”
“You’re the one who left, Ryder. ”
“Well, what else was I supposed to do, princess?
” His grip on her waist tightened. “Be the ring bearer at your wedding? ”
Kate held back a scream of frustration. Six years ago, she’d tried telling Ryder that she’d refused Silas twice, that everyone still assumed she was going to mate with him anyway, that something was wrong.
But what Ryder had gotten from her panic was that she wanted to mate with Silas. Stupid curse. “Why come back now, then, if you’re still so upset? ”
“Because,” he growled, “you didn’t mate with him.
” He stared, waiting. This was it. The point where she’d need to tell him the truth. Except she couldn’t, because Silas’s curse wouldn’t let him hear it.
“No,” she said quietly. “I didn’t. ”
“Why didn’t you? ” He barked, tugging her back.
“Mate with him? ”
Kate met his eyes, willing him to see the truth she couldn’t speak. “Did you come back because you were hoping I wouldn’t push you away? ”
Ryder snorted.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I came back because Bianca asked me to. ”
“Bianca? ” Sorrow evaporated, replaced by outrage.
“My sister? Are you kidding me? ” She grabbed his hair, yanking hard. Ryder winced as she pulled his face closer.
“She reached out to me,” he groaned. “How dare you try to corrupt my sweet baby angel! ” Another sharp tug, and she was achingly aware of how close their faces were, how Ryder’s pupils had dilated. “Besides,” he growled, “you’re the one trying to corrupt your sweet angel’s fiancé.
”
She jerked back, outraged. “What did you just say to me? ”
“Oh, come on, Kate. I saw you.
Everyone did. On the dance floor, with Silas. It’s been six years, Kate. He’s with Bianca now.
Get over it. ”
The accusation that she’d hurt Bianca like that, that she’d want Silas of all people, hit like a physical blow. Kate forced her lips into a cruel smile even as something broke inside her. “You get over it.
And stop acting like a petulant child. ”
They stared at each other, fury and hurt crackling between them. “Good luck in the trials,” he finally bit out. “I don’t need luck.
”
She turned away before he could see her eyes water, leaving him in the shadows where he’d once felt like home. —
The next morning, Ryder followed the guards out to the frozen grounds. Sleep had been impossible. “There’s our strategic genius,” Derek called, lounging against a tree.
“Quite the menagerie,” he mused, surveying the competitors. “Brute force, stealth, brains, and old money. All wrapped up in neat little packages. ”
“You think wealth will help Edmund?
”
“Money always helps. ”
“So if you’re the wise guy, what am I? ”
“The pretty one, obviously. ”
Movement caught Ryder’s eye.
Kate stepped from the mansion, dawn painting gold across her skin. She walked past without a glance, but his gaze followed. “You might want to stop staring at the competition’s ass,” Derek drawled. Jensen’s voice carried over the grounds.
“Today’s trial will be judged by myself, my daughter Bianca, and her intended, Silas. ”
Ryder frowned. He still hadn’t asked Bianca about her letter. “Which is why we’ve agreed,” Silas smiled, sweeping the crowd with practiced warmth, “to have no witnesses.
What happens in the trials stays in the trials. ”
Kate stood rigid, eyes fixed on Silas with something like fury or fear. “The rules are simple,” Jensen continued. “Race to the finish line.
Last to arrive is eliminated. ” His smile turned grim. “If you arrive. ” Torches flared behind him, revealing a massive labyrinth with towering walls writhing with Nightshade.
“In case anyone considered taking shortcuts. ”
Ryder’s eyes found Kate’s. For a moment, they were 13 again, his fingers sticky with purple juice as she screamed at him to spit it out. She jerked away like the memory burned.
“Are we allowed to shift? ” Felix asked. “Yes. Each entrance leads to the same center.
Take your positions. ”
Ryder launched forward, shifting mid-leap. A chorus of howls split the air. An eagle soared overhead, unimpeded by the toxic walls.
In the labyrinth, Ryder burst into a circular chamber. A familiar silver wolf—Kate—burst in from another corridor. Their eyes locked for a heartbeat, then she was gone. He tracked Derek’s scent, and they met up briefly.
“Mark your path,” Derek said. “And remember, don’t be last. ” Then he vanished. Ryder ran, frustration mounting.
Then realization struck: Jensen, Bianca, and Silas were at the finish line. They were the ones he should be tracking. It wasn’t just a race; it was a tracking challenge. Ryder lifted his muzzle, catching faint traces of Bianca’s perfume, Jensen’s Alpha musk.
He moved faster. Then the wolves attacked. Massive gray fangs from a hidden alcove, a second wolf striking from behind. They were circling, driving him toward the Nightshade walls.
He let them push him closer, feigning retreat. Then he whirled, using the wall as leverage to launch himself at the bigger wolf. He struck, jaws clamping down on the second wolf, who shifted back. “Why?
” Ryder snarled, pinning him. “Why attack me? ”
“Kate,” the Alpha gasped. “Said to make sure you didn’t finish.
Promised a reward if we took you out. ”
Ryder’s blood turned to ice. Why would Kate…? Of course, she didn’t want him here.
A howl echoed behind them. Backup. No time. Ryder shifted and ran, lungs burning.
He burst through the exit, landing panting in the clearing. Derek grinned. Edmund sneered. Kate’s face drained of color when she saw him.
Good. Let her see what her handiwork looked like. —
Kate’s muscles ached as she followed the guard down the familiar path. Felix, a bird shifter, had been the real surprise.
She muttered under her breath. And Ryder’s look had been fresh and sharp. Seven contestants remained. Blindfolds were handed out.
“No peeking,” Jensen announced. Darkness swallowed Kate’s vision. Led somewhere, her senses took over. Old paper, leather, dust.
Swallowing a gasp. The library. Three stories of dark wood, spiral iron staircases, a domed glass ceiling. “Three keys are hidden here,” Jensen’s voice cut through the murmurs.
“Find them and you advance. Fail, and you leave. You have until noon. ”
“In shadows deep where wisdom sleeps,” Jensen read from a parchment, “find three keys to Freedom’s door.
First in healing’s ancient keep, second where dead tongues soar, third where stars align with lore. ”
Kate should start searching. But for the first time in six years, she had free rein of her father’s library. Normally, Silas’s men would trail her.
But right now, her mind raced. The magic section was ten minutes away. She could spare an hour. She slipped between towering shelves, weaving past history, biography, sciences, until the circular chamber appeared.
Thousands of books stared back at her. She pulled books at random. Potions and their properties. A complete guide to curses.
Nothing on mass enchantment. Then finally, a black tome with red binding. Demonic Arts and Dark Magics. Her hands shook as she opened it.
It would make sense if he was a demon. “I sure hope you don’t mean me. ”
The book nearly slipped from her hands. Ryder blocked the doorway.
He snatched the tome from her. “Not everything is about you, Ryder. ”
“Isn’t it? Then why did you try to get me kicked out?
”
The blood on his fur yesterday. The two eliminated Alphas. Silas’s work, no doubt. But she couldn’t say that.
“So you’re not even denying it? ”
“So now when people accuse me, you just believe them? ” The words tore from her throat. “Why would they lie?
”
“Maybe because they want competitors to hate me enough to quit. ”
“So you didn’t send them? ”
“I can’t believe you’d even ask me that. You know I’d never hurt you.
”
“But you did,” Ryder’s voice was quiet, but it cut deeper than a shout. “Did hurt me. ”
Kate turned away. This conversation was going nowhere.
“You’re not solving the riddle here. Go. ”
Ryder hesitated. “Why are you here?
” His voice softened. For a moment, he looked at her like he used to. Like she mattered. If only he could hear her.
Six years ago, she’d chased after him after their fight, found him drunk at a bar. Silas had appeared. “Poor Ryder. Heartbroken over our betrothal,” he’d said, his smirk cruel.
“There is no betrothal! ” Kate had snapped. “Everyone thinks we’re a done deal, Kate. At some point, you’ll be mine.
Ryder understands that. So don’t bother contradicting him. Otherwise, I’ll end him. ”
“As if you could take him.
”
“Perhaps not. But if he doesn’t expect it… He trusts me, you know. He’s been confiding in me all night.
He thinks he’s unworthy of you. Really, wasn’t that hard to convince him. You thought the same. ”
The next morning, Ryder had been gone.
And Kate had let him go, because the alternative was worse. “Tell me,” Ryder insisted now. “What are you looking for? What’s going on with you?
”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. ”
“Try me. ”
“I have been trying! ” The words burst out of her, raw and desperate.
“I tried and tried and it didn’t work. ”
“You’re not making any sense. ”
“Please just go. You’re only wasting my time and yours.
”
Ryder’s expression crumbled before his footsteps faded into silence. Kate took a breath and turned back to the books. Her fingers trembled as she turned the pages of the demon tome, then froze. Through careful pacts, certain humans have been known to harness demonic power for their own use.
These individuals can access the demon’s magic at will, for a price. Was that what Silas had done? But if so, how to break demon magic? The clock chimed.
She tore the relevant pages out, grabbing a few more from a second book. She’d have to study them later. Nathaniel appeared in the doorway, a leather-bound book tucked under his arm. They teamed up, deciphering the riddles, finding the medical key.
They made their way to the dead languages section, but all the keys were gone. “Impossible,” Kate muttered. Then she caught it. The scent of pine and rain.
Ryder. He’d taken the keys. In the astronomy tower, Derek tossed a key between his hands. Ryder stood by the window, hurt in his gaze.
“Is this because you think I’d try to get you eliminated? ” Kate asked. “Number one,” he ran a hand through his hair, “just trying to help Derek win. Nothing personal.
”
“Nothing personal? ” Kate repeated, her voice screeching. “Look, we can settle this easily,” Derek cut in. “We give you back your keys, but we get a head start to the finish line.
”
“Fine,” Kate decided, meeting Ryder’s eyes. “Deal. ”
They descended together. In the entrance hall, Kate and Nathaniel stood, three keys each gleaming in their palms.
“Go,” Nathaniel said quietly. “I’m withdrawing. ”
Kate stared at him. “Why would you?
”
“Because winning means mating with you. Number one,” his smile was gentle, knowing. “But I won’t mate with a woman who’s clearly in love with another man. ”
“I’m not in love with Ryder,” she said automatically.
His eyes crinkled. “I never mentioned his name. ”
Heat flooded her cheeks as the clock began to chime. “Go,” he said before time ran out.
She ran, making it through the doors just as the final bell tolled. —
Ryder paced the waiting chamber. Four contenders left. “You know,” Derek drawled, “wearing a hole in the floor won’t make those doors open any faster.
”
The trials were blurring together. In the third trial, the arena, Kate had defended him, turned the pack against Edmund. In the fourth, with the aggression-amplifying crystal pulsing in the center of the room, Kate had met his eyes with desperate hunger. “Just say it,” he’d demanded, stalking toward her.
“Whatever you’re holding back, Kate. Just say it. ”
“I can’t,” she’d whispered. “Can’t or won’t?
”
“God, I miss you so much it hurts. ”
The confession had hit him like a blow. He’d been about to touch her when Felix had lost control and shifted, dive-bombing the chamber, ending the trial in chaos. Now the oak doors creaked open.
The fifth trial. A sunny room with a delicate tea service. Bianca rose and launched herself into his arms. “It’s so good to see you!
” she exclaimed. Jensen cleared his throat. “The fifth trial will test your suitability as a mate. You must convince my daughter Bianca that you would be—” his composure cracked.
“My boy, you’ve done so well for yourself! Did you hear about how he started his own pack? ”
“Daddy. This is supposed to be my trial,” Bianca pointed firmly.
As they sat, Bianca poured tea. “The goal is to convince me you’re good enough for Kate. Though honestly, you passed years ago. ”
Ryder frowned.
“Does Kate have to prove she’s good enough for Kate? ”
Bianca’s expression turned serious. “Actually, she has to prove she’s better off mateless. Though obviously she already passed.
I’d never force her into anything she doesn’t want. ”
“I didn’t come back to compete, Bianca. I only came because of your letter. Because you asked me to.
I was worried about you. ”
“And I’m worried about Kate. You know how she is. She doesn’t like to look vulnerable, but she hasn’t been doing well.
She misses you. ”
Something in Ryder’s chest cracked. “Did she actually say that? ”
Bianca snorted.
“Of course not. But I’m not blind. She’s been refusing mates for years. Everyone thinks it’s because of Silas, but please.
I know my sister. She was waiting for you. ”
“Bianca, I don’t think you’ve got the full picture here. Kate is the one who ended things.
”
“She wouldn’t do that. ”
“Well, she did. ”
“She still loves you, though. Kate has loved you since you two were children.
”
“You mean when she was always picking fights or trying to trip me? ”
“Yes! That’s her love language. ”
“Well, maybe her love has died.
”
“Come on, Ryder. When Kate loves something, it’s for life. You know that. And lately, she bites her lip.
I think something’s wrong. She’s keeping secrets, but I don’t know what kind. ”
Ryder thought of Kate’s cryptic words, her pain-filled eyes, the demonic arts book she’d wasted time reading during the second trial. Why was she researching black magic?
“See? ” Bianca said, catching his expression. “You think so too. ”
After a moment, Ryder asked, “Bianca…
why did you write to me? ”
“After Mom died, she was so withdrawn. You were the only one who could get through to her. That’s why I wrote to you.
I think she needs you. Whatever’s hurting her, you’re the only one who might get her to open up. ”
Something cold and uncomfortable settled in Ryder’s chest. Had he gotten it wrong?
Had he made a mistake leaving when he should have been fighting for her? He thought of the Nightshade, of her piercing scream and tears after he’d swallowed it. “Bianca,” he murmured, avoiding her gaze, “I didn’t come back for Kate. I only agreed to compete because of Derek.
To help him win. He promised my pack resources. ”
Bianca squeezed his hand. “And is that still why you’re here?
” she asked softly. “And if it was? Would you fail me? ”
“I deserve it,” Ryder murmured.
“In fact, you really should fail me. ”
The silence stretched. Then a small, amused smile stretched Bianca’s lips. “Nah,” she waved dismissively.
“I’m failing Magnus. He came in here spouting nonsense about women being too emotional to run trials. Can you imagine him with Kate? She’d remove his favorite parts within a week.
”
A startled laugh escaped Ryder. “I’m rooting for you, Ryder. I can tell you make my sister happy. I hope you realize it too.
”
—
“You’re being ridiculous,” Bianca’s words echoed in Kate’s mind as she followed the guards down the torch-lit corridor. Ryder came back for you. Why else would he be here? If only Bianca knew.
If only Kate could tell her that yes, of course she wants Ryder back so badly it physically hurts, but that having him means condemning Bianca to Silas. The guards stopped before a set of heavy iron doors. The sixth trial. Jensen pushed the doors open with unusual haste, and Kate’s prepared retort died in her throat.
Instead of an arena or a deadly challenge, a cozy dining room awaited them. The table gleamed with silver, a fire crackled in an ornate hearth. “Sit, eat,” her father commanded. “When the clock strikes 12, leave the room.
Last one out is eliminated. ” He backed away, pulling the doors closed. “This has to be a trap,” Ryder said, circling the table. “Maybe the room’s an illusion,” Kate suggested.
“Could be poison,” she mused, sniffing at a perfectly roasted duck. “Nightshade’s odorless,” Ryder pointed out. Kate sent him a warning look, her chest tightening at the memory of him drinking poison in their youth. Minutes ticked by.
The fire’s warmth was lulling her wolf into an odd quiet. Derek took a bite of potato. “It’s good. They use truffle oil.
”
Something shifted in the air, subtle but unmistakable. Kate found herself reaching for a piece of duck. It melted on her tongue, and she couldn’t remember the last time food tasted this good. “Maybe that’s the test,” she heard herself say.
“Seeing if we can resist fighting over the food. ”
Wine appeared in her glass. It was nice. Ryder was smiling at her now, actually smiling, like he used to.
A distant part of her mind whispered that something was wrong. She had responsibilities, something about Bianca, about the pack. But the thoughts felt heavy, slipping away like honey dripping from a spoon. The fire crackled, casting everything in liquid gold.
And Kate let herself sink deeper into the warmth, into this perfect moment where she didn’t have to be strong or careful or afraid. Where Ryder looked at her like she was something precious again. —
The wine flowed like a river, endless and sweet. Kate’s laugh danced through the air, and her chair was nearly touching Ryder’s now.
“So what’s the story between you two? ” Derek drawled. “Were you together before? ”
Kate’s head tilted back, exposing the graceful line of her throat.
“I used to torment him. ”
“Was making out with me really such a torment? ” Ryder asked, gaze catching on the firelight dancing over her skin. “In a way,” he confessed, “because it always left me yearning for more.
”
“Why’d you break up? ” Derek’s voice broke through the haze. Ryder frowned. “I don’t remember.
” The words were heavy on his lips. “It was raining,” he mumbled. “You were crying. Or no, that’s not…
”
“I think I’m drunk,” Ryder confessed. “Same,” Kate breathed. “Do you remember that night in the tower? ” he slurred.
“You told me you loved me. ”
Kate’s voice was a whisper. “Come here,” Ryder murmured, patting his thigh. She moved like a dancer beneath water, settling on his lap.
Her warmth seeped into him, fitting perfectly. “Comfortable? ” he teased. “I’ve had better chairs.
”
“Liar,” he murmured, smirking. Their lips met like the softest collision, melting together in slow, languid waves. Somewhere in the distance, a clock ticked. It didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered but this. Then Derek lifted Kate bodily off his lap. “Excuse me, please, my lady. ” He deposited her carefully on the table like a clumsy kitten.
The room was rigged. “This is the trial. The room is evil, Ryder,” Derek said, stabbing himself with a fork to break the spell. He plunged the serving fork into Ryder’s thigh, and the pain shot through him, sharp and clarifying.
Reality crashed back. He’d kissed Kate. They’d been kissing. And Kate was staring at the chandelier, saying it was beautiful.
She was still under the spell. “What about her? ” Ryder asked, his gaze fixed on Kate. “Her father will get her once we’re out.
Come on. ”
Something cold settled in Ryder’s chest. The thought of forcing her to mate with Derek now made him physically ill. “I can’t.
”
“What? ”
“It’s her pack. She said from the start she doesn’t want a mate. She wants to lead alone.
”
“Are you serious? We’ve spent ten days fighting through these trials, and now you develop a conscience? ”
“It just doesn’t feel right. ”
“Give me one good reason!
”
“Because I love her, there,” the words tore from Ryder’s throat. “Happy? I still love her. And I don’t want to take anything away from her.
”
“And? ”
“And I want her back. ”
Derek groaned, a mix of anger, disappointment, and pity. “Jesus, man.
Would have been nice if you told me that from the start. ”
“In my defense, I wasn’t going to participate at all. Sorry. ”
“At least it was good drama.
” Derek waved vaguely toward Kate. “Take your girl and go. Though do remind someone to collect me eventually. ”
Ryder hurried to Kate, touching her shoulder gently.
He tried to help her stand, but she resisted. “I want to stay here with you. Everything’s perfect here. ”
Ryder apologized, then drove a small knife into her thigh.
She yelped, and awareness flooded her eyes like water washing away gold dust. “I don’t want to go,” she whispered, burying her face in his neck. “You left. You left me alone.
I was all alone. ”
“Kate, what do you mean? Who did I leave you with? ”
Her face contorted with frustration, and then Kate screamed.
A wounded, guttural scream that burst out of her like a dam. She pounded her fists against his chest until her screams dissolved into raw, heaving sobs. “I’m so tired, Ryder. I can’t go back out there.
”
“Kate, sweetheart, look at me. I’m not leaving you alone again. Whatever’s out there, we’ll face it together. ”
“I love you, Ryder.
I’ve never stopped loving you. I was a fool for leaving, for not fighting harder for you. But I swear on my life, I’ll never make that mistake again. I’ll fight for you with everything I have.
”
Kate’s eyes were wide and wet. “I love you too,” she whispered. Joy exploded in his chest. He kissed her forehead, her cheekbones, tasting salt and sweetness, then her mouth again.
After he carried her to the door, Kate left reluctantly. He turned back to Derek, who was humming contentedly, lost in the room’s golden haze. “I’m sorry,” Ryder said again, meaning it. Then he followed Kate.
—
“The only way out is through the trial,” Kate thought, pacing her chambers. One of them would win tomorrow. If Ryder won, she was screwed. He’d never understand why she needed to banish Silas.
If she won and took Ryder as her mate, Silas would have Bianca. There was only one real option. She had to win the trials and wait to take control of the pack while still unmated. Only then could she banish Silas with no one to stop her.
After that, beg for Ryder’s forgiveness. She’d talk to him. She’d convince him to forfeit, to let her have the pack, and to leave for a time—but only for a time—until they could truly be together. It was a terrible plan, but it was the only one she had.
Getting to the guest wing wasn’t easy. Silas’s guards were everywhere. But she slipped out her window with practiced ease, sticking to the shadows. She followed Ryder’s scent through hushed corridors straight to his door.
He was sprawled across silk sheets, his features softened in sleep. Her heart pounded as she eased the door open. “Ryder,” she whispered, letting her hand trail down to cup his cheek. He didn’t stir.
She squeezed his shoulder, then less gently. Nothing. Panic clawed up her throat as she patted his cheeks. He slept on, beautiful and still as death.
“He won’t hear you,” a voice whispered from the darkness. Silas materialized from the shadows. Kate placed herself between him and Ryder’s unconscious form. “What did you do to him?
”
“Relax. I only gave him a sedative. Well, a lot of sedatives. Hopefully he wakes up tomorrow.
”
Kate lunged with a snarl, but Silas danced back, still laughing. “Doesn’t this remind you of that night? Six years ago, when you wanted to speak to him in that bar? I told you to let him go.
Yet what do you do the second he shows up? You’re making eyes at him. ”
“What do you care? You’ve been wanting me to mate since you set your eyes on Bianca.
”
“Not when that might mean losing this pack. I work too hard to lose everything now because of your father’s flighty fancies. A trial? Ridiculous.
” His perfect smile returned so quickly it was unsettling. “And besides, Kate, I told you. It’s you I want by my side, not your sister. So I’ve had a great idea.
”
“I’ll be declaring my love for you tomorrow before the last trial. Beg your father for a chance to prove myself and participate. You know he’ll agree. For some reason, everyone always agrees with me.
Haven’t you noticed? ” He moved closer until she could feel his breath on her face. “And don’t you dare try to elope with your half-breed bastard. ”
The words ended in a roar as he shoved her aside to approach Ryder’s helpless form.
“Don’t touch him! ” Kate screamed. “I warned you. I warned you to stay away, or I’d end him.
It wouldn’t even be hard. ” His hand shot out, wrapping around her throat. “Tomorrow, I will compete for your hand and win. You and I will be mates.
Or believe me, Kate, I won’t just kill Ryder. I’ll kill Bianca and your father. And nobody will stop me. ” His grip tightened.
“Are we clear? ”
Kate met his manic gaze, refusing to flinch. “Yes,” she spat. “Good.
” He released her, and she sank to her knees, gasping. His perfect smile was back in place as he straightened his jacket. “I’ll see you at the trials. Enjoy dear Ryder while you still can.
Tomorrow, he goes back to his pack, and you never see him again. ”
The door closed with a soft click that sounded like a death knell. Kate sank to her knees beside Ryder’s bed, taking his limp hand in hers. She pressed it to her cheek, fighting back a sob.
Rising on shaky legs, she moved toward the bathroom in a daze. Maybe if she could splash some water on his face… She reached for the door handle. The door swung open, and Kate stepped through.
She was standing in what appeared to be an ancient bookshop. Through the shop’s windows, she saw only an unfamiliar cobbled street, buildings that had no business existing on her father’s estate. The air was thick with the scent of old paper and leather, but underneath lay something else. Something wrong.
The sound of a gun cocking froze her in place. “Don’t move,” a female voice commanded from behind her, “or I’ll blow your head off. ”
—
Kate froze. The gun’s muzzle pressed cold against her temple.
Recognition flickered across the girl’s face, followed by exhausted relief. “Oh. I thought you were Jill. ”
“Who?
” Kate asked carefully, noting how the gun hadn’t lowered. “Who are you? ”
“Katrina Winters. ” The girl’s shoulders sagged, the gun finally lowering.
“You’re a client. You’re here to make a wish. ”
“Are you a demon? ” Kate asked carefully.
“No! I’m just Iris. ” Her gaze darted behind her. “You wouldn’t have been transported here if you weren’t a potential client.
If you didn’t have a wish. ”
“Is there someone here with you? ” Kate pushed past her, shouldering through a back door. A man lay sprawled on a worn couch, black veins spidering beneath his skin.
The darkness Kate had sensed earlier coiled around him. “He’s a magician. He made a pact with a demon. He uses it to grant wishes for a price,” Iris explained.
Hope surged in Kate’s chest. “Wake him. I need him. ”
“This is what happens when he breaks the rules.
He’s like this because he tried to help someone. If he helps you in this state, he could die. ”
“If he doesn’t help me, all of my friends could die. My father, my sister, everyone I’ve ever loved.
”
“All the people I ever loved are already dead. There’s just him now. You’re not waking him up over my dead body. ”
Kate sighed, studying the man.
Then she told Iris everything. About Silas’s perfect mask, about everyone falling under his spell, about Ryder leaving and returning only to be threatened, about being utterly alone for six years. Iris frowned. “So this Silas guy can enchant everyone into being the nice guy?
”
Kate nodded miserably. “It wasn’t always like this. I rejected his marriage proposal once, and then suddenly everyone thought he was perfect. Everyone except me.
”
Something sparked in Iris’s eyes. “That actually sounds like something Adrien would do. His magic always comes with a price. ” She studied Kate.
“You must be that price. Think about it. You rejected him, then suddenly everyone adores him? Including you, since you just rejected him.
So the price was what he cared for most. Your genuine admiration. ”
“So how do I break the spell? ”
“Adrien couldn’t annul a wish he made.
Though he might be able to grant you a wish around it. But that would be breaking the rules, and making him sicker. ”
Kate’s hope crumbled. Then Iris brightened.
“Okay, your Silas sounds like a manipulative piece of work. Adrien doesn’t like manipulative pieces of work… so the last time a shady guy made a wish like this, he added a sort of insurance policy. The magic is conditional, tied to Silas’s existence.
Basically, you kill him, and the curse lifts. ”
Kate sighed. “Kill him. If only it were that easy.
Silas is paranoid, protected, surrounded by devoted followers. ”
“People get desperate when you dangle what they want most in front of them. Meaning, Silas wants you to adore him like everyone else. If I were you, I’d use this.
”
Kate’s mind raced. What if she convinced Silas she’d fallen under his spell? He wouldn’t simply believe it. He was paranoid, not stupid.
“Maybe if Adrien could appear and make him think…” Iris glanced at Adrien and sighed. “Yeah, knowing him, probably. You’re his assistant? I’ve never even seen Silas.
My being there wouldn’t mean anything to him. ”
Iris’s expression turned thoughtful, then slightly wicked. “Although… you have a better idea.
”
“Maybe. ” Iris took a look at the couch, at the unconscious man. “Adrien’s going to absolutely hate it. He’s going to be furious.
”
“So that’s a no? ”
Iris’s grin widened into something a little unhinged. “Oh no,” she said. “I’m definitely in.
Let’s give this fool a taste of his own medicine. ”
—
Dawn was still an hour away when Kate paced in the reception room. Iris, disguised as Adrien through a charm, lounged in the reading chair. “You called for me?
” Silas’s perfect smile gleamed in the shadows. “You won’t get away with this,” Kate snarled. “I’ll never let you take the pack. ”
“I’ll fight you every step.
I’ll end my own life if I have to, to convince my father you’re not worthy. ” That landed. Silas’s mask slipped for just a moment, fear flickering in his eyes. “My, my.
Quite the predicament you found yourself in,” Iris, as Adrien, emerged from the shadows. She waved a lazy hand, and Kate pretended her body suddenly froze into place. “You,” Silas snarled. “Me,” Iris smirked.
“Seems your wish isn’t quite everything you hoped for. ”
“You tricked me! ”
“Did I? I told you there was a price, didn’t I?
”
“Fix this. ”
“Well, there might be a way. I could adjust the terms, make an exception just this once… for the right price, of course.
One wish per person, you said those were the rules. ”
“Rules can be bent if one is properly motivated. ”
“Name your price, magician. ”
“Your firstborn child,” Iris didn’t miss a beat.
“I find myself in need of a powerful shifter heir. ”
“Fine. I’ll just have another. ” Silas waved dismissively.
“Now get it done. ”
Iris snapped Adrien’s long fingers. “As you wish. Showtime.
”
Kate blinked rapidly, letting her eyes focus on Silas. “What… what are you doing here? ” she asked, sounding breathless.
“I had to see you before the trials, darling. Because I’m going to compete for your hand. Kate, darling. ”
“Really?
” Kate injected breathy wonder into her voice, though her skin crawled. Silas waved at Iris. “Leave us. ” As Iris left, he turned back to Kate with hungry eyes.
“Now, precious. Tell me how you feel about me. ”
“You’re just so perfect,” Kate gushed. “The way you walk into a room, it’s like the air itself bows before you.
Your smile could outshine the sun. Your eyes… they’re like sapphires kissed by angels. ”
“Go on,” Silas leaned closer.
“The very mountains must envy your strength. Your voice is like honey dripped in gold. When you fight, it’s like watching poetry in motion. ”
“More,” he demanded, eyes glazed.
“Sometimes I catch myself counting your eyelashes, because each one is a masterpiece. Your mere presence makes flowers bloom and birds sing. ”
His fingers gripped her chin. “Show me how much you want me, Kate.
”
Kate gulped. She was going to have to kiss him. Think of Ryder, she told herself as Silas’s mouth descended. But nothing could disguise this wrongness.
A knock pierced the nightmare. “Yes? ” she called out. The door opened.
“Silas, sorry to bother you, but have you seen—” Ryder. Kate’s world shattered when he took in the scene: her wrapped in Silas’s possessive embrace, lips swollen, reeking of intimacy. She saw the exact moment his heart broke. —
Ryder woke with his limbs heavy.
Memory surfaced: Kate’s voice, her fingers brushing his cheek. But the room was empty. He forced himself up, joy surging through him. Kate had said she loved him.
But where was she? Passing a guard mentioned seeing Silas in the reception room. Perfect. Silas would know where she was.
But as he approached, voices drifted through the door. Ryder’s world shattered as he took in the scene: Kate wrapped in Silas’s embrace, her lips swollen, reeking of intimacy. “What are you doing? ” Ryder asked, throat impossibly tight.
“Tell him, darling,” Silas coaxed. “You owe him the truth. ”
“Silas is participating in today’s trial because… because he loves me,” Kate’s voice was soft, intimate in a way that destroyed him.
“I thought I’d lost him to Bianca, but he loves me still. And I love him too. I can’t deny what’s between us. ”
“But Kate, you said—” Ryder’s voice cracked.
“I care about you, Ryder. I always will. But Silas is undeniable. I have to be his.
”
Ryder turned and walked away. Every breath felt like swallowing glass. What had he been thinking? That Kate Winters could ever truly want a half-breed orphan who used to be her guard?
Derek caught up with him. “Are you packing? Leaving? After I gave up my spot for you?
”
“She’s not my girl. She loves another. ”
“What if it’s a test? ” Derek asked.
“You swore you’d fight for her. Right now, it’s looking like you’re running away. ”
“The love of my life just told me she’s in love with another! ”
“I’m telling you, what if Kate’s lying?
I taught her how to play poker. I know when Kate lies. She has a tell. ”
“The way her fingers twitch at her sides, like she wants to snap them.
”
Hope bloomed in Ryder’s chest, fragile as glass. “Her fingers were twitching,” he whispered. “When she told me she loved him. ”
“Well, of course she was,” Derek nodded sagely.
“I keep telling you. Now get to those trials. ”
—
Kate’s legs felt like lead as Silas guided her through the corridors. She hadn’t been ready for the raw devastation in Ryder’s eyes.
What have I done? They rounded the corner to the main hall. The Great Hall buzzed with anticipation, packed with faces. Kate’s father stood proud on the dais, Bianca radiant beside him.
The eliminated Alphas lined the walls. One face was conspicuously absent. The knowledge that she’d driven him away made her wolf keen. Silas lifted her hand.
“Your daughter and I come with the most joyful news. Kate and I are to be mates, Alpha. With your blessing, of course. ”
Shock rippled through the assembly.
Jensen’s gaze darted between them, confused. “But Silas, what about—” He glanced at Bianca. “Ah, yes. Sweet Bianca is delightful.
But Kate knows her place now. She’s learned to submit, to recognize true power. And as Alpha, I’ll need a mate who understands hierarchy. ”
Kate’s stomach turned as the crowd sighed dreamily.
Through the curse’s lens, his cruel words must have sounded like poetry. “And you, Kate? ” her father asked gently. “You feel the same?
”
Kate met Bianca’s tearful gaze, her heart shattering anew. “Yes,” she forced out. “Nevertheless, I gave my word. Whoever wins the trials shall be Kate’s mate, have my pack.
”
“But the trials are already won, Silas interrupted smoothly. “By Kate. She wins by forfeit, since Ryder is—”
“Ryder is what? ” The voice cut through the hall like a blade.
Kate’s heart stopped. The crowd parted like water as Ryder strode forward, Derek at his shoulder, eyes blazing with defiance. Kate couldn’t stop the tears that sprang to her eyes. He came back.
“I believe,” Ryder said, his voice carrying effortlessly, “that we have one last trial left to fulfill. ”
Silas’s arm wrapped around Kate like a python. “Kate and I are in love, surely you must understand. We cannot have Ryder try to separate a much better suited match.
”
“You wish to compete for my hand in the trials, darling? ” Kate interrupted, injecting breathless wonder into her voice. “That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. ”
She turned to Jensen.
“Oh, Father, surely you must allow it. It would only seem fair. ”
Iris’s voice rang from the crowd, still wearing Adrien’s form. “I mean, everyone else went through all the other trials.
Let Silas do this one. ”
Jensen hesitated, clearly torn. “I suppose, if it is what you want, Kate. ” He announced Silas’s participation alongside Kate and Ryder.
“The only trouble,” Jensen frowned, “is that we’ll have to postpone. I’d planned something for two people. ”
“Esteemed Alpha Jensen,” Iris stepped forward. “May I suggest the perfect trial to determine who would be the next Alpha?
”
“And who are you? ” Jensen asked. “Adrien is a friend of mine, Alpha,” Silas cut in smoothly. “A powerful magician whose wisdom has been infinitely precious to me over the years.
”
“Well, it seems to me you’ve tested key qualities in your contenders,” Iris said. “Tracking, wisdom, fighting skills, control, compatibility, strength. But the dramatic pause made the crowd lean in. “How about a test of courage?
I hear the best Alphas are the most courageous ones. Something simple. Pour three cups of wine, then have one of your contenders pour Nightshade into one of the cups. The other two contenders will need to choose which cups they’d like to drink.
And then, well, they drink. ”
Collective gasps rippled through the crowd. “You’re saying you actually want them to risk their lives for this? ” Jensen asked, alarmed.
“Are you saying you’d give your pack to just anyone? Surely your heir should earn their place, if you want your legacy to stay strong. ”
“Father,” Kate squeezed Silas’s hand. “I’m willing to pass this challenge.
I think it’s fair. None of us will have any advantage over the other. ”
Jensen’s pride warred with concern. “Very well.
But my daughter Kate will pour the poison. ”
Victory surged through Kate’s chest. She whispered in Silas’s ear, “My love, I will give you a cup free from poison. Make sure to hold on to it, and let me handle Ryder.
”
Then she met Ryder’s eyes across the hall. “What do you say, Alpha Ryder? Are you willing to die for this pack, like Silas and I? ”
She saw the moment it clicked.
The slight widening of his eyes as he searched her gaze. He nodded slow and deliberate. Kate accepted the vial of Nightshade with steady hands. Five drops, Jensen instructed.
She stepped behind the heavy curtains. With trembling fingers, she uncorked the vial and poured. “I’m done. ” The curtains swept back.
Kate lifted one crystal goblet and presented it to Silas with a dazzling smile. “My love. ”
“Choose your cup, Alpha Ryder. ” Trouble shadowed his features as he studied the remaining goblets.
“Aren’t you going to choose for me? ”
“If you wish for me to choose for you… then I will. ” She lifted the middle cup, offering it with steady hands.
“Will you drink it? ” Kate asked softly. Ryder’s eyes met hers, searching. “Is it poisoned?
”
She held his gaze without answering. “Prove your courage and find out. ”
Ryder’s jaw tightened as he raised the cup to his lips. Beside them, Silas went perfectly still, watching with predatory focus.
Ryder drained his cup completely. Kate lifted her own goblet, meeting Ryder’s eyes as he drained his cup. Then she turned to Silas. “My love,” she raised her glass in a toast.
But Silas’s attention was fixed on Ryder, whose eyes suddenly rolled back in his head. His massive frame crumpled to the floor with a sickening thud. —
Ryder lay perfectly still, his heart beating slow and steady through years of practice. If this was what Kate wanted, he’d caught her meaning instantly.
Kate knew his secret, known since they were 13, since the day he’d swallowed Nightshade to win a stupid challenge, then jumped up laughing, immune to the poison. His mother had forced micro-doses into him since infancy, a barbaric practice to make him strong. Now, listening to Silas’s warm laughter above him, Ryder forced himself to remain limp. Kate had known he wouldn’t fear the poison.
Which meant she intended Silas to die here. “My love,” Silas’s voice dripped honey and pride. “Let me prove my courage to you and our pack. ”
Kate’s laughter rang out bright and clear.
Then a choked gasp broke the quiet. Ryder’s eyes snapped open just as Silas crashed to his knees, face ashen, clawing at his throat. “All the cups were poisoned,” Kate snarled, kicking him hard in the chest. “Now die, you piece of trash.
”
Silas’s eyes rolled back. He stopped breathing. The hall erupted as their enchanted memories shattered. “Silas had us all fooled!
” “Kate saved us! ” The pack’s collective memory returned. But Kate turned to Ryder, and there was blood trickling from her lips. Her eyes closed, and she fell.
Ryder lunged forward, catching her before she hit the ground. “No, no, Kate, look at me! ” But her skin was already turning gray. But then, a small human girl with strawberry blonde hair stepped forward.
“Okay, stop! Look, I’m not even a magician. ” She yanked off her necklace, her tall figure dissolving. “I’m just Iris.
”
“What in the world,” a new voice boomed, deep and otherworldly, “is going on here? ”
Where empty space had been stood a tall, lean man. Black veins crawled beneath his pale skin, and his eyes were bottomless pools of darkness. The real Adrien.
“What are you doing here? ” Iris demanded, stamping her foot. “You should be in bed! ”
“She killed my daughter!
” Jensen roared. Adrien’s gaze fell to Kate. “Did you? ” he asked Iris, sounding mildly inconvenienced.
“No! Kate’s fine. She’s been practicing her Nightshade immunity. ” Iris’s eyes found Ryder’s.
“Said everything you can do, she can do better. ”
Ryder looked down at Kate. There, so faint he’d missed it in his panic, was the slow but steady rise and fall of her chest. She was still breathing.
—
Kate woke slowly to find Bianca curled beside her, tear tracks still visible. It worked. It’s over. They’re free.
“Kate! ” Bianca flung herself forward, wrapping Kate in a fierce embrace. They held each other, dizzy with joy and relief. Six years of fear and isolation dissolved in the warmth of her sister’s arms.
“Don’t you dare,” Bianca grabbed her hands, reading her expression of guilt. “Don’t even go there. You saved us, Kate. You were so brave.
The entire pack against you… and Ryder. ”
Kate’s breath caught when he entered moments later. After six years, his presence still filled the room like sunlight breaking through clouds.
But his eyes were dark with relief and guilt, a careful distance in his stance. “Kate,” her name fell from his lips like a prayer. He dropped to his knees beside her bed, taking her hand. When he pressed his lips to her fingers, she felt the slight tremble in his touch.
“What’s wrong? ” she asked. He gave a bitter laugh. “You’re asking me what’s wrong?
You almost died. I wasn’t going to die. You scared me half to death once, so I figured it was only fair to return the favor. ”
A chuckle escaped him, though tears gathered in his eyes.
He kissed her forehead. “Then should I go get your father? ” he asked. Kate nearly gaped.
After six years apart, he wanted to leave? “I’d rather just stay with you,” she said. He frowned, like he hadn’t heard her right. “Why?
”
“Why? Because I love you. ”
Raw anguish twisted his features. “Don’t.
Do not say that you love me. After I failed you so completely. After I abandoned you when you needed me. ”
“That wasn’t your fault.
”
“But it was! I didn’t fight for you. I didn’t come back for six years. ”
“You thought I was mated to another.
”
“And I never should have! ”
“Ryder Blackwood,” Kate sat up straight, fury lending her strength. “I didn’t survive six years stuck with a psychopath, didn’t fight tooth and nail to protect my pack and go through ten stupid trials to earn my freedom, to still be left without you. ”
He blinked, looking torn.
“Ryder,” she pointed to the chair beside her bed. “Get your ass back here, and you’re not leaving until I tell you to. Got it? ”
Love and awe flooded his expression as he obeyed.
“Yeah, got it. ”
“Good. And by the way, I’m never telling you to leave. So you better get used to being here.
I am upset that you left. I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt. But I lived with people under Silas’s curse for years. I know how powerful it was.
I know it wasn’t your fault. ”
He started to protest, but she tightened her grip on his collar. “Shut up. I love you.
I waited six years to have you back. We wasted enough time. Now I intend to keep you. ” Then for the first time, uncertainty crept into her voice.
“Unless… unless you’re not interested? ”
His kiss cut her off, pouring six years of love and regret and promise into the contact. Kate melted into him, knowing they had work ahead—years of hurt to heal, trust to rebuild.
But their love was worth it. It always had been.
