No one was watching the old woman. She stumbled through the rain-slick streets, muttering to herself, eyes unfocused. People stepped around her, hurried past. With the storm rolling in and the temperature dropping, she wouldn’t last the night.
Then a small hand took hers. Leora was fourteen years old, a street girl with no home and barely enough food to last her the next two days. She had a threadbare blanket, half a loaf of stale bread, and nothing else in the world that mattered. She wrapped the blanket around the old woman’s shoulders and pressed the bread into her shaking hands.
She did it because the woman was cold and alone, and Leora knew exactly what that felt like. A royal guard cutting through the flooded district caught a glimpse of the old woman’s face. He went pale. He dropped to one knee.
He called for backup with a voice that cracked halfway through the order. Leora hadn’t just rescued some confused old woman left to die in the rain. She’d rescued the Alpha King’s own mother. Now the king himself was coming, and no one knew what he’d do when he found out that a starving street orphan had saved the most important woman in the kingdom.
—
Leora’s fingers were numb when she found the old woman. The rain had turned vicious an hour ago. “Come on,” she said, tugging gently. “You can’t stay here.
”
The woman didn’t answer. Her eyes were lost, staring at something that wasn’t there. Her lips moved constantly, mumbling words Leora couldn’t make out. “He’s gone,” the woman mumbled.
“He’s gone. ”
Leora’s chest tightened, but she didn’t slow down. She guided the woman down the slope, bracing her when she stumbled, and ducked under the stone arch of the bridge. Her nook was just as she’d left it.
A few sacks piled against the wall, almost cozy if you didn’t think too hard. She unwrapped the cloth to reveal a chunk of bread. “Here,” she said, holding it out. The old woman shook her head.
And then she started sobbing. Deep, wrenching sobs that shook her whole body. “It’s all right,” Leora said softly. “You’re safe now.
”
“He’s gone,” the woman whispered. “Who? Who’s gone? ”
The old woman looked up, and Leora saw her clearly.
Beneath the wet tangles of hair and the tear-streaked face, there was something regal about her. And then her eyes turned gold. Leora jerked back, her heart jumping into her throat. “My mate,” the woman said, her voice breaking.
“I can’t feel him anymore. ”
Gold. The woman’s eyes had turned gold, and that could only mean one thing. Shifter.
Leora had heard stories. The king was a shifter. Most of the kingdom’s nobility were shifters. But they kept to themselves, so far above Leora’s world that she’d never seen one up close.
“Eat some bread,” Leora said gently. “Everything feels better when you’re not starving. ”
Before the woman could answer, the sound of hooves shattered the quiet. A dozen riders in black and silver, their cloaks streaming behind them.
The royal guard. In Leora’s experience, they meant nothing good. The riders slowed near the bridge. One spotted the nook and dismounted.
“You there. You can’t stay here. The water’s rising. You’ll both drown.
”
Leora stepped in front of the old woman. “We’ll be fine. ”
But the guard wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was squinting at the old woman, his face going pale.
Then he dropped to one knee. “Your Highness,” he said, his voice strangled. Leora glanced back, confused. “Do you know her?
”
The guard’s head snapped toward her. “Step away from the queen! ” he barked, drawing his sword. More riders appeared, surrounding the nook in seconds.
Two guards seized her arms. “Hey,” Leora said, her voice cracking. “I didn’t steal that bread. The baker gave it to me.
”
And then the old woman snarled. It wasn’t a human sound. Deep, guttural, wrong. Leora turned, and where the old woman had been sitting, there was now a massive white wolf, easily the size of a horse.
She pressed closer to Leora. A man stepped out of the rain. Tall, impossibly tall, dressed in black, his cloak pooling around his boots. His face was sharp and severe.
And when his eyes caught the torchlight, they glowed gold. “I’m glad you’re all right, Mother,” he said. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. ”
The wolf snarled again, pressing closer to Leora.
The king’s eyes turned to her. “Are you the one who found her? Is that why Arwin is so protective? ”
Leora’s mouth was dry.
The king waved a dismissive hand. The wolf shifted back into the old woman, shivering. The king wrapped his cloak around her shoulders. “Let’s get you back to the palace,” he said.
Then he paused and looked back at Leora. “Come, child. ”
She blinked. “What?
”
He nodded as if something had been decided. “Get in,” he said, gesturing to the carriage behind the horses. —
Inside the carriage, Arwin sat in the corner, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes closed. She looked smaller now, fragile.
“What happened to her? ” Leora asked hesitantly. The king sighed. “Her mate just died.
She’s suffering from bond sickness. It shocks the system. Sometimes it can be lethal. ”
Leora had heard of it.
The way shifters were bound to their mates, body and soul. It sounded terrifying. She was taken to the kitchens first. A long table piled with roasted chicken, fresh bread, vegetables she didn’t have names for.
Then a bathroom unlike anything she’d ever seen. Maids scrubbed her clean and washed her hair with something that smelled like flowers. “Where’s my dress? ” she managed.
One of the maids smiled. “It has been incinerated, miss. The king has asked for you. ”
The throne room was enormous.
Nobles crowded the edges, so finely dressed they looked like they’d stepped out of a painting. No one looked at her as she entered. Except for one person. A boy, about her age, stood near the front, dressed in deep blue and black.
His eyes, dark as midnight, locked onto her the moment she stepped through the doors. They widened slightly, his lips parting as if he’d been struck. He was beautiful. Sharp features, dark hair falling slightly into his eyes.
The king stood as they approached. “Leora,” he said. “You found and cared for Arwin. For this rare act of kindness, I would like to thank you.
”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m indebted to your kindness, but I—”
The king interrupted, his gaze shifting to the crowd. “Riven. Come forward.
”
The boy with the dark eyes stepped forward. His face, so open moments ago, was now perfectly blank. He stopped a few feet away and inclined his head. The king nodded toward Leora.
“What do you think, son? ”
Riven’s eyes flicked to her, and there was nothing soft in them now. “I’m not sure what to think of the street rat you’ve brought in, Your Majesty,” he said slowly. “Except perhaps that we should get rid of her at once.
”
Leora nearly stumbled back. Street rat. She’d been called worse on the streets. Somehow this hurt more.
“Excuse me,” she snapped. “Who are you calling a street rat? ”
A few gasps rippled through the crowd. Riven turned to her slowly, one eyebrow raised.
“It’s ‘who are you calling a street rat, Your Highness? ’”
The king watched them both, something gleaming in his eyes that looked almost like satisfaction. “Riven, meet Leora. She’s my new ward.
”
“Your new what? ” Riven asked. “She displayed kindness and bravery when she had no reason to,” the king said. “Perhaps you could learn a thing or two, son.
”
Quiet laughter rippled through the court. Riven’s gaze cut back to her, daring her to say something. But her throat was too tight. She looked away, her eyes stinging with tears she refused to let fall.
—
The next few days passed in a blur of confusion and luxury. Leora was dressed every morning, fed three meals a day. She slept in a bed so soft she kept waking up in surprise. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that it would all be taken away.
On the fourth day, she was brought to court. The throne room was less crowded, mostly younger people, nobles’ children. No one spoke to her. Then Riven appeared.
He cidled up to her. “Does anyone else smell something? ” he drawled, loud enough for everyone to hear. He turned to her.
“Oh, it’s you. Can’t quite get that stench of filth off, can you? No matter how many times you bathe. ”
Leora’s face burned, but she didn’t look away.
She’d survived years on the streets. She could handle one spoiled prince. “I’m surprised you can even lift that big head of yours,” she said sweetly, “with the weight of all that privilege you wear. ”
Silence.
Then laughter, sharp and delighted. Riven’s face went red. “How dare you talk to me that way? ”
Everyone snapped to attention.
The king strode toward them, his expression dark. But his gaze wasn’t on Leora. It was on Riven. “That is no way for the heir to the throne to conduct himself,” the king said coldly.
“You will take Leora under your wing. She’s new to court. You will help her. ”
Riven’s jaw clenched.
Behind the king’s back, Leora stuck her tongue out at him. The only friend she had in the palace was Arwin. The queen mother had been recovering slowly. But when she was herself, she was kind, patient.
“I still don’t understand why the king took me in,” Leora said quietly. Arwin reached over and took her hand. “You shared when you had nothing. The king rewarded you for it.
I’m glad. ”
“The prince seems to resent me for being here. ”
Arwin’s expression softened. “Riven doesn’t warm to people easily.
He’s grown withdrawn since his mother’s death, and he has a difficult relationship with the king, who’s always been too hard on him. ” She paused. “He’s more bark than bite, I assure you. ”
Leora wasn’t convinced.
Months passed. Leora soaked up everything she could. How to curtsy, which fork to use, how to walk without tripping over her skirts. She tried to make herself smaller, less noticeable.
But Riven wouldn’t let her. He used every opportunity to antagonize her, and Leora couldn’t help but bite back. It came to a head during a dancing lesson. As Leora spun past him, Riven stepped on the back of her dress.
She went sprawling forward with a yelp. Laughter erupted. Leora scrambled to her feet, her face burning. The next time Riven moved past her, she stuck her foot out.
He went down hard, arms flailing, and hit the floor with a satisfying thud. The laughter doubled. King Edris strode into the room, his expression thunderous. “You two.
Together. Now. ”
They stepped toward each other slowly. Riven held out his hand, and Leora took it, her skin prickling at the contact.
The music started, and they began to move. Dancing with Riven felt like holding a live wire. He sneered down at her. “Enjoying the view, sister?
”
The word was a weapon. “Please desist in breathing on me,” she said. “I’ll gag. ”
The king pushed them closer together.
“Again. You’ll need to hold court someday, Riven. You need to know how to hold a lady properly. ”
This time was worse.
Riven’s body was tense against hers. “It would be wise,” he whispered, “if you didn’t look at me like that. ”
Leora’s face went up in flames. She shoved at his chest, but he held her there, finishing the dance with infuriating precision.
It became a pattern. They couldn’t help but bicker. When they were caught, the king punished them by forcing them together. It never worked.
It only left Riven more furious and Leora somehow flustered. —
Eight years later. The banquet hall glittered. Foreign diplomats mingled with nobles.
Leora stood near one of the tall windows, a glass of wine in her hand. She was twenty-two now, eight years since the king had pulled her from the streets and declared her his ward. Most days she still felt like an impostor, but she’d gotten good at hiding it. She moved closer to the king.
“The Delvarian envoy,” she murmured. “Third conversation with Lord Crane this evening. They keep glancing at the eastern delegation. Crane mentioned grain tariffs twice, both times when he thought no one was listening.
”
The king didn’t turn, but a smile curved his lips. When the ambassador excused himself, the king took her hand and raised it to his lips. “My dear,” he said warmly. Leora’s chest loosened.
For now, she was still valuable, still useful. Then she saw Riven. He stood across the room, Lady Marrow talking at him, leaning in too close. His responses were clipped, but she didn’t deter.
Riven had grown into himself in a way that was frankly unfair. All sharp angles and lean muscle, dark eyes that could pin you in place. People were desperate to be the one who finally thawed the prince. As if he could feel her staring, his gaze cut across the room and locked onto hers.
He lifted his chin. A dare. She lifted hers right back. “Lady Leora.
” A young man appeared at her elbow. “I was wondering if you’d honor me with a—”
Riven dropped into the seat beside her with all the grace of a storm rolling in. “Go away, Ashford. She doesn’t like you.
”
Lord Ashford’s face went red. He stammered and fled. Leora turned to Riven. “You don’t have to be rude, Your Highness.
”
His mouth curved. “I see Lady Marrow continues to vie for your affections. ”
“I’ve met dead fish with better personalities,” he said. Leora barked out a laugh before she could stop herself.
Lady Marrow’s head snapped up, eyes narrowing. “Must you always cause such a scene? ” Riven said. “You’re not even one of us, yet you have the manners of an animal.
”
Leora fought the urge to pout. Riven loved reminding her that she wasn’t a shifter. It hadn’t bothered her before. But ever since she’d seen him shift for the first time—the massive black wolf with eyes like fire—something had changed.
She’d felt small, lesser, fascinated in a way that made her deeply uncomfortable. “At least I don’t grow fur,” she said primly. Without looking at her, Riven loaded food onto her plate. “You seem to like it well enough, seeing how you stare at me, sister.
”
Leora’s face went hot. “You wish I stare? ” She jabbed her fork at him. His hand shot out and slapped it from her grip.
Riven leaned closer. “And why would I wish for that when all you do is annoy me? ”
A servant appeared with a fresh fork. Riven spooned cranberries onto her plate.
Her favorite. “If I’m so annoying,” she said, licking the juice from her lips, “go sit somewhere else. ”
Riven’s gaze locked onto her mouth. His pupils dilated, his breathing hitched.
Then he shoved away from the table so hard his wine glass toppled and stalked off without a word. Her heart pounded. He was always doing this, always leaving her in a state of complete discomposure while he walked away perfectly composed. Arwin appeared a moment later.
“What did my grandson say to you? ”
“Nothing. I’m used to him. ”
After the feast, Lord Ashford approached her, his earlier embarrassment replaced by a tentative smile.
“You seem deep in thought. ”
“Yes,” Leora said, seizing the distraction. “Please save me from them. ”
He laughed, looking pleased.
Anything to stop thinking about Riven’s eyes, his hands. —
After the banquet, the king became a ghost. The foreign delegation remained, but Leora had no idea what was being negotiated. Usually, he’d have her listening at doors.
When she was summoned to lunch, relief flooded through her. But Riven fell into step beside her. “Why do you keep stalking my sister, Ashford? ” Riven asked when Lord Ashford took her hand.
“Perhaps he just enjoys my company,” Leora said. She realized her mistake the instant Riven’s expression shifted. His jaw clenched. “What are your intentions, sir?
She’s a human. You’re a noble wolf. Clearly you don’t plan to ask for her hand. Your family would never approve.
”
The words punched through Leora’s chest. Hearing Riven state it so plainly—exposing his true thoughts—felt like he was drawing a line in the sand, telling her exactly which side she belonged on. And it wasn’t his. Tears pricked her eyes.
She turned and walked away. Over the next few days, she avoided him. When he approached, she walked away. When he tried to speak, she turned to someone else.
“I’ve been thinking about matches, marriage,” she told Sir Gus, her only real friend at court. “Maybe it would be good to get away. Start a family somewhere away from court. ”
“You mean away from your stepbrother?
”
“He isn’t my brother. He isn’t my anything. ”
Gus said nothing, just watched her with knowing eyes. “I’m not a shifter.
I’m not even really a noble. The king could send me away at any time. I need to consider my future. ”
—
That night, Leora stood before her mirror in a silver dress that shimmered like moonlight.
She wanted to feel pretty, wanted, like she had options. The ballroom was crowded. She stepped through the doors, and immediately, inevitably, her eyes found Riven. His gaze locked onto her, and his entire body went still.
His jaw dropped just slightly. She turned and plunged into the crowd, searching for Lord Ashford. She found him in a corner with Lady Marrow. “Oh, Leora,” Lady Marrow said sweetly, her voice carrying.
“I see you’ve met my cousin. ”
Lord Ashford stared at his feet, face red. “Did you really think a noble would be interested in the likes of you? He was merely doing me a favor.
Prince Riven has an awful habit of lingering around you. With you occupied, I had more time with him. ” She shrugged elegantly. “But it seems I’ve been wasting my time, so there’s no need for my dear cousin to keep consorting with trash.
”
The first tear slipped down Leora’s cheek before she could stop it. And then Riven was there. He moved into Lady Marrow’s face like a predator. “I should take your head for your impertinence.
To question Leora is to question the king’s judgment. Leave this court. You’re banished until further notice. ”
Then his fist connected with Ashford’s face with a sickening crack.
Ashford went down hard, blood streaming from his nose. Riven grabbed Leora’s arm and pulled her through a side door into a deserted hallway, slamming it behind them. He pressed her against the wall. “I hope you’re proud of yourself, letting those two idiots humiliate you like that.
After years living here, you should know better. ”
“Stop,” she whispered. And then she was crying, pressing her hands to her face. “Lea,” he said, her name barely a whisper.
Slowly, like he was afraid she might shatter, he reached up and cupped her face in his hands. “I’m sorry. ” His thumbs brushed away her tears. Leora’s gaze dropped to his mouth.
She wanted him to kiss her. The realization hit her like lightning. Riven’s breathing changed. His eyes darkened.
He was looking at her mouth, too. Her eyes fluttered closed. The sound of breaking glass shattered the moment. Riven jerked back like he’d been burned.
The king’s voice rang out from the ballroom. “If I could have everyone’s attention, please. I have an announcement to make. ”
—
They made their way back in silence.
“Riven! Where is my son? ” the king called. “Come up here.
”
When Riven reached the stage, the king clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you all for being here tonight. This marks a momentous occasion—the joining of two kingdoms. Please raise your glasses and toast to the engagement of Princess Celestine of Valeris and my son, Prince Riven.
”
The room erupted in cheers. Leora found a glass of champagne in her hand. She didn’t remember taking it. She downed it in one burning gulp.
Engaged. Riven was engaged. She slipped through the crowd and pushed through a side door into the gardens. She reached the far end where the lawns gave way to wild forest, found the crumbling section of wall she’d discovered years ago, and scrambled over it.
A scream tore from her throat. She sank to the forest floor, pressing her hands against the earth. “Where do you think you’re going? ”
Riven stood a few feet away, jacket gone, wearing only a thin black shirt.
“Could be dangerous out here alone. ”
“You left the ball,” he said. “The king did not give you leave to go. ”
“I don’t need your permission,” she snapped.
Reality crashed back in. Riven, who was engaged, was alone with her in the forest. “You can’t be here. It’s not appropriate.
”
“Appropriate? For who? ”
“You don’t understand how precarious my place here is. I have no claim to anything.
I’m here because the king allows it, and that could change at any moment. ”
“And you have no idea the pressure I’m under. I’ve just been forced into an engagement I don’t want. ”
Leora froze.
“You didn’t want this engagement? ”
Riven’s dark eyes locked onto hers. “Of course not. Why would I want to marry some princess when I—”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
His defenses fell away, and his mouth crashed into hers. Kissing him back was as easy as breathing. His hands slid down her body until they cupped the back of her thighs, and he lifted her effortlessly. She wrapped her legs around his waist without thinking.
“You’ll ruin me,” she gasped between kisses. “Should I stop? ”
“No. Please don’t.
”
He carried her to the clearing and laid her down on the soft moss. His weight was solid and real and right. “Utterly ruined,” he breathed, his eyes dark and hungry. Leora giggled, and he smiled.
Actually smiled. Rare and beautiful and devastating. When they finally came together, Leora felt the earth shift beneath her. He wasn’t just a part that fit.
He was something she never knew she was missing. Afterward, they lay tangled on the moss. Riven pulled her close and pressed kiss after kiss to her face. I love him, she realized.
I’ve always loved him. She wanted to say it. But before she could, he kissed her again, and she lost the ability to form words at all. —
Leora awoke to sunlight streaming through her window and an empty bed.
For a moment, panic fluttered. Then she saw the indent in the pillow beside hers, felt the pleasant ache, and memory flooded back. They’d snuck back to her room in the early hours. He’d been insatiable.
The sheets smelled like him. He must have left early to avoid being seen. She bathed thoroughly, scrubbing every inch of her skin. The last thing she needed was someone catching Riven’s scent on her.
She wondered how the king would take the news. The engagement was a political alliance, but surely the happiness of his only son would matter more. He’d always liked her. At breakfast, the king called her over.
“Did you enjoy yourself last night? ”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” she said, focusing very hard on her plate. “Lady Celestine would like you to join us for dinner tonight. You’re my ward, and she’s smart to cultivate a relationship with you.
She’ll be part of this family soon. ”
The words felt like ice water down her spine. That evening, she told herself that when she saw Riven, everything would be okay. But when she entered the private dining room, Riven was already there, standing beside Princess Celestine.
He didn’t leave her side, not once. “What do you think of a winter wedding? ” Princess Celestine asked sweetly. “All that snow.
I think it would be romantic. ”
Riven sent her a brief look. “Sure,” he said. Leora’s heart cracked.
She stared at him, willing him to look at her, but his gaze stayed fixed on anything and anyone except her. He’d made her feel things she’d never felt before. Now he was putting her behind the same wall of cold indifference where he kept everyone else. When the king finally pushed back from the table, Leora stood too quickly.
“If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty, all the excitement has caught up with me. I think I need to lie down. ”
She curtsied and fled. She made it halfway to her room before the weight in her chest became unbearable.
“Leora. ” Sir Gus hurried toward her. “Are you well? ”
“I’m afraid not.
I can’t stay in the palace. Don’t ask me to explain, Gus. I just need to go. I can’t breathe here.
”
Gus’s eyes widened, but he searched her face and must have seen something that convinced him. He nodded slowly. “I know a place. ”
—
The cottage appeared through the trees, small and modest, ivy climbing the stone walls.
Leora stared at it and felt nothing. “My family owns it. Only a cook and a maid stay here,” Gus said. “It’s quiet.
You can recuperate. ”
Before he could leave, Leora caught his sleeve. “You have to keep this secret. No one can know where I am.
”
Gus studied her face. “To really keep it secret, I’d have to cover our tracks. A shifter could track you. Do I need to cover your tracks, Leora?
”
She averted her gaze but nodded. A month passed. She couldn’t get out of bed, could barely lift her head. All she could do was think about Riven.
Their night together. His eyes on hers. And then how he’d sat beside Princess Celestine and agreed to a winter wedding. The maid brought soup and tried to coax her to eat.
Her condition only worsened. The nausea became constant. “There’s something going on, Leora. This isn’t normal grief,” Gus said.
The doctor visited. “Congratulations,” he said. “You’re with child. ”
Leora stared at him, her mind blank.
Pregnant with Riven’s child. All she wanted, all she wanted was to tell him, to have him here. But he’d chosen someone else. “I think we should get you back to the palace,” Gus said carefully.
“No. Better for the king to think I’ve run away than for him to know I’ve—” She couldn’t finish. Gus hesitated. “And the father?
”
Leora tensed. “Just some footman after too much champagne. A mistake. ” The lie tasted bitter, but Gus didn’t press.
Two months passed. Slowly, Leora grew stronger. She spent her days walking through the small garden, her hand resting on her stomach, talking softly to the life growing inside her. She was growing attached to the baby.
Fiercely, protectively attached. And then there was the fear that kept her awake at night. The baby was his. A scandal that could damage alliances.
Would Riven protect her? Would the king? “I’ll protect you,” she whispered to her baby. “I promise.
”
The knock came late one afternoon. Anna and the cook had gone to town, leaving Leora alone by the fire. She pulled the door open and froze. Riven stood before her.
He looked wrong. Huge dark bags under his eyes, breathing too fast, his eyes wild and fevered. “Leora. You were gone.
Why did you leave? ”
Then his hands were in her hair, his lips on her face, kissing her like a man starved. For one second, she couldn’t help herself. She kissed him back.
But then reality crashed back in. “I’m not your plaything, Riven. ”
He began to scent her, his nose dragging along her throat almost desperately. He inhaled deeply and tensed.
“You smell different,” he said, pulling back. Slowly, his gaze dropped to her stomach. He dropped to his knees. “Are you with child?
”
“Please leave,” she said, pushing him away. He stood, and she saw with shock that his eyes were watery with tears. “Leora, is it mine? ”
She didn’t reply.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have—”
“You would have what? ” she interrupted. “You’re engaged, Riven.
”
“Is that why you left? Because of the engagement? ”
“What did you expect? That I’d stand there and act like Celestine’s bridesmaid?
”
“I don’t care about her, Leora. I only want you. We could run away. Leave all of this behind.
I love you. ”
Her heart broke. She loved him too. She’d loved him for years.
But she was scared. She didn’t trust him anymore. “Go home to your fiancée, Your Highness,” she said coldly. He looked like she’d run him through with a sword.
She slammed the door in his face. Then she leaned against it and slid to the floor, muffling her sobs. —
For the longest time, Leora sat with her back pressed against the door. She needed to think.
When the knock came, she didn’t move. “Leora. ” Gus’s voice was muffled. He stepped inside, took one look at her, and said softly, “Oh, Leora.
”
He made her tell him everything. “Let me get this straight,” Gus said slowly. “The father of your child isn’t some random footman. ”
“No.
”
“The father of your child is the crown prince. Our future king. ”
Leora grimaced. “Our future king, who you’ve basically been in love with your entire life.
The man you love, who loves you, is the father of your child. And he offered to drop everything—his engagement, the crown, his entire life—to be with you. And you told him you weren’t interested. ”
Leora felt heat rush to her face.
“When you phrase it like that, it sounds awful. ”
“Because it is awful. He kept his engagement after we—he—you— Leora said defensively. ”
“But did you talk to him?
Ask what he planned to do? The engagement is tied to a political alliance. Breaking it can’t be done in five minutes. ”
Leora blinked.
She hadn’t thought about that. “Oh gods. ”
“You owe it to yourself and your child to discuss this with him properly. ”
“When he’s there, I can’t think.
I just react. ”
“It sounds like a bond,” Gus said, frowning. Leora froze. She remembered Riven’s glassy eyes, the fevered skin, the way he’d said you were gone like it had destroyed him.
And she remembered Arwin that night in the rain, lost and delirious after losing her mate. “But we never—we never completed a bond,” Leora couldn’t finish. “Try to focus. If you have a bond, even an incomplete one, you should be able to sense him.
And it would explain why you were so unwell when you arrived. You got worse when Riven got worse. ”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with Riven?
”
“He’s been unwell. Erratic. Not himself since you left. ”
Leora closed her eyes.
At first, there was nothing. Then something in her chest snapped, irrevocably broken, like a string pulled too tight, finally severing. And through the break, she felt pain. Not hers.
His. She ran out into the falling night. She felt a pull, weak and stuttering like a candle about to go out. It grew weaker with every step, fading like a dying heartbeat.
Then she tripped over something. Someone. Riven lay unconscious on the forest floor. He was burning up, his skin so hot it hurt to touch.
But there was no injury. No blood. Gus arrived behind her, breathing hard. “Definitely bonding sickness.
”
“But we’re not bonded. We never completed a bond. ”
“That’s the problem. ” Gus ran a finger over one of Riven’s inflamed veins.
“I’ve never seen a case this bad. Riven must have been holding this at bay for years. ”
Years. He’d known for years that they were mates, and he’d never said anything.
“We need to get him inside,” Gus said. Nothing would bring his fever down. Leora grabbed Gus’s arm. “What do I do?
How do we help him? ”
Gus hesitated. “Nothing can help apart from completing the bond. And I don’t think he’ll survive this.
”
The words hit her like a physical blow. She turned back to Riven, taking his face in her hands. “You have to wake up. Please, please wake up.
”
He remained unresponsive. “You don’t have to claim him if you don’t want to,” Gus said quietly. “You’re human. You’ll survive the broken bond.
”
But Leora knew she couldn’t do that. “Leave us,” she said. When the door closed, she leaned down and pressed her forehead against his. She’d loved Riven for so long, had fought against it, denied it, tried to bury it under anger and pride and fear.
But it had always been there. “I love you, too. Of course I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.
” She bent and kissed him, soft and gentle, pouring everything she felt into it. “And you are mine. ”
He didn’t move. She pressed her fingers to his neck.
His pulse was there, barely. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. ”
For a long moment, there was nothing but silence and the sound of her crying.
And then she felt it—the faintest flutter against her chest. Arms wrapping around her. She pulled back with a gasp. Riven’s eyes were open.
Barely. “Say you love me again,” he murmured. A sob tore out of her, half laugh, half cry. “Always so bossy.
”
His emotions flooded through her—relief, joy, love so overwhelming it stole her breath. “You need rest. You almost died. ”
“I don’t need rest.
I only need you. ” He pulled her into a kiss, desperate and claiming. Afterward, they lay tangled together in the dark, his arms wrapped around her, her head on his chest. “Riven, why hold back all these years?
Why not tell me we were mates? ”
He tensed. “Because of my father. He already knows.
I knew you were mine the second I saw you. But it was clear he had brought you to court with some plan in mind. At first I thought it was to pit me against you. So I acted like I thought he expected me to act, for your protection and mine.
”
She hugged him tighter. “It was only later I realized. He planned to use my attachment to you as leverage. If I ever refused him, he threatened to send you away.
”
Leora gasped. She’d been right to question the king’s motives. He’d never cared for her. He’d only used her as a tool to manipulate his son.
“What happened the night of the engagement? I went to my father. I felt our bond snap more firmly into place, and I thought he wouldn’t separate me from my mate. I told him we were as good as fully bonded.
I’ve never seen him so angry. He told me I had to marry Celestine, that if I didn’t, he wouldn’t just send you away. ” His voice dropped. “For the first time, he threatened to hurt you.
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to agree, but I was afraid for you. So I agreed, to buy us time. ”
“You’ve done nothing wrong.
”
“I’ve done everything wrong. When you left for the first time, he had nothing to threaten me with. So I left too. I’ve been searching for you ever since.
” He took her face in his hands. “I’ve already renounced my claim to the throne. None of it matters. You’re what matters.
You and our child. ”
Tears streamed down Leora’s face. But for the first time in months, they were happy tears. “Riven, I want you to do it.
”
Something dark and possessive sparked in his eyes. “There’s no going back if I do. ”
She nodded. He took her wrist gently and brought it to his mouth.
His eyes held hers as he bit down, hard enough to break the skin, to leave the perfect imprint of his teeth. She gasped at the sharp pain, then at the pleasure that flooded through the bond as he licked away the blood. The marks remained on her wrist, already beginning to scar. “Your turn,” Riven said, his voice rough.
She leaned forward and bit down hard on his shoulder. Riven groaned, a sound of pure pleasure. When she pulled back, the imprint of her teeth remained on his skin. “He can’t reach us now,” Riven said softly, pulling her back into his arms.
“We only belong to each other. ”
—
The next few days passed like a dream. Gus returned and found Riven on his feet, color returned to his face, the terrible fever finally broken. “I won’t tell the king where you are,” Gus promised.
“Stay as long as you like. The cottage is yours. ”
And so they did. Leora could hardly believe the difference in Riven.
Gone was the cold, controlled prince. This Riven was warm, open. He smiled easily, laughed easily. He was finally himself, free from his father’s manipulation.
But as the weeks passed, troubling news filtered in through Gus’s visits. The palace was in disarray. With Riven’s renunciation, the line of succession was broken. The king was furious.
Foreign delegations demanded answers. The kingdom was falling apart. Riven and Leora began making quiet plans to move to a neighboring kingdom. And then Arwin arrived.
Leora answered the door and found the queen mother on the doorstep, a small guard detail behind her. “Ah, there you are,” Arwin said, her eyes twinkling. “I assume you know where my grandson is. ”
Arwin stepped inside and took Riven’s face in her hands.
“There you are, my boy. Finally, the light has returned to your eyes. ”
They sat by the fire. “Edris is going out of his mind,” Arwin said bluntly.
“The palace is in chaos, but the king has no one to blame but himself. ” Her gaze turned sharp. “You are mated now. Truly, properly mated.
And more than that. ” Her eyes dropped to Leora’s stomach, where a small but unmistakable curve had begun to show. “You carry the future of the kingdom. Nothing is more important than the succession.
Even Edris cannot deny that. And you, my boy, are still the rightful heir. ”
“I renounced my claim. ”
“Under duress.
Everyone knows it. The nobles will support you. The people will support you. I propose you return.
”
Riven shook his head. “I won’t risk Leora or the baby. If my father—”
“Your father is a politician. A manipulator.
When my mate died and I became numb with grief, it was he who made sure I wandered off and got lost. He thinks I don’t know, but I do. He was hoping I wouldn’t come back. And you found me, protected me, and thwarted his plans.
He’s had a thing against you ever since. ”
Leora stared at her. All these years, she’d thought the king had been grateful. How wrong she’d been.
And it had almost cost her her mate. She reached for Riven’s hand, threading her fingers through his. She’d seen the kind of man he was these past few weeks, free from his father’s shadow. He would make a great king.
But mostly, he would be free. And that’s what she wanted for him. “I think we should do it,” Leora said softly. Riven turned to her, his eyes searching her face.
“I’m not afraid of your father. And the kingdom needs you, Riven. Needs the kind of king you’ll be. ”
Something shifted in his expression.
The doubt faded, replaced by determination. “All right,” he said. “We’ll go back. ”
Whatever battles lay ahead, whatever storms they would have to weather, they would face them together.
And that was all that mattered.
