Rejected by the King, Bound to the Twins

[POV Eve ] Alpha King Cole rejected me in front of the Thirteen Packs during the Luna Ceremony. His expression shuttered as he ripped the moon-silver mantle from my shoulders. His voice, cold enough to freeze steel, echoed across the silent hall. "Eve has no wolf. She is unfit to be my Luna." The entire room erupted into laughter. The sound crawled under my skin as I was dragged away, exiled to the Dead Mines of the Northern Border. Before I left, he tossed two low-born guards at my feet like garbage. One was completely mute. The other was feral, lost to bloodlust. "A fitting pair for a wolf-less mate," Cole had sneered. Three years later, on the eve of his royal wedding, he sent for me. "The Alpha King is merciful," the Royal Envoy announced, standing before our ragged mine fortress. He held up a royal decree, the crest of the Thirteen Packs glinting under the pale sun. "He is willing to offer you a second chance." Behind me, Sion sat by the fire, methodically running a whetstone down the edge of his blade. Rick leaned close to me, his teeth catching the string of my cloak, biting the knot loose with a lazy, feral smirk. Rick raised his golden eyes. "Tell Cole," Rick growled softly, "she's busy tonight." The Envoy’s smug smile faltered. The royal crest trembled in his hand. Rick tugged the cloak from my shoulders, his calloused thumb brushing over the old scar near my collarbone. "Does the Alpha King not speak the common tongue? Or has the Royal Pack stopped handing out brains over the last three years?" The Envoy’s face purpled. He took a step forward, his boots crunching on the snow. "You’re nothing but a feral mutt gifted to a discarded mate. You don’t speak for her." Rick barked a laugh. He tossed my cloak over the back of a chair. "Discarded?" *Shing.* The sound of Sion’s blade sliding off the whetstone was barely a whisper, yet it made the Envoy stumble back. I placed a hand on Rick’s tense arm. "Let him finish." The Envoy puffed out his chest, finding his false courage again. "His Majesty is feeling nostalgic. He’s willing to revoke the Northern exile order. If Lady Eve leaves tonight and begs for forgiveness before the Moon Stone prior to tomorrow’s wedding, His Majesty will grant you a second Mate Trial." I stared at the rolled-up parchment. I didn't reach for it. "Beg?" The Envoy shoved the decree closer, that sickening pity typical of Central elites plastered on his face. "It’s a blessing. You humiliated the Royal Pack three years ago. The fact that the King didn’t execute you is mercy enough." Rick leaned against my back, his tongue running over his elongated canines. "She humiliated them?" The Envoy ignored him, keeping his eyes pinned on me. "Lady Vera of the Crimson Plains Pack will be crowned the new Luna Queen tomorrow. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be grateful she’s allowing you to return as a shadow mate to stabilize the King’s broken bond." My fingers dug into the edge of the wooden table. *A shadow mate.* A glorified breeder and blood bank. This wasn’t a second chance. He just wanted me back as medicine for his wedding. Sion lifted his head. His cold, grey eyes locked onto the Envoy’s trembling hand. He didn’t utter a single syllable, but the heavy, suffocating aura of a predator filled the room. The Envoy swallowed hard. "You dare glare at me, mute? Don’t forget who cut you two down from the torture racks." Rick sighed. He picked up a rough-cut silver coin from the table and flicked his thumb. The silver flashed through the air, slicing right past the Envoy’s ear to bury itself deep into the doorframe. Blood beaded on the Envoy’s torn earlobe, but he was too terrified to scream. Rick tilted his head. "Hard to forget. That’s why I dream about ripping his throat out every single night." I reached out and took the royal decree. The Envoy let out a shaky breath, his words tumbling out in a rush. "Lady Eve, the carriage is waiting. Don’t let these low-born freaks cloud your judgment. The Alpha King is your fated mate. You’ve lived with these two for three years... the rumors in the capital are already ugly enough." I unrolled the parchment. There was no pardon. No restoration of my title. Just a blood contract stamped with the King’s seal. *Eve willingly submits to Alpha Cole, surrenders the Northern silver veins to the Royal Pack, confesses to harboring outcast rogues, and offers her blood to heal the King’s rejection backlash.* A dry laugh bubbled up my throat. The Envoy frowned. "What’s so funny?" I tossed the parchment straight into the fire. As the edges curled and blackened, the Envoy’s face drained of color. "You burned the King’s seal!" He lunged forward, but Rick’s hand clamped down on his shoulder. With a vicious kick to the back of the knees, Rick forced him to the floor. The Envoy cried out in pain as his kneecaps hit the stone. "You feral freak!" the Envoy shrieked. "You’ll be skinned alive for this!" Rick leaned down, his voice a dark purr against the man's ear. "Keep barking, and I’ll skin you first." I watched the fire consume the royal crest. Suddenly, the old scar on my chest burned. Three years ago, when Cole rejected our fated bond, the agony in my chest had been so violent I’d coughed up blood. Now, three years later, he was dying from the backlash, and he wanted me on my knees to save him. *Cute.* The heavy thud of hooves interrupted my thoughts. Another squad of Royal Guards pulled up to the fortress. Leading them was a she-wolf draped in crimson silk. She sat perfectly perched on her horse, stroking a white raven nestled in her arms. Vera. Her eyes swept over me, then darted to Sion and Rick. She smiled, sweet as poison. "Sister Eve," Vera cooed. "His Majesty worried you might be too shy to return, so he sent me to escort you personally." The Envoy, spotting his chance, scrambled forward. "Lady Vera! Save me!" Vera didn’t even glance at him. She just held the white raven out toward me. Tied to the bird’s talon was a glowing shard of the Moon Stone. The moment it drew near, the bond scar on my chest flared with white-hot agony. My knees buckled. Rick’s expression shattered. He caught me before I hit the ground. "Eve!" Sion was on his feet in an instant, his blade drawn. The firelight danced across the lethal edge of the steel. Vera’s smile widened. "Look at that, Sister. The Moon Stone still recognizes you. If you don't come back, Alpha Cole will die of the pain tonight." I gritted my teeth, cold sweat slicking my palms. Vera reached out, pretending to brush my cheek. "You see? You’re still his property." Sion stepped forward, the flat of his blade slapping against her wrist to block the touch. Vera blinked, feigning innocence. "A mute mutt wants to steal the King’s mate?" Rick pulled me flush against his back, a low, rumbling growl vibrating through his chest. "She’s not property. And she sure as hell isn't his." Vera tilted her head, her voice sickeningly soft. "Then whose is she?" Sion finally spoke. His voice was rough, gravelly from years of silence, but his tone left no room for argument. "Ours."