Rejected by the King, Bound to the Twins

Chapter 3

[POV Eve]

"The Alpha King ordered that Lady Eve must remain awake for the journey."

Inside the swaying carriage, the Envoy held out a silver bowl filled with murky, foul-smelling liquid. Vera sat across from me, the white raven perched on her knee, its beady black eyes fixed on my chest.

I stared at the bowl. I didn't take it. "Is he afraid I’ll run, or is he afraid of facing me while I’m conscious?"

The Envoy shoved the bowl closer. "It’s a blood-stabilizer. Your bond with the King has been fractured for three years. You need to be subdued before you re-enter the capital."

Vera chuckled softly. "Don't misunderstand, Sister. Cole is just worried your fragile body won't handle the Moon Stone’s scrutiny. After all, you don't have a wolf."

*You don't have a wolf.*

She dragged the words out, savoring them. Just like the elites of the Thirteen Packs used to whisper as I walked by.

*Eve, the wolf-less.*

*Eve, the broken mate.*

*Eve, the pity case who tried to climb the social ladder through a fated bond.*

Until Cole shoved me off the ladder himself.

The Envoy scowled when I still didn't move. "Lady Eve, don't force our hand. You aren't a Luna anymore. You’re a recalled criminal."

I slowly reached out and took the bowl.

Triumph flared in Vera’s eyes. "That's better. Be a good girl, and I might ask Cole to give you a heated room so you don't have to sleep in the dirt anymore."

I lowered my head and sniffed the dark liquid.

Wolfbane. And bone-melting vine.

Three years ago, when Sian and Rick were dumped in the North, they reeked of this exact potion. Sian had burned with a fever for seven days, unable to make a sound. Rick had been locked in a rusted cage, smashing his skull against the bars during his feral episodes while the Royal Guards took bets on when he’d finally snap his own neck.

I hadn't known anything about medicine back then. I just crushed every herb I could find and stuffed them into their bleeding wounds.

Later, when the capital stopped sending our rations, I traded with Old Finn for botanical scrolls. I mined by day and memorized poison flora by night.

Cole thought I would rot and die in the Dead Mines.

But dead girls don't keep tax ledgers. And dead girls don't learn how to heal.

I lifted the silver bowl to my lips. Then, with a flick of my wrist, I dumped the entire concoction over the Envoy’s polished leather boots.

The Envoy gaped at his feet.

Vera’s smile vanished. "Sister, what do you think you’re doing?"

I placed the empty bowl neatly back into his trembling hands. "My hand slipped."

"You b***h—" The Envoy lunged, reaching for my hair.

A bloodcurdling howl shattered the night air.

The horses panicked, rearing up violently. The carriage lurched sideways, sending the Envoy crashing face-first into the floorboards.

Vera gripped her raven, her face draining of color. "Who’s out there?"

The carriage curtain was ripped open by the tip of a blade.

It wasn't Sian. It wasn't Rick.

A she-wolf with a severed ear—one of my outcasts—poked her head in and gave me a cheeky wink. "My Lady. Lord Rick wanted me to ask if you'd like to catch a ride back home."

A laugh bubbled up my throat.

Vera snarled and grabbed my wrist, her manicured nails digging into my flesh. "You colluded with them?!"

I didn't answer. I just twisted my arm and pressed two fingers hard against her pulse point.

After wrestling feral wolves for three years, I knew exactly which nerve clusters caused temporary paralysis. Vera gasped, all the strength instantly fleeing her arm as her grip went slack.

The Envoy groaned, trying to push himself up, but the one-eared she-wolf grabbed him by the collar and yanked him straight out of the moving carriage. A heavy thud sounded outside, followed by silence.

Vera stared at me, raw hatred finally replacing her sweet mask. "You play the victim so well."

I threw back the curtain.

The Royal Guards were scattered in the snowdrifts below. The Northern miners were swarming out of the trenches, tossing ropes around the horses' legs and throwing powdered silver into the wind. The silver dust blinded the Royal Guards, preventing them from shifting.

It was a dirty, underhanded tactic.

But in the North, surviving was more important than fighting fair.

Vera let out a sharp, cruel laugh. "Eve, you think you’ve won? You can't run."

She raised the white raven and clamped her fingers mercilessly around its neck.

The bird let out a strangled squawk. The Moon Stone shard strapped to its leg flared with blinding light.

An invisible chain wrapped around my heart and *pulled*. The agony was explosive. I collapsed, my knees slamming hard into the carriage floor.

"My Lady!" the one-eared she-wolf screamed from outside.

Vera leaned over me, her breath hot against my ear. "Cole’s blood is in that stone. And so is yours. As long as you breathe, it will drag you back to him."

I couldn't speak through the pain. The bone ring Sian gave me grew searing hot against my thumb.

Outside, Rick’s furious roar shook the trees. "Smash that damn bird!"

Vera’s eyes widened. She shoved past me and leaped out of the carriage.

Rick had already torn through the royal vanguard. A crossbow bolt was buried deep in his shoulder, but he didn't seem to feel it. His golden eyes were glowing with lethal intent.

Sion was right behind him, his blade dripping fresh blood into the snow. Behind them, the miners were dragging Old Finn to safety, battered but victorious.

Vera backed away, holding the raven high. "Take one more step, and I’ll make her heart explode."

Rick halted. His chest heaved, his breathing ragged. "You wouldn't dare."

Vera laughed, high and hysterical. "Why wouldn't I? She’s garbage Cole threw away. I’m just taking out the trash."

Sion ignored Vera entirely. His cold eyes locked onto me. "Eve. Can you stand?"

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, using the wall of the carriage to drag myself upright. "Yes."

Vera’s grip tightened on the bird. The Moon Stone blazed brighter.

Darkness edged my vision as the pain spiked. Suddenly, a tiny c***k spiderwebbed across the bone ring on my thumb.

A single silver needle slid out from the hollowed bone into my palm.

I didn't hesitate. I drove the silver needle straight into my own hand.

My blood welled up, glowing faintly in the dim light of the stone.

The violent magical pull of the bond stuttered and snapped.

Vera gasped, stumbling backward. "What did you do?!"

I leaned heavily against the doorframe, panting, a dark smile curving my lips. "A little Northern magic."

Taking advantage of her shock, Rick launched himself forward. The flat of his blade slammed into Vera’s wrist. She screamed, dropping the bird.

Sion moved like a ghost, snatching the raven out of the air. With a brutal twist, he ripped the Moon Stone shard from its leg.

The moment the stone was detached from the host, the suffocating pain in my chest vanished.

Rick tackled Vera into the snow, shoving her face into the dirt.

She was still laughing. "You don't have the guts to kill me. Tomorrow is the royal wedding. If Cole doesn't see me there, the Crimson Plains will wipe you off the map."

Sion walked over and placed the shard gently into my uninjured hand.

The blood seal inside the stone was glowing faintly. My old blood, and Cole’s fresh blood, swirling together.

Staring at that crimson light, the truth slammed into me.

"He’s not offering me a second chance," I whispered.

Rick let out a dark, mocking laugh. "He’s trying to save his own miserable life."

Vera flinched.

I clenched my fist around the shard. Just then, three massive, echoing howls sounded from the direction of the capital.

Della, the one-eared she-wolf, went pale. "My Lady... that’s the Royal Pursuit call."

Rick gripped the crossbow bolt in his shoulder and ripped it out with a sickening squelch. Blood soaked his shirt, but his grin was predatory. "Perfect timing."

But Sion reached out, grabbing Rick’s arm. His eyes were fixed on my trembling hand. "No. The Moon Stone is summoning her directly."

In my palm, the shard began to c***k violently. A network of red, bloody light slithered up my wrist like veins of fire.

Vera, still pinned in the mud, laughed so hard she choked.

"Too late, Sister. Cole has already initiated the Secondary Mate Summon."