Chapter 36
1155 Words
Cain
The stone terrace outside the east wing had become our quiet place—Gwen’s idea. She said it helped her think, being surrounded by the sharp chill of mountain air and the sweeping view of the forest below. Today, it felt heavier than usual. The sun glinted off the slate tiles, but the warmth didn’t touch the tension simmering between my brothers and me.
“We need to talk,” I said, not for the first time.
Cash was leaning on the balustrade, twirling a leaf between his fingers, but he nodded. Cole sat beside Gwen on the bench, arms folded, expression unreadable. And Gwen—our mate—watched all of us with cautious curiosity, her legs tucked under her. She was trying to be patient, but I could see the restless flicker in her eyes. She knew something was coming.
“Now that we’ve found our mate,” I said slowly, “we have the right to take the throne whenever we’re ready. The Council will support our transition.”
“And the law…” Cole added, voice quiet but firm. “The law requires that once we find our mate, we have one moon cycle to mark and mate her. Twenty-eight days.”
“Three weeks, now,” Cash said, still toying with the leaf. “Give or take.”
I felt Gwen’s breath catch next to me, even though she didn’t flinch. Brave girl.
“You have time,” I assured her. “No one’s forcing anything. But we wanted to be honest.”
She looked down at her hands for a long moment before lifting her chin. “Thank you. For telling me.” Her voice was soft, but steady. “I’d like to spend time with each of you. Alone. Before anything… permanent.”
“Done,” Cash said instantly, pushing off from the railing with a grin. “I’ll go first.”
Cole rolled his eyes. “You always want to go first.”
“That’s because I’m the most fun,” Cash smirked.
I smiled, but I kept my eyes on Gwen. She met my gaze with a small, grateful smile, and nodded.
Alpha Karl
The Ironclaw Pack’s compound was nestled deep in the pine forests of the South—brutal in winter, but perfect for hiding. Alpha Vincent had given us a suite in the eastern tower, sparse but defensible. It wasn’t home, but it would do.
I paced while Justin sat at the edge of the table, arms crossed and jaw tight. Rage simmered just below the surface, like it always did with him lately.
“They’re still in the castle?” I asked for the third time.
“Yes,” came the clipped reply. “Our contact inside says Gwen’s not marked yet. No mark on her neck. That means the mate bond hasn’t been sealed.”
I grunted. That was a sliver of good news in a sea of bad.
“She still can’t mind link with them?”
Justin shook his head. “Not until she’s claimed. They’re still treating her with velvet gloves. Coddling her. It’s pathetic.”
I stopped pacing and turned to face him. “Then we take her. While we still can.”
Justin looked up, a gleam of cruel satisfaction in his eyes.
“She’s vulnerable right now. She thinks she’s safe. We take her from under their noses, use her to lure the triplets out. Get rid of them, and she’s ours again.”
Alpha Vincent stepped into the room just then, his towering frame all brute muscle and long-held loyalty. “We’ll support the plan,” he said. “My warriors are ready.”
I clasped his hand with a nod.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. And before the month was out, Gwen would be back in our hands.
Justin
The forest was darker here. Denser. The trees gnarled and twisted like they’d been frozen mid-scream, their bark slick with moss and ancient secrets. I stepped carefully over the roots, heart pounding, every instinct warning me that I shouldn’t be here—but desire burned louder than caution. Hot, corrosive.
She was waiting in the clearing, just as the whisper said she would be.
The witch. Morwenna
She looked nothing like I expected. Beautiful—too beautiful. Moon-pale skin and midnight hair that flowed in coils over her shoulders. Her eyes were silver, like two pools of liquid metal, unblinking as I approached. She stood barefoot in the leaf rot, surrounded by a circle of bones. I didn’t ask what kind.
“You called,” she said in a voice that slid over my skin like silk and snakes. “And I came. Why?”
I swallowed hard. “I need something. A poison. Something that can break a mate bond.”
She tilted her head, lips curling in amusement. “Ambitious. Dangerous. And impossible.”
“I’ll pay anything.”
“Even your soul?” she asked, stepping closer. Her presence was overwhelming—every sense went taut.
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “I want her. She belongs to me.”
The witch gave a low, almost musical laugh. “You boys are all the same. So desperate to make fate bend to your will.”
She began pacing around me, dragging her fingers lightly through the air, her voice humming with strange rhythm. “There is no magic—on this earth or beneath it—that can sever a true mate bond. Not unless one of them dies.” She paused, eyes flicking toward me with sudden malice. “Would you kill her?”
“No,” I growled. “I want her. I want her to want me.”
She considered me for a long moment. “Then I can offer you a talisman,” she said finally. “Something ancient. It won’t break her bond to the triplets. But it can trick her into feeling one for you. If she wears the key, she will believe—truly believe—that you are her mate.”
My pulse thundered. “How long does it last?”
“As long as you keep the matching charm close to your skin. And as long as she never discovers the truth.” The witch’s grin widened. “But lies like that always rot. Are you prepared to keep her in a cage of delusion?”
“I want it,” I said, nearly panting now. My blood ran hot, almost feral with the thought of having Gwen again. “I don’t care what it takes.”
The witch leaned forward and whispered in my ear: “Then meet me here in three nights. Bring blood. Not yours. Hers.”
And with that, she vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the faint scent of crushed herbs—and a chill that sank deep into my bones.
- Writer
