THE ROGUE QUEEN

Chapter 25

Sunlight came through the cracks of the shelter when I woke up, and Kael was still holding my hand.

He had fallen asleep sitting next to me, his head leaning against the wall in a way that would definitely hurt later. But he stayed there all night.

The nightmare felt distant now. Less real.

I carefully pulled my hand free and sat up, wincing as my injuries ached. My shoulder was healing faster than normal because of my wolf, but it still hurt.

Kael woke up, blinking. “Morning.”

“Morning. Your neck’s going to be in pain.”

He rolled his shoulders and winced. “Worth it. Did you sleep better?”

“A little.” I stretched. “Thank you.”

“Always.”

Before we could say anything else, urgent voices outside made us tense.

“—she needs to hear this now—”

“She’s resting—”

“This can’t wait!”

Then Maya’s voice cut through: “What can’t wait?”

Kael and I exchanged a look and stepped outside

A wolf I didn’t know stood in the middle of the camp, older, tired, like he’d been running all night. Maya, Lyra, and others had gathered around him.

“—spreading everywhere,” the stranger was saying. “Every pack, every territory. The bounty alone is attracting mercenaries from far away.”

“We already know about the bounty,” Maya said. “What’s new?”

“The Lycan Court.” The man looked straight at me. “The Alpha King has made a public announcement. Anyone who brings him information about the Shadow Wolf will get his personal protection. And…” He hesitated. “Rumor says he’s looking for her himself.”

The whole camp went silent.

Lyra’s face went pale. “Damon Blackthorn is involved?”

“That’s what I heard. He’s sending scouts. Using the Court’s resources.” The man looked exhausted. “I thought you should know.”

Maya’s jaw tightened. She exchanged a tense look with Lyra.

“This is what I warned about,” Lyra said quietly. “When I suggested—”

“Don’t,” Maya snapped. “We made our choice.”

Lyra looked at me. “Weeks ago, before things got this bad, I suggested we ask the Lycan Court for help. Ask the Alpha King to protect you.”

“And I said that was a terrible idea,” Maya said coldly. “Damon Blackthorn is a tyrant. He’s killed more rogues than the Council.”

"But he also has the power to stop this!" Lyra's voice rose. "If we'd gone to him then—"

"We’d be dead or enslaved,” Maya cut in. “He doesn’t help rogues. He destroys them.”

“You don’t know that—”

"I know enough." Maya turned to the messenger. "What exactly did this decree say? His exact words."

The man shifted nervously. “He said any wolf with information about the Shadow Wolf should come to the Court. He promised safety to anyone who helps him find her.” He hesitated. “Some think he wants her dead. Some think he wants to capture her. And some…”

“What?” I asked.

"Some say he wants you for himself. That he's searching personally because..." The stranger trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"Because what?" Maya demanded.

"Because he might have felt it when your wolf awakened. Some kind of... pull." He looked at me apologetically. "It's just rumor. Probably nothing."

"Felt what?" I asked, confused. "I already had a mate. Victor rejected me."

But Lyra had gone very still. "The second bond."

"What second bond?" Kael asked sharply.

"It's from the old books. Before the Shadow Wars." Lyra's voice was distant, troubled. "Shadow Wolves were different. More powerful. And sometimes—very rarely—if their first mate rejected them..." She trailed off.

"What?" I pressed.

"The bond could reform. With someone else. Someone stronger." Lyra looked at me. "But it was considered dangerous. Forbidden, even. Because a second bond was always more intense. More consuming. And it only formed with Alphas of equal power to the Shadow Wolf."

My stomach dropped. "You're saying the Alpha King might be my... second mate?"

"I'm saying it's possible," Lyra said. "If the legends are true. If he felt something when your wolf finally awakened after the rejection."

"That's insane," Maya said. "Victor was her mate. The bond broke. You don't just get another one."

"Not for normal wolves, no." Lyra's expression was grim. "But Shadow Wolves were never normal. And the old books specifically warned about this—that a rejected Shadow Wolf could bond again, and that bond would be unbreakable."

Maya let out a slow breath. “Then we’re in even more danger than we thought.”

After the man was given food and a place to rest, Maya called an emergency meeting.

We gathered in the usual spot—Maya, Lyra, Kael, Zara, and me. The air felt heavy with tension.

“Options,” Maya said immediately. “We have three. First: we run. Split up. Hope the Alpha King stops looking.”

“He won’t,” Lyra said. “Not if the bond stories are real.”

“Second: we go to him. On purpose. Ask him to protect us from the Council.”

“That’s suicide,” Kael muttered.

“Or survival,” Lyra shot back. “If he wants her alive, going to him might actually keep us safe.”

“Safe?” Maya scoffed. “Nothing about the Alpha King is safe.”

“Neither is running from every enemy at once!” Lyra said, raising her voice. “We can’t fight the Council, the Lycan Court, and a bunch of bounty hunters at the same time. I’m trying to keep us alive, Maya.”

“And I’m trying to keep us free,” Maya replied sharply. “If we walk into the Court, we’re giving him total control. He could kill her, lock her up, or use her powers. We’d have no way to stop him.”

“We have no power now!”

“Enough.” My voice was quiet, but it stopped the argument instantly. “This is my choice. Not yours.”

They all looked at me.

"What do you want to do?" Kael asked.

I thought about it. About everything that had happened. About the wolves we'd lost. About how many more would die.

"I want to know the truth," I said. "About the Alpha King. About these laws Lyra mentioned. About what he actually wants."

"And how do we find that out?" Zara asked.

"We proceed with the fortress mission, gather more information. Maybe we'll learn something about his intentions." I looked at each of them. "But if the opportunity comes to meet him safely, to talk rather than fight... I want that option open."

"Selene—" Maya started.

"I'm tired of running. Tired of everyone hunting me while I don't even know why." My voice hardened. "If the Alpha King wants me, fine. But I want to hear it from him. Not from rumors ."

That afternoon, I found Lyra alone, sorting medical supplies.

“Do you really think this second-bond thing could be real?” I asked.

She didn't look up. "I think legends usually have some truth buried in them. And I think the Alpha King wouldn't personally involve himself unless something very important was going on.”

“But another mate bond? After Victor rejected me? That shouldn’t be possible.”

“For normal wolves, it isn’t. Once a mate bond breaks, that’s it. You live alone or choose someone without a bond.” She finally looked at me. “But you’re not a normal wolf, Selene. You’re the last Shadow Wolf. Your rules might be different.”

"Victor rejected me. I felt the bond break. It was..." I couldn't finish, the memory still too painful.

“I know. But what if that rejection opened the way for something else? Something stronger?” Lyra frowned a little. “Old books say that a Shadow Wolf’s second bond can’t be broken at all. Not by rejection, not even by death. It’s permanent.”

“That sounds like a cage.”

“Or protection. It depends on who the bond is with.” She went back to organizing her things. “Victor was weak, selfish, and a fool who threw away something precious. But the Alpha King…” She paused.

“What about him?”

"He's none of those things. If there is a bond forming between you two, it won't be like what you had with Victor. It'll be something entirely different."

"Then what? I'm supposed to just accept it? Go to him?"

"I'm not saying you should accept it if it's real. I'm saying be prepared for the possibility that you might have a second chance at a mate bond. One that can't be rejected." She returned to her supplies. "Because if it's true, he won't stop searching until he finds you. And when he does... well, that's when things get really complicated."

That night, as I lay on my bedroll trying to sleep, my wolf started moving restlessly inside me.

“Do you feel it?” she asked.

“Feel what?”

“The pull. Distant but getting stronger but it’s getting closer. Something searching for us.”

I did feel it. Had been feeling it for days without realizing what it was. It was like a strong presence watching from a distance—calm, powerful, and impossible to ignore.

“The Alpha King?”

“Maybe. Or maybe we’re imagining it,” she said, though she didn’t sound sure. “But whoever it is—they’re searching. And one day, they’ll find us.”

“What should I do?”

“What you always do. Survive. Adjust. Fight when you have to, and run when you can.” She hesitated. “But Selene… don’t be scared of the bond if it’s real. Victor rejected us, and that hurt terribly. But this bond—if it exists—it’s different. Stronger. It can’t be broken.” She paused. “I know that scares you. But maybe being unbreakable is exactly what we need.”

I didn't know if that was comforting or terrifying.

Probably both.

Outside, the camp was quiet except for the crackling of fires and the soft sounds of wolves settling in for the night.

Somewhere out there, the Alpha King was looking for me.

And despite everything, the fear, the uncertainty, the danger, part of me wondered what would happen when he finally found me.