His Mate His Ruin

Violet Heil’s POV: A blade in my hand. A bond I didn’t ask for. A war only one of us will survive. “This is the time. We’ve waited ten years for this,” Uncle Ned said, his voice razor-sharp as his eyes met mine. His stare held no trace of the softness it once did. Only vengeance. The kind that takes root in your bones and feeds on your grief until there’s nothing left but fire. He pressed the blade into my palm. Wrapped in leather. Poisoned at the tip. One cut and the new Alpha King would die. “Kill or deceive, but don’t die,” he murmured. “Being loyal didn’t save us. It got us slaughtered.” My jaw clenched. My nails dug into my skin. Their faces flashed through my mind. My mother’s lifeless eyes. My father’s broken body. My little sister, crushed beneath burning timber. Their mutilated corpses still haunted my nights. I hadn’t heard silence in ten years only screaming. Today, the ball was meant to celebrate him as king. But I would make it his funeral. A knock at the door. Uncle Ned disappeared into the shadows. A servant stepped in. “My lady, Alpha Jason awaits you,” she said with a sweet, oblivious smile. I was dressed in red. Blood red. The strapless gown flowed behind me endlessly. My straight black hair had been curled to perfection, and my skin shimmered under layers of seduction. Tonight, I was a weapon. And Alpha Jason was a tool. As I descended the steps, Jason rushed forward to meet me, eyes wide with desire. I let my lips curl into a soft, shy smile. The kind of smile that looked sweet. Innocent. When he reached for my hand, I hesitated just long enough to make him crave it more, then placed my gloved palm in his. He grinned like he’d just won the goddess’s favor. He wrapped a wool shawl bearing his paw sigil over my bare shoulders like he owned me. His touch lingered longer than it needed to. I lowered my gaze, letting my lashes hide the hatred in my eyes. He was too blinded by his fantasy to see anything else. His Beta stood off to the side, jaw tight, eyes narrowed. Not at me, but at Jason. He hated watching his Alpha lose composure like this—all over a woman he barely knew. I ignored him and leaned into the performance, letting my lips curve into a shy smile. I tilted my head just enough to appear sweet and docile, the role I had perfected. When Jason reached for my waist, I pulled back. Just slightly. Just enough to make him want more. Rule one of seduction, starve them of touch. They’ll crave it like breath. “Oh, Violet, my sweet, docile flower,” Jason murmured. “Let me put your mask on for you. It is a ball, after all.” He stepped closer, his breath brushing my skin as he leaned in to kiss my neck. I pressed my hand gently to his chest, stopping him just before he could. My fingers didn’t tremble, but inside, I recoiled. I gasped softly, hiding a smile behind my palm. He laughed. “Oh, goddess. What am I going to do with you, my delicate flower?” he grinned. I lowered my gaze with practiced grace just in time to catch the Beta’s stare again. Suspicion. Excellent. This would be the last time they ever saw me. *** It was just a five-minute drive to the palace. No traffic blocked our path just rows of bystanders, watching with wide eyes and barely contained excitement. The streets shimmered under fairy lights, silk drapes hanging from windows and railings, all stamped with the kingdom’s sigil: a wolf’s head. I shut my eyes. But I didn’t just see silk. I also saw fire. Silks burning with the deer sigil of my people. My town engulfed. Flames tearing through homes. Devouring skin and bone like it was nothing. Like we were nothing. When I opened my eyes again, they were celebrating. Laughing. The city streets were glowing as they threw colors at each other. The entire capital had come alive to welcome their king. And I was here to kill him. I pictured my people’s faces. The ones still in hiding. The ones orphaned like me. I pictured their joy when I returned drenched in justice. I wanted the former king to suffer. I wanted him to look into his son’s eyes as the life drained from them. I wanted him to taste my pain, the same pain I’ve carried every day since I buried my family’s charred bones with my own hands. Jason barked orders at his Beta and Gamma as they stepped out, weapons ready. They were to stay behind, posted at the outer gates. Only Alphas and their partners were allowed inside the palace. The structure loomed ahead, grey stone, sprawling forts, carved arches. The palace looked like it had stepped out of a fantasy book and into a festival. Under the blanket of night, every torch and lantern turned it surreal. Guards stood tall along the battlements. The huge metal gates creaked open as we approached, and it took a few minutes before the car finally rolled to a stop at the palace entrance. *** Jason opened the door and helped me out, proudly placing his hand on the small of my back in front of the paparazzi. To them, this was just a lavish ball thrown by the richest man in the country who owned the whole city. Humans were allowed only on special occasions, with strict orders to all werewolves never to reveal themselves. That was the deal between their leaders and mine. And I was just some random date of Reinhart Industries’ CEO. I could already imagine the stupid headlines tomorrow. My mask hid my expression. But my eyes burned with purpose. *** Inside, the grand hall vibrated with music. Each Alpha was announced in order. “Alpha Jason Reinhart and his future bride.” Jason beamed, waving to the crowd as I walked beside him. I played the role. Beautiful. Quiet. Delicate. But inside, I counted down. Jason introduced me as his future bride to anyone with ears. I smiled sweetly, resisting the urge to gag. I told the orphan lie again. And again. Over twenty times now, to twenty different groups Jason introduced me to. I smiled. I nodded. The women twirled around us in gowns, laughing over music. Jason pulled me to dance. I allowed it. And when Jason leaned in too close, I nearly lost it. Thank goddess. The music shifted. “Lords and Ladies,” the herald called, “Presenting His Majesty, Aiden Arthur Storm, Alpha King of the Werewolf Realm… and Her Highness, Princess Scarlett Storm.” A ripple of anticipation spread through the crowd. And then he entered. He was tall. Commanding. A black half-mask matched his clothes. His energy filled the room before his footsteps did. He walked in, calm and steady, with his sister. They swarmed him. Adored him. Jason fidgeted, eager to greet his friend. For the first time all night, he let go of my hand. I slipped away to a balcony. I needed air. I needed focus. I needed the perfect moment. One graze of the blade. That’s all it would take. One second. I slipped through the side halls, dodging Jason’s men. If he saw me again, he’d chain me to his arm until the night ended. I moved through the palace like a shadow. I knew the exits. I knew the angles. And finally, after an hour, I saw him. The King had stepped away from the crowd. He stood at the bar, back turned. I tightened my grip on the blade’s edge and walked toward him. But Jason found me first. “Violet!” he called, dragging me into the scene. The King’s back remained turned, engaged in conversation. “Sweetheart,” Jason gushed, “come meet His Majesty, my best friend, Aiden Storm. Your Grace, this is Violet, my future bride.” I didn’t meet the King’s eyes. My gaze stayed low. The blade in my hand was small, thin enough to be hidden in a glove. My pulse roared. He stepped closer. Just within reach. Then someone interrupted. An Alpha. Loud. Familiar. They began speaking. The King turned slightly away. Jason was distracted. The guards looked elsewhere, at some commotion, caused by one of my men dressed as a waiter. I was in the shadow, with an exit behind me. This would be clean. I looked at the back of his head. Inhaled deeply. Prepared to strike. Then his scent hit me, wildfire and pine. Clean. Masculine. Intoxicating. I despised how it made me feel. I hated that my hand shook. Don’t feel. Just kill. Now. I stepped from the shadow. Raised the blade. And struck. *** He moved like lightning. His hand caught my wrist mid-air before his head turned toward me. His other hand twisted my arm behind me, dragging me into him, chest to chest. His eyes locked with mine, rage flashing through them. Until something shifted. Recognition. A slow, dangerous smile curled at his lips as my eyes widened. “Well… hello to you, mate,” he whispered, his voice low and certain. A shiver tore down my spine. The blade slipped from my fingers. And for one terrifying second, a primal instinct surged inside me, not to kill him… But to claim him. The world vanished. My wolf, silent for a decade since the death of my family, erupted like thunder. His eyes, blue with a hint of emerald, stared into mine like he already knew me. Like he’d been waiting. The bond cracked open inside me like a storm. Tears burst from my eyes before I could stop them. All the overwhelming feelings I had trained myself to suppress crashed at once. No. Not him. “This is the grandest greeting I’ve ever received,” he said softly. His voice wrapped around me soothingly. I trembled as he smirked. Guards encircled us. “What are you waiting for? Shoot her!” Princess Scarlett screamed. The King’s voice dropped. “No one lays a hand on my mate.” The entire hall froze. Jason looked at me like he’d been gutted. His mouth opened, but he didn’t speak. I looked back at the King as he took off my mask. His smirk remained. His eyes locked on my face like they never wanted to stop looking. He pulled me even closer. Before I gave in, I closed my eyes and remembered the hunger. The pain. Nights we starved in silence. The screams of my people as the royal guards butchered them. The king’s smile, soaked in blood, as he watched. That was enough. I came back to myself. Then I smirked back. Even in six-inch heels, I still had to rise onto my tiptoes to reach him. I let out a soft breath on his lips, and his hands loosened. I circled my arms around his neck. And then, I kissed him. His breath caught. Like a moth to a flame, he kissed me back. Our bodies crashed together. Sparks shot down my spine. His wolf howled through the bond. Mine, my wolf growled, unchained after ten years of silence. We didn’t kiss. We devoured. Like it was survival. Until… Blood filled my nose. My mouth. His nose. His mouth. The poison etched on my lips had reached us both. My vision blurred as the poison surged through me, burning beneath my skin like wildfire. Knowing it was doing the same to him soothed me instantly. His arms caught me as I collapsed. And I smiled as he fell over me, our lips still locked. If I die tonight, I’ll go knowing I didn’t fail.