Cassidy
I waited until the guards changed shifts.
Hours had passed since my mother left, but I wasn't going to sit here like a caged animal. I needed freedom.
And I needed it now.
I didn't have much time. I had studied the door when Damon came and went—it was locked from the outside, but the latch had hesitated slightly before it shut last time. The estate was old, the wood swollen in its frame.
I pressed my ear to the door.
Silence.
I took a slow breath, forced my nerves down, and yanked the handle hard.
It didn't budge.
Panic coiled in my chest, but I ignored it. I twisted the handle again, harder this time, pulling at the uneven frame—
And then, with a snap, the latch gave way.
I barely swallowed my gasp.
I was out.
I pushed the door open slowly, peering down the dimly lit hall. The corridor stretched long and empty, the only movement coming from the flickering torchlight.
No guards.
No wolves.
Yet.
I slipped out, heart hammering.
I didn't know exactly where I was going—all I knew was that I needed to get outside, past the walls, into the trees, anywhere but here.
I moved quickly, sticking to the edges of the hall, my bare feet silent against the cold stone. Every step sent my pulse racing, my breath tight in my throat.
Then I saw it—an open balcony at the end of the hall, leading into the night.
I ran.
The cool air hit my face as I skidded onto the balcony, gripping the stone railing. Below, the estate grounds stretched into the darkness, the towering walls standing between me and freedom.
I could climb. I had to climb.
I swung one leg over the ledge—
"Hey!"
A voice barked from below.
My stomach dropped.
Torches flared as two guards spotted me, their eyes flashing in the dark.
"She's running!" one of them growled.
No—no, no, no—
I threw myself over the edge, trying to reach the trellis beneath, but a strong hand grabbed my wrist before I could fall.
I screamed, thrashing, but the guard yanked me back with supernatural strength, my body slamming into his chest.
"Got her," he snarled.
"Thought you could run, little traitor?" the other one sneered.
I gasped for breath, struggling, but they were too strong.
"Please—" I tried. "I wasn't—"
A fist slammed into my stomach.
Pain exploded through me, knocking the wind from my lungs.
I doubled over, choking on the agony, as rough hands dragged me through the halls.
I wasn't being taken back to my room.
I was being taken to him.
---
Garrick Thorne's throne room was as cold as the man himself.
I was shoved onto the stone floor, my knees scraping against the rough surface.
Garrick sat before me, watching with the sharp gaze of a predator. His silver-streaked beard did nothing to soften the cruelty in his golden eyes.
"You're persistent," he mused, leaning forward on his throne. "First you lie about Jonas. Now you try to run."
I shook my head weakly, still gasping for breath. "I wasn't—I don't know where he is—"
Smack!
The force of the slap snapped my head to the side.
White-hot pain burned across my cheek, my vision blurring. The room tilted, nausea rolling through my stomach.
My body swayed, but I didn't fall.
I wouldn't fall.
Garrick's fingers flexed like he was considering another blow.
But then—
"Touch her again, and I'll rip your throat out."
The deep, lethal voice sent a violent shiver through the room.
My breath caught.
I didn't have to look to know who it was.
Kieran.
He was here.
Garrick's lip curled in amusement. "Interesting timing, Moon Warden."
Kieran didn't answer right away, but the weight of his presence filled the room, swallowing the air itself. I turned my head just enough to see him—tall, dark, dangerous. His long black hair framed his face, but his gaze was locked only on me.
I barely had time to register Damon flanking him, his golden eyes scanning me with something almost like concern.
But Kieran—Kieran wasn't looking at me.
He was seeing me.
Seeing the red mark on my cheek.
Seeing the way I swayed from exhaustion and pain.
And something inside him snapped.
The room darkened with power.
Kieran moved so fast I barely saw it—one second, he was across the room, and the next, he was inches from Garrick, his fangs bared.
"How dare you ?" Kieran growled.
A chill ran through me.
This wasn't just anger.
This was rage.
This was possession.
Garrick smirked, unfazed. "She's a human. One that tried to run. Did you expect me to praise her?"
Kieran's fists clenched. I could feel the barely restrained violence rolling off him, pressing against the room like a brewing storm. I looked up and noticed his eyes had turn black fully, indicating his wolf was in charge.
The tension was so thick, so suffocating, that no one saw it coming—
Kieran lunged.
But Damon moved first, stepping between them.
"Not here," Damon muttered lowly, pressing a hand to Kieran's chest.
Kieran's chest heaved, but he didn't strike.
Not yet.
Not with the gathered nobles and council members watching.
Whispers had already begun.
I could hear them.
"Why is the Moon Warden protecting a human?"
"Did she betray the council?"
"Why does he care?"
And then, the moment I had been dreading—
Garrick's smirk widened. "Why do you care so much, Kieran?"
Silence.
The entire room held its breath.
Kieran's eyes flicked to me, his expression unreadable as the darkness faded from his eyes.
And then, just as deadly, just as certain as the storm in his voice, he spoke.
"Because she's my mate."
Gasps echoed through the chamber.
My stomach plummeted.
No.
No, no, no.
This wasn't happening.
This couldn't be real.
I felt lightheaded, my breath catching, the mark on my cheek burning like fire.
I had wanted freedom.
But instead—
I had just been claimed.
---