Her smile fades, and she looks at me again. This time, there’s no teasing in her eyes.
“I don’t feel the bond anymore, Draven. It’s gone. There’s no bringing it back. Not ever.”
I nod, slowly. “That doesn’t matter.”
She blinks.
“The bond only tells us who we belong to,” I say quietly. “It doesn’t make us fall in love. It doesn’t choose our happiness. I don’t need the bond to know you’re it for me. I don’t need magic to love you.”
Her eyes soften. She stares at me a moment longer, then shakes her head and laughs. “You didn’t actually lose that hope, did you?”
She stands and brushes herself off. “Come on. I have a mountain of dusty manuscripts calling my name. Will you help me again today, or do you have kingly duties to pretend to care about?”
I push up to my feet, brushing dirt off my palms. “All royal business is on hold until we cut this damn leash off me.”
We’re halfway back to the palace when I hear it.
Angry shouting. Flesh meeting flesh. Fangs breaking skin. Blood hitting the dirt.
The training field.
“Wait here,” I tell Kassira, already breaking into a run before she can object.
I sprint toward the noise, following the scent of adrenaline and blood. Two warriors are locked in the center of the field, fists flying, claws out. No one else in sight. Just them. No trainer. No witnesses. No control.
Ervin and Levi.
I know them both. Ervin — cocky, skilled, but too arrogant to ever be trusted with a command. And Levi… Amira’s younger brother.
“Stop!” I shout, layering my voice with Alpha command.
They freeze mid-blow. Bloodied. Panting. Eyes wide.
“What the hell is going on?” I demand, stalking toward them.
They both bow their heads in submission, shoulders rigid.
Levi speaks first. “I apologize, Alpha. He insulted my family. I lost control.”
I shift my attention to Ervin and lace my next words with more power. “What did you say?”
Ervin flinches. The truth tumbles out, clenched between his teeth. “I asked him if he slept his way to the top, just like his sister. I’m sorry, Alpha.”
My jaw locks. Fury burns through me like wildfire.
“You’re doing two hundred perimeter laps. Starting now. And you’re on cleaning duty for the next month. You keep running your mouth like that, and I’ll cut you from the warrior program myself. I need soldiers, not gossiping, arrogant brats. Move.”
Ervin takes off without another word, boots thudding against the ground.
I turn to Levi. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, Alpha,” he says, still not meeting my eyes.
“You can go,” I tell him. “If anyone else gives you trouble, come straight to me.”
He nods and takes a small step forward. “I can handle myself.” Then, voice lower, almost hesitant: “I’m glad you found your true mate, Alpha.”
There’s something about the way he says it. Not just the words — the weight behind them. No bitterness. No resentment. Just... relief.
