"What?" Xylen's voice sharpened to a dangerous edge. "Who is Jade Moreno? Why weren't we informed of this development?"
"She's a human martial arts instructor from Earth. The situation required delicate handling, which is why I didn't mention it sooner." Raikar's gaze swept the crowd, noting the mixture of shock and intrigue on their faces. His warriors, at least, didn't look surprised—they'd witnessed enough interactions between him and Jade to suspect the truth. "But it no longer matters. Jade is my chosen mate. You came here for a mating announcement—that is your announcement."
The silence stretched taut as a bowstring before Xylen's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"If Jade Moreno is truly your fated mate, then you leave the council no choice but to invoke the ancient Trial of Shadow. The sacred mate bond must be proven before we acknowledge it and grant your ascension to High Commander."
Ice flooded Raikar's veins. The Trial of Shadow—a week-long survival test in the deepest jungle, requiring mates to work in perfect harmony against dangers that had killed previous challengers. It hadn't been invoked since his great-grandparents' time, over two centuries ago. His father andgrandfather had both entered arranged matings that required no such proof.
The crowd buzzed with excitement. None of them had lived long enough to witness the legendary trial, but the stories of its brutal challenges were woven into clan folklore.
"When does this trial commence?" Raikar heard himself ask, though his mind raced with the impossibility of what lay ahead.
"Two days hence," Xylen replied, his satisfaction now unconcealed. "You will meet us at the sacred jungle stones at dawn."
Just perfect.
He had tonight and tomorrow to not only convince Jade to participate in the trial but to train with him for challenges that could kill them both.
"Very well. We'll be there."
The words escaped before Raikar could fully process their implications. Around him, the crowd dispersed in animated clusters, some doubting a human's ability to survive alongside their General, others thrilled by the prospect of witnessing history.
But as Raikar left the stage, Xylen's expression lingered in his mind. The councilor's investment in Sera's success seemed far more personal than political necessity would explain.
Why does he care so much about this particular mating?
The question would have to wait. Right now, he had a mate to convince and a trial to survive—assuming Jade didn't demand to return to Earth the moment he walked through his door.
The weight of two centuries of family legacy pressed down on his shoulders as he strode toward home, toward the woman who held his entire future in her hands.
His estate stood silent against the moonlit landscape as Raikar approached, his boots echoing against the stone pathway. Each step carried the weight of monumental decisions—publiclyrejecting Sera, claiming Jade as his mate before the entire clan, and now facing a trial that could kill them both. His panther prowled restlessly, torn between triumph at declaring their bond and terror at what he'd potentially lose.
She'll be waiting by the door, demanding I call Gerri immediately.
But the front entrance remained empty, no furious woman with blazing brown eyes ready to unleash righteous anger. Relief flooded through him so intensely his knees nearly buckled. She hadn't fled. Yet.
The guest room lay vacant, the bed rumpled but abandoned. The kitchen was empty. The dining room was still. The back terrace overlooked the pink ocean under the twin moons, but Jade wasn't there absorbing the alien beauty.
Where could she?—
His bedroom door stood ajar, soft light spilling into the hallway. Raikar's heart hammered as he climbed the stairs, each step bringing him closer to either salvation or devastation.
There, cross-legged on his massive four-poster bed, sat Jade with his most treasured possession—the leather-bound collection of poetry his great-grandmother had given his great-grandfather during their courtship. The sight of her delicate fingers tracing pages he'd marked with adolescent hope and adult longing sent something raw and vulnerable crashing through his chest.
His panther surged, demanding he claim her again, complete what they'd started. But the careful way she held the ancient book, the flush across her cheekbones as she read words about eternal love and destined souls, made him feel utterly exposed.
What else did she discover while I was gone? What secrets did she uncover in my private sanctuary?
"What are you doing?"
She startled, the book nearly tumbling from her hands. "I was just—sorry, I shouldn't be in here. But I couldn't sit in that guest room any longer."
Raikar settled on the bed beside her, close enough to feel the heat radiating from her body but far enough to avoid crowding. His composure felt paper-thin as she clutched the poetry collection like a lifeline.
"That's okay." He nodded toward the book. "You found my favorite."
Her cheeks deepened to rose. "The poems you marked were quite beautiful. Do you really believe all that? About souls recognizing each other across time and space?"
