The word echoed in Seraphina's mind like a curse.
Mates.
No. No, no, no. That couldn't be right. She didn't believe in that sort of thing—destiny, fated bonds, all the fairy-tale lies the Elders once preached before they betrayed her family.
She was a Nightshade. Her blood was cursed. Her life was war.
And yet…
Her hand trembled as she clutched the hilt of her blade. The heat from that stranger's touch still lingered on her skin, even though he was long gone. His scent—smoke and pine—wrapped around her like a ghost, and she hated how it made her feel. Unsteady. Branded.
There had to be an explanation. Maybe he was just another Alpha with strong pheromones. Maybe her wolf was playing tricks on her. After all, it had been years since she'd let her inner beast out. Maybe she was—
A howl split the sky.
Not a regular howl. A challenge.
And it was close.
Seraphina cursed under her breath and bolted into the woods. She had to get to the ruins before dawn. That's where the spellbook was hidden—what she'd risked her life for tonight. If the kingdom ever learned she had her hands on one of the forbidden tomes, they'd send more than one Alpha to hunt her down.
She moved fast, her body a blur between the trees, her heart still pounding with that awful realization.
Mate…
Why now?
Why him?
She didn't even know his name.
Across the forest, Fenris stood on a cliff edge, shirtless now, chest rising and falling in steady, controlled breaths as the wind whipped around him. The moon crowned him in silver, his eyes reflecting it like mirrors.
He'd known who she was the moment she stepped across the barrier. Her scent—wild roses and danger—was unforgettable.
Seraphina Nightshade.
The girl who should have died.
The woman the kingdom whispered about in fear.
He hadn't expected to find her here. Not tonight. Not ever again. And he definitely hadn't expected the pull—the magnetic pull that hit him the second their eyes met.
He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.
Of all the people the Moon Goddess could have chosen…
Her?
His enemy?
She was fire. Rebellion. Chaos.
And yet, even now, his body ached with the memory of her pressed against him, her golden eyes daring him to kill her.
He should've ended her. But something deeper had stopped him.
Or maybe something higher.
The prophecy echoed in his mind:
> "When blood meets fate beneath the cursed moon, the Alpha shall rise with a Queen of ruin."
He was the Alpha. He had no doubt.
But Seraphina… she was the ruin.
And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about her.
Seraphina reached the ruins just as the first light of dawn threatened the sky. Ancient stones rose like broken teeth from the earth, half-swallowed by vines and fog. She dropped to her knees and pulled away a loose slab.
There it was.
Wrapped in old wolfskin—marked with sacred symbols—the spellbook she had nearly died for.
She lifted it carefully, her fingers tingling with the power that pulsed beneath the surface.
But before she could stand, a gust of wind blew through the clearing—and with it, a scent.
Him.
She spun around, blade out.
But he was already there.
Leaning casually against a broken pillar, arms crossed over his bare chest, eyes glowing silver.
"You again," she said through gritted teeth.
Fenris smirked. "You're not very good at hiding."
"I wasn't hiding."
"Then why do you look so guilty?"
"Because you're stalking me."
"I'm tracking you."
"There's a difference?"
"I'm the difference."
She growled and pointed her blade at him. "One more step, and I swear—"
"You'll what?" he asked, stepping forward anyway. "Cut me? That's not how fated bonds work."
"I don't believe in mates."
"Doesn't matter. The bond exists whether you believe or not."
"I can break it."
He tilted his head. "You can try."
Gods, she hated him. So calm. So confident. So Alpha.
But hate wasn't the only thing burning inside her.
"Why are you following me?" she demanded.
"Because you have something I need."
He glanced at the book in her hands.
Her jaw clenched. "So this is about power?"
"No," he said softly. "This is about survival."
Something flickered in his expression—real pain. Real fear. And that scared her more than anything.
"What aren't you telling me?"
He looked her dead in the eye.
"The kingdom is falling. And you're part of the prophecy that can either save it... or doom us all."