Thorne's POV
She's been unconscious for three hours, and I haven't moved from this chair.
Isolde, my healer, said Rowena would wake soon. The medicine is fighting the rejection poison, slowing its spread. But "slowing" isn't the same as "curing."
Without accepting our mate bond, she'll still die. Just slower.
I stare at her face, peaceful in sleep. She looks so young—nineteen years old, barely more than a child. The last time I saw her, she was seven, screaming as her home burned.
My fault. All my fault.
My Lycan stirs restlessly inside me. Our mate is hurting. Fix it. Claim her. Make the pain stop.
"I can't just claim her," I mutter out loud. "She hates me. For good reason."
Then make her not hate us, my Lycan insists.
"I killed her parents. There's no coming back from that."
I run a hand through my hair, exhausted. I haven't slept since finding her. Can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see two images overlapping: Rowena's mother begging for mercy twelve years ago, and Rowena's violet eyes full of pain tonight.
The Moon Goddess must really hate me.
My first mate, Elena, died five years ago giving birth to our stillborn son. I thought I'd never feel the mate bond again—thought I was broken beyond repair.
Then tonight, that golden thread snapped into place with a girl who has every reason to want me dead.
Rowena stirs in the bed, her eyelashes fluttering. I lean forward, my heart racing.
Her eyes open—those striking violet eyes that glow slightly in the darkness. For a moment, she looks confused, taking in the stone walls and silk sheets.
Then her gaze lands on me, and fear flashes across her face.
"Easy," I say quietly, keeping my hands visible. "You're safe. You're in Castle Obsidian."
Rowena sits up slowly, wincing. The rejection poison's black veins are still visible on her skin, but they've stopped spreading.
"Why am I still alive?" she asks, her voice hoarse.
"Because my healer is good at her job."
"That's not what I meant." Rowena's eyes bore into mine. "You could have let me die in the forest. Why didn't you?"
I could lie. Should lie. But something about those violet eyes demands honesty.
"Because you're my second-chance mate," I say simply. "And because I've spent twelve years drowning in guilt over your parents. I won't add your death to that weight."
"So this is about easing your guilt?" Her voice sharpens. "Saving me makes you feel better about murdering my family?"
"No." The word comes out harsh. "Nothing will ever make me feel better about that. But keeping you alive is the right thing to do."
"You don't get to decide what's right for me. You don't get to play hero after being the villain."
She's right. Completely right.
"Then what do you want?" I demand. "You want me to apologize? I'm sorry. You want me to undo the past? I can't. You want me to let you die from rejection poison? I won't."
"I want—" Her voice breaks. "I want my parents back. I want my life to make sense again!"
Tears stream down her face, and my Lycan howls inside me, desperate to comfort her.
I move without thinking, kneeling beside the bed so we're at eye level.
"I can't give you any of that," I say quietly. "But I can give you the truth. About the war. About your parents. About why I killed them."
She wipes her eyes roughly. "I already know why. You thought they were making weapons."
"Yes. But I never questioned who gave me that information." I meet her gaze. "I was young—twenty-seven—and I'd just become Lycan King after my father died. The Council showed me documents, and I believed them."
"So you murdered innocent people because you were too stupid to fact-check?"
The words should make me angry. Instead, I nod. "Yes. That's exactly what I did."
Rowena stares at me. "Why would someone fabricate it?"
"To eliminate your bloodline." I pause. "Your mother was a Lycan Queen—one of the most powerful females in our world. Some people feared that."
"Like who?"
"I don't know yet. But your uncle's involvement suggests it's bigger than just him."
Rowena is quiet for a long moment. Then she asks, "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to accept our mate bond so you don't die. I want to investigate who's been poisoning you. And I want..." I hesitate. "I want a chance to prove I'm not just the monster who killed your parents."
"That's a lot to want from someone you orphaned."
"I know. And I have no right to ask." I stand. "But I'm asking anyway. Stay here. Let Isolde treat you. Give me time to find answers."
"And the mate bond?"
"We ignore it unless you choose otherwise," I say firmly. "I won't force you into anything."
Even as I say it, my Lycan protests. No! Stay close! Protect mate!
But Rowena needs choices. She's had too many things stolen from her already.
She studies me for what feels like forever. Finally, she nods. "Okay. I'll stay. For now. But not because I trust you."
"Fair enough."
"And I want to help investigate. This is about my family. I deserve answers too."
The fire in her violet eyes tells me she won't accept being sidelined.
"Agreed," I say. "We investigate together."
A knock on the door interrupts us. Kieran, my Beta, enters without waiting for permission.
"Sorry to interrupt," he says, his grin fading when he sees my expression. "But we have a problem. There's a delegation at the castle gates. From the Vane pack."
Rowena goes pale. "They came for me?"
"Gets worse," Kieran continues. "The delegation is led by Dashiell Vane himself. And he's brought Alpha Council representatives with him. They're demanding we return their 'stolen property.'"
My blood runs cold. "What's their claim?"
"They're saying you kidnapped an unmated omega from werewolf territory. That you're holding her against her will." Kieran grimaces. "Dashiell is spinning it as an act of war."
"War?" Rowena gasps.
"How many did he bring?" I ask tightly.
"Twenty wolves. Five Council members. And..." Kieran hesitates. "Callister Vane is with them."
Rowena makes a small sound of pain, and my Lycan snarls with rage.
"Tell them I'll meet them in the throne room in ten minutes," I order. "And get Isolde to bring Rowena something to wear. She's coming with me."
Rowena's trembling, but she lifts her chin. "I'm willing. Let's show them I'm not their property."
Ten minutes later, we're in the throne room. Rowena stands beside my throne in a simple silver dress.
The doors open, and Dashiell Vane walks in, flanked by Council members and pack wolves.
Behind them, golden-haired and guilty-looking, is Callister.
His eyes lock on Rowena, and the pain in them is unmistakable.
Dashiell speaks first, his voice cold. "Lycan King, you have kidnapped an unmated omega from our territory. An act of war."
Rowena steps forward before I can respond.
"I wasn't kidnapped," she says clearly. "I ran into the Forbidden Woods to escape my rejection. The Lycan King saved my life."
Dashiell's eyes narrow. "Rowena, the rejection poison has affected your mind—"
"My mind is fine, Uncle." Her voice is ice. "Unlike my body, which you poisoned for twelve years with wolfsbane disguised as vitamins."
The room goes deadly silent.
Callister's face drains of color. "What?"
"Those are serious accusations," a Council member says slowly.
"They're the truth," I interject.
"Lies," Dashiell says smoothly. "The Lycan King is manipulating her—"
"I'm not being manipulated!" Rowena's eyes flash gold—pure Lycan gold. "I know what you did."
Dashiell's hand twitches toward his pocket, and he pulls out a document.
"Then I invoke Blood Law. Rowena is under my guardianship. Her presence here is kidnapping."
A Council member nods. "Blood Law is recognized—"
"She's my mate," I stand, my Lycan rising. "Second-chance bond. That supersedes Blood Law."
Dashiell smiles coldly. "Prove it. Show us the claiming mark."
My blood turns to ice.
We haven't completed the bond. There is no claiming mark.
"We haven't completed the bond yet—" I start.
"Then she's not your mate," Dashiell interrupts triumphantly. "She's an unmated omega under my guardianship. And I'm taking her home. Now."