Kaidon POV
Mate, mate, mate.
Rowan, my wolf, had been growling in my head ever since we set our sights on the woman who was supposed to be my bride. I was shocked to my core when I realized she was my fated mate, and Rowan had almost taken control, eager to rush forward and mark her. But I managed to rein him in.
And then, the overwhelming need to be with her, to touch her, surged through me—a feeling I had never experienced toward any other woman. There was only one explanation: the mate bond.
Throughout the encounter, it felt like I was fighting two battles. One against my wolf, Rowan, and the other against the pull of the bond. Even though I managed to leave without making a fool of myself, the urge to possess her was only growing stronger.
*Go back to our mate! She belongs to us!* Rowan boomed in my subconscious again, giving me a massive headache.
*Shut up!* I hissed back at him.
He snarled, refusing to back down. I sighed in exasperation. He was too far gone, entirely consumed by the mate bond. Now, I had to rein him in at every turn so he wouldn’t hurt her due to the curse placed on me by the Moon Goddess.
The curse was real. I had committed an unforgivable sin, and as punishment, every woman I marked—every bride I ever claimed—died. And her… she didn’t even have a wolf. She was weaker than an omega. She wouldn’t survive.
Even if she didn’t die from my mark, there was no way she could handle the responsibility that came with being Luna. She was too weak, too fragile. If I gave in to the bond, she would end up like all the others.
Dead.
I wouldn’t let that happen again.
Even though she was wolfless, even though she was weak, she was my destined mate. I couldn’t bear the pain that would come with her death.
*You need her, Kaidon!* Rowan growled, growing more relentless with each second. *We need her! You can’t push her away!*
*Watch me!* I snarled back, marching to my chambers. My wolf howled in my head, and the mate bond tugged at me, pulling me toward her. But I gritted my teeth and persevered.
Her scent, sweet and intoxicating, lingered everywhere. It was maddening. But I entered my chambers and locked myself in, wondering how long I could resist before I would break.
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I woke up the next day, determined to erase her from my thoughts. I canceled the wedding that had already been organized, announcing that she was unfit to be my bride. I handled a few meetings and engagements, trying to keep myself busy, and before I knew it, night had fallen.
I walked out of the throne room, intending to go to my chambers. Yet somehow, I found myself in front of her room. I wanted to enter, but I stopped myself. If I stepped into that room, if I touched her, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself.
*Go in! You want to! Don’t fight it!* Rowan urged me, but I gritted my teeth and stood firm.
Then I heard her voice, soft and muffled, like she was calling out in her sleep.
I pressed my ear against the door, listening closely. She was crying in her sleep, and the only word that escaped her lips was a name.
“Draven?”
That name sounded familiar to me but I couldn't pause to reflect as a surge of intense jealousy overwhelmed me. Before I could stop myself, I barged into the room.
The door slammed against the wall with a thud, but she didn’t wake up. I stood still, taking in the sight of her and fighting the mate bond that flared to life.
She lay in the bed, twisting and turning, her face drenched in sweat, and her body trembling as if she was in some sort of nightmare. Her lips parted again, and she uttered the same name: “Draven.”
Who the hell was Draven? Rowan was furious, and this was one of those rare cases where I agreed with him as my body seethed in jealousy. The thought of another man’s name on her lips made my blood boil. Even if I wanted her far away from me, that didn’t mean other men could claim her.
I walked towards her, bending down and lowering my hand onto her head in an effort to calm her. As my palm made contact with her skin, sparks erupted, and the desire to hold this woman and claim her for myself burned even stronger.
*Mark her!* Rowan whispered, tempting me to do the very thing I was fighting against.
*No!* I resisted, trying to pull my hand away, but I couldn’t. More like, I didn’t want to.
My touch calmed Serena down, and she stopped writhing in pain. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes fluttered open.