Chapter 196: Cursed Bonds

DINA’S POV

The moment I appeared at my destination, I stretched my body.

I made my way quietly past the wolves. They bared their teeth at first, low and cautious, but they cowered when I turned toward them. They could sense the danger rolling off me. One wrong move and I would turn them into animals for good.

“Get me your leader…Malrik,” I said as I stabbed my staff into the ground. My robe snapped around me with the wind I summoned, a show of power. I meant for them to feel it…the cold, the anger and rage.

Chaos erupted. Men who had been lounging on crates jumped to their feet. Rogues gathered, their disgusting scent filling my nose. They formed a ring and started circling me, bodies pressed into a tight guard. Attack stances. Hands on the ground, ready to shift. Faces hard and hateful.

“I said get me Malrik!” I bellowed. The ground answered with a sudden shake. People stumbled and cursed. Children screamed. The ring tightened.

Malrik appeared not long after, stepping out like he owned the night. He was almost naked, sweat glinting on his skin, the scent of sex clinging to him.

His mate clung to him, braided into his arms, laughing loud and obvious. They were a living insult to everything I stand for.

“Well, great sorceress, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he smirked, moving in close to his mate like an animal in heat. He sniffed at her neck, and I felt my stomach twist. Disgust settled over me like a cloak.

Mate bonds…how I loathed them. They were weak chains that turned men soft and blind.

I had known that pain. Once, I had given my heart to a man who never stayed. I had been the king’s sorceress then, close in council, always at his side. I had thought I mattered. I had thought I was the center of his world.

When his mate came, everything I’d done counted for nothing. I had killed to hold my place at his side. lured a councilman who turned out to be mate and killed him. All so no one would stand between the king and I.

No one had ever found out. It had been a clean, necessary thing. And still, when the king found his own mate, he threw me away. He didn’t kill her like I killed mine.

He banished me after I almost killed the new queen and in my rage. He called me dangerous and walked away. He turned his back on me because of some useless bond.

That was why mate bonds disgusted me. They took men who could have been sharp and made them soft. They took the king from me and left me to rot. I would never bow to them. I would never forgive.

Malrik’s mate sneered with that bratty voice that always set my teeth on edge. “Why are you here, old witch?” she spat. “What could you possibly want from us again?”

My anger grew into a low, cold thing. I forced it down, held it like a blade in my palm.

“I came to strike a deal with you, Malrik,” I said, ignoring her.

I walked forward, slow, letting the men close the circle until I could smell each of them. “Isn’t your greatest wish to destroy the Alpha King and take his place? Isn’t he your enemy?”

Malrik laughed, a lazy, cruel sound. He tightened his hold on his mate and she pouted like a child.

“Are you here to mock me or actually say something? If you don’t have anything reasonable to say I’d rather go back to fucking my mate. We are trying to make a little pup you know,” he slurred, gripping her breast shamelessly.

I almost spat. His casual cruelty made my skin crawl. The men around him whooped and barked approval.

“Why would he want to take part in any of that?” His mate said defensively and I almost struck her dead.

“Malrik… I came for you…” I began but he cut me off.

“You heard my mate, why would I want to be a part of that, Dina?" He replied cockily

The air was thick with smoke and sweat. The rogue camp flickered with orange firelight, the kind that made every shadow look like a threat.

Malrik stood there with that same crooked smirk, his arm around his mate like she was a prize he’d just won.

His mate’s voice broke through the tense silence again.

“You know what your problem is, witch?” she said, stepping forward, her chin high. “You come here talking about crowns and wars like you understand anything about loyalty.” Her eyes flashed. “We might be rogues, but we look out for one another. Our men have died…too many of them…for this stupid fight against your precious throne.”

She turned to Malrik, her voice softening as she cupped his face. “He doesn’t need to be the king of the entire realm. He’s already the king of my heart… and of this family.” She motioned to the settlement…ragged tents, fires, scarred faces watching with quiet devotion. “That’s all that matters. We don’t need to lose more of our brothers and sisters to own the crown.”

A few of the rogues murmured in agreement.

I laughed. It came out sharp and cold. “So this is what you’ve become, Malrik? A lapdog with a crown made of pity?”

His eyes flickered. His mate stiffened, but I stepped closer, my robe dragging through the dirt. “Tell me, what happened to the great Malrik who wanted to tear down thrones and make kings bleed? What happened to the beast everyone feared? Or have you finally realized you’re not man enough to challenge Leo Ashton?”

The words hit their mark. His jaw clenched. The crowd grew restless. His mate reached for him again, but this time he stopped her, gripping her wrist midair. His eyes burned into mine.

“Careful, Dina,” he said, his voice low. “You’re not the only one who remembers the past.”

“Then prove it,” I taunted. “Or are you just going to stand there, hiding behind your woman while the world forgets your name?”

He growled, then exhaled slowly, his tone changing. “You think you know me, but you don’t. You think you know why I hated Leo Ashton?” He stepped closer. “Let me tell you a story.”

The camp quieted. Even the fire seemed to listen.

“When we were boys…barely sixteen… Back when my family had a position in the kingdom,” Malrik said. “Leo was always the golden one. Everyone loved him. The girls, the elders, the warriors. One day, there was a hunt. We were both chasing the same deer, and I took the shot first. My arrow hit true, but he said it was his kill. He told everyone I missed.”

A bitter smile twisted his lips. “I was furious. Stupid pride. I challenged the prince to a duel, and he beat me down. Right there. In front of everyone. And because of that stupid act, my family was banished. That day, I swore I’d destroy him.”

He looked around, his gaze falling on his mate. “But months ago, when I almost lost her to him…twice…all because of this old feud… I realized how childish it all was. Turns out, that deer wasn’t even my kill after all. He killed it and my dumb mind played tricks because for once, I wanted to outshine the prince. I want to set the record straight. I’ve got something to lose now. A family of my own to protect. I’m done clawing at ghosts.”

She smiled up at him, tears glinting in her eyes. “You’re doing the right thing,” she whispered, and before anyone could react, she grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

He pulled her close, his hand sliding down to grab her ass as the rogues cheered, howling like animals.

I felt my fury boil over. The wind stirred around me, the flames guttered. “You fool,” I spat. “Here I was thinking you were fit to be a king. A man. I almost handed the crown to you on a platter of gold. But you’re just a weakling who listens to a mere pussy.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. His mate pulled back from the kiss, her lips slick with defiance. “Says the hag who wants my man to listen to her own old, wrinkly pussy? You’re out of your mind!”

My scream tore through the camp like thunder. I raised my hand, and an invisible force wrapped around her throat. She gasped, clawing at her neck as her feet lifted off the ground. The wind howled. Dust and sparks swirled.

“Dina!” Malrik roared. “Put her down! Or else…”

“Or else what?” I snarled, my power crackling around us. “I can literally kill you all and no one will care.”

He took a step forward, fury and fear warring in his eyes. “You think you can wipe out everyone here and no one will find out? I have someone in the King’s palace. If word reaches them that a single hair on her head or anyone here is harmed…he’ll spill the truth.”

The air thickened. My grip faltered. “What truth?”

Malrik’s voice dropped, lethal and cold. “The truth about what you did all those years ago. About what really happened on that fateful blue moon when blood soaked the mountains.”

My hand trembled. I released her. She fell to the ground, coughing and gasping as Malrik rushed to her side.

I clenched my jaw, my teeth grinding as I pointed a finger at him. “Leo Ashton will never forgive you no matter this little act of redemption you’re engaging in. He will never accept you,” I spat.

“I don’t care, Dina. My family and I will not be used for bloodshed anymore. That’s all that matters.” He said it firmly, carrying his mate in his arms while his men formed a protective arc around the couple, as if to keep me out.

Fools.

I let the wind rise again, my robe whipping in the storm I summoned. “Don’t make me wait for long, Malrik. When you’re ready for the crown… come find me.”

And with that, the storm swallowed me whole. Again.