Chapter 15 Tied To The Prophecy
Dane’s POV
I slumped into the chair the moment the door closed behind Meira. My breath left me in a slow, heavy exhale. I had spoken to her too sharply. I knew it. The look in her eyes before she left… it wasn’t the same one she had the night I found her in the forest. That night her eyes had held fear, exhaustion, and something else, something wild and unbroken.
But today…
Today her eyes carried confusion. Pain. Restraint.
And something I didn’t want to name… something that made my chest tighten.
I rubbed my hands over my face.
I had saved her.
Not because it was the right thing to do, though it was.
Not because I wanted to defy my father, though I usually did.
But because of the thought of her being banished…
The thought of never seeing her again…
It knotted something inside me.
That alone terrified me.
There was still so much I needed to know about her. Her aura, her energy, the way her presence seemed to make my wolf stir after so long asleep… Keeping her in the palace, even as a servant, was the safest option. For her. And unfortunately for me.
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
Is it possible… for a wolf to get a mate twice?
“No,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head quickly. “No. It can’t be. The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. And another mate… gods, what if a second mate is worse than the first?”
The thought made bile rise in my throat.
I sucked in a breath and turned my head only to see Darius standing a few feet from me, arms crossed, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face.
I frowned deeply. “Why didn’t you knock?”
“I’ve been knocking,” he said, walking in like he owned the place. “You were too drowned in your thoughts to hear me. Honestly, Dane, how deep were you thinking? Or,” he winked, “I thought you were with someone… You know.
I narrowed my eyes. “You know what, Darius?”
He lifted a brow, teasing. “With a maiden having—”
“Don’t.” I cut him off sharply.
I already knew what he was about to say, and I didn’t need him finishing that sentence.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, Dane. I know you don’t have such interests anymore. But damn,” he leaned against the table. “I still can’t believe you haven’t had sex since her.”
My jaw clenched. My expression hardened instantly. “I do not wish to discuss that.”
He raised both hands in surrender, the laughter fading from his face. “Alright. Fine. Sorry.” He paused, studying me closely. “So what’s bothering you?”
I hesitated.
Then I asked, quietly, “Is it possible to have a mate twice?”
His head snapped up. “Yes, man. The first by the Moon Goddess… and the second a chosen mate. People do it all the time.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I don’t mean a chosen mate.”
I held his gaze.
“I mean the Moon Goddess giving someone a second mate.”
His expression froze.
Then slowly… his eyes widened. “That…” He let out a long breath. “That, I’ve never heard of.”
He lowered himself into the chair opposite me, leaning forward. “You got another mate?”
“No.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “It’s just… I can’t tell if it's a coincidence.”
“Coincidence about what?”
I hesitated again. Then I sighed. “The maiden that was about to be banished today is the one accused of killing her aunt’s husband.”
“Meira.” He nodded. “Yeah. I was going to ask why you insisted she stay here. The alpha king was furious.”
“She…” I paused, searching for the right words. “Whenever she’s around… my wolf moves.”
Darius straightened, the teasing completely gone.
“Moves?” he repeated slowly.
I nodded once.
For a moment, he looked stunned, then his expression softened slightly, almost sympathetically.
“I thought that would be good news,” I muttered. “At least it means my wolf isn’t dead.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Dane… you know what she is.”
“Cursed,” I said flatly.
“Yes. Cursed. Hybrid. And accused of murdering her aunt’s husband. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t bind someone like that to you.”
“That’s what I thought,” I whispered.
But the confusion in my chest only grew heavier.
A hybrid… cursed by blood and lineage… rejected by her own pack… discarded. A girl who should’ve been terrified to breathe near royalty, yet she stood in my chambers tonight, trembling but trying so desperately to hide it.
And the pull between us
My wolf stretching within me, reacting to her
even without her touching me.
It made no sense.
My jaw tightened. “Then why do I feel something? Why does my wolf move around her?”
“Because you’re overthinking,” Darius said. But even he didn’t sound convinced. “Or maybe you just feel pity for her. You always have a soft spot for hopeless cases.”
His words irritated me, but I didn’t respond. Because even if he was right… pity didn’t make my wolf react.
Pity didn’t make the air between us shift and tighten.
Pity didn’t make me feel like I needed to guard her from the world, or even from myself.
Darius watched me, his expression shifting from confusion… to concern.
“Dane,” he said slowly, “you have to stay away from her.”
I looked at him sharply. “Away from her?”
“Yes.” His voice hardened, dropping any trace of humor. “Far away.”
“Why?” I asked, frowning.
He hesitated, then spoke in a low voice. “She’s more dangerous than you think.”
I raised a brow. “Dangerous how?”
“Dane, I’m serious.” He leaned closer, lowering his tone even further. “There’s something you don’t know. Something about her that the council discovered before her trial. Something the alpha king insisted be buried.”
My pulse stilled.
“What did they find?”
He stood slowly, glancing toward the door as if someone might be listening. His face grew pale—an expression I almost never saw from him.
“You need to stay away from her, Dane.” His voice was barely a whisper now. “If you don’t… it could cost you everything.”
I stood as well, my eyes narrowing. “Darius, tell me what the hell you’re hiding.”
He swallowed hard.
Then he stepped closer and murmured,
“She’s not just cursed…”
His breath trembled.
“…she might be connected to the prophecy. And if you keep going near her, Dane…”
He shook his head.
“….you might be the one who dies first.”