“There’s no such thing as curses,” Audra told herself, but her voice shook. She had been married to the Alpha King for six days, and tonight she was certain she would die. Six queens before her. Six women dead on the seventh night of their marriage to him.
Their portraits hung in the hallway, their painted eyes seeming to warn her as she crept toward the king’s chambers. The first queen fell from a tower. The second died in her sleep. The third was thrown from a horse.
The fourth drowned in her bath. The fifth was found dead with no cause. The sixth was savaged by a boar. All accidents.
All on the seventh night. Audra had been a tavern maid two weeks ago. Now she was a queen, married to a man who hated her, about to face the same fate as the women whose faces watched her from the walls. She decided she would not die without living first.
The guards let her pass with knowing looks. She knocked on the king’s door. When it opened, Ender stood shirtless in the moonlight, his dark hair tousled, his gray eyes bright and wolf-like in the darkness. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“You believe I’ll be dead by sunrise, don’t you? ”
He stepped back, horror crossing his features. “Audra,” he said roughly. “I’m sorry.
”
“Shush,” she told him. “If what you believe is true, there’s nothing to be done. ” She took a step toward him. “I need you to do me a favor.
”
“Whatever you—” he started. “I need you to take me to bed. ”
If someone had asked Audra what had caused her doom, she would have said it was all Gerald’s fault. He’d pursued her relentlessly at the tavern, showing up night after night with stolen gifts.
When she couldn’t get rid of him, she’d picked the drunkest man in the room and claimed he was her fiancé. The drunk turned out to be the cursed king in disguise, and the fake priest she’d bribed turned out to be horrifyingly real. “You’re the one who tricked me into marrying you,” Ender protested. “You didn’t exactly say no.
”
“You can’t really blame me for ending up here,” she continued. “This is all your fault. ”
He stared at her. “You’re mad.
That’s what you are. ”
“Probably,” she agreed. “Now come here and ravish me. ”
He looked at her for a long moment.
“You’d willingly spend the night with a man rumored to have killed six wives? ”
“You said it wasn’t you. That it was the curse. ”
“Maybe I’m the curse,” he said.
“Ever think of that? ”
She softened. “If I’m as good as gone, I’d rather go doing something pleasant. ”
“Pleasant,” he repeated dryly.
“Are you saying you’re incapable of pleasing a woman? ”
His mouth opened, then closed. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? ”
“You most certainly did.
”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then he stepped toward her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. “Well,” he said, his voice low and rough. “You asked for it.
”
He cupped her face and kissed her. The kiss began softer than she expected. Then he kissed her again, and she felt something strange curl at the edge of her mind. Fear.
Then guilt. But it wasn’t hers. “I can feel you,” she said, pulling back. He raised an eyebrow.
“These things are rather unavoidable, darling. ”
“No,” she said, pressing a hand to her chest. “I mean, I can feel what you feel in here. Like it’s mine, only it isn’t.
”
His smirk faded. “Yes. Well, it comes with the mating bond. ”
She remembered now.
The drunk priest had said something about mates. She hadn’t understood it then. She reached for it on purpose, and suddenly he was there—not his body, but him. Underneath the fear and sorrow was want.
His was vast, edged with restraint so fierce it made her breath catch. He was being careful with her. The knowing undid her more than any kiss could. He carried her to the bed.
Between them, the fabric disappeared, and the vulnerability that should have terrified her didn’t because she could feel him. There was nowhere to hide inside the bond. He felt all of it—her nervousness, her wonder, the moment her fear gave way to an ache so bright she thought she might shatter. Afterward, she smiled at him.
“I’m not dead yet. ”
He traced his fingers along her arm. “Do you want to? ”
“Yes,” she said immediately.
The second time was different. She was braver, learning the sounds he made, the moment his restraint shattered. The third time she pushed him onto his back and took control. Between times, they talked.
He told her about his first wife. She told him about Gerald, about her father’s debts. They laughed, soft and breathless. The bond between them strengthened.
She lay tucked against his side, listening to his heartbeat. She’d never felt safer, which was absurd considering she was supposed to die tonight. “At least I won’t have to grow old and have sex that can’t possibly compare for the rest of my life,” she murmured. He snorted, a sad sound.
“It’s not your fault,” she said quietly. He was silent for a long moment. “Then you’re pretending not to be scared. ”
“I’d rather you pretended too, if you don’t mind.
”
He nodded. “All right. ”
He kissed the top of her head, and she murmured, “It was nice knowing you. ”
She meant it.
Audra woke to warm sunlight. For a blissful moment, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. Then she realized there were arms around her. Ender, asleep, holding her.
The seventh day had passed. She sat upright triumphantly. “I knew it. There’s no such thing as curses.
”
Ender startled awake. He stared at her, then slowly reached up and touched her cheek. “But that’s not how—”
“Told you there was no curse,” she said, smiling. But instead of relief, he pulled away, sitting up abruptly.
“We have to get the marriage annulled. Today. ”
Her heart sank. “Wow.
Was it really that bad last night? ”
“No, that’s not—”
“So the very instant you find out there’s no curse, the first thing you choose to do is get the marriage annulled? Not even a congratulations for still being alive? ”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said.
“Of course there’s a curse. And for some reason, it spared you. But whatever protected you could stop working at any moment. We have to hurry.
”
“Have you considered that there just isn’t a curse? ” she asked. “And all six of my previous mates just happened to die in unrelated accidents exactly seven days after marrying me? ”
She blinked.
“Yes. ”
“I’m not letting this curse kill you,” he said firmly. “Go get dressed. I’ll wake the council and fetch a priest.
”
“No,” she said. “I refuse to have this marriage annulled. ”
He frowned. “Why not?
”
She thought quickly. “If I was supposed to die by the rules of the curse, I would be dead already. And if you annul the marriage, Gerald will be right back on my doorstep. ”
“I’m the king,” Ender said.
“I can exile the man to the far ends of the earth if I want. ”
“I quite like it here,” she said, gesturing around the lavish bedroom. “This time last week I was a barmaid. Today I’m a queen sleeping in silk.
”
“I’ll give you an estate, servants, money, anything. Now please, let’s stop wasting time before the curse—”
A maid walked in carrying fresh linens. She froze, staring at Audra, very much alive and very obviously having spent the night. “The queen lives!
” the maid exclaimed. Within minutes, the room was chaos. Servants and guards crowded in. “The curse is broken!
” “Perhaps she’s carrying an heir already! ”
Ender yanked the sheets higher over both of them. “No! It’s not what it looks like.
She’s definitely not pregnant. ”
Audra blinked at him innocently. “How would you know, your majesty? You were rather enthusiastic last night.
” She smiled sweetly. “All six times. ”
The council erupted. “The royal line is saved!
”
Through the bond, Audra felt Ender’s emotions shift from panic to despair. He was convinced she’d just sealed her own death sentence. A few days later, Audra was still getting used to being treated like royalty. Nobles sent gifts constantly.
Lord Redford was finishing his elaborate speech about the miracle of her survival when the doors burst open. “This must end now,” Ender said, striding in. He looked terrible—pale, tense, dark circles under his eyes. “You heard your counsel,” she said.
“We must never divorce. ”
“They’re a bunch of idiots if they think you’re safe. ”
“I am safe. You’re not the one in danger.
”
He knelt beside her chair and took her hand. “Please. You have to listen to me. ”
She sighed.
“I understand you’re genuinely worried, but I’m alive, Ender. ” She cleared her throat when his eyes widened. “I mean, your majesty. ”
He looked away.
“You may call me Ender. ”
Their eyes met, and she felt something warm unfurl in her chest. “Does that mean I can stay? ” she smiled.
He immediately let go of her hand. “No. ”
They argued back and forth. When she tried to feed him a chocolate, he grabbed her wrist, and she felt pure fear through the bond—raw, overwhelming, the kind that keeps you awake at night.
He didn’t want the annulment to be rid of her. He genuinely believed he was trying to save her. “I’m getting this marriage annulled whether you like it or not,” he said, heading for the door. He nearly collided with a young man with sandy hair and an easy smile.
“Well, someone’s in a mood,” the stranger grinned. “Shut up, Percy,” Ender snapped as he swept past. Percy turned to Audra. “Your Majesty, I’ve come to pay my regards.
”
“You can leave your gift over there,” she said, her mood soured. He looked dumbfounded. “Oh, I didn’t think of bringing—” He noticed her glare. “My mistake.
”
She sighed. “Sorry. It’s not you. It’s the king.
”
“He’s being a stubborn ass,” Percy guessed. She cleared her throat. “Let me rephrase. His majesty is being a little paranoid.
”
Percy smiled. “Perhaps I could offer your majesty the gift of some advice. I’ve known him since we were young. ”
“Was he always so tightly wound?
”
Percy’s smile faded slightly. “No. But being cursed has taken quite a toll on him. ”
“I suppose it can’t be easy having lost six wives.
”
“It has not,” Percy agreed. “But I don’t know if that curse is real. I mean, if it were, I’d be dead. Yet here I am.
”
“Perhaps it spared you because of his majesty’s feelings,” Percy said. “He didn’t have very strong feelings for his previous mates. He wasn’t in love with her. ”
“Well, he’s certainly not in love with me.
”
“Perhaps not, but you were with him the night everyone believed you were meant to die, weren’t you? ”
Audra blushed furiously. “That’s more than I can say for at least half of his previous wives,” Percy continued. “He didn’t dare approach them.
He was too worried about the curse. ”
“Well, by this logic, perhaps he simply didn’t care much about me. Hence why he took me to bed. ”
“Perhaps,” Percy said.
“Or unlike the others, he actually chose you. And maybe that made all the difference. ”
Something fluttered in her chest. She crushed it.
“I don’t care about staying. If he wants me gone, I’ll go. ”
Percy raised a skeptical eyebrow. Audra cracked first.
“But say I did want to stay. How would you suggest I go about it? ”
Percy’s smile widened. “Are you asking me to help you seduce your husband?
”
“No,” she said, flustered. “Perhaps. I’m only curious. ”
“I think the entire castle is willing to help, your majesty.
You’re the bride who lived. We just need to make sure the king starts hoping too. ”
Audra thought about Ender—the way his eyes had looked at her that night, the way he’d held her afterward. She decided she was indeed going to seduce her husband.
For the chocolate, obviously. Her first attempts were subtle. Small touches that lingered too long. Dresses cut to catch his eye.
But he still talked of annulment. Percy instructed her to invite Ender to her chambers under the pretense of discussing the annulment. “Then what? ” Audra asked.
“You’ll see,” Percy grinned. When Ender entered, he froze. Audra was lounging in a bath in a thin white chemise, wet and nearly transparent. “What are you doing?
” he asked, his voice strangled. “Bathing? ” she replied innocently. He stared, then turned his face to the ceiling.
“You said you were amenable to the annulment. ”
“I am amenable to discussing it,” she said, letting one leg emerge from the bath. “I don’t want the annulment at all. ”
His eyes snapped to hers.
“But you said—”
“I said I was willing to discuss how unwilling I am to end this marriage. ” She started rising from the bath. Ender took three rapid steps backward. “No.
Stay. ” He fled. She burst into laughter. But he still called a council meeting to discuss the annulment.
“Why don’t you just sleep in his room? ” Percy suggested. “You are his wife. ”
That night, she padded into his chamber in her thinnest nightgown.
“I can’t sleep,” she said, letting her voice go small. “I’m scared. ”
He gave her a long, dubious look. “I know what you’re doing.
”
“What? It’s true. ”
He sighed. “Scared of what?
”
“The curse? ” she offered. “The one you’re adamant doesn’t exist. ”
“Who said I meant that one?
”
She slid into bed beside him. After a long silence, he said, “Fine. Good night. ”
She gave it ten breaths.
Then she rolled over and fitted herself against him. Ender went rigid. “Audra, what are you doing? ”
“I’m cold.
”
“It’s the middle of summer. ”
“I have poor circulation. ”
She pressed her back flush to his chest. She felt his hand lift, hover over her hip, then retreat, curling into a fist.
Through the bond, she felt the effort it took him. Want and refusal grinding against each other. “Good night, Ender,” she murmured. “Good night,” he gritted out.
Over the next nights, she kept accidentally getting closer. He never sent her away. But Percy reported he’d become even more determined to annul the marriage. “Excellent,” Percy said.
“It means you’re getting to him. ”
He had one final idea. She should attend the council meeting herself. A few days later, Audra walked in uninvited.
Every seat was occupied, so without hesitation, she sat on Ender’s lap. He froze. “What are you doing? ”
“Finding myself a seat,” she said innocently.
The counselors immediately rushed to agree, obviously helping her case. The meeting resumed, or tried to. Someone droned about grain tariffs while Audra reached up and idly twisted a lock of Ender’s hair around her finger. His breath stopped.
She shifted in his lap, dragging herself slowly against him. Ender made a sound low in his throat that he turned badly into a cough. “Something the matter, your majesty? ” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said tightly. She reached for his collar. “It’s crooked,” she murmured, letting her finger trail along his throat. “Everyone out!
” he barked. The council members exchanged delighted looks and filed out quickly. The doors clicked shut. Ender moved.
His hands closed around her waist, and he lifted her onto the edge of the council table. She barely had time to register the cold wood before he stepped between her knees, nudging them apart. “What,” he said very quietly, “do you think you’re doing? ”
“Nothing.
I told you there wasn’t enough room. ”
“Liar. ” He leaned in, his head tilting toward the curve of her throat. He inhaled deep, and a shudder moved through his whole body.
When he drew back, gold had almost swallowed the gray. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me. ”
“So, show me,” she whispered. His gaze dropped to her parted lips.
His hand found her thigh, fingers pressing into bare skin, and a sound tore out of him. Then he wrenched himself back. “No,” he said. “I won’t do this.
I won’t be the thing that kills you. ”
He turned and strode for the door. Audra stayed where she was, her heart slamming. “That’s it,” she muttered.
“I’m going to make this king cave. ”
The ballroom was the most beautiful room Audra had ever stood in. She wore a turquoise gown that had taken three seamstresses two days to fit. When she descended the great staircase, heads turned.
Not one of them was the head she wanted. Ender stood across the room, smiling at everyone but her. “You look like you’re plotting a murder,” said a voice at her elbow—Percy. “Do I?
”
“Care for a dance? ”
“Not really. ”
“Wonderful. ” He took her fingers.
“I’ll lead. ”
He spun her out. “He’s watching, you know. ”
Her heart lurched.
“Probably a coincidence. ”
“Oh, I think not. Tell me. Do you know the way to a man’s heart?
”
“Jealousy? ”
“Definitely. When the man is half-wolf. We get terribly possessive of our mates.
”
Something flickered through the bond. Annoyance. “You think if I make him jealous enough, he’ll actually accept me? ”
“He’s already accepted you.
He simply has to admit it. ”
Ender was staring openly, his knuckles white around his glass. Then with terrible deliberateness, he turned to a girl in blue and asked her to dance. Audra’s teeth clicked together.
“Perhaps we should step it up a notch. ”
Percy led her toward the glass doors that opened onto the gardens. “If this doesn’t work,” he murmured as they slipped out into the dark, “my name isn’t Percy. ”
The night air was cool.
They stopped behind the wide trunk of an old tree. “Well,” Audra said, “he’s certainly not going to look at me out here. ”
“Good. Leave him wanting more.
”
In the quiet, her mind went straight back to the ballroom—Ender’s hand on that girl’s waist, the easy smile he gave everyone but her. She turned abruptly. “Look, I don’t think this is going to work. ”
Percy caught her wrist.
“What are you doing? ”
She tried to move away. He leaned in slow and deliberate, tilting his head as though he meant to kiss her. A snarl split the night.
One instant Percy was there. The next he was gone, wrenched away and sent sprawling across the grass. Audra was hauled back against a hard familiar chest by an arm banded across her like iron. Ender.
His eyes were burning gold, lips peeled back from his teeth. He wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at Percy with something murderous. “See?
” Percy laughed, propping himself up on his elbows. “Told you it’d work. ”
“Shut it, Percy,” Ender growled. He steered her away down the path.
When they rounded a hedge, he stopped and rounded on her. “What are you doing? ” he snapped. “My own queen slipping out of my ball to disappear into the dark with some courtier?
”
“I thought he was your friend. ”
“That’s worse. What will people say? ”
“What do you care what people say?
” she snapped. “You’ve spent weeks trying to annul this marriage. If anything, me wandering off gives you exactly the excuse you’ve been begging for. ”
Ender went very still.
Then he laughed—a short, humorless sound. “Oh,” he said softly. “So you were doing me a favor. ”
“Perhaps I was.
”
He crossed the space between them in a single stride and backed her into the trunk of a tree. “No, you weren’t. I know exactly what you were doing. ”
“Oh?
And what was that? ”
“Getting a rise out of me,” he accused. “Making me jealous. ”
She was suddenly breathless.
“Did it work? ”
For a long moment, he only stared at her mouth. “Yes. ”
And then his lips were on hers, his body pinning hers to the tree.
Through the bond, it all came roaring into her—his possessiveness, raw and consuming. The deep, wordless certainty that she was his. “You’ve got some nerve,” she panted. “Going all territorial after weeks of shoving me away.
”
“And you’ve got some nerve pretending this isn’t exactly what you wanted. ” He gestured roughly between them. “Me giving in? You staying queen?
”
It landed like a slap. She didn’t understand why it hurt. It was what she’d been telling herself for weeks—that she liked being queen, the silk, the servants. So why did hearing him say it feel painfully wrong?
“Well,” she said, her voice cracking, “if you’re so set against it, then walk away. ”
They stared at each other. Then, at the very same instant, they moved. The kiss was fiercer than the last.
She dragged him down. He lifted her up. And beneath the heat, beneath the possessiveness and the desire, she felt something else surface—something warmer, steadier. It poured through the bond and filled her up.
And all at once, Audra understood. This had never been about staying queen. This had been about him. She’d wanted him since the night she was sure would be her last.
She loved him. Ender tore himself away as though she’d struck him. “No,” he breathed. “You can’t love me.
”
Heat flooded her face. He’d felt it. “You love me too,” she said. “I felt it.
Don’t you dare pretend I didn’t. ”
She reached for him. He jerked his hand out of reach. “Why do you keep doing this?
” she asked, her voice breaking. “There’s something between us. I know it and you know it. So why do you keep pushing me away?
”
“Because being with me is going to get you killed. ”
She caught his hand, and the bond flared white. This time it wasn’t emotion that poured through it. It was memory.
And she was inside it. A servant in a doorway. Regina still and cold in her bed. Each queen, each door he opened too late.
Each wave of guilt crashing over him, heavier than the last. And then last of all, not a memory. A nightmare. Her.
Laid out cold, skin gray, eyes open and empty. She surfaced with tears on her face. “Ender,” she said very gently. She squeezed his hand.
“I’m not dead. I’m right here. ”
He looked utterly destroyed. “For how long?
” he whispered. “I should have forced you to leave weeks ago. It would have hurt less. ”
“Then why didn’t you?
”
Anguish twisted across his features. His mouth opened. “Because,” he said roughly. The silence stretched.
“Because I was a selfish fool. ”
He turned and walked away. It had been several days since the night of the ball, and Ender had reached out to Audra exactly zero times. He avoided her whenever possible.
Somehow, he’d even stopped responding through the bond. Before, there had always been a faint warmth and presence lingering at the edge of her mind. Now there was nothing. The bond still existed, but it felt like a door had been firmly shut from the other side.
After a week of being shut out, she couldn’t take it anymore. She found Percy in the courtyard. “Percy, I need your help. ”
“Again?
” He laughed nervously. “I don’t know, your majesty. I think his majesty has had quite enough of our shenanigans. ”
“Please.
He shut our bond. I can barely feel him anymore. But I know he’s hurting. I should have understood sooner.
Now he’s more withdrawn than ever. ”
Percy glanced around. “All right. But not here.
I’d rather not get attacked again. ”
He suggested they go riding. They collected horses and rode out, keeping to a sedate walk until the castle had shrunk behind them. “So you said he closed your bond,” Percy said once they were deep in the forest.
“It’s like a piece of me is missing,” she said. “Except that piece isn’t mine. It’s him. ”
Percy studied her carefully.
“You can’t feel him at all? ”
She closed her eyes, concentrated. Nothing. “That means he can’t feel you either.
”
“What do I do? I felt his fear, Percy. He genuinely believes I’m going to end up like the others. I saw inside his mind.
It breaks my heart. ”
“Which means he really loves you. ”
“I don’t think that matters anymore. Not as long as he keeps believing in this curse.
How do I fix this? How do I make him see I’m safe? ”
They’d ridden deep into the forest now. Percy drew his horse to a halt in a small clearing and swung down.
Audra dismounted too, glad to stretch her legs on the soft turf. She heard Percy move behind her. She lowered her hands and saw the gleam of a dagger in his. “Oh, Audra,” he said with a sad smile.
“You’re not safe. ”
She froze. “Percy, what are you doing? ”
He took one slow step toward her.
“I’ll make it quick. Almost painless. I’ve grown rather fond of you, you know. ”
“Percy, why would you want to hurt me?
”
His expression darkened. “I’m not going to hurt you. ” He raised the dagger. “I’m going to kill you.
”
Everything suddenly clicked. He was the one who insisted they ride out here alone. He’d planned this. “But since when?
” she backed away, tripping over a root. “Why would you—” The realization hit her mid-sentence. “There was never a curse. It was you all along.
You killed them. The six other brides. ”
Percy’s face twisted, almost offended. “Five.
I killed five. Hiasin chose to die. She jumped. I couldn’t stop her.
” He stepped closer. “But now, now six. ”
She scrambled backward, lashing out with her heel, kicking him hard in the shin. He lost his balance—just enough for her to roll to her feet and sprint.
She ran without looking back, desperately reaching for the bond over and over, trying to call Ender, trying to push her fear through. Nothing. An arm suddenly wrapped around her, pulling her backward. “Enough.
” He held her tightly. “You can’t escape me. ”
“Let me go. You don’t have to do this.
”
“I do. It will destroy Ender. ” He pressed the dagger against her throat. “Because unlike the others, he actually loves you.
Do you know what happens to a wolf who loses their mate? They die or they go mad from the pain. ”
“Why? Why would you want to destroy him?
”
Real hatred crossed Percy’s face. “Because—” he pressed the knife just enough to nick her skin. “He took everything from me. ”
“Please, Percy.
This isn’t you. ”
He gave a hollow laugh. “No. It’s what’s left of me.
”
She closed her eyes. There was no escape. To Audra’s relief, Percy didn’t kill her immediately. Instead, he pressed the knife against her back and forced her to walk.
Every so often she heard him muttering to himself. “I have to. I have to. ”
It sounded less like he was convincing her and more like he was trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing.
She kept replaying their conversations, searching for clues. The friendly smiles, the easy laughter, the way he’d helped her with Ender. It had all been a lie. Or worse, it had been real, and he was doing this anyway.
When they reached the edge of a cliff, her stomach dropped. Far below, jagged rocks and the thin silver line of a river. Percy kept forcing her closer. This was it.
She was going to die here. She thought of Ender, of the bond he’d closed. Would he even know when she was gone? She reached for him again through the bond.
Nothing. “Percy, please,” she said, turning to face him. “Did she jump before you could hurt her? ”
Percy snarled.
“I would never hurt her. ”
“Then why did she jump from that tower? ” she asked quietly. “To get away from you?
”
Percy’s face twisted with grief. “To get away from it all. Because she was broken. Now Ender’s finally going to know how she felt.
”
They were almost at the edge. Audra could feel the wind, cold against her face. Suddenly, something lunged into the edge of her vision, slamming into Percy with a savage growl. Audra fell to her knees.
An enormous wolf had Percy pinned beneath him. She immediately knew who it was. The bond burst open. She felt Ender all at once—fierce, terrified, protective.
“Ender,” she sobbed. He started moving toward her. “I’m here,” she heard through the bond. But before he reached her, Percy drove the knife into his side.
“No! ” she screamed. The wolf let out a wounded cry. Through the reopened bond, Audra felt every ounce of his pain—overwhelming, sharp, burning like fire through her own ribs.
She doubled over. Ender’s head snapped toward her. The instant he realized she was feeling his pain, he shut the bond again. The pain disappeared, but the absence felt worse.
Percy, bleeding from several bites, laughed bitterly. “You chose to marry them knowing they’d die,” he screamed. “You took her from me. She was mine.
And you discarded her seconds later. ”
Ender was clearly struggling from the wound, but he refused to give way, angling his body between Percy and her. “She died! ” Percy screamed, raising the knife to stab Ender again.
Audra pried a large rock loose from the ground and threw it as hard as she could. It struck Percy full in the head. He staggered. Ender tackled him again, pinning him to the ground only a few feet from the cliff’s edge.
He shifted back into human form, naked and bleeding heavily. “What are you talking about? ” he panted. “I didn’t discard her.
I cared for her. ”
Percy thrashed beneath him. “She was barren. When you found out, only days after your wedding, you asked for an annulment.
”
Ender went pale. “Percy, I didn’t. I swear. The council wanted me to divorce her.
I refused. ”
Percy let out a scream of pure rage and threw Ender off him. In the struggle, he rolled toward the cliff’s edge—and slipped right off. His eyes widened.
He grabbed for Ender, trying to drag him over with him. “No! ” Audra lunged forward without thinking. She grabbed Ender’s arm with both hands, pulling with everything she had, her muscles burning, her fingers creaking.
She refused to let go. Together, they fell back onto the top of the cliff in a heap. Percy’s scream echoed below. Then silence.
Audra stared over the edge, hand over her mouth. She wanted to feel relief. Instead, she felt hollow. Ender opened the bond fully again.
She felt his fear, his relief, his overwhelming protectiveness. His arms were around her, hauling her tightly into his chest. “You’re safe,” he breathed. “I felt your fear.
I thought I was too late. ”
She buried her face against him. “You came. ”
She felt his love flowing through the bond—fierce and absolute and unshakable.
She poured hers back without hesitation. “You came back to me,” she murmured. Through the bond, she felt his response. Always.
They simply held each other. The fire had burned down to a steady golden glow. Audra sat wrapped in a blanket before it, and behind her, propped against pillows in the great bed, lay Ender, bare to the waist save for the bandage around his ribs. “Are you all right?
” he asked softly. She huffed a small laugh. “Am I all right? You were stabbed.
”
Something eased in his face. “I’m an alpha. I’ll heal fast. ”
He was quiet for a moment.
“They died because of me, Audra. Every one of them. ”
“They died because Percy had gone insane. Insane with grief over losing his mate.
”
“He never told me his wolf had recognized Hiasin as his all those years. I would never have married her if he had. I’d have stepped aside in a heartbeat. ”
“She was human,” Ender continued.
“So perhaps she never felt the bond with Percy the way he felt it. But it must have taken a toll on her all the same. ”
“What do you mean? ”
“My council wanted me to end the betrothal.
A healer had discovered Hiasin couldn’t bear children. Her family had kept it hidden so the marriage would go through. She never even knew. ”
Audra frowned.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing. How can anyone be certain of that unless you’ve tried? ”
Despite everything, the corner of Ender’s mouth twitched. “That was precisely my argument.
I told the council I wouldn’t go through with an annulment over it. I refused. But she found out anyway. She believed I would set her aside.
”
“None of it was your fault,” she said fiercely. He smiled at her—soft, grateful, and utterly unconvinced. It would take him years to believe otherwise. Perhaps she would spend those years telling him over and over until he did.
“For now,” she squeezed his hand, “thank you. For rescuing me. ”
His brow creased. “How can you thank me?
I nearly failed to keep you safe. I was so certain I was protecting you from the curse by keeping away from you. ”
She pouted. “You shut me out.
From our bond. ”
“I’m sorry. ”
“Don’t do it again. ”
“I couldn’t if I wanted to.
It’s been torture keeping away from you. The bond pulls me toward you every waking moment. My wolf is convinced you belong to me. ”
“But you don’t?
” she asked. Ender’s mouth curved. “I am my wolf, Audra. He isn’t some separate creature I keep on a leash.
He’s a part of me. ” A pause, then steady and certain. “So yes, I want you to be mine. I’ve wanted it from the second I first saw you.
”
Audra snorted. “You mean while you were dead drunk in a tavern? ”
“Yes. ” He held her gaze unwavering.
“I believe you are my true mate. Every wolf has one, though most go their whole lives and never find her. When I saw you that day, drunk as I was, a part of me knew. It’s why I claimed you.
Even like that, my wolf reached for you and would not let go. ”
“So all this time,” she said slowly, “you’ve felt something for me. ”
“I felt everything from the beginning. But I was so sure that having you would be the thing that killed you.
I couldn’t risk it. ” His voice broke just slightly. “I couldn’t lose you. ”
She kissed him.
She rose up out of the blanket and cupped his face and kissed him, careful of his wounded side, pouring into it everything she didn’t have the words for. Every week of wanting, every night he’d turned away, every moment she’d spent believing she was alone. Through the bond, it flowed back to her doubled. His relief, his devotion, his love.
“I swear,” Ender murmured against her lips, “from this moment on, I will never fail you again. ”
Audra pulled back just far enough to look at him. “Just let me stay by your side,” she said. “That’s good enough for me.
”
And she kissed him again, slow and certain and unafraid, while the fire burned warm beside them, and the bond sang at long last, with nothing held back between them.
