Page 10 of A Reign of Malice (Wolves of Lunara #3)

His responding snarl sends a ripple of terror down my spine. “No. Leave. Now. Before it’s too late.”

“Too late for what?” I ask even though there’s not a chance in hell I’m leaving my mate here.

The man looks back up at me, and I gasp. Now that I’m closer, his facial features…they’re familiar. No, more than that. They’re the exact same as the man I’m set to bond with in just a few days’ time.

“Aeson?” I don’t know how it’s possible, but it’s him. The man I had dinner with last night is right here. Only not the same. Has someone been impersonating him this whole time? Is this why I thought I felt a connection to him?

His lip curls, revealing pointed, almost feral, canines. “No.”

My pulse thunders in my ears. “Then who?—”

“It doesn’t matter,” he snaps. “You need to go. I don’t want you here.”

I laugh lightly and stand back up. “I don’t think you’re in a position to be making demands. I’m not leaving until I’m ready.”

“You don’t understand.” His voice is laced with desperation. “He’ll kill you if he knows you’ve found me.”

“Who? The Aeson out there? I’m not afraid of…”

The hollowness returns just before I’m pulled back to the darkness that brought me to the cave. When I can see again, I’m in the hallway with Clara frantically shaking me. “Damn it, Sloane. What the hell just happened?”

“I found my mate.” The words tremble as they leave my lips, my chest still heaving from the intensity of it all. My cheeks are damp, my entire body raw with the aftershocks of what just happened. What I felt.

I stagger toward the wall, reaching for the runes again, desperate to get back to him.

But nothing happens.

The magic remains silent, the connection is severed as if it was never there at all.

The void that follows is unbearable. A sharp, aching emptiness that settles in my chest like a wound that refuses to close.

“I have to get back in there.”

“Absolutely not.” Clara pulls me away from the wall. “We have no idea what’s trapped behind there. It could be a trick. They might be able to manipulate you, and I won’t risk your life until I know more about these runes.”

“It’s not your choice.” I rip myself free, my body already moving back to the stone, hands slamming over the runes, but there’s still nothing. No vision. No pull. The runes don’t even flicker.

I press my forehead against the stone, a fissure inside my heart, but my resolve remains unshaken.

He’s real .

And I will get him out. One way or another.

When I finally turn back to Clara, guilt crashes into me. She’s pale, her breathing unsteady, but her hands are anything but weak.

She’s holding a dagger, ready to fight me. “Don’t make me restrain you, Sloane. I will for your own good, even if it means you hate me.”

The sight of her standing there, weapon drawn, rattles something in me.

This is Clara—my closest advisor, my most trusted confidante, my fiercest protector.

And she genuinely believes I might lose myself to this.

I exhale, forcing my hands to steady as I step toward her, catching both her wrists.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, the words thick with exhaustion.

“I let my emotions cloud my judgment.” I shake my head, inhaling deeply.

“I know you’re worried. I am too. But I also know what I felt.

There’s no way that connection was fabricated.

” I press a hand to my chest, over my racing heart. “I still feel him, Clara. Even now.”

Her eyes flicker with concern, likely for my sanity.

“It doesn’t matter why he’s down there,” I continue. “I have to get him out. And if he truly is a monster, I’ll kill him myself. But I have to know. After all this time, I have to .”

Silence stretches between us.

Then Clara nods, her expression softening just enough. “I know, but please don’t do this alone. Don’t touch those runes again until I find that book. A lot of my belongings arrived yesterday. I’ll go through them today. Just give me time. He’s clearly not going anywhere, and neither are we.”

She’s right, and I hate how I reacted toward her, but all rational thought went out of my mind the moment I realized who this man is to me. The how and why will come later .

“Thank you for being my voice of reason,” I tell her sincerely. “I won’t come back here without you. I promise.”

Her sharpened gaze pierces me. “Something tells me I shouldn’t believe you.”

I grin without any real humor. “Because you probably shouldn’t.”

If he calls out to me again, I don’t know how I’ll react, but denying my mate, even if he might be a danger, feels impossible until we know more.

Clara scowls. “I hate you sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

With a final glare, she turns back to the painting, and together we put it back on the wall. I place my hand over the canvas, hoping for one more interaction, but there’s nothing now. Not even the pull. Only the memory.

We head back to the main section of the castle, and I keep my face neutral. I can’t give anything away, not even to passing staff. Whatever’s been happening here, there’s no telling how many of them know and what they might do to keep such secrets hidden.

We’re almost to our rooms, but when we turn the final corner, Aeson is standing at the end of the corridor, waiting. His gaze sweeps over me, curiosity flickering behind his dark blue eyes. “Out for a morning stroll?”

I smile as I approach, letting my movements slow, become more fluid. “Exploring my new home. A queen should be familiar with the kingdom she’s meant to rule, don’t you think?”

His smirk deepens. “You are thorough, aren’t you?”

“Always.”

Aeson reaches for my hand, his fingers brushing mine. I let him take it, even leaning in slightly, as if drawn to him. His scent—an earthy spice and something distinctly him —wraps around me, but it no longer stirs anything inside me.

I press my palm to his chest, angling my head closer. “You’ve been busy these last few days.”

“As have you,” he murmurs, his hand gliding to my waist.

The contact is possessive, but I let it linger as I feign excitement for what’s to come. “Do you need any help with ceremony planning? It’s getting so close now.”

A glimmer of something indecipherable crosses his expression before he schools it back into a casual smile. “Our guest list isn’t as full as I hoped it would be. Asher and Theo are claiming it’s too short notice to attend.”

“Oh, my king.” I slide my hand down his arm slowly. “Estee owes me. Let me give her a call and see what I can do about that. We need them here.”

And as an idea begins to form, I might need the other kings and queens now more than ever.

His smile turns approvingly. “You never cease to impress me.”

I lift my chin, my voice dipping into something softer, more seductive. “You’ve only seen the beginning of what I’m capable of.”

Aeson’s fingers tighten slightly at my waist before he releases me with a lingering touch. “I look forward to seeing more.”

I step back, offering him a final glance before continuing down the hall to my room, ignoring Clara’s disgust at having witnessed that show until we’re out of sight.

Aeson’s starting to trust me more.

Now, I just have to make sure he never sees my next move coming.