Page 16 of A Reign of Malice (Wolves of Lunara #3)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE FATED MATE

S he’s back.

My pulse quickens, the dull ache of hopelessness retreating for the first time in what feels like centuries. The cave’s shadows recoil from the light of her spirit form, as if even this cursed place recognizes her strength.

My mate .

Her scent lingers, faint but undeniable—a mix of pine and something sweet, like spring’s first bloom. It stirs my wolf, weak but not yet gone. He growls low, more plea than warning.

Hold on , I tell him. We fight for her now.

Her gaze sharpens as she steps closer, the hem of her emerald dress brushing the damp stone. There’s fire in her icy eyes, not the confusion I’d seen before. She’s here with purpose.

Good. She’ll need that intensity to survive what’s coming.

“Who are you, and how did you get here?” she demands, coming as close to me as she can without touching the water that helps keep me trapped here .

“I’m Julian,” I reply, but don’t continue when she takes a small step back.

“Julian as in Aeson’s brother?” Confusion fills her words.

“Yes.”

Her brows knit together, disbelief flickering across her features. “That’s not possible. He was killed centuries ago after murdering his brother’s mate and was never reborn.”

A bitter laugh escapes me, harsh and jagged.

There’s no hiding my disdain for the stories Aeson has undoubtedly shared over the years.

“I didn’t die, but I am dying. If I don’t get out of here, my wolf spirit will continue to fade away, and without him, I’ll be basically human.

Once that happens, a few weeks without food and water and that’s it. No reincarnations, just death.”

I expect more of a reaction out of her, but she stays composed. Her hands clasp in front of her and her posture is straight as she stands before me in a stunning green dress that hugs her curves, teasing my resolve nearly to its breaking point.

Her ebony hair is loose and flowing around her shoulders, and her crown—elaborate twists that create seven distinct points—shimmers even within the darkness of this cave.

“How did you get here?” she asks again, her voice filled with determination.

I don’t know how long we’ll have this time, so I’m glad she’s getting right to the point. I grip the chains at my wrists, the metal burning my skin. “Aeson. My twin. The King of Venaris that never should’ve been.”

She doesn’t flinch, but her lips press into a thin line. “What does that mean?”

“I am the first-born son,” I say with confidence. “But Aeson had me convinced I didn’t want the crown before we were even considered adults. I willingly let him take my place without realizing he still saw me as a threat regardless of what I did or didn’t do.”

There’s no response from her, and I want to ask what she’s thinking, but I continue instead.

“He wasn’t always this way. As boys, we were inseparable.

He had the charm, I had the strength. Still, for him, it was always a competition.

He was determined to make everyone see him as the flawless prince.

A need for perfection that eventually began to rot his heart, making me realize too late that he wasn’t the king I thought he could be. ”

“So, are you telling me you didn’t kill his mate in a jealous rage, but you did try to take your crown back, and he locked you away for that?” she asks, her tone mostly even, but I can see the disbelief in her eyes.

I shake my head. “Not exactly. His fated mate Lira, she was as pure as they came. Her kindness knew no bounds. At least until she also started to see Aeson’s darkness.

I never wanted Lira, never lusted for my brother’s mate as he convinced people I did.

I was only trying to protect her, but Aeson came for me before I could stop the worst of his actions. ”

The memory claws at me, but I push through. My mate needs the truth before it’s too late.

“He poisoned me. Something I could’ve overcome, but before I had the chance, I was trapped.

” I lift my hands and shake the chains. “They’re enchanted to dull my strength, stealing my wolf’s essence a little more every day.

And the water is spelled, too. If I channel enough energy to shift, it reacts, sending an electrical current through me, strong enough to stop my heart. ”

“You haven’t shifted in over two hundred years?” This time, the incredulity in her voice gives me hope .

“Not since the night he betrayed me.”

I let her process this information, staying silent as she does, but my restraint only lasts for so long. I know she needs answers, but so do I.

“May I know your name?” I ask, not bothering to hide my desperation to know anything and everything I can about her.

She blinks and her fingers twist, but she stays still otherwise. “Sloane, Queen of Alcaris. Though, I guess that’s not exactly true any longer.”

A queen? What is Aeson up to? Gods, I hate that she’s likely being used, but if she wasn’t capable of thinking for herself, she probably wouldn’t be here.

“What about Lira?” Sloane asks, her face paling as if she already knows the answer. “If you didn’t kill her…”

“Aeson. She found him dragging me into the basement. He threatened to trap her here with me, but then he gave her a choice.” My throat tightens as I remember the heartbreak in her eyes.

“He told her she could die quickly as long as she vowed never to be reborn, or she could suffer alongside me for centuries. As I said before, Lira was pure. I knew her decision before she did. What I’ve endured, it wasn’t something for her to survive.

I just hope she’s resting now and at peace with her choice. ”

Sloane’s gaze narrows. “But there’s no way Aeson could be sure she wouldn’t choose to be reborn. That seems like a risk he wouldn’t take.”

“You’re right. It would’ve been a risk, but only with anyone other than Lira. I don’t know how she ended up fated to my brother, but when that woman gave her word, she meant it. There was no deceit in her. Something Aeson used to his advantage until the very end.”

She goes silent again, gaze flickering away from me and into the abyss of the cave. Shadows cling to her, swirling at the edges of her shimmering form like tendrils of doubt. I search her face for judgment, disbelief, anything that might mean I’ve lost her trust.

But there’s none of that. Only sharp, assessing focus. Sloane doesn’t flinch easily, and gods, if that doesn’t make me want to fight harder.

“I don’t know how much time we have, Sloane,” I plead with her. “Do you know how you’re getting into this room?”

When her eyes meet mine, my world turns on its axis. Her strength and determination alone make my heart race, but her beauty takes my breath away. I don’t know how I’m getting out of here yet, but I do know that I won’t ever stop fighting for this woman.

As she starts to talk, I’ve already forgotten the question until her words begin to take root.

“The mate bond,” she says quietly, wetting her lips as if tasting the words.

“That has to be why I keep finding you. It’s the only connection strong enough to bypass dark magic like this.

” Her expression tightens. “But that’s just the why .

I don’t know how I’m projecting here. All I know is that I took some of Aeson’s blood to open the door we found, but it didn’t work on the runes.

Before we could try anything else, I was brought back here.

” She grimaces, but there’s a hint of amusement in her eyes.

“My advisor’s probably strangling me right now for putting her through this again. ”

“Extend my apologies to her,” I mutter, the corner of my mouth lifting despite the topic of the conversation. “But this is bigger than either of us. How did you get Aeson’s blood? Does he know you’re onto him?”

Panic coils tight around my chest. If he suspects her even slightly , he won’t hesitate to crush her. And I’m chained like a wild animal, unable to protect the only person who’s ever made me believe this life is still worth fighting for.

Sloane turns slightly, as if about to step back into the shadows but hesitates. She reaches for the long strands of her hair, her fingers twisting the soft strands in a gesture that seems almost…uncertain.

“You should know something about me,” she says, voice quiet but steady.

“I know you’re my mate, but am I certain I can trust you?

I’ll be honest, no. I do believe what you’re telling me has truth to it.

Though, until I can be sure, I’m doing whatever I can to make sure I don’t find myself falling victim to anyone who might not deserve my trust.”

Her words pierce deeper than any blade ever could, but I nod.

“As you should. I don’t fault you for that, Sloane.

Not in the slightest.” The words are said in earnest even though they shatter my heart.

I hate that she has to wonder if I’m the villain Aeson has painted me to be over the years.

Though, that also means she doesn’t believe in my brother, something I have to be grateful for.

“I’m supposed to bond with Aeson this week,” she says abruptly. The words hit like a punch to the gut, but before I can speak, she adds, “He thinks I’m his doting mate. I stole his blood when I kissed him. A little too aggressively.”

The world goes black for a moment as my wolf surges forward, fury eclipsing reason.

I yank against the chains with everything I have, the metal biting into my wrists until fresh blood seeps down my forearms. The cave trembles with the force of my roar, echoing back at me like the gods themselves are mocking my impotence.

Not only because he’s had the chance to taste her, but because if they have that ceremony, if he claims her …

What will that do to our bond? To her? To me? To us?

The thought is unbearable. My wolf howls, fighting the numbness overtaking him, but the strain sends another bolt of pain through my chest. I can’t lose her. Not like this.

I suck in a ragged breath, forcing myself to calm. She doesn’t need my rage. She needs clarity. Strength.

“I’m sorry,” I rasp, my voice raw with regret. “That wasn’t meant for you. I’m not angry with you , Sloane. I don’t fault you for doing what you had to. But you can’t bond with him. Not this week. Not ever.”

She watches me closely, like she’s weighing my sincerity, as her arm lifts, almost as if she might try to reach out to me. Her spirit gleams faintly, light flickering like a dying star.

Time’s running out.

“Sloane, please.” I attempt to step closer even though I know it’s not possible.

“I’m not asking you to trust me blindly.

Hell, I’d question myself too. But if you complete that bond, it’ll tie you to his power.

To his darkness. It’ll make it harder for you to fight him or escape him.

And if he realizes what you are to me?” I swallow hard.

“I can’t let you find out just how vile Aeson can be. ”

Her brows draw together but something in her posture softens.

Slowly, she steps closer and reaches for me, leaning over the water.

There are only inches between her fingertips and my face.

Close enough that I swear I can feel the faint warmth of her presence, but if she stretches any further, if she slips…

“Please don’t,” I tell her with regret, moving away from her. “I don’t know if the water can hurt you even in an astral form, and I won’t risk it. I won’t risk you .”

The light surrounding her flickers again. She’s fading. Damn it.

“Thank you,” she says as she steps back. “If Aeson’s blood won’t work to unlock the runes, do you have any idea who else could’ve helped him? ”

I rack my mind, sifting through hazy memories of those final days. Aeson already wore the crown. He had advisors, yes, but none he trusted enough to hold his secrets.

Except one.

“His council,” I say, the realization hitting like a bolt of lightning. “Greggo?—”

The rest of the name dies on my lips as the glow around her dims. “ Sloane! ” I lurch forward, the chains snapping me back. “Don’t go. Not yet.”

Her lips move, but the sound doesn’t reach me. No, no, no. We’re so damn close.

Desperation claws at my throat. “Don’t bond to him!” I roar, voice cracking from my growing fear. “Promise me, Sloane. Please.”

But she’s gone.

The cave collapses into silence, thicker and colder than ever before. I sag against the wall, breathing hard, heart pounding like a war drum in my ears.

For a moment, all is lost. Despair creeps back, slithering into the cracks she’d managed to fill with her light.

And then, faint as a whisper on the wind, I hear her voice.

“I’ll be back, Julian. I swear it.”

The words echo long after the light fades. And this time, the darkness doesn’t win.

Hope burns brighter than it ever has.

Because my mate knows the truth. And Sloane doesn’t strike me as a woman who breaks her promises.