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“Don’t lie to me,” she says sternly. “You can lie to everybody else, even yourself, but not me. You trust him, Maya. You show him parts of yourself that you’ve never shown anyone before.

I see that you care about him. At night, you wait for him so anxiously.

And when he arrives, the look on your face is one of relief and happiness, the kind of happiness I’ve never seen in you before.

You love him, even if you don’t know it. ”

The words hits me like a physical blow. Love? Is that what this is? This constant awareness of Griffin, this ache when he’s not near, this inexplicable pull toward him, despite all reason?

“What if it’s not enough?” I ask slowly. “What if I’m not enough?” The fears Aria planted take root and blossom. “I’m human, Mom. I’ll never fully understand his world.”

“You don’t need to understand all of it. You only need to understand him.” Her eyes, so like my own, hold a wisdom born of years of love and loss. “And he needs to understand you. The rest, you figure out together.”

Tears well up unexpectedly. “I’m scared, Mom.”

“Of course you are.” She pulls me into her arms, and I rest my head on her shoulder like I did as a child. “Love is terrifying. It means giving someone the power to hurt you and trusting them not to use it.”

“What if I’m not ready?”

“No one ever is.” She laughs softly. “That’s the secret no one tells you. We’re all just stumbling forward, hoping we don’t make too much of a mess of things. Now, go get ready. Your young man is waiting for you.”

Chortling at my mother calling Griffin my young man, I take a quick shower and get dressed. It’s already dark outside when I grab my things.

“Mom, I’m leaving!”

I knock on her door before opening it. “I’ll be back late, but I put dinner in the—”

My voice trails off as my mother looks at me with a mildly confused, quizzical look. “Who are you?”

Grief seizes me by the throat. It has been a few days since she had an episode. My mother has never reacted aggressively when she forgets me, just mildly curious.

I open my mouth and push back my tears. “It—It’s me, Mom.” I keep my voice cheerful. “Maya. See?” I pick up the framed photograph of the two of us from her nightstand. “I’m your daughter.”

She gives me a doubtful look. “Really?” Her eyes skim over the picture, and she smiles slightly before glancing at me. “You really are very pretty. But too thin.”

“Yes.” I squeeze her hand. “I know.”

“Are you going to a party?” she asks in awe, noticing my dress.

“Yes, I am.”

“Am I also going?”

“No, Mom,” I tell her gently. “You’re going to stay home and finish your embroidery and then have a nice dinner before you go to sleep. Teresa will come check on you in a few hours.”

“Teresa?”

“She’s our neighbor.” I kiss her cheek. “Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

As I begin to walk away, she squeezes my hand, and I look at her. Her smile is lovely. “I have a beautiful daughter. I’m so happy about that. Here, take this.” She picks up a small item from the table beside her. “This will look nice on your dress.”

My heart tightens in my chest, and I smile at her, pinning the golden brooch to my shoulder strap. “Thanks, Mom.”

The cottage door closes behind me with finality as I head to the coronation ceremony of my fated mate, the man I may possibly be in love with.

The great hall is transformed. Chandeliers cast a golden glow over the assembled nobility, their finery glittering in the light. I stand to the side, feeling out of place.

The ceremony itself is brief but powerful.

Griffin stands before the throne, his silver hair gleaming in the candlelight, his shoulders straight and proud as the elders reaffirm his right to rule.

When the ancient crown is placed upon his head, a collective sigh passes through the assembly.

He is every inch a king—powerful, commanding, born to lead.

And I am the human scientist who somehow ended up in his orbit.

The formal reception that follows is even more uncomfortable.

I hover near the edges of the room, watching as nobles pay their respects to their newly crowned king.

Griffin is surrounded constantly, barely visible through the press of bodies eager to curry favor.

Occasionally, I catch glimpses of him: his profile as he leans down to hear someone speak, the flash of his hand as he gestures, the rigid set of his shoulders that suggests he’s as uncomfortable with all this pomp as I am.

And then I see her. Aria, resplendent in her emerald gown, somehow maneuvering her way to Griffin’s side. She places her hand on his arm and leans close to whisper something in his ear. He doesn’t pull away.

“Quite the spectacle, isn’t it?” Erik’s voice startles me from my observations.

“It’s certainly elaborate.”

“Shifters love their rituals.” He hands me a glass of something that smells potent. “Especially ones that involve affirming the hierarchy.”

I take a sip and cough as the liquid burns down my throat. “What is this?”

“Something to take the edge off.” He watches me over the rim of his own glass. “You looked like you could use it.”

“That obvious, huh?”

“Only to someone who’s been watching.” His gaze shifts to where Griffin stands, now engaged in conversation with several elders—and still with Aria at his side. “My brother is being an idiot.”

I’m silent.

Griffin has yet to approach me, despite what he wrote on the card. Not once have his eyes searched the room for me. His attention is all on Aria, and it makes my aching heart beat like a painful drum.

The music changes, signaling the start of the formal dances.

I straighten up, remembering his promise, and then my blood goes cold.

Griffin leads Aria onto the floor, his movements stiff and ceremonial as they begin the traditional steps.

Other couples join them, including Cedric and Leanna, who move with the easy synchronicity of long-time partners.

“Would you like to dance?” Erik offers his hand, his eyes kind.

“I don’t know the steps.”

“Neither do I, really.” He grins. “I spent most of my dancing lessons sneaking out to the training yards.”

His attempt to cheer me up is touching, but as I watch Griffin and Aria glide across the floor, a weight settles in my chest. She fits so perfectly into his world. Her hand in his, her smile practiced and poised, her every movement speaking of generations of breeding and training.

“I think I need some air.” I hand my barely touched drink back to Erik. “Please excuse me.”

I make my way through the crowd, ignoring the curious stares and whispered comments that follow in my wake.

The terrace provides temporary refuge, the cool night air soothing against my heated skin.

Below, the palace gardens stretch out, bathed in moonlight.

I can hear the music continuing inside, the laughter and conversation a distant hum.

I don’t know how long I stand there before I notice the voices coming from a partially open door farther along the terrace. Griffin’s deep tones, followed by Erik’s more animated ones. Without thinking, I move closer.

“—completely insane!” Erik sounds furious. “You can’t just ignore a fated bond, Griffin. It doesn’t work that way!”

“I’ve made my decision.” Griffin’s voice is cold, controlled in a way I’ve never heard before. “Maya will never be my mate.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, driving the air from my lungs. I grasp the terrace railing to steady myself as Griffin’s words echo in my ears.

“I’ve made my decision. Maya will never be my mate.”

My vision blurs as tears threaten to spill. The beautiful red dress he chose suddenly feels like a cruel joke, a prop in a play where I foolishly believed I had the leading role. My mother’s words about love and vulnerability mock me now.

“This is about more than just your feelings,” Erik hisses. “The mate bond isn’t something you can simply decide to ignore because it’s inconvenient!”

“It’s precisely because of my position that I must make this decision,” Griffin replies, his voice devoid of emotion. “A human queen? The kingdom would never accept it. Tonight proves that.”

“So, you’ll fuck her when you feel like it, build her hopes up, but when it comes to actually claiming her—”

“Enough, Erik!”

I don’t wait to hear more. Moving silently along the terrace, I slip through a side door and hurry down a deserted corridor. My chest feels hollow, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. The palatial halls that once seemed grand now feel suffocating. I need to get out.

I find refuge in a small alcove in the gardens, hidden away from prying eyes.

No tears fall, a cold numbness piercing me. Of course he chose Aria. Why wouldn’t he? She’s perfect in every way. Griffin had his chance to announce me tonight, to dance with me as promised, but instead he chose Aria—someone who fits his world effortlessly.

But why lead me on?

Hours pass as I sit alone in the darkness.

The sounds of the celebration gradually dim as guests depart.

Eventually, I see movement at the palace entrance—Griffin, Cedric, and Erik emerge in tactical gear, surrounded by armed guards.

The search party. Jerry is also with them.

He never mentioned he was going. They’re leaving for the facility without saying goodbye.

I watch from the shadows as they shift into their wolf forms. Not once does Griffin look back at the palace, as if he has already put me behind him. The convoy disappears into the night, leaving me truly alone.

Dawn finds me still in the garden, numb and exhausted. I make my way back to my mother’s cottage, rehearsing how I’ll explain my tear-stained face and crumpled dress. But as I round the last bend in the path, my heart stops.

Flames engulf the cottage, orange and angry against the pale morning sky. Palace guards rush about with water buckets, but it’s clear they’re fighting a losing battle. The structure is already half collapsed.

“Mom!” I scream, running toward the inferno. Strong arms catch me mid-stride.

“You can’t go in there,” a guard says grimly. “It’s too late.”

“My mother—”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Sorin.”

The world is spinning around me. I sink to my knees on the dewy grass, watching helplessly as everything I had left burns to the ground. Teresa, our neighbor, weeps quietly nearby, explaining through broken sobs that she’d checked on my mother as promised but left after dinner when Mom seemed fine.

“We don’t know how it started,” someone says. “It spread so quickly...”

But a cold certainty settles in my stomach. This was no accident. The timing is too perfect—first the palace distracted by the ceremony, and then the search mission, Griffin and his strongest fighters away from the grounds. Someone wanted me vulnerable and alone.

“Where is Leanna?”

“Queen Raine departed earlier this evening. She was unwell.”

“I see,” I mumble.

Hours blur together as officials ask questions I barely register answering. By mid-afternoon, I stand before the charred remains of the cottage, still wearing the red dress from last night, now smudged with soot and tears. My mother’s body, or whatever remained of it, has been taken away.

“Has word been sent to the king?” I ask hollowly.

The official standing by my side nods. “He’s not returning.”

The grief absorbs this new shockwave. I guess I’m only good enough to fuck and leave. My lips curve humorlessly. “I see. I want to bury my mother’s remains. And then—”

“Would you like a change of clothing?”

I stare down at the soot-stained dress, the diamonds still clinging to my skin. I rip off the jewelry and put it in his hand. “Give this to Griff—His Majesty. Get me some clothes. You can burn the dress for all I care. And I need a phone.”

“Yes, Dr. Sorin.”

He hurries away, and I stare at the remains of the cottage.

I am truly alone now. No mother. No Griffin—not that he was ever really mine to begin with. No home. Just ashes and a cold, empty future.

“Dr. Sorin?” A palace messenger approaches hesitantly. “We’ve prepared chambers for you in the east wing.”

“No,” I say, surprising myself with the firmness in my voice. “I won’t be staying.”

“But His Majesty—”

“He doesn’t want me to stay, either.”

I walk away from the ruins, my decision crystallizing with each step. There’s nothing left for me here except pain and rejection. The lab, my research—it all feels hollow now. What was I thinking, trying to find a place in a world that doesn’t want me?

The official is waiting for me with fresh clothes. Teresa lets me change in her cottage. I listen to her talking about my mother, but my heart is numb. I have nothing left. No belongings, nothing.

I should reach out to Leanna, tell her what happened, but something stops me. I’m so tired. My heart feels like somebody has sliced it to shreds.

I write one note, and only one. To Griffin.

You were right. I will never be your mate. I helped you escape captivity. To return that favor, all I ask is for one thing: Don’t look for me.

I give the message to Teresa to deliver to Griffin when he returns.

By nightfall, my mother’s remains are in a small urn in my suitcase, her brooch on my sweater, as I sit on a bus, leaving the palace far behind.

For the first time in my life, I am all alone.