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I was almost rounding off my duties and folding the prince’s clean clothes into his wardrobe when I heard the door open, revealing my mate in all his mouth-watering glory.

I felt the same heat from the first time we met spreading through me under his watchful gaze.

My body thrummed with a level of excitement I didn’t think was possible, and the room suddenly felt too small and devoid of oxygen .

I don’t recall which one of us moved, but in a flash, I was standing almost toe to toe with him. My senses were overwhelmed with his scent, and I was hit with the overwhelming urge to sink my teeth into him, crawl into his skin, and burrow myself into him like a baby kangaroo.

He finally touched me. Reaching out to run a soft finger on my cheek, and an involuntary moan slipped from my lips. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been embarrassed at my reaction, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. I wanted more, more of his touch, more of—

My thoughts came to a halt when a pained growl came from him, and his warm fingers were replaced by cold air. My wolf whined in protest as he took a few steps back, urging me to cover the distance between us. But I held back, waiting for his next move.

He cleared his throat.

“How are you finding the palace?”

It was not what I was expecting, but it was a start. Maybe he preferred to get to know people before settling into a relationship, which was fine by me. I wanted to know everything about him, too.

“It’s really great. Everyone is so nice, and the food is the best I’ve ever had.”

A look of amusement crossed his eyes, and his lips stretched into a smile, transforming his face into a pupil-friendly version of the sun. I caught myself smiling in return. I must have looked like a teenager talking to her crush for the first time.

“I’ll be sure to let the kitchen know they’ve captured your heart, or should I say, your stomach.”

My smile widened.

“They’re not the ones who captured my heart.”

It was supposed to be a silent thought, but the look on his face told me I had blurted it out. I dipped my head as my face heated up with embarrassment. I wasn’t one to air every thought that crossed my mind, but when he was close, I found myself acting first and thinking later .

A little moment that seemed to stretch forever passed before he cleared his throat, pulling out a chair for me. “Sit.”

The soft command sent tingles down my spine and carried my legs to the chair before I could register anything. I couldn’t tell if it was my wolf giving into his authority as royalty or if it was part of the reactions he coaxed from me.

He settled into the foot of his bed, pulling my chair around and bringing me face-to-face with him.

“There’s something I should let you know, Mira.”

I didn’t think a name would sound better than it already was, but the way mine rolled out of his lips like smooth butter set out goosebumps across my skin. It was my turn to clear my throat.

“What is that?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes stayed glued to my face. Every second that passed added to the growing tension in the air. I decided to break the silence before I choked on the thick air, but he beat me to it, shattering the moment with his words.

“I’m engaged, Mira.”

The words reverberated in my head like a faraway explosion before it transitioned into a low repeating loop.

My heart slowed down, and cold sweat washed over me.

What did he mean he was engaged? Didn’t he bring me here to mate with me?

It didn’t make sense. Even the word left a bitter taste on my tongue.

“How?” I croaked out, the raw sound of my voice taking me by surprise.

“Her name is Lilith, and we’re to get married soon.”

The words cut through me like a blunt, jagged knife, tugging at my nerves and ending with every slide. “But I’m your mate. We are meant to be together. The moon goddess herself paired us, and we all know she doesn’t make mistakes. Surely—”

“Mira.” his voice came out strained. “I’m a prince.

I have responsibilities and goals—ones that trump the wishes of a deceptive goddess and her obsession with meddling in our lives.

I’ve known Lilith all my life, and I’ve grown to love her.

She supports my dreams for a reformed world for our people.

” He drew in a deep breath. “It’s the same spirit I saw in you with your confidence and ability to stand against the corrupt system even though you had no one backing you and were at risk of the worst form of punishment.

Your strength is admirable, Mira. It’s why I brought you here.

Your courage is what our world needs, and I couldn’t stand and watch them do that to you. ”

My heart was falling apart with every word he said.

I watched my childlike dreams of a magical life once I found my mate falling to pieces before me.

Why couldn’t I have this one? He is supposed to be my only chance at true love and happiness.

Why can’t he stay? Why does everything have to be taken away from me?

“Mira?” Griffin’s voice floated into my thoughts, returning me to reality and the pains that came with it. “Did you hear a word of anything I’ve said?”

I nodded wordlessly, not trusting my voice to not break if I spoke.

His eyes softened.

“I know this is not what you were expecting, but I hope you understand. For me, duty must come before anything, and I hope to have your support in my fight against the system. I’ll be needing it.”

I felt my wolf whimper inside me, refusing to accept her mate’s subtle rejection and urging me to make him see us as a worthy partner, but I held back, fighting back at her desperate need to connect to him. I mustered every bit of strength to look into his blue eyes.

“I support your desire to reform our world, and I’ll try my best to be of help in any way I can. ”

I mentally patted myself for coughing out the words without my voice breaking.

Griffin thanked me for understanding and insisted on folding the rest of his laundry himself. I can’t remember walking through the halls or descending the stairs, but I was in my room in a flash. I locked the door behind me, shutting me away from the world, and I finally let it all out.

My shoulders shook with the weight of unshed tears, and every part of me hurt.

This pain was a lot different from the strokes of the cane or the aches in my muscles from working.

It was raw and unfiltered, and it settled deep in my bones, seeping into my blood and spreading to every part of me. But it wasn’t physical.

I couldn’t soothe it by running my hands through it.

Not even my healing abilities could alleviate it.

It persisted and intensified with every breath I took.

I felt my wolf retreat into herself, but that did nothing to soothe the pain.

I retired into a self-dug hole of pain, loathing myself for not being enough for the one person who should love me unconditionally and feeling anger at the moon goddess for cursing me with life as miserable as this.

Dawn found me curled up on the cold, hard floor. My body ached from the pain of spending the night on the floor, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

I pulled through. The world has broken me enough, and I didn’t make it this far by tucking my tail and hiding away.

So, I crawled my way out of my pity hole and got ready for the day.

Thankfully, there was no sign of Griffin in the palace, and I was able to get through the day without dealing with the awkwardness and pain that would come from running into him.

The next couple of days followed a similar pattern: wake up, breakfast, morning duties, lunch, afternoon duties, dinner, and bedtime .

Except for the one time I ran into Griffin at the library and the tension that made it too uncomfortable to have a proper conversation, I never saw or sensed him close to me, not even when I cleaned his room.

There were little moments when my emotions got the best of me, and I found myself spending extra time in his room just to feel close to him and hoping to run into him. But he seemed intent on avoiding me. Maybe it was for the best.

My wolf had yet to say a word to me. She was obviously mad that I didn’t fight to claim our mate, but she wouldn’t understand that things were more complicated for me than for her.

Regardless, I let her take her time. This was probably harder for her than it was for me, and she needed more time before she was ready to confront our new reality.

In my second week, I was on my way to the laundry when I heard soft whimpers coming from the storage room. I rushed to the sound and found a girl being shoved around by a group of girls about the same age as us.

I had made a resolve to keep to myself throughout my stay in the palace till I figured out a way forward, but the little girl in me who grew up a subject of countless shoves and a few punches couldn’t look away.

“Get away from her.” I seethed, and the bullies took a step back.

A skinny blonde who appeared to be the head of the group then looked at me, a malicious smile spreading through her lips. “Ah, you rebelled against hierarchy one time, and now you think you’re the savior of the world, huh?”

I was caught off guard by her statement, but I shook it off. News spread between packs with the speed .

“At least you know who I am. I would’ve hated the stress of going through introductions with you.”

“Stay away from this, and you’ll have an easy life here.” It was a pretty brunette, with freckles scattered around her cheeks, speaking, and despite her attempt to look menacing, I could easily see through her. She had a spine as strong as a straw under the weight of a baby elephant.

“I would, but you see, there’s only one thing I hate more than being threatened, and it’s bullies—spineless, insecure little creatures that have no sense of worth or belonging and have resorted to oppressing those weaker than they are to feel a sense of validation.

” I smiled, letting my eyes linger on her a little before returning my attention to the blonde.

“Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to leave this room and never bother her again, and I might consider not ratting your dirty acts to the prince,” I continued.

Her eyes narrowed to slits, and I could feel the anger rolling out of her in waves. Wicked intentions were written boldly on her face, but it appeared she still had a few functioning brain cells in her head and backed down, beckoning her minions to join her as she fled the room.

I let out a heavy sigh, feeling the tension dissipate from the room in their absence. As much as it would’ve given me great pleasure to teach them a lesson and watch them face the consequences of their actions, I wasn’t a big fan of violent confrontations and catfights.

“Are you hurt?” I asked, crunching next to the bullied girl.

When she gave no response, I decided to introduce myself. Introductions always worked. “I’m Mira.”

“I know who you are,” she replied, her voice low and squeaky. She almost sounded like a mouse. “My name is Mary. I know you meant well, but you’ve only motivated them to be more creative with their ideas.”

“Then, I'll make sure I’m with you at all times.”

I spent the rest of the day tending to Mary’s injuries and helping with her chores. I had made my first friend. Life didn’t seem so bad.

Over the following days, Mary and I did almost everything together.

Mrs. Anderson would catch us doing each other's duties, snooping around, and passing the night in my room, but she always turned a blind eye.

She knew I needed a friend. Plus, Mary roomed with one of her bullies, and I always feared they would harm her while she slept, so I let her sleep in my room sometimes.

My wolf was also beginning to come around, especially when Mary was present.

Things were gradually getting better, and the hollow ache inside me didn’t hurt as much as it used to, not when I spent a great chunk of the night laughing at Mary’s hilarious tales.

She had a new one for every night. I could see why my wolf liked her—she was good for us.

During one of our late-night conversations, I had asked how she had so many stories to tell, and she divulged how she had her parents and was raised by her grandpa who had a hunting hobby and returned with tales from the wild.

Wild laughter and light-hearted conversations gave way to emotion-laden stories, and I ended up divulging my relationship with the prince.

It was a load I had been carrying for a long time, and I was relieved to share the weight and have a shoulder to lean on when things got tough. But like every good thing in my life, even my relief was short-lived.

“This is probably the worst timing in history, but I should inform you of Lilith’s arrival tomorrow,” Mary muttered softly after we had spoken about the situation .

My stomach churned, and I swallowed the bitter taste of bile rising to my mouth. “Tomorrow?”

“Their mating ceremony is three full moons away. I would have informed you earlier if I knew the situation, but you didn’t strike me as someone who would be interested in petty palace gossip.” Her voice was almost as low as it was the first time we spoke, and sympathy clouded her eyes.

I nodded, not seeing the need for words. It wasn’t as if there was anything I could say to change the situation.

Mary reached out to gently squeeze my hand.

“Will you be okay?”

“Do I have a choice?”

She released a heavy sigh, wrapping her arms around me and rubbing soft circles on my back.

“What I don’t understand is why he is yet to reject you. If he’s getting married, shouldn’t that be the first thing he should do?”

“It is a pity. He probably thinks it’s a good deed to save me from the pain of breaking the mating bond.”

“But it’ll only hurt more if you keep the connection. One of you has to do it if you’re certain there’s no way for you to be together. That way, you can deal with the pain, move on, and possibly find a second chance at love.”

She was making a lot of sense. I’ve heard that being in close range while your mate marks another hurts like a bitch, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with both the reality and pain that would come from the decision.

“I’ll be fine Mary. I’ve survived worse.”