Keira's POV
The mate bond hit me like lightning straight to the heart.
One second I was pouring wine, trying to stay invisible. The next, every nerve in my body screamed MATE as Theron Nightfang's golden eyes locked onto mine.
No. No, no, no—this couldn't be happening.
My hands trembled. The wine pitcher tilted dangerously. I caught it before disaster struck, but barely.
"Careful," Theron said softly, his voice doing strange things to my insides. "That's expensive wine you're about to spill."
"My apologies, Your Majesty." I kept my head down, fighting the urge to look at him again. Looking at him felt like staring into the sun—beautiful, dangerous, and completely overwhelming.
The mate bond pulsed between us, impossible to ignore. My wolf, buried under three years of wolfsbane, suddenly stirred. She wanted out. She wanted him.
I forced her back down and retreated to my place against the wall, gripping the wine pitcher like a lifeline.
This was a disaster. The most dangerous Alpha in the region was my fated mate. The man whose kingdom had been enemies with Silverpine for fourteen years. The wolf who could expose my identity with a single word.
And from the way he kept glancing at me throughout dinner, he knew something was off.
"So, King Theron," Helena said, her voice too sweet. "What do you think of our territory so far?"
"Interesting." His eyes flicked to me for a heartbeat before returning to Helena. "Very... interesting."
My pulse hammered. Stop looking at me. Stop drawing attention.
Marcus launched into a boring speech about Silverpine's resources and trade potential. I should have been listening—every conversation at this table could provide useful information. But all I could focus on was Theron.
He sat like a king, relaxed but radiating power. Every wolf in the room felt it—the weight of an Alpha who'd earned his throne through blood and strategy. Even Helena seemed smaller next to him.
And he wouldn't stop staring at me.
"Your servants are well-trained," Theron commented during a pause in conversation. His gaze landed on me again. "That one with the wine moves with unusual grace. Almost like she's had combat training."
My blood turned to ice.
Marcus barely glanced my way. "Kira? She's just clumsy help. Barely worth keeping around, honestly."
"Clumsy?" Theron's tone held disbelief. "She hasn't made a single unnecessary movement since entering this room. Every step is calculated. Every gesture controlled." He smiled coldly. "That's not clumsiness. That's discipline."
Helena's eyes narrowed slightly, looking at me with new suspicion. "She's been with us for three years. Just a simple omega seeking work."
"Hmm." Theron took a sip of wine. "Three years. Interesting timing."
My heart stopped. He knew. He absolutely knew.
Three years ago, Keira Ashford disappeared. Three years ago, "Kira Stone" arrived seeking work. It wasn't hard to connect those dots if you were looking.
And Theron Nightfang was definitely looking.
The rest of dinner passed in agonizing slowness. I refilled wine glasses, cleared plates, and tried desperately to become invisible again. But I felt Theron's eyes on me constantly, tracking my every movement.
The mate bond hummed between us, getting stronger with each passing minute. My wolf pressed against the wolfsbane barrier, wanting to answer his call. Wanting to claim and be claimed.
Stop it, I told her firmly. He's the enemy. We can't trust him.
But even I didn't believe that anymore. The mate bond didn't lie. The Moon Goddess had chosen Theron Nightfang for me, despite everything.
Finally, mercifully, dinner ended. Helena and Marcus led Theron toward the study for "private negotiations." I gathered empty plates, grateful to escape.
"Kira." Theron's voice stopped me at the doorway. "A moment."
I turned slowly, plates still in my hands. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
He stood too close. Close enough that his scent—pine and winter and power—wrapped around me. Close enough that the mate bond screamed at me to move closer still.
"You dropped something." He held out a small cloth napkin.
I hadn't dropped anything. We both knew it.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I reached for the napkin.
His fingers brushed mine as I took it. The contact sent electricity shooting up my arm. I gasped softly, and his eyes darkened.
"Careful, little omega," he said quietly, his voice for my ears only. "The game you're playing is more dangerous than you realize."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Yes, you do." He leaned closer. "I can smell the alpha power buried under all that wolfsbane. I can see the intelligence you're trying to hide. And I know exactly who you are, Keira Ashford."
My name. He'd said my real name.
Terror and rage warred inside me. "I don't—"
"Don't insult my intelligence by denying it." His tone was sharp now. "Meet me in the east garden at midnight. Come alone. Or I'll tell Helena exactly who her clumsy servant really is."
It was a threat. A command. And I had no choice but to obey.
"Why would you want to meet me?" I whispered.
"Because, little Alpha," Theron said with a dangerous smile, "you're my fated mate. And I have a very interesting proposition for you."
Then he walked away, leaving me frozen with empty plates and a racing heart.
He knew everything. My identity. My power. My plan.
And he was my mate.
I stumbled toward the kitchen in a daze, my mind spinning. What did he want? Why hadn't he exposed me already? What kind of proposition could the Alpha King of Shadowcrest possibly have for the wolf whose pack murdered his family?
"Kira!" Lyra grabbed my arm as I entered the kitchen. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm fine." The lie tasted bitter. "Just tired."
"Well, good news—you're done for the night. Helena dismissed all the servants. Says the Alpha King wants privacy for negotiations."
Privacy. Right. Which meant I had three hours until midnight to decide if I was actually going to meet Theron in the garden.
Of course you're going, my wolf said. He's our mate. We have to.
He's threatening to expose us, I argued back. That's not exactly mate behavior.
He could have exposed us already. He didn't. He wants to talk.
She had a point. Theron could have announced my identity the moment he recognized me. Instead, he'd kept quiet and asked for a private meeting.
Why?
I helped Lyra clean the kitchen, my hands moving automatically while my mind raced. Maybe he wanted to use me against Helena and Marcus. Maybe he planned to force me into some kind of alliance. Maybe he just wanted to watch me squirm before handing me over to my enemies.
Or maybe... maybe he actually wanted to help.
The mate bond pulsed hopefully at that thought.
Don't be stupid, I told myself. He's Theron Nightfang. He doesn't help anyone without getting something in return.
But I was running out of options. Helena was about to solidify Marcus's position through this treaty. My evidence was almost ready, but "almost" wouldn't save me if I ran out of time.
And Theron knew who I was. Whether I met him or not, he could destroy me with a word.
Which meant I had to go. Had to face the mate I never wanted with a pack I couldn't trust and figure out what game he was playing before it was too late.
The kitchen clock chimed nine. Three hours until midnight.
Three hours to prepare for the most dangerous conversation of my life.
I finished my work and slipped away to my tiny servant's room. My hidden evidence was still safe—letters, documents, recorded conversations, all proving Helena and Marcus's crimes. Three years of careful work.
Would it be enough?
I changed into dark clothes suitable for sneaking through gardens at night. Removed my brown contact lenses, letting my real amber eyes show for the first time in years. If Theron already knew who I was, there was no point hiding anymore.
The wolf in the mirror stared back at me—thinner than she should be, tired from years of suppressing her true nature, but still fierce. Still fighting.
"We can do this," I told my reflection. "We've survived three years. We can survive one conversation."
But as eleven-thirty approached, my confidence wavered. What if this was a trap? What if Theron planned to capture me and hand me over to Helena for some political advantage?
He's our mate, my wolf insisted. He won't hurt us.
Mates can betray each other, I reminded her. Cassandra was my friend, and she sold me out.
At eleven forty-five, I slipped out of my room and made my way through the dark hallways toward the east garden. Every shadow felt like a threat. Every sound made me jump.
But I kept walking. Because I had no choice.
Because maybe, just maybe, the mate bond meant something.
I reached the garden entrance exactly at midnight. Moonlight spilled across the empty space, casting silver shadows. For a moment, I thought Theron hadn't come.
Then I caught his scent on the wind.
"Hello, Keira," his voice came from the darkness. "I've been waiting for you."
I turned and found him leaning against a tree, golden eyes glowing in the moonlight. He looked different here—less civilized, more wolf, absolutely dangerous.
"You know my real name," I said, trying to sound brave. "What now? Are you going to turn me over to Helena?"
"Turn you over?" Theron pushed off the tree and walked toward me with predator grace. "Why would I do that when you're far more valuable to me alive and free?"
"What do you want?"
He stopped an arm's length away. Close enough to touch. Close enough that the mate bond screamed between us.
"I want," he said slowly, "to make you a deal. Help me destroy the wolves who murdered my family. In exchange, I'll help you reclaim your throne."
My breath caught. "Why would you help me?"
"Because you're my mate. Because you're a True Alpha being wasted as a servant. And because, Keira Ashford..." He smiled darkly. "You're going to need me far more than you realize. Your time just ran out."
"What do you mean?"
Theron's expression turned serious. "Helena knows. One of her spies saw me looking at you too intently at dinner. She's already sent wolves to search your room. In approximately ten minutes, they're going to find your evidence. And then they're going to kill you."
The world tilted.
"No. That's impossible. I hid everything—"
"Not well enough." He grabbed my hand. "So you have a choice, little Alpha. Die tonight at Helena's hands. Or leave with me right now and live to fight another day."
"Leave? With you?"
"With me." His grip tightened. "Be my mate. Join Shadowcrest. Let me teach you how to use your full power. And when you're ready, we'll come back here together and take everything Helena stole from you."
It was insane. Impossible. Everything I'd worked for would be lost if I ran now.
But he was right—if Helena found my evidence, I was dead.
"Why should I trust you?" I whispered.
Theron pulled me closer, his free hand cupping my face. The mate bond exploded between us, so strong it hurt.
"Because I'm the only one who sees you as you truly are," he said fiercely. "Not a weapon to use. Not a threat to eliminate. But a queen who deserves her crown. Now decide, Keira. Die as a servant, or live as my mate and future queen of Shadowcrest."
Distant shouts echoed from the pack house. They'd found my room.
"Decide NOW," Theron commanded.
I looked into his golden eyes and saw something I never expected—genuine desire to protect me. Not just because of the mate bond, but because he truly believed I was worth saving.
Three years of hiding. Three years of fear. Three years of being invisible.
Maybe it was time to be seen.
"I'll go with you," I gasped. "But this doesn't mean I trust you."
"Good." Theron pulled me tight against him. "I'd be disappointed if you did."
Then he threw me over his shoulder and ran.
Behind us, wolves started howling—Helena's guards, realizing I was gone.
And I realized with shocking clarity: my life as Kira Stone was over.
Whatever came next would be as Keira Ashford—Theron Nightfang's mate, fugitive Alpha, and the woman who would either save or destroy them both.