Leon's POV

The scent hit me before destiny did.

I stood at the center of the Moon Temple, surrounded by hundreds of wolves from every kingdom under my rule, yet all I could focus on was the strange unease crawling beneath my skin.

Something felt different tonight.

Wrong.

Or perhaps inevitable.

The annual Moon Blessing Ceremony had been a tradition for centuries. Every Alpha King before me had stood exactly where I stood now—beneath the great silver dome, under the watchful gaze of the Moon Goddess.

Most years, it was little more than a celebration.

This year felt like a judgment.

Cold moonlight poured through the stained-glass ceiling above, bathing the temple in silver and blue. Noble Alphas filled the marble seats, their jeweled crowns glittering beneath the sacred light.

They watched me.

Their king.

Their protector.

Their symbol of strength.

If only they knew how exhausted I truly was.

For nine years, I had carried the weight of the throne.

Nine years of wars.

Nine years of political games.

Nine years of pretending I wasn't haunted by the memory of my parents' blood staining the palace floor.

I tightened my grip behind my back.

The scars on my palms burned.

A reminder.

A king could never appear weak.

"Your Majesty."

I turned toward the familiar voice.

Kael leaned against one of the pillars, looking far too relaxed for someone attending a sacred ceremony.

My younger brother grinned.

"Try not to look like you're attending your own execution."

I rolled my eyes.

"You should show more respect."

"You should smile more."

"I am smiling."

Kael stared at me.

"That expression would make children cry."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

Kael looked pleased with himself.

At least one of us still knew how to enjoy life.

A loud horn echoed through the temple.

The crowd instantly fell silent.

The ceremony was beginning.

The High Priest stepped forward, his silver robes sweeping across the marble floor.

"Tonight," he announced, his voice carrying through the chamber, "we gather beneath the blessing of the Moon Goddess."

Every wolf lowered their head.

Including me.

The sacred chants began.

Ancient words echoed from every corner of the temple.

Power stirred in the air.

Magic.

Pure and ancient.

I felt it brushing against my skin.

The Moon Goddess was listening.

The realization should have comforted me.

Instead, it made my wolf restless.

Inside my mind, Shadow paced.

My wolf rarely grew anxious.

Tonight he was practically growling.

Something's coming.

The thought wasn't mine.

Shadow's voice echoed through our bond.

I frowned.

What do you mean?

Before he could answer, the temple doors opened.

Everyone turned.

Princess Celestia Silvermoon entered.

A collective murmur spread through the crowd.

Even I couldn't deny she looked breathtaking.

Long silver-blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders.

Moonlight seemed to cling to her skin.

A delicate silver crown rested atop her head.

She moved with the grace of royalty.

The perfect future Luna.

At least according to everyone else.

I respected Celestia.

Admired her intelligence.

But I had never loved her.

That hadn't stopped half the kingdom from assuming we would eventually marry.

As she approached the royal section, our eyes met briefly.

She offered me a gentle smile.

I returned a polite nod.

Nothing more.

Something strange flashed across her expression.

Gone before I could identify it.

Then the High Priest raised his hands.

"The Moon Blessing shall begin."

The crowd knelt.

I stepped toward the sacred altar.

A large silver basin rested at its center.

Moonwater.

The holiest substance in our world.

The High Priest handed me a ceremonial dagger.

"Alpha King Leon Blackthorne," he said.

"Offer your blood to the Moon Goddess."

I drew the blade across my palm.

Blood dripped into the basin.

The moment it touched the water, silver light exploded through the temple.

Gasps filled the chamber.

The blessing had begun.

Moonlight swirled around me.

Warm.

Ancient.

Powerful.

My wolf suddenly surged forward.

Every instinct sharpened.

Every sense heightened.

And then...

I smelled her.

My mate.

The scent slammed into me with enough force to steal my breath.

Jasmine.

Winter snow.

Moonlight.

Mate.

My entire body froze.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

After all these years...

I had finally found her.

The crowd blurred around me.

My heart thundered.

Shadow growled possessively.

Mate.

I searched the temple desperately.

Where?

Where was she?

My gaze landed on Celestia.

The scent intensified.

The world seemed to stop.

No.

Impossible.

My mate?

Princess Celestia?

The crowd erupted into excited whispers.

Many of them had clearly realized what was happening.

The High Priest looked delighted.

Of course he did.

This was the perfect outcome.

The Alpha King and the kingdom's beloved princess.

A political dream.

A fairy tale.

A destiny everyone would celebrate.

Except...

Something felt wrong.

The mate bond wasn't settling.

The scent wasn't complete.

Shadow was still restless.

Still searching.

Still—

Another scent hit me.

Everything inside me shattered.

Fire.

Rain.

Wild roses.

Blood.

Mate.

I stumbled backward.

Shock ripped through me.

The second scent was even stronger than the first.

My pulse exploded.

No.

No.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

One mate.

Every wolf had one mate.

One.

Not two.

The second scent came from the rear of the temple.

Near the guards.

Near the prisoners awaiting judgment.

My eyes locked on a young woman standing in chains.

Black hair.

Scarred skin.

Crimson eyes.

She looked completely unimpressed by the sacred ceremony unfolding around her.

A rogue.

The moment our gazes met, the world disappeared.

The mate bond snapped into place.

Instantly.

Violently.

Her eyes widened.

For the first time all night, emotion crossed her face.

Shock.

Then fury.

Pure fury.

The rogue took one step backward.

As if seeing me physically hurt her.

Mate.

Shadow's voice sounded stunned.

Two mates.

I couldn't move.

Couldn't think.

Couldn't breathe.

Around me, the ceremony continued.

No one else had realized what had happened.

Not yet.

But they would.

Soon.

And when they did, the entire kingdom would descend into chaos.

The rogue's crimson eyes never left mine.

Hatred burned within them.

Not fear.

Not confusion.

Hatred.

As if she already knew exactly who I was.

As if she had been waiting her entire life to despise me.

Then she mouthed three silent words.

Words that turned my blood cold.

I know you.

A chill raced down my spine.

Before I could react, the temple doors slammed open.

A wounded guard stumbled inside.

Blood covered his uniform.

Panic filled his eyes.

"Your Majesty!"

The crowd gasped.

The guard collapsed onto one knee.

His voice shook.

"They've escaped."

The entire chamber fell silent.

The High Priest frowned.

"Who escaped?"

The guard looked directly at me.

His face was pale with terror.

"The rogues from the northern prison."

My stomach tightened.

The rogue girl's expression changed instantly.

For the first time, she looked afraid.

Genuinely afraid.

And somehow...

That frightened me even more.

Because if a woman like her was afraid—

Then something far worse than a prison escape was coming.

And judging by the look in her eyes...

It was coming for her.

The sacred moonlight above suddenly flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then darkness swept across the temple.

A collective gasp erupted from the crowd.

The Moon Goddess's blessing had never failed.

Not once in recorded history.

Yet tonight, the sacred light vanished.

As if the Goddess herself had turned away.

As if destiny had made a mistake.

Or perhaps...

As if destiny had just begun.

To be continued...

Leon

Darkness swallowed the temple.

For one terrifying second, nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Then chaos erupted.

"What happened?"

"The blessing disappeared!"

"Protect the King!"

Guards rushed forward as nobles began shouting over one another.

The sacred silver flames lining the temple walls flickered violently before returning to life.

Moonlight slowly returned through the stained-glass ceiling.

But something had changed.

Everyone could feel it.

The High Priest's face had gone pale.

Very pale.

And that frightened me more than the darkness itself.

Because men like him did not frighten easily.

I barely noticed the panic around me.

My attention remained locked on the rogue girl.

Raven.

I didn't know her name yet.

But somehow, my wolf already recognized her.

Mate.

The word echoed relentlessly inside my mind.

Every instinct demanded I go to her.

Touch her.

Protect her.

Claim her.

At the same time, the scent of my other mate lingered nearby.

Celestia.

The impossible reality threatened to split my mind in two.

One mate.

Every wolf in existence had one.

Yet somehow the Moon Goddess had tied me to two women standing on opposite sides of the temple.

One a beloved princess.

The other a chained rogue.

This wasn't destiny.

This was a disaster.

The High Priest stepped forward.

"Silence!"

His voice thundered through the chamber.

Slowly, the noise died down.

Thousands of eyes turned toward him.

The old priest swallowed hard.

For the first time since I had known him, he looked uncertain.

"The ceremony..." he began.

Then stopped.

As if he didn't know what to say.

My stomach tightened.

He knew something.

Something he wasn't telling us.

Before he could continue, a sharp gasp echoed through the temple.

Everyone turned.

Princess Celestia stood perfectly still.

Her blue eyes were fixed on me.

No.

Not me.

The space between me and Raven.

Realization slowly spread across her face.

Then shock.

Then horror.

She understood.

The mate bond had revealed itself to her.

I watched the exact moment she realized she wasn't my only mate.

The color drained from her face.

The crowd began noticing her reaction.

Whispers spread.

"What happened?"

"Why does the princess look like that?"

Something cold settled in my chest.

The truth wasn't going to stay hidden.

Not for long.

Then Raven laughed.

The sound cut through the temple like a blade.

Everyone stared at her.

The rogue shook her head.

"Of course."

Her voice dripped with bitter amusement.

"Of all people."

My eyes narrowed.

The guards immediately tightened their grip on her chains.

She didn't seem concerned.

In fact, she looked furious.

Good.

At least one of us was capable of feeling something besides confusion.

"Do you know something?" I asked.

The entire temple fell silent.

Raven's crimson eyes met mine.

For a brief moment, I thought I saw pain there.

Deep.

Ancient.

Buried beneath years of anger.

Then it vanished.

"You really don't remember."

The words were barely a whisper.

"What don't I remember?"

She looked away.

"As expected."

Before I could demand answers, Elder Orion suddenly stood from his seat.

The old seer looked like he had seen a ghost.

His hands trembled.

His eyes remained fixed on me.

Then on Celestia.

Then on Raven.

The realization in his face was unmistakable.

He knew exactly what had happened.

And he looked terrified.

My pulse quickened.

"Orion."

The old seer didn't answer.

"Orion."

Finally, he looked at me.

The fear in his eyes sent ice through my veins.

"Your Majesty."

"What aren't you telling us?"

The silence stretched.

Every person in the temple waited.

Finally, Orion closed his eyes.

And whispered three words that changed everything.

"The prophecy lives."

The crowd erupted.

Confused voices filled the chamber.

"What prophecy?"

"What does he mean?"

"What prophecy?"

My heartbeat thundered.

Because I knew exactly which prophecy he meant.

The forgotten legend.

The story nobody liked discussing.

The one buried beneath centuries of secrecy.

An Alpha.

Two mates.

The end of the world.

"No," the High Priest whispered.

Orion nodded grimly.

"Yes."

The old seer's gaze swept across the crowd.

Then settled on me.

"The prophecy has begun."

Fear rippled through the temple.

I saw it spreading from face to face.

Most didn't know the details.

But they knew enough.

Enough to understand that this wasn't good.

Not good at all.

A sudden movement caught my attention.

Raven.

She had gone completely still.

The color drained from her face.

For the first time, she looked genuinely shaken.

"You know it."

I took a step toward her.

She didn't answer.

"You know the prophecy."

Still silence.

Then her eyes lifted to mine.

What I saw there made my blood run cold.

Not fear.

Resignation.

As if she had been expecting this day.

As if she had spent years running from it.

And finally realized she could no longer escape.

"Raven Nightshade."

The name came from one of the guards.

My attention snapped toward him.

Raven.

So that was her name.

The guard looked nervous.

"That's her identity."

The room stirred.

Several nobles immediately reacted.

I recognized the name.

So did they.

Raven Nightshade.

The infamous rogue.

Wanted in six kingdoms.

Blamed for countless crimes.

Some true.

Most probably false.

The woman standing before me wasn't just a rogue.

She was a legend.

A dangerous one.

And somehow...

She was my mate.

My life was becoming more complicated by the second.

Then Raven smiled.

A dark smile.

The kind people wear when they already know the outcome.

"You should kill me."

The entire room froze.

"What?"

Her eyes never left mine.

"You heard me, Alpha King."

The words were calm.

Too calm.

"If you care about your kingdom..."

Her smile faded.

"Kill me now."

An uneasy silence settled over the temple.

Every instinct inside me screamed that she meant every word.

And somehow...

That terrified me more than any threat.

Because people willing to die usually knew something everyone else didn't.

Something dangerous.

Something coming.

Something inevitable.

My wolf growled.

Protect her.

Even now.

Even after that.

I hated that he was right.

Because whether I liked it or not...

Whether she wanted it or not...

Whether destiny had lost its mind or not...

Raven Nightshade was mine.

And I had the feeling the entire world was about to go to war because of it.

To be continued...

Leon

You should kill me.

The words echoed through my mind long after Raven stopped speaking.

The temple had fallen silent.

Not the respectful silence of a sacred ceremony.

The terrified silence before a storm.

Every noble.

Every Alpha.

Every guard.

Every priest.

They were all staring at Raven Nightshade.

And for the first time in years, I had absolutely no idea what to do.

"What did you just say?" Kael asked.

Unlike everyone else, my brother sounded more curious than frightened.

Raven didn't look at him.

Her crimson eyes remained fixed on me.

"You heard me."

I clenched my jaw.

"Explain."

A bitter laugh escaped her.

"That's the problem."

The chains around her wrists rattled as she shifted her weight.

"If I explain, things become worse."

The High Priest stepped forward.

"What do you know about the prophecy?"

Raven's expression hardened immediately.

"No."

The answer came instantly.

Too quickly.

A lie.

She knew something.

Everyone in the room could tell.

The old priest narrowed his eyes.

"Girl—"

"I said no."

The temperature inside the temple seemed to drop.

Even the guards exchanged uneasy glances.

Because Raven wasn't acting like a prisoner.

She was acting like someone standing beside a grave.

A grave only she could see.

Elder Orion suddenly spoke.

"Release her chains."

The entire temple gasped.

"What?"

Several council members stood immediately.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"She's dangerous!"

"She's a rogue!"

Orion ignored them.

His gaze remained locked on Raven.

Then on me.

"The mate bond has already formed."

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

I felt dozens of eyes turning toward me.

Many of them fearful.

Others suspicious.

And a few...

Angry.

The political consequences were already beginning.

I could see it.

The Alpha Council had spent years preparing for a marriage alliance between me and Celestia.

Now a rogue had appeared and shattered everything.

One woman represented stability.

The other represented chaos.

And somehow fate had given me both.

I hated destiny.

The thought surprised even me.

But it was true.

For years I had trusted the Moon Goddess.

Trusted the mate bond.

Trusted fate.

Tonight that faith was beginning to crack.

Because none of this made sense.

Not a single part of it.

My gaze shifted toward Celestia.

She stood silently among the nobles.

Perfect posture.

Perfect expression.

Perfect composure.

But her hands were trembling.

Barely.

Enough for me to notice.

The realization twisted something inside my chest.

Because despite everything, she didn't deserve this.

Nobody did.

Then something strange happened.

Our eyes met.

For a moment I expected sadness.

Shock.

Perhaps betrayal.

Instead I saw something else.

Fear.

Not for herself.

For me.

Then she quickly looked away.

The feeling vanished.

Strange.

Very strange.

Before I could think further, a guard rushed into the temple.

Again.

His breathing was ragged.

Blood covered his armor.

My instincts immediately sharpened.

"Your Majesty!"

The crowd erupted into nervous whispers.

The guard collapsed onto one knee.

"They've breached the outer gates."

Every muscle in my body tensed.

"What?"

"The northern rogues."

The room exploded.

People were shouting.

Arguing.

Panicking.

The northern rogues were infamous.

Thousands strong.

Brutal.

Merciless.

For years they had stayed hidden beyond the kingdom's borders.

Now they were here.

At my capital.

During the Moon Blessing Ceremony.

Impossible.

Unless...

Someone had planned this.

My eyes immediately found Raven.

She looked furious.

Not surprised.

Not shocked.

Furious.

As if she had expected this.

My stomach dropped.

"You knew."

Her head snapped toward me.

"I suspected."

The answer came reluctantly.

"Suspected what?"

Her jaw tightened.

"They've been looking for me."

Silence.

The words landed like a blade.

Every noble stared at her.

The guards instinctively stepped back.

Not because she threatened them.

Because they suddenly understood.

The rogues weren't attacking the capital.

They were attacking for her.

One woman.

One rogue.

And somehow thousands of wolves were willing to start a war to find her.

Who exactly are you?

The question echoed through my mind.

Raven seemed to hear it.

For a brief moment, sadness flashed across her face.

Then disappeared.

The temple doors burst open again.

A second guard stumbled inside.

Unlike the first, this one looked terrified.

Absolutely terrified.

"Your Majesty."

His voice shook.

"The rogue army has stopped."

The room froze.

"What?"

The guard swallowed.

"They're not attacking."

Confusion spread through the chamber.

That made no sense.

Why breach the kingdom only to stop?

The guard looked directly at me.

Then at Raven.

And suddenly I knew I wasn't going to like what came next.

The man's face had turned pale.

"Asher is here."

Raven's eyes widened.

For the first time since I met her...

She looked afraid.

Truly afraid.

A cold feeling settled in my chest.

"Who's Asher?" I demanded.

Nobody answered.

The guard couldn't.

The nobles didn't know.

But Raven did.

And judging by the look on her face...

Asher was the last person she wanted to see.

Slowly, she lowered her head.

A whisper escaped her lips.

"No."

The word carried genuine fear.

My wolf growled instantly.

Protect her.

I ignored him.

Mostly because I couldn't stop staring at her.

Whatever confidence she carried moments ago was gone.

Whatever mask she wore had shattered.

For the first time, Raven looked vulnerable.

The sight unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.

Then Elder Orion whispered something that made my blood run cold.

"He's arrived sooner than expected."

I turned sharply.

"What do you mean?"

The old seer's face was pale.

Ancient fear filled his eyes.

Fear I had never seen before.

He looked toward the temple entrance.

Then toward the moonlit sky.

"The prophecy is moving faster."

The crowd collectively inhaled.

Orion swallowed hard.

"And if Asher truly stands outside these gates..."

His voice trembled.

"...then the first death has already been chosen."

A chill raced down my spine.

Outside the temple, somewhere beyond the palace walls, a wolf howled.

Long.

Cold.

Haunting.

Raven closed her eyes.

As if she already knew who that death belonged to.

And for the first time in my life...

I feared destiny.

To be continued...