Chapter 2: Two Mate Bonds

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...

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