~~XANDER MORTAIN~~
~~THE ECLIPSE PACK~~
The word betrothed gutted me like a poisoned blade.
I stood frozen in the bloody hall. Anika’s body pressed against mine, her warmth the only thing tethering me to earth while my world shattered.
Her scent flooded my senses—a heady rush I craved—but even that couldn't drown out the roar building in my skull.
Conor had been promised her?
Just the thought made Luka, my wolf, batter the cage of my control. His snarl vibrated through my bones.
I had loved her in silence before I even knew the word. I watched the pack tear her down, quietly breaking the bones of anyone who pushed her too far. I had claimed her tight body beneath silk sheets, earned her trust in stolen moments, and somehow, she’d owned what was left of my soul.
And now my bastard brother wanted to rip her away with some dusty pact? Just because desperate elders needed a tracker?
My gaze dropped to Anika. Her face went pale, her hazel eyes wide with horror.
Terror clawed through my gut.
Not the fear of losing power.
Not the fear of becoming the monster they whispered about.
The fear of losing her.
Conor took the ruined stairs with a smug strut. His bruised face twisted in triumph. The Shadow warriors parted for him, but nobody moved to stop him.
Not yet.
“Now, brother,” he drawled, stopping feet away. His voice dripped with fake sweetness. “If you’ll kindly let go of my Luna…”
My control snapped.
I moved on pure instinct. My hand shot out, claws fully extended, and clamped around his throat.
I tossed him across the hall like a ragdoll. He slammed into a marble pillar with a sick crack, stone splintering on impact. He was still weak from the beatdown I gave him days ago, right after he tried to force himself on her.
Good.
Let him feel every broken bone.
“You dare,” I snarled, stalking forward. Blood roared in my ears. “You tried to rape her. Tried to kill her. And now you think you can claim her like a prize?”
Anika was at my side in a flash, her hand gripping my bicep. I felt her tremble, but her voice rang out fierce.
“I refuse,” she spat. “I will never mate with you.”
Conor pushed himself up, wiping blood from his split lip. His smirk slipped for a second, replaced by blind panic, but he bounced back. He yanked a rolled parchment from his torn coat and held it up like a trophy.
“Too bad your opinion doesn’t matter, princess.” He unrolled it with a flourish. “This is a blood pact between the Shadow elders and myself. Signed hours ago. The ink is dry. In six nights, we mate under the full moon.”
The hall erupted.
I lunged again, but shadows swallowed Conor. He vanished through a side passage like a rat.
Anika’s growl cut through the noise—raw, booming, vibrating with the sheer weight of her awakened bloodline. Even the hardcore Shadow warriors bowed their heads in respect.
“Find a loophole to stop this ceremony,” she barked at the General.
“The only surefire fix, Your Highness, is to kill him,” the General grunted, bowing deep.
“No!” My father’s voice boomed from the crowd. He shoved his way forward, his face twisted with rage. “You won't spill Mortain blood over this… Your Highness. It’s taboo. I'll get the arrangement tossed out. Count on it.”
I almost laughed out loud. Toss it out with what? The same dirty threats he used on me? Holding my mother’s life over my head like a noose?
My eyes locked on Anika. She stared back, and for a split second, the world faded to black. The fear in her gaze mirrored mine.
But duty was already dragging her away.
I kept my distance for two straight days.
Not by choice. Fuck, no. Every primal instinct screamed at me to drag her into my bed, take her to the highest tower, and lock the door until the world forgot her name. To bury myself so deep inside her that no pact, no elder, and no bastard brother could ever pry us apart.
The distance only fueled the curse. Without her skin against mine, the pain ground into my bones. My wolf grew feral with every ticking hour.
Being near her was salvation and hell combined.
Being without her was pure agony.
And now she was leaving.
The Shadow procession stretched across the courtyard. Hundreds of warriors in tight formation, banners snapping in the biting wind.
Eclipse wolves gathered to say their final goodbyes.
I helped her mount her mare. That fleeting contact sent a hot jolt of relief and sharp pain straight to my groin.
Now, she rode at the front beside Silas and the General. Dressed in black and silver armor, she looked every inch the badass queen she was born to be.
I wanted to drag her back. To chain her to my bed and burn down every pact, every elder, and every obligation that dared snatch her from me.
Instead, I stood like stone at the gates. My fists clenched so hard my claws drew blood from my palms. The curse raged unchecked, fire flooding my veins.
My bones felt like they were grinding to dust.
Each step she took away from me made the pain sharper, vicious.
She turned once. Our eyes locked across the courtyard. For one agonizing second, every sweaty night, every filthy confession, every time I moaned her name like a prayer burned brighter than the sheer agony tearing me apart.
Come back to me, I thought, carving the words into her soul. Even if it takes years.
Anika gave a tiny, broken nod, then turned away.
I watched her ride out of the Eclipse Pack—my queen, my salvation, my everything.
The pain that followed wasn’t just the curse.
It was heartbreak.
And for the first time since my mother bailed, I felt something dangerously close to tears.