Raina stood frozen, staring at the man who called himself a king. Everything about him felt… wrong. Or maybe it was that everything around her had suddenly gone too still.
The trees held their breath.
Even the wind paused.
The forest, once wild with sounds of crickets and rustling leaves, fell into a deathly silence — as if nature itself acknowledged the presence of something greater.
"You're lying," she said finally, trying to steady her voice.
"If I were," King Theron replied, his tone calm, "you wouldn't still be standing."
Raina's brows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward, and the ground beneath her trembled faintly. Not an earthquake — just power. Raw, ancient power. His aura pressed into her like invisible smoke.
She took a shaky step back. "Stay away."
"I mean you no harm, Raina. I came to offer you a choice. A life."
Her heart slammed in her chest. "How do you know my name?"
"I know many things," he said, "about you… about Kael… and about the bond the Moon Goddess gave you."
She stiffened.
"I felt it breaking. And I felt your pain."
Something inside her cracked again, not from sorrow — but from how calm he was. Like he understood the kind of pain most alphas dismissed. She hated it. And yet, she didn't want him to leave.
"I didn't ask for a new future," she snapped. "I didn't ask for anything."
"You didn't have to," he said gently. "But the Goddess did."
Raina opened her mouth to argue — to yell, to scream, to tell this strange king to leave her alone — but then her body swayed. The exhaustion hit her like a crashing wave. She hadn't eaten since morning. She hadn't slept in days, consumed by the pressure of the ceremony.
Her legs buckled.
Before she could hit the ground, arms wrapped around her.
Warm. Strong. Gentle.
She didn't want to lean into them — didn't want comfort from another man. But her body betrayed her, sinking into the steady warmth of King Theron's hold.
When she woke, it was to the crackle of fire and the scent of herbs.
Her eyes opened slowly. She wasn't in the forest anymore. She lay on a soft pile of furs inside a stone cottage lit by flickering firelight. The room smelled of sage, wood, and rain. The windows were shut tight, the wind howling outside.
Her hand flew to her chest.
Still clothed.
Still alive.
Still sore.
King Theron sat near the hearth, stirring something in a wooden bowl. He looked up and met her gaze.
"You're awake."
"Where am I?" she whispered.
"Safe," he said.
She sat up slowly. "That's not an answer."
He tilted his head. "A neutral ground. Far from your pack. No one will find you here unless I let them."
"You kidnapped me?" she asked sharply.
"You collapsed," he corrected. "And I wasn't about to leave you to freeze in the woods."
"I didn't ask for help," she snapped again.
"No, you didn't." He rose, walking toward her with the bowl. "But I gave it anyway."
She hesitated. Her pride screamed at her to refuse, but her body was weak. The moment the warm soup touched her lips, her stomach clenched in hunger.
He didn't speak as she ate. He just watched her — not like a predator, but like a strategist observing a warrior's wound.
"You're not like Kael," she said softly.
"No," he agreed. "I value what Kael throws away."
She looked up, startled by the venom in his voice.
"You hate him?"
"I don't waste hate," Theron said. "But I see the flaws of boys who pretend to be kings."
His words stirred something deep in her.
Back in Kael's territory, the Alpha slammed his office door shut.
Everything was off.
The longer Raina stayed away, the louder his wolf became. Irritated. Uneasy. Furious.
He had rejected her. It was over. So why did his wolf keep clawing at his chest? Why did her scent still linger in his memory like smoke?
"Enough," Kael growled, pacing. "She's nothing."
But even as he said it, he caught himself turning toward the window, as if hoping to see her walking back through the woods.
She hadn't returned to the pack.
And something in him knew she wouldn't.
Back in the cottage, Raina had finished her soup and sat with the furs pulled around her like armor.
"You said the Moon Goddess redirected my bond," she said. "What does that mean?"
"She's not cruel," Theron said. "She gives us what we need. Not always what we want. You needed Kael to see your strength. And now he's seen it — too late."
"And what do you want with me?" Her eyes narrowed.
"I want you to heal. Then rise. I want to offer you something bigger than being a Luna."
She frowned. "What's bigger than that?"
He leaned in, eyes glowing faintly. "To become a queen."
Her breath caught.
"This isn't some romantic gesture," he added. "This is a call. I need someone who has been broken — because only the broken know how to rule."
The fire flared as thunder cracked in the distance.
Raina stood slowly, trembling but upright. "And what if I say no?"
He didn't blink. "Then I'll take you home… and Kael will watch the strongest thing he ever rejected disappear again."
Her heart thundered.
Everything inside her told her not to trust him. And yet — everything she'd once believed in had already betrayed her.
Maybe it was time to believe in something else.