Chapter 18
584words
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The ceremony. The water. It showed him with you. A human. A nothing."
"That's impossible."
"That's what I said! But then I looked in the water myself, and do you know what I saw? Nothing. No mate for me at all." Her hands clench. "Twenty years of preparation, of promises, of alliance-building—all for nothing because of you."
"I didn't do anything," I protest.
"You exist," she spits. "That's enough."
She lunges forward, her hand closing around my throat. I gasp, clawing at her fingers.
"Ashley, stop. This won't change anything."
"No," she agrees. "But it will make me feel better."
As her grip tightens, that wild energy surges through me. I grab her wrist with both hands and twist, breaking her hold with surprising strength.
"What are you?" she demands.
"Your eyes," she whispers, backing away. "They're glowing."
The balcony door opens. Kayden takes in the scene—Ashley's defensive posture, my glowing eyes, the marks on my throat.
"Ashley," he says quietly. "Leave. Now."
"She's not human," Ashley says. "Look at her eyes! She's some kind of—"
"I said leave. Before I forget you're a guest in my father's house."
Ashley hesitates, then straightens. "This isn't over. The pack won't accept this—whatever she is, whatever spell she's cast on you."
She storms past Kayden. He closes the door, then turns to me.
"Are you alright?" he asks, approaching slowly.
I nod, feeling the energy recede. "My eyes—"
"They're returning to normal now. Your wolf responded to the threat."
"She saw," I say. "She'll tell everyone."
"It doesn't matter." Kayden takes my hands. "Things have changed tonight. Everything has changed."
"The ceremony—"
"Showed me what I already knew in my heart. You are my true mate, Freya. The Goddess has confirmed what I've felt since the moment your blood touched my lips."
"That's not possible. I'm not even a full werewolf."
"The Goddess doesn't make mistakes. I saw you in the water, as clearly as I see you now. And when Ashley looked, she saw nothing—because her true mate wasn't present."
"What does this mean?" I ask quietly.
"It means choices must be made. My father is furious. The Eastern Alpha is demanding explanations. And the Western Alpha now knows exactly who you are."
"What do we do?"
"We have until dawn to decide. My father has called a council meeting for first light."
"And if they decide I should go with the Western Pack? Or that I'm too dangerous to keep here?"
"Then we leave," he says. "Together."
"You would abandon everything—your position, your pack, your future—for me?"
"What future would I have without my true mate?" His hand rises to my cheek. "I've spent my life preparing to lead, to make the right choices for my pack. But tonight, I must make the right choice for myself."
Kayden leans forward slowly. His lips meet mine, gentle at first, then with growing intensity as I respond. The kiss awakens not just desire, but a sense of rightness, of coming home.
When we part, Kayden rests his forehead against mine. "Whatever comes tomorrow, remember this moment. Remember that you are chosen, Freya. By me. By the Goddess herself."
In the distance, wolves begin to howl—the pack song Kayden had mentioned during our training.
For the first time, something in me yearns to add my voice to theirs. To belong, not as a servant or a curiosity, but as myself—human and werewolf both.
