The first scream tore from my throat before I even understood what was happening.
It wasn't fear.
It wasn't pain.
It was the bond.
It was fate ripping me apart.
One moment, I was standing in the center of the Moonstone Arena, surrounded by hundreds of werewolves, my heart racing with nervous excitement.
The next…
Two invisible chains wrapped around my soul and pulled in opposite directions.
Hard.
I dropped to my knees.
Gasps echoed around me.
The torches lining the ancient stone walls flickered wildly, as if even the fire sensed that something had gone terribly wrong.
"No…" I whispered.
This wasn't possible.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Tonight was my Mating Ceremony.
Every unmated wolf who had reached adulthood gathered under the full moon to meet the person chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. One mate. One bond. One destiny.
That was the rule.
It had always been the rule.
Until now.
Because as I lifted my trembling head…
I saw them.
Standing on opposite sides of the arena.
Two Alphas.
Two kings.
Two enemies who had spent generations trying to destroy each other.
And both of them were looking at me like I belonged to them.
My name is Elara Moonridge.
Daughter of a fallen Beta.
An orphan.
A nobody.
And apparently…
The reason a war was about to begin.
"Impossible…"
The word fell from Elder Rowan's lips as he stared at me in horror.
His ancient hands trembled as he clutched his staff. His silver beard swayed when he shook his head slowly.
"This has never happened before," he murmured. "In five hundred years… never."
I wanted to laugh.
Or cry.
Or faint.
Anything to make this stop.
But my body was frozen in place, caught between two powerful forces that refused to release me.
On my left stood Alpha Kael Blackfang.
Leader of the Shadowclaw Pack.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Clad in black ceremonial armor that gleamed under the moonlight.
His dark hair fell messily over sharp, dangerous eyes.
Eyes that were locked on me.
Burning.
Possessive.
Hungry.
Kael was known across the territories as a ruthless ruler. A warrior who had never lost a battle. A man who ruled through fear and strength.
They said he had killed his first enemy at fifteen.
They said he showed no mercy.
And right now…
They said he was my mate.
On my right stood Alpha Lucien Frostbane.
Leader of the Silvermoon Pack.
Elegant. Regal. Wrapped in white and silver robes embroidered with ancient runes.
His pale hair shimmered like moonlight itself. His icy blue eyes were calm—but beneath that calm burned something far more dangerous.
Calculation.
Control.
Power.
Lucien was different from Kael in every way.
Where Kael ruled with fists, Lucien ruled with strategy.
Where Kael inspired fear, Lucien inspired loyalty.
Where Kael was fire…
Lucien was ice.
And he was staring at me like I was the center of his universe.
My second mate.
My second disaster.
The bond pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Pain exploded in my chest.
I gasped, clutching my heart as the connection deepened, carving itself into my soul.
I could feel them.
Both of them.
Kael's presence was wild and scorching, like standing too close to a raging inferno.
Lucien's was cool and steady, like being wrapped in moonlit snow.
Two opposite forces.
Tearing me apart.
"Elara!"
My best friend Mira pushed through the crowd and dropped beside me. Her hands grabbed my shoulders.
"Breathe," she whispered urgently. "You have to breathe."
I tried.
I really did.
But every breath felt like swallowing glass.
"Elder Rowan," Alpha Kael's voice thundered across the arena. "Explain. Now."
The crowd fell silent.
Kael took one step forward.
The ground seemed to tremble beneath his boots.
"This is my mate," he growled. "The bond is clear. I can feel her. She belongs to Shadowclaw."
A low snarl rippled through his warriors.
On the other side, Lucien raised one elegant hand.
"Control yourself," he said calmly. "You're embarrassing."
Then he looked at the elder.
"She is bonded to me," Lucien continued, voice smooth as silk. "To Silvermoon. I feel it as strongly as you do."
His followers murmured in agreement.
Two armies.
One girl.
One mistake.
"This is madness," someone whispered.
"They'll kill each other."
"We're doomed…"
I wanted to scream at them.
I wanted to tell them I was right here.
That this was happening to me.
But no sound came out.
Elder Rowan swallowed hard.
"The… the Moon Goddess has chosen…"
He hesitated. "Two."
Chaos erupted.
Shouts filled the arena.
"Blasphemy!"
"Heretic!"
"This can't be real!"
"The Goddess wouldn't do this!"
Kael laughed darkly.
"Seems she did," he said. "And I'm not sharing."
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Neither am I."
The temperature dropped.
I felt it.
The tension between them crackled like lightning.
Their gazes locked.
Alpha versus Alpha.
King versus King.
If either of them shifted now…
The arena would become a battlefield.
"Stop," I whispered.
No one heard me.
"I said stop!"
This time, my voice echoed.
Both Alphas froze.
Slowly, they turned to me.
Hundreds of eyes followed.
I stood up on shaking legs.
My white ceremony dress was stained with dirt and blood from where I had collapsed.
My hair had fallen loose.
I must have looked pathetic.
But I didn't care.
"This isn't a prize," I said, my voice trembling but strong. "I'm not something you can fight over."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"You're my mate," he said roughly. "I will protect you."
Lucien stepped closer.
"So will I," he said softly. "With my life."
Two promises.
Two prisons.
"Protect me from what?" I asked bitterly.
"From each other?"
Silence.
They didn't answer.
Because we all knew the truth.
They were the danger.
Elder Rowan approached cautiously.
"Elara," he said gently. "Until this is resolved… you must remain neutral."
Neutral.
Between enemies.
Between monsters.
Between kings.
"You will be placed under sanctuary," he continued. "In the Moon Sanctuary."
Kael's eyes flashed.
"No."
Lucien's voice was just as firm.
"Absolutely not."
"She stays with me," Kael snapped.
"With me," Lucien countered.
Their auras exploded outward.
I felt it slam into my chest.
I cried out.
"Enough!"
Light burst from my body.
Silver.
Pure.
Blinding.
The entire arena fell to its knees.
Even the Alphas staggered back.
I stared at my glowing hands in horror.
"What… what is this?"
Elder Rowan dropped his staff.
"The Lunar Mark," he whispered. "She's… she's blessed."
No.
No, no, no.
I didn't want blessings.
I didn't want power.
I didn't want any of this.
I just wanted my life back.
When the light faded, Kael was standing only a few feet away.
So was Lucien.
They had both recovered.
They were both watching me like hunters who had found the rarest prey in existence.
Kael spoke first.
"This changes nothing," he said. "She's coming with me."
Lucien smiled coldly.
"Try."
A sword slid halfway from its sheath.
A wolf snarled.
Someone screamed.
War hovered in the air.
And at the center of it…
Me.
Elder Rowan raised his staff.
"Enough! The Moon Goddess has spoken.
The trial begins."
"Trial?" I echoed.
He looked at me sadly.
"You must choose," he said.
"Before the next full moon."
My heart sank.
"Or?"
"Or both packs will go to war," he replied.
The crowd erupted again.
I stared at Kael.
At Lucien.
At the two men who were now bound to me by fate.
Two enemies.
Two kings.
Two loves I never asked for.
And only one choice.
As the moon rose higher, bathing us in silver light, I realized something terrifying.
No matter what I chose…
Someone would bleed.
And it might be me.