Chapter 1 The Wrong Mate

The cathedral reeked of roses.

Lila shifted in her bridesmaid heels, fingers slick around the bouquet. Just ahead, Celeste glided down the aisle in white silk and gold, her crown catching the light. Twenty-three and about to become Queen.

“Stop fidgeting,” Celeste hissed under her breath. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Sorry,” Lila murmured.

The massive doors boomed shut. Trumpets blared. Five hundred nobles rose as one.

Lila forced her gaze anywhere but forward. The stained glass spilling shards of color across marble. The low hum of the orchestra. The priest clearing his throat.

Anything but the man waiting at the altar.

Alpha King Adrian Blackthorn.

They reached the front. The priest began. “Dearly beloved—”

And Lila made the mistake of looking up.

The world stopped.

Adrian’s ice-blue eyes locked on hers. Broad-shouldered, black hair touched with silver at the temples, every inch of him radiated power. A man carved from command itself.

Her pulse stumbled. Then her wolf, silent all her life rose with a cry that split through her mind.

Mine. Mate. Ours.

No.

The bouquet slipped from her hands, scattering roses across marble like drops of blood.

Five hundred nobles turned. Gasps rippled through the cathedral.

Lila couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. The mate bond slammed into her like lightning. She felt it in her bones, in her soul, in every trembling breath.

Adrian’s nostrils flared. His hands clenched. His jaw locked tight.

He felt it too.

The scent of pine cut through the roses, cold, clean, wild. It wrapped around her like invisible chains.

“Lila!” Celeste’s voice snapped the silence. “Pick those up. Now.”

Lila dropped to her knees. A thorn bit into her palm; blood welled, unnoticed. A servant rushed forward, returning the crushed bouquet to her trembling hands.

The priest went on. “Do you, Adrian Blackthorn, take this woman as your lawful royal queen?”

“I do.” Adrian’s voice didn’t waver, but his gaze never left Lila.

Her wolf howled.

“And do you, Celeste Marie Hartwell…”

“I do,” Celeste said quickly as though she feared he would change his mind.

“Then by the power vested in me I pronouce you husband and wife.”

Adrian bent and kissed her sister. The cathedral erupted in applause.

Lila bit down until she tasted iron. The pain was the only thing keeping her upright.

---

The reception was a blur of light and music. Crystal chandeliers glimmered overhead, laughter rolled through the hall, and Lila sat at the family table, her smile a mask carved from stone.

Adrian and Celeste danced beneath the chandeliers, the perfect royal pair.

Every turn of his hand on her sister’s waist felt like glass beneath Lila’s ribs.

“You look pale,” her mother murmured, breath laced with wine. “Are you ill?”

“Just tired.”

“Then compose yourself. Stop staring at them. People will notice.”

But the bond was unbearable. She could feel him across the room, every shift of his energy, every flicker of his attention drawn toward her.

“Lila.” Celeste appeared, flawless as ever. “Come help me change.”

In the dressing room, Celeste shut the door and whirled.

“What the hell was that in the cathedral?” she demanded. “You dropped the flowers, froze up, half the court saw!”

“I’m sorry, I just…”

“Just what? Got nervous?” Celeste’s eyes hardened. “Everyone’s talking.”

“It was an accident…”

“Everything with you is an accident.” She ripped off her crown with a sharp motion. “I’m trying to be Queen, and my own sister turns me into gossip.”

Guilt burned through Lila. “I really am sorry.”

“Stay away from Adrian,” Celeste said suddenly, voice low. “I saw how he looked at you when you dropped those flowers. Like he cared. I don’t need my husband worrying about my clumsy little sister.”

The words sliced deep.

“He was just surprised,” Lila whispered.

“Good. Keep it that way.” Celeste turned her back. “Now help me out of this dress.”

Lila’s hands trembled as she unlaced the gown. Celeste smelled of roses and something else. Something male that made Lila’s wolf snarl.

Not him. Not our mate.

“You can go,” Celeste said curtly. “Tell Mother I’ll be out soon.”

Lila fled before her wolf broke free.

---

The side chapel was dark and still. Moonlight spilled through stained glass, painting her hands in fractured color. The stone bench was cold beneath her.

Lila finally let herself shake apart.

What had she done to deserve this? The Moon Goddess binding her to a man who just married her sister. A man thirteen years older. A king she could never have.

The door opened behind her.

Adrian stood there.

He’d shed the ceremonial robes. His shirt was open at the collar, sleeves rolled up, hair slightly mussed. But it was his eyes that froze her—storm blue, fixed on her like a man on the edge.

Neither spoke.

The mate bond shimmered between them, golden and forbidden.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

His hands shook. “I know.”

“Your wife…”

“Don’t.” The word cut sharp. “Don’t call her that.”

Silence. Her heart pounded so loud she could hear it echo.

“How long have you known?” His voice was low, rough.

“The bond?” Her throat ached. “During the ceremony.”

Adrian laughed softly, bitter. “Of course. Perfect timing.”

He stepped inside. The door shut with a click.

“This can’t exist,” he said quietly. “I just married your sister in front of five kingdoms. My alliance with her secures peace, trade, stability. Sixty thousand lives depend on that vow.”

“I know,” Lila whispered.

“You’re nineteen, Lila.”

“I know.”

“This bond is wrong on every level.” He took another step closer. The scent of pine grew stronger, dizzying. “You’re my wife’s sister. The law forbids it. The gods forbid it.”

Every word hit like a blade.

“I understand,” she managed. “I won’t tell anyone. I’ll leave tonight…”

“No.”

The command froze her.

Adrian crossed the space and caught her shoulders. The contact jolted through her like lightning. His control trembled under the surface, his body rigid with restraint.

“If you leave,” he said hoarsely, “my wolf will lose his mind. I’ll tear this kingdom apart searching for you. I’ll abandon my throne just to find my mate.”

His grip tightened. Desperation flickered in his eyes.

“Do you understand what you are to me? You’re the other half of my soul. The Moon Goddess chose you before we were born.” He released her suddenly, stepping back like her presence burned him. “And yet I just married your sister. I vowed to honor Celeste. To give her heirs. To rule beside her.”

He dragged a shaking hand through his hair.

“Tell me,” he said, voice breaking, “how am I supposed to do that when my mate is you?”

The air cracked around them too much pain, too much wanting.

Lila’s chest ached. “What do we do?”

Adrian’s laugh was hollow. “We suffer. We pretend this bond doesn’t exist. And we pray the Moon Goddess shows us mercy.”

He turned to leave.

“Adrian,” she whispered.

He stopped, his back to her.

“Does it ever get easier?” she asked. “The bond?”

His shoulders tensed. “I don’t know, Lila. Ask me in ten years.”

Then he was gone.

And Lila was left in the silence, surrounded by the scent of pine and the unbearable knowledge that her mate belonged to someone else.