Chapter 2 The Invitation

LILA

Three days had passed since the wedding.

Three days of pretending the mate bond didn’t exist.

Three days of waking to the echo of Adrian’s voice, “Ask me in ten years” and wishing she could erase it.

Lila hadn’t seen him since that night in the chapel. She stayed in her room, helping Mother with thank-you letters and avoiding mirrors that might show the exhaustion hollowing her face.

When Mother summoned her to the drawing room, Lila thought maybe—just maybe—she’d finally be sent far away.

“Pack your belongings,” Mother said the moment Lila stepped in. “You’re going to Moonstone Province to stay with Aunt Clara.”

Relief crashed through her like sunlight after a storm. Away from the palace. Away from Adrian. Away from the bond that was slowly tearing her apart.

“When do I leave?” she asked quickly.

“You don’t.”

Celeste entered without knocking, her silk traveling dress whispering across the floor. Diamonds glittered at her throat, the Queen’s diamonds now.

“I’ve convinced Aunt Cara, you should stay at the palace instead,” she said sweetly.

The relief vanished.

“Celeste, I really think…”

“I need family around.” Celeste’s smile was polished, but her eyes stayed cool. “Being Queen is exhausting. Politics, ceremonies, endless rules. Having you close will make things easier.”

“But Aunt Clara…”

“Can manage without you,” Mother interrupted. “Celeste has made a generous offer. You’ll have your own chambers in the palace. A chance to be useful for once.”

Useful. As if she’d never been useful in her life. Why on earth do mother even change her mind when ever it was Celeste making a request?

“I don’t want to intrude on your marriage,” Lila said softly, desperate to avoid what she knew was coming.

Celeste laughed, the sound like glass breaking. “Trust me, you won’t intrude. Adrian’s too busy with kingdom matters to notice anyone. I barely see him except at dinners.” Something bitter flickered in her expression before she masked it. “A queen needs companions. Sisters. You’ll come.”

It wasn’t a request.

“Of course,” Lila heard herself say. “I’d be honored.”

Mother’s smile was thin. “Finally. A chance to make yourself valuable to this family.”

---

The palace was overwhelming.

Servants unpacked Lila’s few belongings in chambers three times the size of her old bedroom. Hand-carved furniture. Silk curtains. A bed big enough for five people.

“His Majesty requested these rooms specifically,” a servant mentioned casually. “Said the western wing has the best morning light.”

Adrian chose her room.

Why?

Before she could wonder, Celeste appeared in the doorway. “Dinner in an hour. Don’t be late.”

---

The formal dining hall could seat forty, though only three sat tonight. Celeste, Adrian, and Lila.

Adrian was already there when they arrived. Dressed simply now, but still radiating quiet command. When his eyes met Lila’s, something flickered behind them, shock, anger, hunger.

“Lila decided to accept my invitation,” Celeste announced brightly, settling beside him. “Isn’t that wonderful? She’ll be staying indefinitely.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “How fortunate.”

Lila took the farthest seat possible. Not far enough. The mate bond stretched between them, taut and unyielding.

Fifteen courses arrived. Lila tasted nothing.

Celeste chattered about coronation plans, visiting nobles, anything but the tension that pressed against every breath. Adrian barely spoke, his focus fixed on his plate but Lila could feel his gaze every time she looked away.

Halfway through, her fork slipped and clattered against porcelain. The sound echoed.

“Excuse me,” she murmured, bending to pick it up.

When she straightened, Adrian’s eyes were on her darkened, burning. The mate bond surged so fiercely she gasped.

“Are you alright?” Celeste’s voice was sharp.

“Fine. Just tired from the move.”

“Then you should rest.” Celeste waved a dismissive hand. “Coronation preparations start early tomorrow. I’ll need you fully functional.”

Lila escaped the moment she could.

But even three floors away, she still felt him.

This was going to destroy her.

---

ADRIAN

Adrian waited until Celeste was asleep before he left their chambers.

Three days. He’d lasted three days believing Lila had gone home. Three days convincing himself distance would dull the bond.

Then she walked into dinner, and his wolf nearly shattered its leash.

Now he stalked the corridors, her scent threading through his senses copper and spring rain and temptation. He shouldn’t be doing this. Shouldn’t be following it.

But his wolf howled in his head, feral and relentless.

Mate is here. Mate is close. Why aren’t we going to her?

Because she’s forbidden, Adrian told him. Because I’m married to her sister.

His wolf didn’t care.

He found himself outside her chambers before realizing he’d moved. His hand lifted to knock and stopped midair.

He was the Alpha King. He had control. Duty. Discipline.

The door opened.

Lila stood there in a nightgown, copper hair tumbling over her shoulders, green eyes wide with disbelief.

“How did you know I was here?” Adrian’s voice came out rough.

“I felt you,” she whispered. “Through the bond.”

Of course she did. The mate bond was merciless that way.

“You shouldn’t be in the palace,” he said.

“I tried to leave. Celeste insisted.”

“Then insist harder.”

“She’s the Queen!” Lila’s voice trembled. “And our mother made it clear this is my chance to finally be useful to the family. What was I supposed to say?”

He wanted to ask what she meant by finally useful, but her scent was making thought impossible.

“You need a different room,” he said hoarsely. “This wing is too close to…”

“To you?” Lila’s laugh was bitter. “I’m three floors below you, Adrian. It doesn’t matter. The bond doesn’t care about distance.”

She was right. He’d felt her the moment she stepped into the palace. Felt her across the dining table. Felt her now like a fire under his skin.

“We need rules,” he said finally.

“Rules?”

“Boundaries. We can’t be alone together. No private talks. No touching.” The words scraped his throat. “At dinners, sit far from me. If we meet in the halls, look away.”

“Fine.”

“I mean it, Lila. If Celeste suspects…”

“She already suspects.” Her voice was quiet. “She told me to stay away from you. Said she saw how you looked at me when I dropped the flowers.”

Damn it.

“Then you understand why this is necessary.”

“I understand that we’re both suffering.” She met his eyes steadily. “But I also understand that sixty thousand lives depend on your marriage. That the kingdom needs stability. That I’m just the spare daughter who was never supposed to matter.”

Something twisted inside him. “What do you mean, spare daughter?”

“Nothing. Forget it.” She moved to close the door. “Goodnight, Your Majesty.”

“Lila…”

“Please go. Before someone sees you here.”

She was right. But walking away felt like tearing something vital from his chest.

He forced himself to step back. “Follow the rules. Stay away from me.”

“I will.”

He turned to leave.

“Adrian?” Her voice stopped him.

He turned slightly.

“Does Celeste know? About mate bonds? About how they feel?”

“No,” he said quietly. “She’s not wolfborn. Her family bought their titles generations ago. She has no wolf no idea what this is.”

“So she’ll never understand why you can’t love her.”

The truth hung in the air between them, dangerous and real.

“No,” he said softly. “She won’t.”

He left before he did something unforgivable.