The Alpha Princes stood in a circle around the pond, perfectly aligned in a straight line beneath the red glow of the blood-red full moon. Following the instructions of a trusted fortune-teller, they scattered moonflower petals into the pond just as the castle clock struck—exactly at midnight.

“Dip your pinky fingers into the water,” said Snag the Seer.

They all did so in unison. It wouldn’t immediately reveal to whom the red thread of their fated mates was connected. The process was quite long and took place in turns.

The smile on Kael’s face didn’t fade at all. His patience, usually as thin as tissue paper, now made waiting even...