Christian’s Pov

I left her standing in the library among the books.

I reached out through the mind link as I walked. Kane. Meet me in my chambers. Now.

On my way, he answered.

The two guards followed me down the long hallway in silence. When we reached my door I told them I needed to be alone. They bowed low and left without a word. Their footsteps faded until the castle felt quiet again.

I stepped inside and shut the door myself.

For a moment I just stood there. The image of Elijah’s hand on her wrist kept replaying in my mind, along with the look on her face afterward. She hadn’t cried. She hadn’t begged. She had simply stood there, shaken but still upright, watching me like she was trying to decide what kind of man I was.

It stayed with me more than I wanted it to.

I walked to the window and rested my hands on the frame, looking out at the dark line of trees beyond the walls. The door opened behind me a short while later and Kane stepped in.

“How did it go with Jennifer seeing her people?” I asked without turning. “Did anything happen that I should know about?”

“Nothing worth reporting,” Kane said. “She went in, stayed a while, and came back out. She didn’t say a single word to me on the ride home. Whatever happened in that house, she kept it to herself.”

I nodded slowly. Quiet. That matched what I had seen of her so far.

“You know Elijah is back,” Kane added. “He’s somewhere on the grounds.”

“I know. He already gave himself an unpleasant welcome.”

Kane’s expression darkened. “What happened?”

“He put his hands on Jennifer. Tried to force something she didn’t want. I stopped him before it went further.”

Kane’s jaw tightened. “I still don’t understand why you allow him to remain in this castle. You have the power to send him away and make sure he never returns.”

I finally turned from the window. “He’s family, Kane. You don’t throw family away the first time they fail you. You give them chances. Again and again, until there are no chances left.”

Kane didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue either. After a moment he asked, quieter, “How are you taking all of this? How do you feel about tomorrow?”

I let out a short, humorless breath. “Feelings. I’m not sure I remember what those are supposed to feel like. This is the eighth bride, Kane. Seven women stood where she is standing now. None of them survived. And you want me to believe this time will be different?”

“I want you to have a little hope,” he said. “That’s all. You should try to sleep. Tomorrow will be long.”

“I’ll run instead. Sleep hasn’t helped me in years.”

Kane studied me for a second, then sighed. “Just don’t tear yourself apart out there.”

He left soon after. The door clicked shut, and the silence settled back over the room.

I stayed only a little longer before I walked out of the castle and into the woods. The night air was cold and sharp against my skin. Before I shifted, one memory returned without permission — the moment in the great hall when I had lifted her chin and seen her eyes clearly for the first time. She had looked afraid, yes, but she hadn’t looked broken.

I pushed the thought away.

I had already buried seven brides. I would not allow myself to feel anything for an eighth.

I let the shift take me and ran until my body burned and my mind finally went quiet.

****

The next day arrived faster than I wanted it to.

Kane knocked once on my door. “It’s time.”

I nodded and stepped out to meet it.

The ceremony was held in the clearing the elders had prepared outside the castle. Torches lined the edges of the grounds, their flames throwing long, restless shadows across the grass. The air felt heavier than usual, thick with old tradition and the weight of what everyone believed was coming. The elders stood in a loose half-circle. Kane remained close to my side. A small number of pack members watched from farther back, silent and careful.

Then I saw her.

Jennifer stood across the clearing in a burgundy gown that fit her too well. A thin veil covered her face, but it did little to hide the stiffness in her shoulders or the way her hands stayed clasped tightly in front of her. When I began walking toward her, I heard her heartbeat — fast, hard, uneven. Her scent reached me next, sharp with fear she was clearly trying to control.

She looked composed from a distance. Up close, she was barely holding herself together.

The High Priestess began the ceremony. She bound our hands with a length of cloth, poured water over our joined fingers, and marked our foreheads with ash while speaking the old words. I had heard them seven times before. They no longer meant anything to me.

Finally, she said, “He may kiss his bride.”

Jennifer lifted the veil with fingers that trembled. When her eyes met mine, I saw the fear clearly — and behind it, a stubborn refusal to look away.

I placed my hand at her waist and pulled her against me, closer than the ceremony required.

The moment our bodies touched, she went rigid. A small, sharp breath caught in her throat. I felt her hands hover near my chest, uncertain, as if she couldn’t decide whether to push me back or hold on. Her heart was slamming so hard I could feel it against my own body.

I leaned down and kissed her.

The kiss was slow, but it was not gentle. For a second she didn’t respond at all. She stayed frozen, lips parted in shock, barely breathing. Then a tremor ran through her. Her fingers curled into the front of my clothes, gripping before she seemed to realize what she was doing. A soft, unsteady sound escaped her when I deepened the kiss just slightly. I felt the exact moment her control slipped — the way her body leaned into mine for half a second, the way her breath stuttered against my mouth, the way she kissed me back without fully meaning to.

Something low in my chest pulled tight.

I broke the kiss before I could want more.

Jennifer’s eyes remained closed for a moment longer than they should have. When she opened them, her face was flushed and her breathing had not yet returned to normal. She looked shaken, not only by the kiss itself, but by the fact that she had responded to it at all. Her hand was still resting against my chest, as if she had forgotten to remove it.

The High Priestess’s voice cut through the silence.

“The Alpha must now undergo the cleansing, to clear away any bad omens from what comes next. Jennifer, you will go to the chambers and prepare yourself for the wedding night.”

I released her waist and stepped back.

She lowered her gaze quickly, but not before I saw the confusion still lingering in her eyes.