“She must’ve thought she hit the jackpot when she met you, a real prince in shining armor,” I tease.
Alden’s smile vanishes. “I was her downfall. Her trusting nature didn’t stand a chance in my family. My father and brother have always been cruel. They never understood Tanith, and it bothered her. She started withdrawing from me when she sensed they’d never accept her.”
My chest aches. “What happened to her?” I ask, wanting to hear the story from his lips.
Alden shifts in his seat, the antique creaking beneath him. A shadow falls over his face.
But when I fear he’ll retreat into himself, he takes a long breath and continues.
“When Tanith and I discovered we were mates several years ago, it was unexpected. Her dance troupe performed an ancient Lua folktale for my father’s birthday—the story of Sirius, the first werewolf. Tanith was one of the ensemble dancers, and as soon as she started moving, my wolf instincts recognized her as mine.”
A pang of envy pierces my heart. As a witch, the concept of mates is foreign to me. For wolves, it’s a one-and-done deal, a profound connection they may never find again, even if a mate dies. Having her still alive but unreachable must be excruciating.
“Tanith’s gentle nature softened my impenetrable core. I started to care less about my father’s plans to expand our borders. But then he got sick, and I thought their plans to invade would be put to rest, and Tanith and I could focus on us, but it was too late. Zeus and my father had bullied Tanith, and she couldn’t handle it. She . . . she left the palace, left me. Shortly after, vampires ambushed her on the road.”
The room flickers around us, the edges blurring as if the sleeping Alden is stirring in the waking world. My breath catches. I still need him to agree to my plan.
“Wolves are not meant to become vampires,” Alden goes on. “Our DNA is different. When Tanith became a vampire, she lost herself completely, becoming feral. Vyvyan is solely to blame. She would have maintained control over all her vampire offspring if she were a more competent ruler. Instead, several abandoned Corona, and Tanith suffered as a result. However, I will ensure that Vyvyan pays for her incompetence.”
The small wolf stretches by the fire, and despite the heat of the flames, a chill runs down my spine. The thought of Tanith facing off against a vampire upsets my stomach. Zeus is a monster.
“Where is Tanith now?” I whisper, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Alden’s shoulders sag. “Locked in a dungeon, sedated to keep her from harming herself and others.”
The fire grows taller, and as I stare into the hypnotic flames, I understand Alden’s pain and his thirst for revenge against the vampires. It is easier to blame an unknown entity than to believe your family could hurt you. Don and Zeus should talk.
“You know Tanith’s fate is Zeus’s fault, right?” I say in a soft but firm voice.
“How?” Alden asks, his voice tinged with suspicion.
“He lured her into the forest that day, knowing the vampires would get her.”
Alden folds his arms. “That’s not true. A mate is sacred, and Zeus would never harm her. It’s a grave offense—punishable by death—to kill someone else’s mate. The wronged party can challenge the offending wolf to seek justice. My brother would never betray me like that. He needs me.”
“What if I had a way for you to get Tanith back?” I ask.
Alden stiffens. He trains his piercing gaze on me, and I see the wolf inside him peering out, a primal intensity burning in his blue eyes. I don’t flinch away. I am here to help, not to hurt him.
“Leigh,” Alden says, “I know what you are trying to do.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Ravi has been my prisoner for years,” he says. “He told me about dreamwalking, how to look for the signs when a Lunar Witch invades your dreams and tries to manipulate you with their words and presence, which is what you are doing now.”
My muscles lock up. Calling it tension doesn’t even come close. He’ll never believe the truth. His story captivated me so much that I forgot to mention the dreamwalking. I knew he’d find out, but now he thinks I deliberately hid it from him.
“I’m not lying,” I insist.
Alden narrows his eyes. I understand why he doesn’t trust me. Lies and deception encompassed our entire relationship,with us hiding our true intentions behind a veil of diplomacy. But now, I am here to help, to offer a genuine solution to the problem that plagues us both.
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter,” Alden growls.
My panic rises from my stomach to my chest.
Tanith awakens. She rests on all fours, her ears upright, and listening while her big, tawny eyes watch me distrustfully.
“Alden, please, listen to me. I have a cure for vampirism,” I say.
