My heart feels like it’s cracking down the middle. The choice should be simple. It should be easy.
It’s not.
If I take Violet as my mate, I’ll have to turn away from the alpha heir position. My father will never accept a mate whose wolf is barely there, who can’t strengthen our bloodline. He’ll choose Zion to succeed him instead of me, and Zion will destroy our pack. I’ve seen the cruelty in my brother, the hunger for power without the wisdom or restraint to wield it properly. Under Zion’s leadership, our wolveswill suffer.
But on the other hand, this is Violet we’re talking about. My fated mate. The woman who makes my wolf sing. The one person in this world who sees me, really sees me, and doesn’t turn away.
How am I supposed to choose between my pack and my mate?
I haven’t told my father the truth about Violet. I can’t. He would demand I reject the mate bond immediately, choose duty over fate. He would never understand that she is not just the object of my desire. She is everything.
I stroke her hair back from her forehead, following the curve of her cheek with my thumb. She’s so beautiful, it hurts to look at her sometimes. This woman has me wrapped around her finger and doesn’t even realize it.
How am I expected to live without her?
The question echoes in my mind, unanswerable. I’ve tried to imagine it, tried to picture a future where Violet isn’t there. Where I wake up next to some other woman, some politically advantageous match my father approves of.
The idea of touching another female is abhorrent. Not just to my wolf, though he snarls and snaps at the mere thought. To me. My human side rejects it just as strongly.
I kiss the top of her head gently, breathing in her scent.
“What do I do?” The words fall into the darkness between us. “How do I keep you safe and by my side?”
She shifts slightly in her sleep, her hand coming up to rest over my heart. The gesture undoes me.
Ethan’s words replay in my mind. “If Ryker mates Violet, she’ll be respected. Protected.”
My wolf snarls at the thought, fangs bared. The image of Ryker’s hands on her, of Ryker claiming her, makes violence surge through my veins. I would tear him to shreds before letting that happen.
But what right do I have to keep her when I can’t give her what she deserves?
Violet deserves someone who can claim her openly. Someone who can stand beside her without shame or secrecy. Someone who can give her a future that doesn’t involve hiding in shadows.
I close my eyes against the burn building behind them.
The truth is, I’m a coward. I want her desperately, selfishly, completely. I want to mark her as mine and dare anyone to challenge it. I want to wake up next to her every morning for the rest of my life.
But I also can’t turn my back on my pack. They need a strong alpha, and Zion isn’t it. He’s cruel and impulsive, driven by ego rather than duty. Wolves would die because of him.
How many lives is my happiness worth?
The question sits like lead in my stomach.
Violet murmurs something in her sleep, her fingers curling into my t-shirt. Even unconscious, she reaches for me. The trust implicit in that gesture makes my chest constrict.
She has no idea what’s coming. No idea that Ryker is circling like a shark scenting blood in the water. No idea that my father would rather see me mate with literally any other female, if he knew about her.
“I won’t let anyone else have you,” I whisper against her hair. “I can’t.”
Even as I say it, I know I’m being selfish. Ethan is right about that. But I can’t seem to stop myself.
My wolf is entirely in agreement. She’s ours. Our mate. The idea of handing her over to another male goes against every instinct we possess.
The medication situation nags at me again. Something about it doesn’t add up. Shifters simply do not need daily treatment for weakness or a sickly constitution. Our bodies don’t work that way. So, what is Lillian giving her daughter, and why?
My hands tighten on Violet reflexively. Whatever the answer is, I need to know. I need proof. It’ll take time for Ethan’s sister to analyze the pills, but at least I’ll eventually find out what is in them.
Violet shifts again, and this time, her eyes flutter open. She blinks up at me blearily, and I realize she’s registering that her barrier is gone, that I’m holding her.
