CHAPTER SATY ONE


    +25 Bonus


    CHAPTER SIXTY ONE


    Nn’s POV


    I didn’t answer Marco’s question. I walked past him back to my room. While I walked, I reyed every second of the encounter earlier in the garden. The way Jason wed at Talia like a desperate animal, the way she fought him, and the way my own wolf nearly tore through me to intervene.


    I didn’t like how much I felt out of control. I didn’t like seeing Jason on Talia like that. The urge to hunt him down


    to teach him a lesson was almost unbearable.


    I slung my door open and sat down at my desk, rubbing my hand over my face. Marco followed me in and closed the door behind him. “Alpha, what’s going on?” he asked.


    “You should have told me,” I said coldly, not bothering to look up at him.


    Marco frowned. “Told you what?”


    “That Talia and Jason were mates once!” I snapped.


    His brows lifted slightly, and thenughed, “Wait. Hold on. Did it matter now?”


    “No. But you should tell me they were fated mates before,” I argued.


    “You said the alliance was the priority. That’s why I didn’t bring it up. I didn’t think you’d want to waste time digging into her past when you’d already called her the enemy’s daughter,” Marco exined.


    My jaw clenched. “You don’t get to decide what details matter and what don’t.”


    Marco’s gaze hardened. He wasn’t intimidated by me, notpletely. That was part of why I kept him. “And you were dismissive of anything I said about her, so why do you care now?”


    “Because I need to know EVERYTHING about the enemy’s daughter. That was important, Marco,” I growled.


    “Alpha, what happened? Why do you care so much now?” Marco asked with confusion.


    “He tried to force himself on Talia,” I bit out, heat rising in my chest. “Had the audacity to say he wanted her back as his Luna.”


    Marco’s gaze hardened for a moment. Abuse of she-wolves was always something that enraged him. “That ungrateful bastard,” Marco growled.


    “What else? Marco,” I pressed.


    “Alpha King refused to acknowledge Jason as her fated mate, so Princess Talia disguised herself as an omega just to be his mate and the Luna of Shadoww back then.” Marco let out a rough breath..


    “She did that? For him?” I asked in disbelief.


    Marco nodded once. “Yes. That’s how much the mate bond can push someone. She gave up her standing, her title, and her family all for him.”


    I had always believed she and Solon were just like their father. Arrogant, driven by power and pride. To think she had willingly cast it aside for Jason of all people, it was unheard of.


    “The bond means more than pride and power,’ my wolf added. ‘You know it. That’s why you wear the pendant to resist the pull.’


    CHAPTER SIXTY ONE


    +25 Bonus


    “She was a fool,” I muttered.


    “One could say so are you,” Marco countered. “You think you can keep this under control. You wear that pendant to suppress it, but it won’tst forever. You’re her second chance mate but she’s your fated mate. The longer you ignore the bond, the worse it’ll be for you.”


    “I said I would reject her!” I growled it loud as I fighted with my wolf. 13


    Marco rolled his eyes and said, “And you would be as stupid as Jason.” I growled at him and Marco raised his hands in defense. “I’m saying YOU WOULD BE not that you are. Your mate is your other half. They make you stronger. If not, then why do you think Jason is so desperate to get Talia back?”


    “I don’t need her to be strong,” I retorted. “She is a liability that I will get rid of once I have aplished what I came here for.”


    “Nn, don’t kid yourself,” Marco scoffed. “I’ve seen what the fated mate bonds do to wolves. You can im all you want that you’ll resist, and I have no doubt you will for a while, but you will give in eventually. Everyone does.”


    My wolf snarled inside me, pacing hard against my chest. ‘If you let her slip away, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. I mean it!’


    “Enough,” I snapped inwardly, pushing his voice back. The pendant against my skin warmed as I willed the bond into silence.


    I rose from my chair and walked toward the window, resting my hand against the cold frame. Beyond the ss, fog covered the Silverfang gardens. Somewhere out there, she was moving through the halls, probably trying to forget the way Jason wed at her.


    Marco’s voice pulled me back. “You need to decide soon, Nn. Either reject her or ept her as your mate before the decision is taken from you.”


    I turned to him slowly. “You presume too much, Marco.”


    “No. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I know you, Nn, just like you know me. You feel for her even with the pendant on and it’s only going to get worse.”


    “I said enough,” I growled, letting a fraction of my aura bleed into the room.


    Finally, I exhaled and pulled it back. “If you’re so eager to keep me on task, then do your job. Jason ims he’s here to study some warrior training.”


    “You want me to find out the real reason he’s here?” Marco confirmed.


    “Yes,” I said coldly. “I want every detail. If he has other intentions for this so-called alliance, I’ll know it before he even sets anything in motion. And if he dares to doublecross me, I’ll rip his throat out.”


    Marco smirked as he stood up and said, “Finally, something that sounds like you. I’ll handle it. But you can’t ignore the bond forever, Nn.”


    When the door shut behind him, my wolf pressed forward onest time. ‘Don’t reject her. Don’t make Jason’s mistake. She is ours. If you lose her, you lose everything.’


    I pressed a hand to my chest where the pendant rested, the heat of it biting against my skin as I forced his voice down again.


    “No,” I said quietly. “I will not be ruled by a stupid bond. Not now. Not ever.”