Elara Thorne POV:
Panic, cold and sharp, seized my throat. Briar’s cheerful, oblivious face was a mask of friendship, and behind it, I saw only the chasm that had opened between us. The lie I needed to tell felt like swallowing glass.
"Luna?" I forced a laugh. It came out thin, brittle. "Briar, don't. Everyone is staring." I gestured vaguely at the warriors, who were now pointedly looking away. "I'm exhausted. The journey..." I let my voice trail off, hoping it sounded like the weary complaint of a political bride, not the ragged whisper of a woman whose soul had been rewritten overnight.
It worked. Briar’s boisterous energy immediately softened into concern. "Of course you are. Gods, I'm an idiot. Dad's probably been his usual charming self, all grunts and glares." She looped her arm through mine, her strength a familiar comfort that now felt like a betrayal. "Come on. Let's get you to your rooms. They're incredible. Maeve showed them to me this morning."
She steered me away from the training grounds, her chatter a welcome distraction that let me hide inside my own head. The Packhouse was a fortress of dark wood and stone, the air smelling of beeswax and old power. It felt less like a home and more like a cage. My cage.
The chambers she led me to were opulent, a suite of rooms with a massive fireplace already crackling and a balcony that overlooked the forest. It was a beautiful prison.
"And the best part," Briar said, flinging open the heavy oak door and marching inside. She spun around, a grin plastered on her face, and pointed a thumb over her shoulder at the door directly across the hall. "That's my father's room. Convenient, huh?" She wiggled her eyebrows, the old, familiar gesture of a friend sharing a dirty joke. My stomach twisted. If she only knew.
I offered a weak smile and ran a hand over the high collar of my tunic, the fabric a flimsy shield. "It's... a lot."
"Of course it is." Briar started unpacking the small leather satchel Maeve had given me, placing my worn copy of *Wuthering Heights* on the nightstand with a reverence that made my eyes burn. "He's trying to impress you. The Alpha King, making a statement." She paused, looking at me, her expression turning serious. "Gods, Elara. You look like you've been through a war. Come here. Sit."
She guided me to a velvet armchair near the fire. Before I could protest, she was behind me, her hands reaching for my hair. "Let me brush this out. You always said it helps you think."
"Briar, you don't have to—"
"I want to," she insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument. She picked up a silver-backed brush from the vanity. "Just relax. After everything, you deserve a minute to breathe."
I closed my eyes, surrendering. The lie was a lead weight in my gut. Every pull of the brush through my long hair was a countdown. She was too close. The scent of her—wildflowers and ozone—was a painful reminder of the simple friendship we were about to lose. I held myself perfectly still, praying she wouldn't notice.
Her fingers were gentle as she worked through the tangles, her movements sure and practiced from a thousand other times she’d done this for me. The steady rhythm was almost soothing. Almost. My wolf was a coiled spring inside me.
"I know this is all for politics," Briar murmured, her voice soft. "But I hope you can be happy here. Truly."
She gathered my hair, pulling it to one side to brush out the ends.
And then she froze.
Her fingers, which had been deftly separating strands, stopped moving. I felt the warmth of her hand against my neck, right over the tender, raised skin. The air thickened. The crackle of the fire was suddenly deafening.
"Briar?" I whispered, my eyes still shut. I couldn't bear to see her face.
Her hand didn't move. I felt the faint tremble in her fingertips. Her breath hitched. A second stretched into an eternity.
Then, with a sharp, sudden movement, her hand wasn't gentle anymore. She yanked my hair fully aside, exposing the side of my neck to the cool air of the room. I flinched, my eyes flying open. I met her gaze in the vanity mirror.
The color had drained from her face, leaving her freckles standing out like flecks of blood on snow. Her eyes, wide with horror, were fixed on the reflection of my neck. On the dark, bruised, unmistakable pattern of teeth sunk into my flesh.
Her voice was a ragged whisper, torn from her throat. "That's... that's a Marking Bite." Her eyes lifted from the mark to my own in the mirror, and in them, I saw a fury so profound it made me shudder. "He forced you."
The accusation hung in the air, heavier than stone. She didn't see a fated bond. She saw an assault. She saw her father, the Alpha King, as a monster.
Briar stumbled back, away from me, as if I were the source of a fire. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "That bastard," she breathed, her voice shaking with a rage I had never seen in her before. "A Marking Bite isn't part of a political alliance. That's possession. That's permanent." Her eyes, blazing now, locked onto mine. "If there's a war over this, Elara, I'll stand with you. Not my father. I swear it."
Her loyalty was a blade twisting in my gut. She was ready to betray her own blood for me, all based on a terrible, logical misunderstanding.
My hand flew to my neck, covering the mark as if I could hide it, as if I could undo what she’d seen. "No," I said, shaking my head, the motion frantic. "Briar. It wasn't like that."
"Don't protect him!" she snapped. "I know who he is. I know what he's capable of. He wanted to secure the alliance, and he took you—"
"He didn't take anything," I cut her off, my voice stronger now, desperation sharpening the edges. I stood and faced her, forcing myself to meet her furious, protective glare. I had to end this before it spiraled into something we could never take back. I took a deep, shuddering breath, the truth a terrifying weight on my tongue. "We're Fated Mates. The Goddess chose this."
The words fell into the silence between us. Briar stared at me, her face a canvas of disbelief. The fury in her eyes faltered, replaced by a deep, wrenching confusion. She opened her mouth to argue, to deny it, but no sound came out. Her mind was reeling, trying to fit this impossible truth into the monster she had just constructed. She saw her powerful, ruthless father. She saw me, her friend running from a brutal rejection. The two didn't connect.
And then, something broke in her expression. The fire in her eyes didn't just falter; it was extinguished, leaving behind a glassy, vacant shock. Her breath hitched, a tiny, wounded sound. I saw the moment the world went silent for her. The silent, irrefutable proof had been delivered straight into her mind.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips. Her hand flew to her mouth, her knuckles white. Her wide, shocked eyes met mine again, but this time, the fury and confusion were gone. In their place was dawning, horrified comprehension. Kaelen had confirmed it.
The fierce protector I knew vanished, replaced by a stranger. The knowledge didn't just change her mind; it unmade her, right in front of me.
Her rigid posture dissolved. Her shoulders slumped. With a slow, deliberate grace that felt ancient and terrifying, Briar Blackwood, my best friend, sank to the floor. The rustle of her training clothes was the only sound in the vast, silent room as she lowered herself into a formal, perfect curtsy. Her head bowed.
When she spoke, her voice was a whisper, stripped of all its earlier fire. The title was no longer a joke. It was a sacred vow.
"My Luna."
