Erik paced his room like a caged animal. Three days had passed since they'd taken Lyra away. Three days of fighting his instincts to chase after her. The dart they'd used contained wolfsbane—enough to knock her out but not cause permanent harm. At least, that's what Madeline the healer had promised.
"Control yourself," Erik muttered, his claws extending and retracting with each surge of emotion. The mate bond pulled at him constantly, a physical ache in his chest pointing south toward Lyra.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Enter," he growled.
Marcus stepped in, his face grim. "We've driven the hunters back across the border. Two injured, but everyone survived."
"And the omega? Lyra?" Erik couldn't stop himself from asking.
Marcus glanced around nervously before lowering his voice. "She's at the south cabin. Guarded day and night. Your father's orders."
Erik smashed his fist into the wall, leaving a crater in the plaster. "She's not a prisoner. She's my—"
"True mate. I know." Marcus sighed. "But your wedding to Clara is tomorrow. The Luna has everything planned."
Erik turned to the window, staring at the forest that separated him from Lyra. "Plans change."
"Erik, think about what you're doing. The alliance with Clara's family strengthens the pack. Your father—"
"My father lied to me!" Erik spun around, his eyes flashing gold. "True mates aren't myths. He knew it could happen, which is why he tried to ship all the eligible females away before I could find her."
Marcus remained silent, his loyalty to his Alpha clearly at war with his friendship with Erik.
"Help me," Erik said quietly. "I need to see her."
Marcus hesitated, then nodded slowly. "The south patrol changes guards at midnight. I can create a distraction for fifteen minutes. No more."
"That's all I need." Erik clasped his friend's shoulder. "Thank you."
After Marcus left, Erik paced again, planning his move. When night fell, he slipped out his window and raced through the forest in wolf form. His black fur blended with the shadows as he followed Lyra's scent—cinnamon and wildflowers—growing stronger with each mile.
The south cabin was small, tucked between two giant oak trees. Erik watched from the darkness as two guards patrolled outside. Right on schedule, a howl echoed through the forest—Marcus's signal. The guards perked up and exchanged worried glances before racing toward the sound.
Erik shifted back to human form and quickly pulled on the clothes he'd carried. He approached the cabin cautiously and peered through the window.
Lyra sat on a small bed, reading by candlelight. Even from here, he could feel the bond between them humming with energy. She suddenly looked up, as if sensing his presence, and their eyes met through the glass.
Her face lit up with such hope that it made his chest ache. She rushed to the door and opened it before he could knock.
"You came," she whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Erik stepped inside quickly, closing the door behind him. "I had to. I couldn't stay away."
Lyra stood before him in a simple nightgown, her red hair loose around her shoulders. She looked smaller than he remembered, more vulnerable, but her eyes held a new strength.
"They told me you agreed to the wedding," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "That you denied the mate bond."
"Never." Erik took her hands in his. The contact sent sparks of warmth up his arms. "They're lying to keep you here."
"Why fight it? Everyone says you and Clara are perfect together. She's a Beta's daughter. I'm nobody."
Erik shook his head. "You're everything. The moon chose you for me. Do you know how rare that is? How precious?"
Lyra's eyes filled with tears. "Then why is your wedding still happening tomorrow?"
"It's not. I won't go through with it." Erik stepped closer, drawn by the invisible thread connecting them. "I don't care what my father says. I don't care about pack politics."
"You can't throw away your future for me."
"You are my future." The certainty in his voice surprised even him. "I've known you for days, but I feel like I've been waiting for you my whole life."
Lyra reached up tentatively, her fingertips brushing his cheek. The touch sent images flashing through his mind—memories that weren't his own. He saw Lyra growing up alone, always in the background, watching Clara get everything while she got nothing.
"You can see my memories," she gasped, clearly experiencing the same phenomenon.
"The mate bond," Erik explained. "It's growing stronger."
He leaned down, unable to resist the pull between them. Their lips met in a kiss that felt like coming home. Warmth flooded through him, and he knew no arranged marriage could ever compare to this connection.
A noise outside broke the moment. The guards were returning.
"I have to go," Erik said reluctantly. "But I'll come back for you. Tomorrow, before the ceremony."
"They'll never let us be together," Lyra whispered. "Your father, Clara, Eleanor—they're too powerful."
"Watch me." Erik kissed her once more. "Trust in our bond. It's stronger than their schemes."
He slipped out the door just as the guards rounded the corner of the cabin. Hidden in the shadows, he watched them resume their posts, unaware of his visit.
Back at the main house, Erik found Clara waiting in his room.
"Where were you?" she demanded.
"Out," he replied shortly, moving past her to the window.
"With her?" Clara's voice turned icy. "The little omega who thinks she can steal you from me?"
Erik turned slowly. "She's not stealing anything. The moon chose her as my mate."
"The moon." Clara laughed bitterly. "You sound like a lovesick pup repeating nursery tales."
"It's real, Clara. You saw us shift together, saw the connection."
"What I saw was my future husband being bewitched by a nobody." Clara stepped closer, her expression calculating. "Do you know what happens to omegas who interfere with arranged matches? They disappear."
Erik's wolf surged forward, a growl rumbling in his chest. "Threaten her again, and you'll regret it."
"This isn't you talking. It's the false bond clouding your judgment." Clara's tone softened. "Mother says Madeline can break it. A simple ritual before our wedding, and you'll be free of her influence."
"I don't want to be free of it." Erik turned away. "The wedding's not happening, Clara. Accept it."
Her face hardened. "We'll see about that."
After she left, Erik sank onto his bed, exhaustion washing over him. The pull toward Lyra remained, a constant tug southward. He'd meant what he said—he would go back for her tomorrow, consequences be damned.
Morning came with chaos. Erik woke to shouting in the hallway. He opened his door to find Marcus rushing toward him.
"The omega—she's gone!" Marcus panted.
Erik's blood ran cold. "What do you mean, gone?"
"The guards found the cabin empty this morning. No sign of struggle, just... gone."
"Lyra," Erik whispered, panic rising in his throat. The mate bond still pulled at him, which meant she was alive, but the connection felt strange, muted somehow.
"There's more," Marcus said grimly. "Your father wants to see you immediately. Hunters have been spotted again—this time surrounding the south cabin."
Erik's world tilted. "She was taken by hunters?"
"We don't know. But your father... he's furious. He knows you went to her last night."
Erik pushed past Marcus, racing through the house to his father's study. He burst through the door without knocking.
Alpha Varian looked up from his desk, his face a mask of cold fury. "You disobeyed me."
"Where is she?" Erik demanded.
"Control yourself," his father ordered. "This is exactly why true mates are dangerous—they make even the strongest wolves weak, ruled by emotion instead of duty."
"Where. Is. She?" Erik repeated, his claws extending.
Alpha Varian stood slowly. "The hunters took her. Or so it seems."
"Seems?"
"Convenient timing, don't you think? The day before your wedding, hunters appear twice? And then your little mate disappears?"
Erik frowned. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," Alpha Varian circled his desk, "that someone is pulling strings. Someone who knows about true mates. Someone who wants to destabilize our pack."
"I need to find her."
"No. You need to marry Clara, as planned. The ceremony happens in three hours."
Erik's wolf surged forward, his eyes glowing gold. "I'm not marrying anyone while my true mate is missing."
Alpha Varian sighed heavily. "I was afraid you'd say that." He pulled a small vial from his pocket. "This is why I had Madeline prepare this."
Before Erik could react, his father tossed the vial at his feet. It shattered, releasing a cloud of purple smoke that hit Erik's nostrils with the bitter scent of wolfsbane and something else—something magical.
Erik staggered backward, his connection to Lyra suddenly dimming like a light being switched off. "What have you done?" he gasped.
"Bought us time," Alpha Varian replied calmly. "The bond is suppressed, not broken. Just enough for you to think clearly and do your duty."
Erik tried to grab onto the fading feeling of Lyra, but it slipped away like water through his fingers. His wolf howled in despair as the bond dimmed to almost nothing.
"You'll thank me later," his father said, turning back to his desk. "Now go prepare for your wedding."
Erik stumbled from the room in shock. The constant pull toward Lyra, the warmth that had filled him since their eyes first met, was gone. In its place was a cold emptiness that left him hollow.
But deep within that emptiness, a small ember of connection remained—too faint to follow, but still there. And with it, a flash of insight pierced through the magical fog in his mind.
His father knew too much about true mates for someone who claimed they were myths. He'd been prepared with a potion to block the bond. Which meant one thing:
This had all happened before.