Chapter 3: The Burning Castle

The cold bit through Ava’s thin dress as she crept along the shadowed corridor, her heart hammering against her ribs. The castle was a labyrinth of stone and silence, and she had counted every step from her room to the servant’s stairwell. Three lefts, two rights, and a narrow passage that smelled of damp earth. She had memorized it from the maid’s gossip earlier, when they thought she was too dazed to listen.

They were wrong.

She pressed her back against the cool wall, peering into the darkness. The guards were rotating at the main gate—she’d heard the shift change. If she could make it to the kitchens, there was a door that led to the gardens, and beyond that, the forest. Freedom.

One step. Another. Her fingers brushed the iron latch of the kitchen door when a low growl rumbled behind her.

“Did you truly think you could run from me?”

Ava spun, her breath catching. Kael stood in the shadows, his broad shoulders blocking the narrow corridor like a wall of muscle and menace. His eyes glowed silver in the dim light, and his jaw was tight with barely leashed fury.

“I’m not your prisoner,” she whispered, though her voice trembled.

“You are my mate,” he said, the words slicing through the air. “And until I decide otherwise, you will stay.”

He stepped closer, and Ava’s back hit the door. She could feel the cold iron through her dress, the rough grain of the wood. But she couldn’t look away from him. Up close, she noticed the tension in his shoulders, the way his fists were clenched at his sides—as if he was fighting something more than her escape.

“Why?” she demanded, surprising herself with her own boldness. “You don’t want me. You made that clear. So why keep me here?”

Kael’s eyes darkened. “Because the Moon Goddess bound us. And until I break it, you are a weakness I cannot afford.”

A weakness. Her heart twisted, but before she could respond, a sharp crack echoed through the corridor—like a branch snapping. Kael moved with inhuman speed, shoving her behind him. His body was a shield, his muscles coiled as he scanned the darkness.

“Stay behind me,” he growled.

Ava’s pulse roared in her ears. She should have been terrified, but all she could focus on was the heat of his back against her chest, the way his arm had instinctively wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Protective.

Then the vision hit.

It came without warning—white-hot and blinding. She saw a silver wolf, majestic and massive, standing atop a burning castle. Flames licked the sky, and the wolf’s golden eyes were locked on her. A voice, ancient and hollow, whispered in her mind: *The blood of the forgotten will rise. The crown will fall. Only the bond can save what is lost.*

“Ava!”

Kael’s voice was distant, muffled, as if she were underwater. The vision shattered, and she felt her knees buckle. Strong arms caught her before she hit the ground, lifting her effortlessly.

“What did you see?” His voice was rough, almost desperate, but she could barely keep her eyes open. The world was spinning, fading at the edges.

“A wolf… silver… fire,” she managed, her voice barely a whisper. “The castle burning. It’s going to burn, Kael.”

His grip tightened. “You’re feverish. You need rest.”

But she could feel it—the bond pulsing between them, stronger than before, as if the vision had ignited something. As if the Moon Goddess was laughing at them both.

Kael carried her through the corridors, his steps swift and sure. She caught glimpses of his face in the torchlight—the hard line of his jaw, the furrow between his brows. He looked angry, but there was something else there too. Something that looked almost like fear.

He laid her on the bed in her room, his hands careful, almost gentle, as he tucked the blanket around her. For a moment, he lingered, his gaze fixed on her face.

“You’re safe,” he said, his voice low. “Nothing will touch you while I’m here.”

But even as the words left his lips, his expression shuttered. He straightened, the cold mask sliding back into place.

“Don’t try to run again,” he said, turning toward the door. “Next time, I won’t be so merciful.”

The door clicked shut, and Ava was alone. Her body ached, her mind reeled, but one thought burned brighter than the vision itself: *He carried me. He protected me.*

And the silver wolf in her vision—it had been him. She was sure of it.

She closed her eyes, and the image of the burning castle flickered behind her lids. The voice echoed again, a warning wrapped in prophecy: *The blood of the forgotten will rise.*

Ava’s hand drifted to her chest, where the bond throbbed like a second heartbeat.

She didn’t know what she was, or why the Moon Goddess had chosen her. But one thing was certain—Kael might think he could break the bond, but the fire in her vision had only just been lit.

And it was spreading.