South Ritual Chamber of Shadowclaw Castle:

  Fin and Aeron stood at the altar, Elder Kaelith and Cael stood at the side.

  Nova entered, her fingers entwined with Jax's. Fin's jaw flexed at the sight and his wolf surged beneath his skin. Watching her walk into this place made every instinct in him ignite.

  This shouldn't matter. She isn't mine, he thought to himself.

  Her silver-blonde hair glinted like moonlight and she looked beautiful. Fin couldn't look away.

  She stepped forward and Aeron's words dragged him out of his thoughts.

  "Ready?" Aeron asked softly.

  Nova nodded.

  "Left hand," he said.

  Nova lifted her hand and placed it in Fin's, hovering above the cold stone altar. The instant her skin touched his, the world snapped. Sparks tore through him, sharp and vivid, a jolt so intense it stole the breath from his lungs.

  Nova remained composed. Through the matebond, Fin felt it clearly. Her emotions were steady. She was untouched by the sensation. Unaware.

  He reached for his wolf on instinct.

  Fin: She doesn't feel it?

  Xeon: No. Her wolf does not sense me.

  Fin: She's of age.

  Xeon: Some bonds stay dormant for a few months after a woman comes of age.

  Fin's jaw tightened as he looked at Nova's face. Serene. Oblivious. While everything in him burned. He sliced a line across her palm. Blood spilled across the altar stone.

  He hated cutting her.

  She didn't flinch. Didn't ask questions.

  Her blood was silver. Just as he remembered.

  Elder Kaelith gasped. Cael straightened.

  Finric's heart pounded in his ears. The scent of her blood hit him like a drug. It was her scent, but much more potent.

  He had the most intense urge to mark her. His eyes traveled to her neck on instinct and saw her pulse.

  Bad idea.

  His wolf Xeon howled within his mind, trying to surface. All his wisdom was gone.

  Xeon: Mine. Mate

  Fin steadied his breath, forcing him down.

  He moved his eyes back to his hand and he shook his head. The urge to mark her was so extreme it'd be a miracle if he didn't.

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  He held his breath and focused. Controlled his breathing and his wolf.

  Nova pretended not to notice the reaction at her blood. But inside, she felt angst. Their reactions were a reminder of the fortune teller's words. Her blood is her curse.

  Fin felt Nova through their fated matebond, which snapped him into focus. Her face seemed untroubled. But, she definitely noticed the reactions to her blood and felt anxiety. Worry. Her composure surprised him given the intensity.

  Fin sliced his own palm next, squeezing his red blood over her silver blood on the altar stone.

  The second their blood mixed. A bright gold glow erupted from the entire stone.

  The ancestor symbols on the stone altar blazed brighter white. Wind swept the sealed room. All the torches on the walls lit at once.

  ???

  Nova's eyes flashed from green to silver.

  Her hair lit up like the moon.

  The altar pulsed as did the stone beneath her hands.

  She felt pain lance her insides, and fell forward catching herself on the stone altar.

  She stifled a gasp, falling to her knees. Fin stepped to catch her just as Jax did.

  "Don't touch her." Aeron said sharply. They both froze.

  The torches extinguished all at once.

  Nova blinked, dazed, breath shallow. A bead of sweat formed between her brows.

  She heard whispers echoing in the chamber, but, she wasn't entirely sure if they were real.

  The ceremonial fire in the metal basin behind the stone altar surged, brightening to gold then collapsed settling once more into dim flame.

  No one moved.

  ???

  Elder Kaelith broke the silence first. "That wasn't just a pack initiation ceremony. That was a bloodbinding."

  Aeron hesitated, then looked to Kaelith. "Have you ever seen this before?"

  The elder's gaze was distant. "Not in my lifetime... or my ancestors. My gran used to speak of something similar. But we thought it was a tale."

  She looked towards Fin. "I'd be curious to see if her sister responds the same way."

  Fin's eyes narrowed. "They aren't blood related."

  How many times would they need to tell the elders that for it to sink in? Gods.

  "When is Meredith to undergo the joining?" Kaelith asked.

  No one answered.

  Kaelith smiled faintly. "No need to answer. I know it will be soon and I'd like to be at that ceremony as well."

  No one spoke for another minute.

  "What does the legend say?" Fin asked, his voice low and even.

  The elder's eyes glimmered in the rune-light. "There are several. Each twisted by time — but they all point to the same truth."

  Jax shifted. "What truth?"

  Kaelith looked directly at Nova. Her voice dropped like frost.

  "Her death."

  Nova was not looking at anyone, still on her knees. She let out a defeated breath.

  Fin felt it from her through their bond and his heart sank.

  Silence blanketed the chamber.

  A flash of tension passed between Nova and Aeron — too fast to name, but not missed by Fin.

  Jax stepped forward, his hand lightly brushing Nova's arm and helped her stand. She was trembling.

  "Oh come now, Kaelith," Aeron said smoothly. "Let's not be dramatic. Prophecies are riddles, not death sentences."

  He turned to Nova. "There's something I need to show you."

  Nova gave him a nod, and followed him out of the chamber, not meeting Fin or Jax's gaze.

  Jax exchanged a worried look with Fin, who seemed calm, and quickly followed after her.

  Cael's amused whistle echoed in the chamber. "Dramatic exits, mysterious prophecies... gods, I love Tuesdays."

  He pushed off the wall and vanished into the corridor.

  Fin and Kaelith remained.

  "What do the legends say?" Fin asked, voice low and expression unreadable.

  Kaelith's fingers hovered over the glowing runes, her expression darkening as if something ancient stirred beneath her skin.

  "The old stories aren't about victory, Alpha," she said softly. "They're about sacrifice."

  "One version says the woman blessed by the Moon Goddess will spill her blood to prevent the fall of her pack. Her blood is the key. The key is the gate. And the gate is the key. The prophecy is hidden somewhere in the ruins beyond."

  "And the others?"

  Kaelith took a slow, brittle breath, as though the next words cost her something. "Another version says when silver blood spills during the binding," she murmured, "the one who bleeds will bring salvation through her death."

  "The goddess only gives light by casting shadow. Her death is the spark to war. Her mark gives great power to her mate, who will save the pack."

  Fin's chest tightened. "Thank you, Elder. I trust we can keep this between us for now?"

  "For now. For her sister's sake," she responded.

  She bowed, and left Finric standing alone in the chamber.

  A single silver streak burned in the stone.

  A mark of power. A promise.

  And a warning.