The air in the grand hall was thick with the scent of burning cedar and honeyed wine as you stood before your intended, Lucien. The man you were bound to by duty. His gaze was steady, his amber eyes warm but distant, as if he too had accepted this fate with quiet resignation. But when the doors behind him swung open and a presence filled the room, your breath stilled. Eris. His golden-red hair caught the candlelight, his sharp eyes colliding with yours.

He stopped, so did you, and the hall, the weight of expectation—all of it faded into nothing as you stared at each other. Something undescribable clicked in your soul. A thread, unseen but unbreakable, binding you to him in a way you could not explain. His throat bobbed, his pupils dilated, as if he were fighting the same instinct clawing its way through your body. It was then you heard it. A voice—his voice—inside your mind, dark and raw. My mate.

The bond snapped into place like a cruel joke played by fate. Not with Lucien, the one you were bound to stand beside, but with Eris, his brother. It was pulling you toward the very man you were never meant to have.

And as Eris’ burning gaze never left yours, you both knew with chilling certainty—neither of you would walk away from this unscathed.