~Caspian’s POV~
What in the hell of the Moon Goddess is this?
Cayden crept beside her slowly, his every breath shaky, like he couldn’t believe what he saw. And truthfully—I couldn’t either. Too many thoughts clawing through my head like ravenous wolves, but they all came back to one thing.
Her.
The unconscious girl lying on the cold forest floor, bloodied, bruised, and horrifyingly still... was our mate?
It didn’t make sense. None of it did.
We had been following the scent for hours now through the woods, over the ridge, past the riverbank where the moonlight shimmered like glass on the water. Both of us were silent, focused, bonded by the same instinct.
Mate.
We smelled her before we saw her. The scent was soft and fresh, like jasmine and warm vanilla had wrapped around my wolf like a promise. My beast had howled, begged, and clawed at me from the inside.
And now?
Now she was lying here in front of us. Barely breathing.
"This... can’t be," I whispered, voice hoarse as I stared at her. She was limp, a ragdoll crumpled on a bed of leaves and dirt, moonlight spilling across her soft skin like a spotlight.
"She’s so beautiful..." Cayden murmured beside me, crouching down slowly. He brushed her hair away from her face with the back of his hand like she was the most fragile thing he’d ever touched.
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
His fingers trailed along her jaw, down her neck his eyes wide, lips parted in something like awe.
"She’s exquisite. I’ve never seen anyone like her," he said, breathcatching. "It’s like the moon sculpted her herself."
"Let’s help her," he added, gently lifting her into his arms.
He didn’t know. He couldn’t know. Not yet.
His wolf was practically foaming at the mouth, vibrating with the need to protect her, to claim her. I felt it too. That maddening pull. That invisible thread tying our souls to hers. But I couldn’t move. I was rooted to the spot, frozen, nauseous.
"She’s so lucky to have both of us as her mates," Cayden grinned softly, glancing at me. "I’ve never felt like this before, Caspian. She’s everything."
He looked down at her again, full of wonder, like she was the answer to a question he never knew he’d asked. "I wonder why I’ve never seen her before. She must be from one of the lesser packs. Maybe an Omega’s daughter—Not a former Beta’s child? We must’ve broken the tradition this time. The Moon Goddess chose from a deeper pool."
"She’s a beta’s child...Well former," I said flatly, my voice a shard of ice in the warm night.
Cayden frowned. "What?"
"That’s because she’s a Gilbert."
Silence.
His eyes widened. "A Gilbert? As in... Marcus Gilbert’s daughter?"
I nodded slowly.
"Natasha’s sister?" His voice cracked.
"Yes."
Cayden took a step back, staring at her like he was seeing her for the first time. "No... no, don’t tell me"
"She’s human," I said, my words sharp and final.
He flinched.
"No," he whispered. "No, that can’t be. Werewolves don’t get mated to humans. That’s not how the Goddess works."
"Open your eyes, Cayden."
He started pacing, shaking his head like the truth physically repelled him. "Humans don’t get pulled into the mate bond. It’s not even possible. And besides—look at her! She’s glowing. She looks like an angel. She can’t be human."
"She has no scent," I said darkly, stepping closer. "That’s why she smells like nothing but perfume. No wolf. No shift. No energy. Just skin and bones and blood. She’s not healing. Her wounds—still fresh. If she had wolf blood, she’d be mending already."
Cayden grabbed my arm. His grip was too tight. "She has to be one of us. Maybe her wolf hasn’t surfaced yet maybe something happened to her!"
"Let her go," I growled, shoving him back.
"She’s Marcus’s daughter," I continued, louder now. "I’ve seen her, Cayden. Just a few days ago—I was at their estate. I recognized her the moment I saw her face. Her scent didn’t even register because she didn’t have one. She’s human."
"You’re lying," he barked, lunging at me. He grabbed my collar and slammed me against a tree. "Say it again. Say she’s human and I’ll—"
"She. Is. Human."
He snarled and flung me.
My back slammed against a tree trunk hard enough to crack it down the center. Bark and leaves exploded around me.
"You’re wrong!" he roared. "She has to be one of us!"
"She isn’t healing, Cayden! She’s unconscious..she hasn’t moved in minutes! She’s not even breathing right. What kind of werewolf loses consciousness mid-Mate Party and doesn’t stir? She’s not one of us!"
Cayden turned back toward her, knelt beside her again, and sniffed.
And this time, his shoulders dropped.
"This... this isn’t right," he whispered. "She has no scent. I can’t smell anything."
I nodded silently.
"But..." He looked back at me, devastated. "She’s our mate."
"Yes."
He grabbed his hair, fisting it in frustration. "A low-ranked human girl... even lower than an omega... mated to not just one of us—but two?"
He laughed.
A sharp, broken sound.
The kind of laugh that sounded more like a sob.
I let out a bitter chuckle of my own. "Nice one, Moon Goddess. Hilarious."
"What do we do?" he asked, still dazed. "Do we... reject her?"
I hesitated. Then he said it.
"We let her die."
I whipped around. "What?"
He stood tall, face unreadable. "We walk away. We let her die. She’s already dying. It’s not our fault. It was fated but it’s wrong."
"You’re out of your mind," I snapped. "You’d let her die just because she’s not what you wanted?"
"She’s a human!" he shouted. "Do you understand how disgraceful this is? Do you know how many Alphas expect us to bring back a royal-blooded she-wolf? Not this... this fragile thing."
My wolf rose up in fury. "She’s royal-blooded but human, and She’s ours. And I’ll be damned before I let her die."
He laughed again, bitter and mocking. "You’re pathetic. Cyrius would’ve beheaded her the moment he realized."
I saw red.
My control snapped.
I lunged.
The tree behind him shattered as my body hit it. My claws extended, hair shifting, bones cracking. My wolf was done with the disrespect. I was halfway shifted, panting, trembling with rage.
"She is mine," I snarled.
"Then why’d you kill him?" I snapped. "Why did you kill him when you know both of you would have been on the same team!"
His breath was etched, and he couldn’t say anything. He just looked at me, fuming, suddenly, she coughed, and I immediately ran to her side.
She needs to be taken care of.