Chapter 7 - The Sacred Pool
When Lena finally stopped, collapsing against a massive boulder in a hidden mountain alcove, she looked around desperately. Cael was nowhere to be found.
"Cael?" she called out, her voice trembling in the freezing air.
Nothing answered except the whistling wind. Tears streamed down her face. Had he sacrificed himself? Had Dominic killed him?
Then, a flicker of white moved through the swirling snow.
Cael staggered into the clearing, having shifted back into his human form. He was bleeding heavily from his shoulder and side, barely conscious, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
Lena rushed forward, catching him just before he hit the ground and dragging him toward the center of the alcove.
He looked up at her through half-closed silver eyes, his voice a weak rasp. "We... we need to reach the sacred pool."
"Why?" Lena cried, pressing her hands against his bleeding wound to stem the flow.
"Because... Dominic cannot set foot on sacred ground," Cael murmured. "The blood pact of the ancient northern spirits protects it."
With a superhuman burst of strength born from sheer desperation, Lena helped Cael stumble forward through a narrow rock crevice.
On the other side lay a hidden grotto untouched by the winter storm. In the center sat an ancient, circular pool of water that glowed with a faint, iridescent silver light, surrounded by monolithic standing stones covered in ancient runes.
Cael dragged himself into the shallow edge of the pool. The moment the glowing water touched his skin, his wounds began to close, knitting themselves together with unnatural speed.
Seeing this, Lena stepped into the water as well, supporting his weight.
The instant the silver water washed over the scar on her neck, something miraculous and terrifying happened.
Dominic’s forced bond went completely, utterly silent.
For the first time since their wedding night, Lena could breathe without feeling the cold, manipulative presence of the Alpha King echoing in her mind. The chain had been severed, if only temporarily.
She looked down at Cael, hope flaring in her chest. "Can this place break the bond permanently?"
Cael opened his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "Not this pool. The water only shields us."
"Then what can?" Lena demanded urgently, clutching his wet arm.
Cael looked up toward the night sky, where the stars were beginning to align in a rare, astronomical configuration. "The Red Moon. Five nights from now."
"When the blood moon rises?"
"Yes." Cael’s silver eyes locked onto hers with unwavering intensity. "To break a royal mate bond permanently under ancient law, another Alpha must willingly claim you before the stone witnesses."
May you like
Lena stared at him, the realization dawning in her chest with breathtaking clarity. She looked at the battle-scarred warrior who had risked his life, his home, and his very soul to protect her and her unborn child.
And suddenly, she knew exactly which Alpha he meant.
