Testing the theory

Jade

The word hung in the heavy silence of the infirmary, echoing far louder than the beep of the heart monitor.

“Mate.”

I froze between the two guards, my breath catching in my throat. I stood totally paralyzed, convinced my ears had to be playing tricks on me.

Healer Myron immediately rushed forward, pressing his fingers against Aster’s throat while two other healers leaned over his chest, watching the black veins retreat.

"Aster!" Asher leaped to the side of the bed, grabbing his brother's shoulder. "Aster, talk to me!"

There was no response. Aster’s heavy eyelids fluttered shut, his hand falling back against the white sheets. He was unconscious again.

My chest heaved as I stared at his pale face. Mate?

It made no sense. The raw, open wound in my chest where Carter had severed our bond was still bleeding painfully inside my soul. The rejection was barely hours old. How could another man—an Alpha King I had never met before tonight—look at me and call me his mate?

Asher slowly turned away from the bed. His eyes locked onto mine, blazing with a dangerous, golden light. He took three large strides toward me, towering over my frame.

"What did you do to him?" he demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous, lethal whisper. "What kind of spell or poison did you use inside that cave?"

Anger flared through my exhaustion. "I saved his life!" I shouted back, refusing to shrink away. "He was dying when I found him! I didn't even know who he was until you showed up! I’ve never met your brother in my life!"

"You expect me to believe that?" Asher sneered, stepping closer. "He looked right at you and called you his mate. You are controlling him somehow."

I let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh, gesturing down at myself. "Look at me! I was thrown into your freezing dungeon wearing a rags gown! I have no shoes, no weapons, and my wolf is barely awake! How could I possibly be controlling an Alpha King?!"

"Sire, please!" Healer Myron stepped between us, raising his hands. "Look at the monitors! Arguing will solve nothing!"

Asher stopped, his jaw clenched tight, but he didn't take his eyes off me.

"Alpha Asher, look at the evidence," Myron insisted, pointing toward Aster's bed. "The moment this woman walked into the infirmary, King Aster’s heartbeat stabilized. The spread of the silver poison completely stopped, and his natural wolf healing began working again."

Myron turned to me, his voice much gentler. "Child... please, step closer to the bed. We need to see if your proximity is what's keeping him stable."

I hesitated. Asher was standing right next to the bed, looking like he wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands. But as I looked past him at Aster’s motionless face, I remembered how gently he had tried to protect me in the cave right before he passed out. I had fought so hard to keep him alive—I didn't want him to die now.

"Fine," I whispered.

I took three slow steps forward, closing the distance between myself and the bed.

The moment I stepped closer, the harsh, ragged sound of Aster’s breathing softened into a smooth, steady rhythm.

"Step back, please," Myron instructed quietly.

I took four steps back toward the door. Almost instantly, the heart monitor began to beep at a erratic, dangerous pace. Aster’s pulse flickered, and a faint shadow of black veins threatened to reappear at his neck.

"Step forward again!" Myron urged.

I rushed back to the side of the bed. The second I arrived, his pulse instantly smoothed out once more.

Myron repeated the test two more times, and every single time, the result was undeniable. My physical presence was directly controlling Aster’s ability to survive the poison.

"Touch him," Myron requested softly. "Place your hand on his arm."

My fingers trembled as I reached out. Slowly, gently, I laid my palm against Aster’s bare forearm.

His skin was burning hot against my cool hand. The very second my skin touched his, a deep, relaxing sigh escaped Aster’s lips. The lingering black marks around his chest faded away completely, leaving behind smooth, clear skin.

A sudden, strange rush of warmth flowed from his skin straight through my fingertips, traveling up my arm and settling in my chest.

Deep inside me, my wolf—which had been silent, crushed, and weak ever since Carter shattered our bond—slowly lifted her head. She gave a small, quiet sigh of comfort.

Yet, I stared at Aster in complete confusion. I didn't feel the explosive, overwhelming spark of the mate bond. I didn't feel the intense, magnetic pull I had felt with Carter when we were younger.

"He called me his mate..." I whispered, looking up at Myron. "But I don't feel it. If he were my fated mate, shouldn't I feel the bond?"

Myron gave me a sad, sympathetic smile. "Normally, yes. But King Aster and King Asher carry a dark curse."

"Myron," Asher snapped, his voice sharp with warning. "Do not speak of royal matters to a prisoner."

"She needs to understand, Your Highness," Myron insisted firmly before looking back at me. "Years ago, a dark witch cursed the twin kings when they were boys. The curse severed their ability to sense the mate bond. They cannot feel the natural pull, the scent, or the recognition that other wolves take for granted."

I stared at the healer in shock. A curse that blocked the mate bond entirely?

"Because the curse is still active," Myron explained, "it may be blocking you from feeling the full bond as well. But his wolf knows you. His wolf recognized your touch and used your presence to fight off death itself."

"I don't care about your curse or your royal bonds," I said, pulling my hand away from Aster's arm. "I never asked to be involved in any of this. I just want to be released so I can leave this territory and find somewhere safe to stay."

"You aren't going anywhere," Asher said coldly.

My temper flared. "What?"

"If you leave this room, my brother’s heart will fail," Myron warned gently. "Taking you away right now would kill him."

"I will not exchange one prison for another!" I shouted, turning on Asher. "I have already lost my home, my family, and my entire future in a single night! I was rejected, publicly disgraced, and hunted down like a wild animal! I refuse to be kept in a cage just to serve as your brother's personal medicine!"

Asher’s eyes narrowed, capturing the pain in my voice. "Why was Skyton Pack chasing you?" he asked, his voice low and calculating. "Why did your own people turn against you?"

I clamped my mouth shut. Humiliation burned hot beneath my skin. I wasn't going to stand in a room full of royal guards and elite healers and explain that my mate threw me away because he thought I was too fat to be his Luna. I couldn't bear to say those cruel words out loud again.

When I remained silent, Asher's expression hardened into ice. "Your silence tells me you are hiding something."

He turned to the captain of the royal guard standing near the door. "Send a message to Skyton Pack immediately. Inquire about a female named Jade Williams. I want to know everything she is running from."

Panic seized my chest, making it hard to breathe. "No! Don't do that!" I begged, taking a step toward Asher. "Carter will lie to you! He'll tell you I'm a criminal or a monster just to get me back so he can lock me up or kill me! Contacting Skyton will put my life in danger!"

"I will decide who is dangerous after I hear both sides of the story," Asher replied coldly, completely unbothered by my panic. "Until then, you stay right here."

Before I could scream at him, a sharp, choked gasp echoed from the bed.

Aster’s body suddenly began to thrash against the sheets. His breathing turned into a desperate, rattling struggle, his face twisting in pain. His hand reached out blindly into the air, his fingers clawing at nothing as his heartbeat spiked to a dangerous level.

"He's relapsing!" Myron yelled. "Girl, get over here! Quick!"

I hated Asher. I hated this palace. But looking at Aster’s pained, helpless face, I couldn't just stand there and watch him suffer.

I rushed to the side of the bed and sat down on the very edge.

Gently, I wrapped my fingers around Aster’s trembling hand.

The moment our fingers laced together, Aster’s frantic movements stopped. His grip tightened around my hand, holding onto my fingers with incredible, protective strength even while completely unconscious. His ragged chest eased into a deep, peaceful breath, and his face settled into calm.

I sat there on the edge of the bed, my hand trapped in his, realizing with a heavy heart that I wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon.