Stolen Mate

The watchtower's stones felt colder tonight, the ivy clawing at the walls like skeletal fingers. Rylan sat propped against the rotting wood, sharpening a dagger with a stone. The rasp of metal filled the silence between us. 

I dropped a bundle of supplies—stolen bandages, a bruised apple—beside him. "Your fever's gone. You'll live." 

"Disappointed?" He didn't look up. 

"Annoyed." I knelt to check his wounds. The claw marks had faded to pink scars, but his shoulder still stiffened when he moved. "You'll need to leave soon. The pack's patrols are doubling." 

He paused, the dagger glinting. "Not yet." 

"Why?" 

"Unfinished business." 

I scowled. "You're a rogue. Your business here is trouble." 

He finally met my gaze, amber eyes unreadable. "You're still here. That makes two of us." 

I looked away, my fingers tightening on the bandages. He'd become a habit, these nightly visits. A dangerous one. 

"Why do you care?" I muttered. 

The dagger stilled. "You saved my life." 

"And you've thanked me six times. Leave it at that." 

"Not that." He leaned forward, voice lowering. "You're hiding. Like me." 

The words pricked like thorns. I stood, brushing dirt from my trousers. "Rest. I'll bring more salve tomorrow." 

"Elara." 

Something in his tone froze me. 

He set the dagger down, jaw tight. "I didn't come here by accident." 

The air thickened. My pulse quickened. "What?" 

"I tracked someone. A scent." His nostrils flared, as if he could still smell it. "Lavender. Moonlight. Stronger than anything I've known." 

Ice flooded my veins. *My scent.* 

He stood, towering over me. "It led me here. To Silvermoon. To *her*." 

"Her?" 

"Lila." 

The name struck like a slap. I stumbled back. "No." 

"She's my mate." 

The world tilted. I gripped the wall, the stones biting into my palm. "You're lying." 

He stepped closer, relentless. "The bond pulled me for months. I followed it, even when it led me into Nightshade claws. But when I found her…" His lip curled. "Her scent's a mask. A lie." 

"Stop." 

"You know it's true." 

Tears blurred my vision. *Lila. His mate.* The pieces crashed together—her envy, the stolen vial, her desperation to be chosen. She hadn't just wanted Kieran. She'd wanted to escape a bond she never desired. 

Rylan's voice softened. "You felt it too, didn't you? The wrongness." 

I shook my head, but the truth clawed up my throat. "She took it. My scent. To trick him." 

He stilled. "Your scent?" 

A sob broke free. "She poisoned me. Made me… this." I gestured to my scentless wrists. "Now Kieran's hers, and I'm *nothing*." 

His hand shot out, gripping my arm. "You're not nothing." 

I jerked away. "You don't understand! The pack thinks I rejected the bond. They hate me. And you—" My voice cracked. "You're her *mate*. Why tell me this?" 

"Because she's not." The words burst from him, raw and furious. "The bond's one-sided. Forced. I felt it the moment I saw her—she's using magic to mimic a connection. But you…" His gaze raked over me. "*You* carry the scent she's faking. Which means it's yours. *You're* the true mate." 

The watchtower spun. I pressed my palms to my temples, as if I could hold the crumbling pieces of my world together. "No. Kieran chose her. The bond's sealed." 

"Sealed by deceit." He pulled a small vial from his pocket—amber liquid swirling inside. "Nightshade poison. They used it to ambush me when I confronted Lila. She's working with them." 

My breath hitched. "Why?" 

"Power. Protection." His laugh was hollow. "She thinks they'll make her a queen. But Nightshade devours its allies." 

The vial glinted in the moonlight. Proof. Danger. A choice. 

I straightened, wiping my face. "What do you want from me?" 

"The truth." He stepped closer, his heat seeping through the chill. "Help me expose her. Restore your scent. And I'll help you reclaim your place." 

"Why?" 

His thumb brushed my wrist, where scent glands once pulsed. "Because I've been hunted for what I am too. And I'm tired of running." 

The touch lingered, electric. My wolf stirred, a faint whimper in the dark. 

"They'll kill us," I whispered. 

He smirked, all sharp edges and defiance. "Then we'll die loud." 

*** 

I left at dawn, his vow echoing in my skull. *We'll die loud.* 

The pack would rise soon, Lila at Kieran's side, her lies woven into every smile. But as I slipped into the storeroom, a spark ignited in my chest—small, but relentless. 

Rylan's scent clung to my clothes, earthy and wild. Not lavender. Not moonlight. 

But *alive*.