The Price of Duty    

[LORCAN]

"B-because . . . because . . . I'm his mate," Iris said, her voice cracking under the strain but ringing with unmistakable sincerity. "We're destined to be together."

She said it . . . She really said it.

My wolf howled in approval, clawing at the edges of my mind, demanding I take what was mine. It wanted to break free, to stake its claim, to mark her right here in front of the entire pack. To hell with the ceremony, to hell with the alliance—she was his!

I clenched my fists, fighting against the primal instinct surging through me. My Lycan blood gave me control, but even that had its limits.

It was bullshit—the idea that I didn't care about Iris before knowing she was my mate. I had barely noticed her existence, just another nameless face in the pack.

And yet, with a single night, everything changed. One moment, she was nothing. The next, she was everything. The bond latched onto me like a vice, wrapping around my throat, sinking into my bones, warping my world until it revolved around her. It was maddening.

But romance wasn't on my agenda.

The pack came first. Always. Even if it meant discarding her.

Even if it meant tearing my own instincts apart.

I forced my expression into a cold mask, shoving my wolf deep into the recesses of my mind where it thrashed and snarled in defiance. This was bigger than one bond, bigger than one girl. My duty was to the Bloodmoon Pack. And if strengthening it meant binding myself to Ember instead, then so be it.

Iris was my mate.

But she was also my sacrifice.

"Is that true, Lorcan?"

Ember's voice was calm, firm. Her emerald eyes were sharp, beautiful, and unshakable—exactly what a Luna should be.

Nothing like Iris.

I didn't have to look at her to know how she stood—small, fragile, meek. She had no wolf. No strength. No place as a Luna. An omega could be tolerated. A wolfless werewolf? Never. The pack would never accept her.

I swallowed the growl rising in my throat, forcing my voice to harden. When I spoke, I addressed the entire pack.

"Yes. It's true."

Sharp gasps and murmurs of disbelief rippled through the crowd, just as I expected. I didn't flinch. I didn't react. I ignored the whispers, the sneers, the way their cruel words slashed at Iris more than they did at me.

Ember chuckled, her lips curling with something like amusement. "Of course, you have a mate," she mused, tilting her head slightly. "The mate bond must be tormenting you right now. I know that feeling well. When my mate died, it felt like I had died too."

Her voice was steady, matter-of-fact, but there was an edge to it. A warning. She understood the madness, the agony, the unbearable pull of a bond severed too soon.

Then her smile faded.

"It must be maddening," she continued, watching me carefully, "to stand here, about to marry me, while your mate stands in the crowd, helpless. Right?"

I clenched my jaw. I liked that Ember was strong, confident. She was a woman worthy of being Luna. But right now, I wanted her to shut the hell up.

Then she turned, lifting her chin, her voice carrying across the plaza.

"So, I will give you a choice, Lorcan."

Silence fell. Even the wind seemed to die.

"Choose her and abandon our alliance," Ember announced, her emerald gaze locked onto mine. "Or exile her and choose me. Our packs will unite. Together, we will be the strongest pack in this country."

Exile.

The word hit me like a blow to the chest.

My wolf thrashed violently inside me, snarling, howling in rage. My breath came short, my claws extending instinctively, digging into my palms until I smelled my own blood. I knew my eyes had turned gold—my wolf was close to the surface, dangerously close. Just the mere mention of casting Iris out sent him into a frenzy, ready to rip Ember apart where she stood.

I held it back with everything I had.

Beside me, my father frowned. "Lorcan. You didn't tell me this."

I forced my breathing to steady, my control razor-thin. My voice came out strained, tight with restraint.

"Because it's nothing important!"

A lie. One I wasn't sure even I believed anymore.

"Then exile her right now," my father commanded, his voice cold, absolute. "Sever the mate bond and be done with it."