From Substitute To Queen. Chapter 24

His eyes shifted back to their normal deep blue – he'd managed to regain control of his wolf within seconds. Of course he did. He's the Lycan King.

Caelan took a step toward me. Then another.

Suddenly, my chest erupted in searing heat. The sensation spread outward like molten fire, but instead of joy, terror crashed over me in waves.

No... no no no, this can't be happening...

My thoughts spiraled into chaos. I thought Caelan was just... just like a big brother figure. Someone safe.

I just escaped from Darrell's betrayal, and now I have to face an even stronger bond?

I leaned backward instinctively, my breathing becoming shallow and rapid. "This... this isn't possible..."

I accepted this marriage because it felt like a safe arrangement. A chance to repair things with Dad...

But if he's my mate, that means... that means I'd have to give my heart to another man again...

Caelan reached me and crouched down, his eyes level with mine. "Hi Sabi." His voice came out rougher than usual, like he was fighting to control something powerful.

His gaze quickly swept over my dripping hair and disheveled appearance. I saw pain and confusion flash across his features.

"I came straight from the airport." He set down his luggage and shrugged off his black jacket, draping it gently around my shoulders. "What happened? Your hair's still soaking – you'll catch cold."

His fingers brushed through my wet strands.

The moment his skin touched my hair, electric current shot through both of us.

My body began trembling violently. Terror filled my eyes. "No... I can't..." I tried to speak, but the mate bond's energy made me feel dizzy and disoriented.

The emotional trauma from tonight, physical exhaustion, and this sudden overwhelming bond – my body finally reached its breaking point.

Darkness closed in. I pitched forward toward Caelan.

***

**Caelan's POV**

Everything slowed to a crawl.

I watched the exact moment her body gave up fighting.

Sable had been trembling in the leather chair, her amber eyes wide with terror and confusion. The mate bond was overwhelming her – I could see it in the way her breathing had become erratic, the way her hands shook as she gripped the chair arms.

She's in shock.

When her eyes rolled back and her body went limp, I moved without thinking. My arms shot forward, catching her before she could slide off the chair and hit the marble floor.

The contact sent lightning through my veins.

Storm erupted in my consciousness with a roar that shook my very soul. "MATE! OUR MATE! CLAIM HER NOW!"

Her scent hit me like a drug as I gathered her carefully into my arms. Strawberries and roses – sweet and intoxicating and uniquely hers. I buried my face in her damp hair, breathing her in until my lungs burned.

But then I saw her face. Pale as winter moonlight. Her lips had gone colorless.

The predatory hunger Storm was demanding crashed into ice-cold concern. My protective instincts slammed down over everything else.

"Sabi," I whispered, my voice coming out rougher than intended.

No response. She was completely unconscious, her body limp in my arms.

I knew the reason. The Lycan King's mate bond is always more intense than regular Alpha bonds, especially when the female is already weakened.

I shifted my grip, sliding one arm under her knees to lift her properly. She weighed nothing – too light, like she hadn't been eating properly.

I carried her toward the elevators as I recalled what happened.

***

*Flashback*

Three hours ago...

The vulnerability in her voice during our phone call had cut through me like a blade. She'd tried to hide it, tried to sound normal, but I'd heard the tremor underneath her words.

She's barely holding it together.

I'd ended the call and immediately summoned my assistant. "Clear my schedule for the next forty-eight hours. Get me the fastest flight to Moonridge – military jet if necessary."

Edward had tried to protest about the pack meetings, but one look at my expression shut him up. When the Lycan King drops everything for a woman, smart people don't ask questions.

During the flight, my mind had raced through every possible scenario. The broken necklace photos haunted me – Isabella's precious sapphire, shattered beyond recognition.

Who hurt her? How did the necklace break? Why won't she tell me what really happened?

The images had told a story of violence. Blood on the metal.

Someone's going to pay for this.

When we'd landed at Moonridge Airport, I'd bypassed the usual protocol entirely. No security detail, no formal arrival – just me and a hired car racing through empty streets toward the hotel.

I'd planned to check in first, get my bearings, then call Sable to arrange a proper meeting. But the moment I'd stepped through the hotel's glass doors, three she-wolves had surrounded me.

They'd moved with predatory grace, blocking my path to the front desk. The blonde one had stepped too close, her hand reaching for my arm.

"Hi there, handsome," she'd purred. "I'm Melissa. You look like you could use some... company tonight."

The brunette had giggled, batting her eyelashes. "We're having a party upstairs. Why don't you give us your number?"

The redhead had been more direct, pressing against my side. "You're definitely not from around here. Let us show you how we welcome visitors in Moonridge."

I'd felt nothing. These women were attractive enough, but they might as well have been furniture for all the interest they sparked.

My patience had evaporated instantly. I'd had one goal – finding Sable – and these idiots were wasting precious seconds.

"I'm Caelan Blackwood. I suppose you know me." I'd said, my voice dropping to arctic temperatures. "You have three seconds to get out of my sight before I kill you all."

The temperature in the lobby had seemed to drop ten degrees. My Alpha authority had rolled off me in waves, pressing down on their wolves until they'd whimpered in submission.

All three had gone white as sheets, stumbling backward so fast the blonde had nearly fallen. They'd scattered toward the elevators without another word, too terrified to even apologize.

Pathetic.

That's when I'd turned and seen her across the lobby.

My beautiful, broken Sabi.

She'd looked like a drowned kitten – soaking wet, clutching her phone, staring at the screen with the expression of someone whose world had just collapsed.

Then our eyes met across the marble expanse.

A roar erupted from the deepest part of my soul – Storm's voice raised in triumphant recognition: "She's ours! Our Mate! Our queen!"

Electric current slammed through every nerve ending. My vision sharpened to laser focus. Every sound in the lobby faded to nothing except the rapid beating of her heart.

What the hell? Thirty-four years, and this is the first time...

I'd been too shocked to think clearly.

Storm had been practically bouncing with excitement: "This is why we waited! This is why we could never bond with anyone else! She's our fated mate!"