POV Thomen
The sight of Kiara's tears broke something fundamental inside my chest. Tears stream down her face as she tells me the truth about what she is.
I'd seen her cry maybe three times in all the years I'd known her. Once when she accidentally broke my arm during training when we were thirteen, despite all of my reassurance that I’m okay and all soft smiles. Once when her father died.
And now. Now she was crying because of me.
The knowledge hit harder than her revelation about being half-vampire. Harder than learning everything I thought I knew about my mate was built on lies.
Seeing her shoulders shake with sobs, watching tears stream down her face while she tried to hold herself together… That destroyed me more completely than any truth ever could.
Through our bond, I could feel her pain like a physical weight crushing my ribs. But worse than her anguish was the guilt, the self-recrimination flowing from her consciousness into mine.
She was blaming herself for not telling me sooner, for the secrets she'd been forced to keep. For being something she'd never chosen to become.
And I'd made it worse. In my shock and fear, I'd lashed out at the person I loved most in this world.
But even as my world falls apart around me, one thing stays constant. I need to protect her. Inside, I'm falling apart. But she doesn't need to know that. She needs strength from me right now.
She needs comfort right now, and I'm the only one who can give it to her.
I don't care what she is. Werewolf, vampire, hybrid, something else entirely. She's mine, and I will keep her safe no matter what.
"Kiara," I said, my voice cracking as I dropped to my knees beside our bed. "Darling, please look at me."
She lifted her head, and the devastation in her red-rimmed eyes nearly brought me to my knees. This was my mate, the strongest person I'd ever known, reduced to this because I'd let my terror override my love for her.
"I'm so fucking sorry," I whispered, reaching for her hands with trembling fingers. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sorry for making you feel like you had to defend what you are. I'm sorry for being such a coward when you needed me to be strong."
"Thomen—"
"No, let me finish." I brought her hands to my lips, pressing desperate kisses to her knuckles. "You told me the truth about something that terrified you, something that's been tearing you apart, and I responded by making you feel like a monster. That's on me, not you."
Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, but I could feel some of the crushing guilt easing through our bond.
"I was scared," she whispered. "I was so scared you'd look at me differently. That you'd stop loving me."
"Stop loving you?" I cupped her face in my hands, thumbs brushing away her tears. "Kiara, you could transform into a dragon tomorrow and I'd still be desperately in love with you. Being half-vampire doesn't change who you are to me. It doesn't change that you're my mate, my partner, my whole fucking world."
"But you were so angry…"
"I was terrified," I corrected, pulling her against my chest and holding her tight. "Not of you. Never of you. I was terrified of losing you to something I couldn't understand or protect you from."
She melted into my embrace, her body finally relaxing for the first time since this conversation began. Through our bond, I felt her relief mixing with lingering fear and uncertainty.
"Tell me what you need," I murmured into her hair. "Tell me how to help you through this."
She pulled back enough to meet my eyes. "I need you to not hate me for what I'm becoming."
"Impossible," I said firmly. "I need you to tell me everything—every change you're experiencing, every new ability, every craving or pain. I can't help if I don't understand what's happening to you."
Taking a shuddering breath, she began describing the transformation consuming her body.
As she spoke, my mind raced through possibilities. There had to be someone who could help us navigate this, someone who understood supernatural physiology better than we did.
"Dr. Evelyn Cross," I say suddenly, hope flickering in my chest. "She treats our kind in complete secrecy. She's been researching supernatural physiology for years. She knows about both werewolves and vampires."
Kiara nods, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Do you think she'd help us?"
"I know she will.”
Dr. Cross has helped our pack before. When my youngest brother was injured in a vampire attack, she saved his life. She understands the supernatural world better than any human I've met.
* * *
We drove to her private clinic in the city. The sterile medical environment feels strange after spending so much time in the forest. Everything is white and clean and artificial.
Dr. Cross greets us at the door. She's a woman in her fifties with graying hair and sharp intelligent eyes. Her initial professional demeanor feels cold to me.
I expected more warmth given our past relationship.
"Thomen," she says with a nod. "What can I do for you?"
"We need your help with something unusual," I begin, glancing at Kiara. "Something you might have never seen before."
When I explain Kiara's situation, Dr. Cross's expression transforms completely. The clinical mask drops away, replaced by fascination and genuine concern.
"I've been researching hybrid cases for years, actually," she admits, leading us into her examination room. "I was beginning to think they were just legends. But I've met a few now, and it's incredible."
She asks Kiara to sit on the examination table and begins checking her vital signs. Blood pressure, heart rate, temperature. Everything seems normal at first glance.
"Tell me about the changes you've experienced," Dr. Cross says as she works.
Kiara describes the enhanced senses again. Dr. Cross nods and takes notes, asking detailed questions about timing and intensity.
"Enhanced physical abilities beyond normal werewolf capabilities," Dr. Cross murmurs, more to herself than to us. "Heightened senses that cross species boundaries. And most significantly..." She pauses, glancing between me and Kiara.
"What?" I ask.
"The possibility of dual mate bonds."
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. "What do you mean?"
"Vampire soulmate connections can coexist with werewolf true mate bonds," Dr. Cross explains. "It creates unprecedented emotional and supernatural ties. The hybrid essentially has access to both types of supernatural bonding."
My blood turns to ice. Dual mate bonds. That means Kiara could be bound to someone else. Someone who isn't me.
"No," I say immediately.
"Thomen," Kiara starts.
"No!" The word comes out as a growl.
I can feel my eyes flashing gold as my werewolf side reacts to the threat. My hands clench into fists at my sides.
"She belongs to me," I continue, my voice getting louder. "She's my mate. Mine. I won't share her with anyone."
Dr. Cross watches my reaction with clinical interest. "The possessive response is normal for werewolves when their mate bonds are threatened. But in hybrid cases, traditional exclusive bonding may not apply."
"I don't care about hybrid cases," I snarl. "I care about my mate. Kiara is mine and I am hers. That's how it works."
"Thomen," Kiara says again, her voice softer this time. "Please listen."
But I can't listen right now. The territorial rage burning through me is too strong. Every instinct I have is screaming that someone could be trying to take my mate away from me.
I've already lost my brothers to vampires. I can't lose Kiara too.
"Has she shown signs of a vampire bond with anyone?" Dr. Cross asks.
The question makes my stomach drop. Because I wasn’t sure about the answer. I know exactly who Kiara has been connected to lately.
Aleron.
The vampire who betrayed us. The vampire who killed my brothers and her father. The vampire who's been showing up everywhere, talking to her, making her drink his blood.
"It's him, isn't it?" I ask Kiara directly. "Aleron. You're bonded to Aleron."
She doesn't deny it. She doesn't even try to lie.
"I don’t know," she says quietly. "I don’t want it."
"But it exists."
"Maybe."
The rage inside me explodes. This can't be happening. The man who destroyed my family, who took everything from me, could be now connected to my mate through some supernatural bond I can't fight or break.
"We'll find a way to sever it," I say, my voice rough with anger. "There has to be a way."
Dr. Cross shakes her head. "Vampire soulmate bonds are permanent once established. They can't be broken."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" I demand. "Just accept that my mate could be tied to our enemy? Just pretend that's normal?"
"You have to decide if your love for her is stronger than your need to possess her exclusively," Dr. Cross says simply.
The words hit me harder than anything before.
Because that's exactly what this comes down to. Do I love Kiara enough to share her? Do I love her enough to accept something that goes against every instinct I have as a werewolf?