Of Mates And Crowns

SAPHIRA

I ran.

Not from monsters. Not from war. I ran from the one man I’d sworn my life to.

My lungs burned as I tore through the back alleys of Aurensol, the southern capital that had once been my home. My side ached where the blade had grazed me, and warm blood trickled down my ribs, soaking through my tunic and into my boots. The wound wasn’t fatal, but it was deep enough that the wolfsbane laced into the sword made it impossible for me to shift.

Every breath came ragged. The sun had set, but the cobblestones still held the day’s heat, each step radiating with it like a warning. I’d memorized these alleyways growing up. I thought I could use them to my advantage, but no matter how fast I moved, the sound of boots behind me only grew louder.

Cedric’s elite guard, once my allies, now hunted me.

The perfume of blooming jasmine clung to the air, sickeningly sweet. It should’ve been comforting—Aurensol in full bloom had always been my favorite. But now it smelled like a lie. Like a memory rotting from the inside out.

I turned a corner, hoping for another narrow path that could finally lead me to freedom, only to skid to a stop.

The king’s guard stood right in front of me, blocking my exit. My heart thumped as I locked eyes with them. Without thinking, I spun back around just as the rest of Cedric’s men entered the alley, ambushing me.

These were familiar faces. Former friends. I knew every single one of them—Arthur, Jace, Bernard, Thalen, the twins, Kai and Rowan. Men I had trained with, bled with, laughed with. I’d once trusted them with my life. Now their eyes were cold as they stood in formation, blades drawn and pointed at me.

“Saphira Lorne,” Arthur called, his voice strained but clear. “By order of the Crown, surrender your weapons and submit to detainment.”

A bitter smile, born of irony and apprehension, tugged at my lips. “So that’s what we’re calling this now?”

“You don’t have to fight,” he continued. “You’re wounded. You can’t shift,” he pointed out, a hint of concern slipping into his tone as he concluded, “It’s over, Phira. Come quietly.”

My smile faded, a wave of anger surfacing. “I’m not stupid, and neither are you,” I spat. “You know Cedric has no intention of making me his prisoner. He’ll kill me.”

The way they remained silent, none denying it, was answer enough. My hands curled around the hilt of my sword. Arthur was right: as skilled as I was, without my wolf and so heavily outnumbered, I had no chance of making it out of here alive.

But I refused to go down begging.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I whispered, taking a step forward despite the pain. They tightened their formation in response, but all I did was meet each of their eyes.

“Please. You’ve seen what I’ve sacrificed for this kingdom. For him.” I tried to reason with them, to open their eyes to what I’d been blind to myself for years. “And now you’re going to murder me for doing the right thing?”

“You leaked classified information,” Thalen muttered. “That’s treason.”

“I stopped a massacre!” I snapped. “He was going to wipe out the entire North. Innocents, females, pups, elders...” Sadness glistened in my eyes, and I prayed they could see it. “That’s not self-defense. That’s slaughter.”

I caught the side glances they exchanged, doubt flickering across their faces. Maybe I could’ve convinced them if I’d had another minute. Unfortunately for me, I had run out of time. Steps echoed ominously off the cobblestones behind us, and the three guards who had cornered me parted like the sea.

Cedric stepped into view.

My mate. My king. The man I’d given my heart, body, and loyalty to without hesitation. He wore his red and gold tunic, his ceremonial sword at his hip, and a gaze that looked through me like I was a nuisance. Not long ago, I would’ve dropped to my knees in his presence, not in submission, but in sheer love.

Now I wanted to spit in his face.

“Phira, my darling,” Cedric hummed, the sweetness I had always craved now making me sick. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

“Am I?” I stared him down, refusing to look away, to lower my head as I used to do. “Because it seems to me you’ve been waiting for an excuse to get rid of me.”

“You betrayed me,” he hissed, though the shadow of a smirk crept at his lips, a testament to his thrill, as if he enjoyed this.

“I saved innocents! And I saved you,” my voice cracked with fury and disbelief, “from making a decision that would’ve stained your reign forever.”

His expression didn’t change. “You interfered where you had no right.”

“I was your mate!” I growled. Pleaded.

“You were a pawn,” he countered, fast, his words striking me with the force of a sudden jab.

They hit me square in the face, leaving me disoriented for a moment. My breath caught, chest tightening and burning with pain. I’d known Cedric didn’t love me. I’d realized it too late. But to hear that I was just a piece in his twisted game… that cut deeper than any wound.

I shook it off, trying to come back to my senses, though my voice was still frail as I argued, “I stood by you when your own council doubted you. When your father’s allies whispered behind your back,” I reminded him. “I silenced them. I fought your wars. I bled for your crown.”

All he did was shrug. “You knew the cost of standing beside a king.”

“No.” I shook my head, my voice merely a breath. “I knew the cost of standing beside you.” Realization settled heavy in my chest. “And I did it anyway.”

Cedric wasn’t touched. A brief chuckle escaped him, as if he found this too amusing. Then, he looked past me, to Arthur.

“Hold her,” he ordered.

A last rush of adrenaline shot through my veins. I moved instantly, but the wolfsbane in my system slowed me. Three guards grabbed me from both sides, forcing me to my knees. I thrashed, teeth bared, the pain in my side flaring. I summoned what little strength I had left, but it was no use. They were stronger. I’d been running too long, and bleeding too fast.

The alley fell deathly quiet as Cedric stepped forward and unsheathed his blade—the ceremonial sword. It was sleek, curved, with a gold-inlaid hilt shaped like the southern sun. I had helped him polish it the night before his coronation. He’d kissed me then, said he couldn’t imagine ruling without me.

Now he raised that same blade against my heart.

“Please,” I whispered. My voice broke, not from weakness, but from the last thread of hope I hadn’t realized I still held. “Don’t do this.”

“You were the one who turned against me,” he snarled.

“I was loyal to you!” I said, breath trembling. “I tried to save you from this version of yourself. From becoming a power-hungry monster.”

“And yet here I stand.” He grinned, eyes blazing with a pride I struggled to believe was human. “Strong. Unshaken. This is true power, Saphira.” Leaning in, he added coldly and triumphantly, “When I can turn the man whom you’ve trained against you with a single command.”

“You’re not strong,” I barked back. “You’re just surrounded by people too scared to challenge you.” He frowned, and a bitter laugh clawed its way up my throat. “History won’t remember you kindly, Cedric.”

“History remembers the victors,” he declared, raising his sword.

I closed my eyes. Not because I feared death, but because I wanted to remember this moment, burn it into my soul. His betrayal, his face, his blade. The way it all ended.

I wanted to make sure that, in every life after this one, I would haunt him.

The strike was fast. Pain blossomed through my chest, bright and cold. A scream rose within me, but I couldn’t make a sound. My body gave out, falling limp in the guards’ grasp. I was vaguely aware of stone beneath me and the blood soaking through my tunic. Cedric towered above me, face unreadable, sword slick with red.

Everything began to fade. My heart slowed, my mouth filling with the metallic taste of regret “I swear…” I gasped, choking on blood. “I’ll make you pay. For everything.”

And the world went completely dark.

***

Pain rippled through my chest again, duller this time, like a distant echo of a wound long closed. My eyes flew open, but the world around me was unfamiliar and soft. Gone were the hard stones beneath me, the grip of cold hands, the stinging iron scent of blood. Pale sunlight spilled gently through translucent curtains, painting the room with warm, golden hues. The faint aroma of jasmine lingered in the air, a sharp contrast to the pungent smells that had filled my senses only moments before.

My body felt fragile, trembling beneath me as I tried to move. My fingers slid carefully along my ribs, seeking the jagged edges of a cut that should have been there. Instead, I found only smooth, unbroken skin.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, wild and confused. How could this be? I’d died. I knew I had. Cedric’s blade had pierced through my chest. I remembered the agony burned into every fiber of my being as I experienced my own life fading. Yet now, I lay in a soft bed.

Alive.

Conflicting memories crashed over me with such force that I felt like I was choking. The narrow alleys of Aurensol. The betrayal of those I once called allies. Cassian’s cold, merciless snicker as he drove the sword into my heart. The searing pain as my consciousness slipped away.

Desperate for answers, I staggered out of bed. The room wasn’t unfamiliar—it was one of the guest suites inside the palace where I’d been living since choosing Cedric as my mate. But none of this made sense. Even if I had miraculously survived, they would’ve sent me to a prison.

It wasn’t until I stumbled upon a mirror that it dawned on me something was wrong.

I almost jumped back when I saw my reflection. I looked... younger. My long, deep auburn hair flowed freely around my face—silky and smooth, untouched by the damage tight battle braids usually left behind. My fair skin was immaculate, free of bruises and scars, including the faint mark near my right brow I’d earned defending my troops just a month ago. The lines beneath my steel-blue eyes were softer, no longer shadowed.

My attention shifted to my body. I turned my arms, studying the muscle beneath my skin. Though still strong and defined from years of wielding a sword, they lacked the wear of war.

I leaned forward and braced myself on the mirror’s wooden frame, my grip shaking as cold realization crept into my bones. The changes in my appearance, my inexplicable presence in this room, the clothes I was wearing… This wasn’t the day after hell broke loose. This was before everything. Today was the morning of the Royal Choosing—the ceremony where I’d pledged myself to Cassian before both courts, and the day I’d unknowingly bound myself to ruin.

I had gone back six years in the past.

My knees buckled beneath the weight of it. I collapsed onto the chair in front of the mirror, wrapping my arms tightly around myself as nausea rose in my throat. This shouldn’t be possible. Yet, somehow, here I was, back in this flimsy moment when I was still respected, still whole, still holding onto the illusion that Cassian loved me.

My mind reeled in confusion and disbelief, and panic gnawed at my chest. This was no dream, no trick of a dying mind. I dug my fingers into my forearms, the pain grounding me just enough to keep from unraveling. Had the gods granted me this second chance? Was it fate? Or punishment?

As I struggled to gather my scattered thoughts, a sharp knock at the door shattered the deafening silence. It opened just enough for my mother’s stern face to slip inside, her eyes immediately landing on me with a mix of suspicion and expectation.

“Saphira, you should be resting,” she said without warmth, her tone stern. “The ceremony will begin soon. You need to be prepared.”

I forced myself to sit upright, heart hammering not just from fear but the weight of the past pressing down on me. My family wanted me to offer myself to Prince Cassian and eventually become Queen of the South. That would elevate our status in the supernatural society. In the past, I thought I could earn Mother’s love by following her plans for me, but that never happened. To her, I wasn’t a daughter—I was her ticket to a luxurious life.

“You must never forget where your loyalty lies,” she continued, voice barely above a whisper. “Our family’s honor depends on it.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, forcing myself to meet her gaze evenly, pretending nothing was wrong. “I understand.”

Her eyes narrowed briefly before she turned away, the door clicking softly behind her as she left me to the stillness. Alone in the expansive room, I felt the crushing weight of isolation. The very people who should have supported me instead made me feel like an enemy in my own home.

The distant sounds of the palace filtered through the walls. The world moved on, oblivious to the fate I had survived. Did anyone else know how I had cheated death? Mom clearly had no clue, but what about the others?

I swayed unsteadily toward the window, pressing my palms against the cool glass. The Choosing was meant to be a day of celebration, a hopeful new beginning to unite our kingdom and forge lasting alliances. But for me, it was the moment I willingly stepped onto the path of my own demise.

A fine silk gown lay folded on a chair nearby, the same I had worn six years ago. It was delicate white embroidered with golden threads that caught the light like sunbeams. My mind churned with fear, but something else rose beneath it.

The girl who had trusted Cedric, who had loved him with fierce loyalty, was gone. In her place stood someone different, wiser, hardened by pain and loss. Innocent hope had been replaced by something far darker.

A thirst for revenge.

I clenched my fists, biting back the rising tide of emotions. This time, I would do things differently. I would not be a pawn in Cedric’s game. I would uncover the truth behind the shadows, the twisted lies he kept hidden. I would fight for justice—mine, and that of the innocents the cruel king longed to take.

As determination filled me, I slipped into the gown. After inhaling deeply, I walked toward the grand hall where the ceremony would take place. The place buzzed with anticipation, nobles and warriors gathering in colorful finery, their eyes bright with expectation. The southern kingdom was alive with festivity, but beneath the surface simmered tensions I could already feel then. Whispers of distrust between the north and south echoed through the walls, the peace between the two most powerful kingdoms thin as ice.

The crowd noticed me immediately. Some eyes were curious, some wary, others openly hostile. In the past, the attention was both intimidating and exciting. Now, I just ignored it. As the nobles made way for me, I finally saw him.

Cedric.

His tall frame and proud bearing were unmistakable. His dark eyes scanned the room until they landed on me, and for a moment, something stirred. I froze. Could he remember? Was he poised to kill me once more? Fear surged through me. Desperately, I searched for any sign he knew what was to come, and when I found none, I allowed myself a flicker of breakable relief.

Still, the painful memory of his betrayal stabbed through me, chills running down my spine. Survival instinct kicked in, urging me to turn tail and flee. Yet I stayed rooted to the floor, reminding myself this was a chance to change everything.

The southern court looked on, waiting for me to take my place beside him. Everyone here longed for the moment we would bind our souls together. But I didn’t move.

I wouldn’t make the same mistake a second time. As I stood there, heart racing, I whispered a silent vow. I would not be broken again. I would fight. I would survive.

And I would take Cedric down.