The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride

(GRIFFIN)

Three days later, I sit in my private study with Locke, Corrine, and Erik. Maps and reports cover the table between us, but my mind is elsewhere, with Maya, recovering in the royal chambers now, under the watchful eyes of the palace healers.

"Nobody has been able to locate Mathew," Erik says, breaking the tense silence. "It’s like he vanished."

"He’s still out there," I growl, the thought making my wolf pace restlessly. "Planning something."

"We’ll find him," Locke assures me, his voice firm. The king of the North has been surprisingly supportive since arriving with Corrine after hearing the news. "My scouts are searching within our borders. If he fled to the North, we’ll find him."

Corrine leans forward, her dark eyes concerned. "How is Maya? Jerry says she’s stabilizing, but..." She trails off, clearly worried about her friend.

"She’s..." I struggle to find the words. "She’s changing. Adapting. Of all the things I expected when I marked her, this wasn’t it."

"You never expected her to become a shifter," Corrine says softly.

I shake my head. "I heard her heart stop, Corrine. I felt her die through our bond. She was gone."

"Yet, she lives," Erik points out. "By any standard, it’s a miracle."

"Or it’s science," I counter. "Whatever the Silver Ring did to her, whatever Mathew injected her with, it changed her on a fundamental level. Jerry and the other healers are still trying to understand it. Maya doesn’t talk about it. Won’t talk about it. Won’t talk to me. To anyone. All she does besides sleep is work in the lab."

Corrine relaxes at my words. "Sounds like a manic phase. This is normal for her. It means she’s on to something. She always became fanatical like this when working on something crucial. She’ll talk to you once she can think about anything aside from the formulas running through her head." She looks at Erik. "The prophecy said Griffin would be the cause of her death. But what if it meant her death as a human? Her rebirth as a shifter?"

"Prophecies are notoriously tricky," Erik agrees. "Always open to interpretation."

The thought sends a chill through me. Had I misunderstood all along? Could I have spared both of us months of pain if I’d only looked deeper and questioned more?

"I want to see her," Corrine says, determination in her voice.

"Not yet," I say firmly. "She needs time to adjust. Her senses are heightened, her emotions raw. Visitors would overwhelm her."

Corrine looks like she wants to argue, but a warning glance from Locke silences her.

"There’s something else," Erik says, changing the subject. "The antidote has been fully tested. It works. We’re already producing more, distributing it to the affected shifters."

Relief washes through me. "And Aria?"

"She has recovered," Erik confirms. "As have most of the others who received the test treatments. We’ve lost only three, those who were too far gone before the antidote was administered."

I nod, grateful for this small victory amid the turmoil. "We owe Maya a debt we can never repay. Without her work, we would have lost many more."

"One more thing," Erik says, his expression turning grave. He slides a folder across the table to me. "This came in this morning. I thought you should see it immediately."

I open the folder, scanning the contents quickly. My expression darkens as I read, rage building inside me with each word. "What is it?" Locke asks, noting my reaction.

I close the folder, unwilling to share its contents just yet. "Nothing that can’t wait," I say, though the coldness in my voice betrays me. "What matters now is that thanks to Maya, the kingdoms are safe. The disease is being cured, and our people are recovering."

"And when Maya recovers?" Corrine asks. "What then?"

"There will be a mating ceremony," I say without hesitation. "In a month or so, when she feels ready. The formal recognition of our bond in front of the entire kingdom."

Corrine studies me, her gaze piercing. "Has she forgiven you, Griffin? Truly?" Before I can answer, a voice from the doorway catches everyone by surprise. "Yes, I have."

Maya stands there, dressed in a simple blue tunic and loose pants, her hair pulled back from her face. Jerry hovers anxiously behind her, looking apologetic.

"I tried to stop her, Your Majesty," he says. "But she was quite insistent about getting out of bed."

Maya steps into the study, her movements graceful despite her obvious exhaustion.

I rise immediately and go to her side. "You should be resting," I chide gently, taking her arm to support her.

"I’ve rested enough," she says, though I can feel the tremor in her muscles, the effort it’s taking her to remain standing. "There’s still work to be done."

Corrine rushes over and embraces Maya carefully. "You scared us all half to death," she scolds, tears in her eyes. "Including myself," Maya replies with a wry smile. She pulls back, addressing the room. "I know what the Silver Ring is planning now. Mathew and Cassian bragged about it to me."

"What is it?" Locke asks, his expression serious.

"They’re searching for humans with dormant shifter genes," Maya explains. "People like me, with the genetic potential to shift but without the catalyst to activate it. They’re trying to create an army of artificially triggered shifters, loyal to them alone, ones who are capable of replacing the royal families."

The implications are staggering. "How many?" I ask.

"I don’t know," Maya admits. "But if Mathew was testing it on me and wanted me alive, I’m sure he has had other test subjects and at least some success." She pauses, her hand unconsciously moving to touch the mating mark on her neck. "That’s probably why I was able to be your fated mate, Griffin: my dormant genes."

"It doesn’t matter why," I say firmly, my arm tightening around her waist. "All that matters is that you are."

Maya’s hand moves to the scar on her throat, visible above the collar of her tunic. The wound has healed remarkably, but the scar remains, a jagged line of raised flesh that makes my wolf howl with rage every time I see it.

"I think this is permanent," she says, touching it lightly. "Some things don’t heal, even with shifter blood."

"It doesn’t matter," I tell her, covering her hand with mine. "Nothing about you could ever be anything less than perfect to me." She smiles, but I can feel her fatigue through our bond. "You need to rest more," I insist. "You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, too soon."

"There’s a lot of work to be done," she argues. "The antidote still needs refinement. We need to develop countermeasures against whatever the Silver Ring is planning next. I don’t have time to rest."

"You don’t have a choice," I counter, frustration edging into my voice. "I won’t let you work yourself into the ground, Maya. Not when we just got you back."

She narrows her eyes at me, a spark of her old fire returning. "And how exactly do you plan to stop me? How will you know if I’m feeling better or not?"

"I’ll know," I tap the spot where my mark sits on her skin. "I can feel everything you feel now, remember?" "That’s not fair," she protests, though there’s a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Neither are you risking your health when you’ve barely recovered from dying," I retort.

Locke clears his throat. "Perhaps we should give you two some privacy," he suggests, already moving toward the door.

Corrine and Erik follow suit, though Corrine pauses to squeeze Maya’s hand once more before leaving.

When the door closes behind them, I turn to face Maya fully. "You shouldn’t be out of bed, much less working in the lab." "I’m fine," she insists, though she doesn’t resist when I guide her to a chair. As she sits down, she admits, "A little tired, maybe, but fine."

I kneel before her, taking both her hands in mine. "I’m sorry," I say simply. "Sorry, I didn’t get to you sooner. Sorry, I couldn’t protect you."

"You came," she says softly. "That’s what counts."

I search her face, remembering the words I overheard in that cabin. "You told them I didn’t love you."

Her expression softens. "I knew if they used me against you, you might become their prisoner again, willingly this time, to protect me. I couldn’t let that happen." She squeezes my hands. "Besides, I know now that you do love me. That you’ve always loved me, even when you pushed me away."

"I never meant to push you so far," I admit, the guilt still fresh. "I thought I was protecting you from the prophecy, but all I did was hurt you worse."

"I should have trusted you," Maya says, tears gathering in her eyes. "My mother told me to, but I couldn’t. I faced two massive losses in one day, and my heart couldn’t cope. I shut down."

"Your mother was a wise woman," I say gently. "She knew I loved you before I dared to show it properly."

"She did." Maya smiles through her tears. "I want us to start over, Griffin. A new beginning for both of us."

I bring her hands to my lips, kissing her knuckles reverently. "I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for the time we lost."

"No," she corrects me. "We’ll spend it looking forward, not back. Together."

I rise, pulling her gently to her feet and into my arms. The bond between us pulses with love, with promise, with a future neither of us could have imagined when this all began.

"Together," I agree, sealing the vow with a kiss.

Outside, rain begins to fall, washing away the last traces of the darkness that once threatened to consume us both. A new day dawns for the kingdom, for our people.

For us.