Caelion carried Layla in his arms, her small frame cradled against his chest as we stumbled back toward the village. Her head lolled against his shoulder, blood still seeping from the wound at her temple, staining his sea silk garments with crimson that looked black in the fading light. I walked beside him, my hand pressed to her back, feeling the shallow rise and fall of her breathing, praying to whatever power had saved Caelion that she would wake.
I wished desperately for my phone from my old world. One tap, one recording, and I could have proof of everything; Ken’s words, his attack, his death. Instead, I had only my word against the grief and rage of his family.
We emerged from the tree line into the village center just as the evening fires were being lit. The first to see us was Layla’s first mate, Thorne, a bear beast who had been pacing near the meeting hall with his brothers; all bonded to the same female. He froze, his massive body going rigid, his nose scenting the blood before his eyes registered the sight.
"Layla," he roared, barreling toward us with his brothers at his heels.
"She’s alive," Caelion said quickly, his voice rough from his healing throat, the red scar tissue pulling with each word. "But she took a blow to the head. She needs the healer."
Thorne gathered her from Caelion’s arms with desperate gentleness, his huge hands trembling as they brushed her blood-matted hair from her face. "What happened?" he demanded, his voice cracking. "Who did this?"
Before I could answer, a scream shattered the evening air.
Rina.
She burst from the southern path with Ken’s father behind her, their faces twisted with grief and fury. Behind them, dragged by ropes, came Ken’s body; or what remained of it. They had found him, then. The wolves must have tracked the scent of blood.
"Murder!" Rina shrieked, her voice carrying across the entire village, drawing people from their homes, from their evening meals, from their beds. "Murder and treachery! They killed my cousin! They slaughtered him like an animal!"
Ken’s father, a massive wolf with gray fur and storm-cloud eyes so like his son’s, stepped forward with murder in his gaze. "My son," he growled, the sound vibrating with barely controlled rage. "My son is dead by their hands. I demand retribution. I demand justice!"
The village elders emerged from the meeting hall, their faces grave, and King Roan himself stepped forward, his mane bristling, his amber eyes taking in the scene with terrible understanding.
"What has happened here?" he demanded.
I stepped forward, my body aching, my clothes torn, my voice steady despite the trembling in my hands. "I will tell you what happened," I said, loud enough for all to hear. "Ken attacked me. He attacked Layla. He tried to force himself on me, and when Layla tried to stop him, he struck her down. She lies near death because of him."
A gasp rippled through the gathered crowd. I saw Ravin then, pushing through the masses with Leon and Soryn at his heels, their faces wild with fear and relief as they saw me, as they took in my disheveled state, the blood on my clothes, the bruises forming on my arms.
"Krys," Ravin breathed, reaching for me, but I held up a hand, continuing my account.
"Ken would have raped me," I said, the word ugly and sharp. "He admitted as much. He said he had ’fucked dozens of females and claimed none.’ He said the southern tribe was more savage, that they did not wait for consent, that they need not agree to be partners to take what they want."
The crowd’s reaction was immediate and horrified. Gasps turned to murmurs, whispers of shock that spread like wildfire. Even some of the southern wolves looked unsettled, shifting uncomfortably.
"That is why he died," an elder woman spoke up, her voice trembling with certainty. "The beast god struck him down. He took Ken’s strength as punishment for his sins. That is why he fell to a fish man; because the god had already abandoned him."
"Blasphemy!" Ken’s father snarled, but his voice lacked conviction, his eyes wide with sudden fear.
I gestured to the merman prince, who stood tall despite his exhaustion, the red scar on his throat visible to all. "Caelion intervened. He fought Ken to protect me. Ken would have killed him. Would have killed us both. He saved my life, and I would not see him punished for it."
"Liar!" Rina screamed, spittle flying from her lips, her face ruined by tears and rage. "You lying ape! You killed him because he rejected you! You planned this together! My cousin is dead, and you stand there spinning tales! The dead cannot defend themselves!"
I turned to face her, my voice cold and clear. "You were there, Rina. You saw me reject Caelion publicly when he first arrived. You saw me choose my three mates over him. There was no collusion, no conspiracy. I wanted nothing to do with him." I shot back. "If you want the truth then ask Layla when she wakes. If she wakes. Ask her who struck her down. Ask her what she saw."
"The female is clearly biased," Ken’s father snarled, but his voice had lost its edge, his eyes darting to the scar on Caelion’s throat. "She wanted my son, he refused her, and she conspired with this fish to murder him."
"He saved my life," I said quietly. "Ken deserved death for what he did, and I would not see Caelion punished for saving me."
"I am a witness," a voice rasped.
Everyone turned. Layla stirred in Thorne’s arms, her eyes fluttering open, dazed and unfocused. "I saw," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Ken... he hit me. He was going to hurt Krys. He... he would have forced her a crime punishable by death."
"She is confused," Rina snapped quickly. "Trauma has addled her mind. You cannot trust—"
"I trust her," Thorne growled, his massive arms tightening around his mate. "I trust my female. And if she says your cousin was the aggressor and their attacker, then that is what he was."
The argument erupted then, voices shouting over one another, accusations flying like arrows. Rina and Ken’s father demanded blood for blood, but their support had dwindled; the revelation of Ken’s beliefs had turned many against them. My mates roared their defense, Ravin’s authority as prince was holding.
In the end, King Roan decreed that the matter would be investigated fully, that Layla would be questioned when she recovered, and that until then, no retribution would be taken. The southern wolves snarled and snapped, but they were in lion territory, surrounded by enemies who now believed Ken had been struck down by divine judgment, and they had no choice but to accept.
We returned to our home as the moon rose high, my mates surrounding me like a living wall, Caelion walking silently in our midst. The door closed behind us, and for a moment, there was only silence, the five of us breathing in the dark.
Then Ravin turned to me, his amber eyes wet with tears he had not shed in front of the village. "Tell us," he said softly. "Tell us everything."
And I did.
I took a breath, and the words poured out. I told them about the boredom, about Layla and the soap, about Ken emerging from the trees like a shadow. I told them about his arrogance, his entitlement, his attack on Layla when she tried to protect me. I told them about the weight of him, the tearing fabric, and his terror.
Then Caelion stepped forward, and together we told them about the fight; how he had intervened, how he had fought despite his disadvantage on land, how Ken’s claws had opened his throat and left him dying in the dirt.
"And then I heard a voice," I said, my hand rising to touch the blue bind at my wrist. "Ancient, powerful. It told me I could save him, that my bind could heal. So I chanced it. I accepted him as my mate, and the bond... it healed him."
The room fell silent.
Ravin stared at me, his amber eyes wide with shock. "The elders spoke of the binds," he said slowly, his voice careful, reverent. "They said the blue binds were extinct, that they carried power for those bonded to the bearer; prosperity, strength, health. I thought..." He shook his head, struggling to comprehend. "I thought they only bonded male to female, or broke bonds when the female no longer wanted the beast men. I never imagined... this."
He gestured to Caelion’s throat, to the scar that should have been fatal. "The elders spoke of prosperity for the bonded, of strength in battle, of health and vitality. But they never said... they never said the bearer could heal the dying. They never said the bearer could bless."
Caelion stepped forward, his sea glass eyes serious. "May I explain?"
At my nod, he began, his melodic voice filling the room with the weight of ancient knowledge.
"There are four known binds in this world," he said, "each granted by the First Mother of Beasts, each carrying different blessings. What the elders told you; they spoke of the benefits to mates, yes. Prosperity for those bonded to a White Binder. Strength for those bonded to a Black Binder. Health and abundance for those bonded to a Silver Binder. But they did not know... or they did not speak... of the full power of the Azure Sovereign."
He held up his hand, counting them off. "The White Bind is Prosperity. Those who carry it are called the Gilded Hand. Their presence brings fertile land, plentiful harvests, wealth, thriving settlements. The Black Bind is Strength; the Warborn, who grant physical power, endurance, courage. My own mother carries the Silver Bind; the Trifold, combining Health, Prosperity, and Strength. She can heal minor wounds, strengthen the weak, bring abundance, but she cannot grant sacred blessings. She cannot heal the dying."
He turned to me, his expression grave and wondering. "But the Blue Bind, the Azure Sovereign; this is different. This is the only bind that carries all four gifts: Health, Strength, Prosperity, and Blessing. The Azure Sovereign can heal the dying, as you witnessed. They can strengthen beyond normal limits. They can bring prosperity. And they can grant sacred blessings; on unions, on births, on bloodlines, on bonds."
Ravin stared at me, awe and fear warring in his eyes. "You have had this power... did you not know?"
"I have something to tell you," I said, my voice barely audible. "Something I should have told you long ago."
They all looked at me, waiting.
"I am not from the ape tribe; I am human no beast form just this as you see. I am not from this world I came from another place," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I died. In my old world, I died. And I woke up here."
The silence was absolute.
"I caught him," I said, the words barely audible. "My boyfriend. Or in your terms...mate. Seven years together, and I walked in on him with someone else. In our bed. In the apartment we shared."
I could see it still; the image burned into my memory like a brand. The tangled sheets, the smell of perfume that wasn’t mine, the look on his face; not guilt, not shame, but annoyance. Annoyance that I had come home early.
"We fought," I continued, my voice hollow. "Screaming, crying, all the ugliness that comes out when everything you believed turns out to be a lie. I was so angry, so hurt. I pushed him. I wanted him to hurt like I was hurting. And he... he shoved me back. Hard."
I closed my eyes, feeling the phantom sensation of falling, the wind rushing past, the impossible moment of weightlessness before impact.
"I fell," I whispered. "Three stories. From our apartment railing. I remember the fall, the concrete rushing up to meet me, the sound my body made when I hit. And then... nothing. Darkness. And then I woke up in that field, still in my work clothes and alone, and no idea where I was."
I looked at each of them, my eyes wild, my hands trembling so badly that Leon took the cup from me before I could spill it. "I didn’t know beast men existed. I thought I was hallucinating, or in hell, or dreaming. When Ravin found me, I thought he was just a regular lion, probably hungry for its next prey. Because in my world, lions don’t shift. Don’t talk, and human like me are food."
I pressed my hands to my face, my breath coming in short gasps. "Where I’m from, we don’t have magic. We don’t have people who turn into animals. We have cars and phones and computers, but we don’t have... this. The binds, the healing, the voices—none of it makes sense to me. I’m just a normal woman who died and woke up in a strange world, and now I have four mates for cubs that would be weird in my world, and magical powers I don’t understand, and Rina is actively finding ways to kill me, and now with this bind that killed females with it before back in existence, who knows how many more will want me dead. I just..."
I broke off, sobbing, the weight of it all finally crushing me. "I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t even know if I can even go back since I died, but I don’t want to leave because I love you, all of you, but I’m so scared, and I don’t understand any of this..."
Ravin pulled me into his arms, crushing me against his chest, his heart hammering against my cheek. "Hush," he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. "Hush, my Krys. I do not understand these things you speak of; cars or phones or computers. They sound like magic to me, stranger than anything in this world. But it does not matter." He pressed a kiss to my temple, his arms tightening around me. "You are here now. You are ours now. And we will figure it out together. We will face this together."
Leon knelt beside us, his hand finding mine, his green-gold eyes serious for once. "We don’t care if you’re from another world," he said softly. "We care that you’re you. That you’re brave and kind and stubborn and ours."
Soryn coiled around us, his cool presence a balm against the heat of my panic. "The universe brought you to us," he said quietly. "However it happened, whatever the reason, you are here. And we are grateful."
Caelion knelt as well, his sea glass eyes meeting mine. "I am from the sea," he said. "You are from another world. We are both strangers in a strange land. But we are not alone anymore."
I looked at them, my four mates, my impossible, beautiful, chaotic family, and felt the panic slowly subside, replaced by something warm and steady and real.
"Okay," I whispered. "Okay. We’ll face it together."
We have to.