Chapter 11
May 15, 2025
You can’t be serious.
Kane’s voice echoed through the dimly lit chamber, disbelief heavy in his tone.
Rowan barely spared him a glance, his mind reeling from what he had just heard. He clenched his jaw, focusing instead on the great shaman who sat before him.
The old woman’s wrinkled face was lined with shock, her piercing gaze locked onto Rowan as if he had just sprouted horns.
“You asked what?” she finally snapped.
Rowan exhaled slowly. “I asked,” he repeated, keeping his tone even, “if a male can have another male as a mate.”
Kane choked on his own breath. “Alpha!”
The shaman shot to her feet, her eyes wild with horror. “Do you realize what you’re asking, Alpha?” Her voice cracked through the room like a whip. “Such a thing is forbidden! A taboo that would bring calamity upon your pack!”
Rowan’s fingers curled into fists at his sides. “And why is that?”
“Why?” The shaman’s voice rose. “Because the Moon Goddess does not make mistakes! Mates are chosen by destiny—male and female—to bring balance, to strengthen bloodlines, to uphold the sacred laws!”
Kane, still gaping, turned to Rowan. “Is this about someone in the pack? Who—?”
Rowan shook his head sharply. “No.”
The lie came out faster than he intended.
The shaman inhaled deeply, composing herself. “Then why ask such a cursed thing?”
Rowan hesitated, searching for words. He had invited the shaman to ask the one question gnawing at his heart and he had gotten an answer. There was no way he could be attracted to Ace if a male-male mate bond doesn’t exist and is forbidden.
Instead, he changed the subject. “When will I find my mate?”
The shaman’s gaze darkened. “You already know the prophecy, Alpha.”
“Remind me.”
She sighed. “Your mate will come to you in the most unusual way. And when you see her, you will not know she is yours until the right time.”
Rowan’s brows furrowed. “What does that mean?”
The shaman merely shook her head. “The Moon Goddess reveals things only when she deems it necessary. Do not try to force fate, Alpha. It will come when it is meant to.”
A heavy silence settled between them.
Rowan exhaled, nodding stiffly. “Thank you, Shaman.”
The old woman stood, still looking at him with wary eyes. After a moment, she turned and left.
Rowan remained still, his mind a tangled mess.
Kane, however, was not so patient.
The moment the shaman was gone, he whirled on Rowan. “What the hell was that?”
Rowan ran a hand through his hair. “Forget it.”
“Forget it?” Kane scoffed. “Rowan, you just asked if a man could be your mate! What in the Moon Goddess’ name is going on with you?”
Rowan said nothing. “I didn’t say it was me. I only asked if it was possible.”
Because how was he supposed to explain it?
How could he tell his Beta—his best friend—that his wolf stirred every time Ace was near?
That there was something off about Ace, something that sent his instincts into overdrive?
That he felt… something he shouldn’t?
He couldn’t.
So he swallowed it down.
“It was just a thought,” he finally muttered.
Kane crossed his arms. “A thought? Rowan, you’re the Alpha. You don’t just go around asking shamans about breaking sacred laws because of a thought.”
Rowan clenched his jaw.
Kane frowned. “What’s going on, Rowan? What are you not telling me?”
Rowan hesitated, his mind warring with itself.
Confide in him? Or bury it?
But before he could decide, the words left his mouth. “What do you think of Ace?”
Kane blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. “What?”
Rowan turned fully to him, expression unreadable. “What do you think of Ace?”
Kane scratched his head. “I mean… he’s a good fighter. Saved your ass twice. Can’t deny that.”
Rowan nodded slowly. “And?”
Kane gave him a weird look. “And what? He’s useful, I guess. Keeps to himself. A little too serious, but hey, that’s his problem. Why are you asking me this?”
Rowan didn’t answer.
Because that was all they knew about Ace.
The warrior. The fighter. The son of Alpha Cedric Ravelwood.
But Rowan knew there was more.
Ace had secrets. And if Rowan wanted the truth, there was only one place to find it. He shot to his feet, his heart hammering with a newfound determination.
“Get the horses ready,” he commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Kane’s brows furrowed. “For what?”
Rowan’s eyes burned with certainty. “We’re going to Ravelwood Pack before nightfall.”
Kane’s jaw dropped.
