One Lie, My Death, My Lycan Mate’s RegretChapter 1

At my mating ceremony with Lycan Prince Lyden Cross, a royal decree arrives accusing him of treason.

In a heartbeat, my mating ceremony turns into a death sentence.

Lyden is thrown into the Royal Dungeon, and the entire Blackthorn Pack is condemned for supporting a traitor.

Every adult male will be executed.

Every she-wolf and pup will be stripped of Pack protection and cast out as rogues.

The Royal Dungeon blocks all mindlinks, so none of us can reach the males outside.

When we hear the news, my grandmother, Former Luna Helena slowly pulls the jeweled gold pin from her hair.

My mother, Luna Celeste, tears the sheets into long strips and hands them to my brothers’ mates.

“Blackthorn she-wolves would rather die than be left at the mercy of rogues.”

That night, Grandmother smashes her head against the stone wall.

Mother hangs herself.

My brothers’ mates take their young pups into the the well in the prison courtyard.

When I swallow the last dose of wolfsbane, I suddenly hear two guards talking outside the cell.

“Prince Lyden and those Blackthorn males have spoiled Pearl rotten.”

“She was afraid the Prince would still choose the daughter they raised for eighteen years. She was afraid Alpha Rowan and his sons still loved April more.”

The guard snorts.

“So she cried and demanded that they prove who mattered more.”

“And they actually faked a treason decree and locked every Blackthorn she-wolf in here just to make her happy.”

The other guard laughs.

“Prince Lyden said once April agrees to call off the mating ceremony, they’ll bring everyone home tomorrow.”

“Alpha Rowan and his sons are probably drinking at the Pack House right now, figuring out how to cheer Pearl up.”

There is no treason.

No one is being executed.

Lyden is perfectly safe.

So are my father and brothers.

They only do this to make Pearl, Alpha Rowan’s biological daughter, feel happy.

But they forget something.

Blackthorn she-wolves truly believe we have lost everything.

And now, there is not a single she-wolf left in this dungeon who can go home alive.

...

The wolfsbane works fast.

I curl up on the cold straw.

Outside the cell, the two guards are still talking.

“It was only supposed to be a show.”

“If April had agreed to call off the mating ceremony earlier, she wouldn’t have had to spend the night in here.”

I want to tell them I am not afraid of suffering one night in a dungeon.

But something hot rises in my throat.

I open my mouth and cough up a mouthful of black blood.

The guards finally notice.

“What’s wrong with her?”

One of them grabs a lamp and comes closer.

The moment he sees me through the bars, his face turns white.

“Get a healer. Now!”

The other guard grabs him.

“Why so rush?”

“April Blackthorn is stubborn. Maybe she’s just pretending.”

“Besides, Pearl gave strict orders. No matter what happens inside tonight, no one opens this door.”

“If we ruin her plan, do you think she’ll let us off?”

The guard holding the lamp hesitates.

Then he stops.

I curl tighter on the floor.

The wolfsbane tears through my stomach like blunt blades twisting inside me.

But those few sentences hurt more.

Father is not waiting to be executed.

Grandmother never has to watch her son die.

Mother does not have to lose her life.

My brothers’ mates and their pups can all live.

If someone had told us just a little earlier that this was only a show, none of them would be dead.

As my consciousness fades, I watch blood slowly spread across the mating gown I was supposed to wear when Lyden claimed me.

When I open my eyes again, I am floating above the dungeon.

My own body lies beneath me.

My eyes are closed.

A thin trail of black blood runs from the corner of my mouth.

Mother hangs from strips of torn cloth.

Before she dies, my brother, Damon’s mate gives her only gold bracelet to a guard and begs him to make sure the Blackthorn she-wolves are properly buried.

Nolan’s mate is three months pregnant.

Gavin’s mate dies with six-year-old Lila locked tightly in her arms.

Until her final breath, one hand covers Lila’s eyes so the pup will not have to see the bodies around her.

And I am the last one.

I should have died earlier.

But Grandmother saves the only lethal dose of wolfsbane for me.

She wipes the blood from my face and presses it into my palm with trembling fingers.

“April.”

“You came here dressed for your mating ceremony.”

“So you’ll leave this world in that gown.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

“Grandmother will go ahead and wait for you.”

Then she braces one hand against the wall and slowly walks toward the stone pillar.

I rush forward to stop her.

Mother and my brothers’ mates hold me back.

A dull thud echoes through the dungeon.

Grandmother falls.

I have never seen so much blood.

Only a few hours ago, she is still sitting beside me, helping me choose the ceremonial crown for my mating ceremony.

She laughs and tells me that Lyden may be a Lycan Prince, but if he ever dares to hurt a Blackthorn daughter, she will march straight into the Royal Palace and demand an answer from the Lycan King himself.

Suddenly, an invisible force pulls me out of the Royal Dungeon.

I pass through the streets of the Royal Capital and cross into Blackthorn territory.

Then I am back at the Pack House.

Every window is glowing.

A feast covers the table in the main hall.

Father is there.

Damon, Nolan, and Gavin are there.

Lyden is there too.

Pearl sits in the middle of them, wearing the dress Mother had made for me.

Her eyes are still swollen from crying.

But the table in front of her is piled with food and gifts.

Damon pushes a plate toward her.

“You said you liked this.”

“I had it prepared for you.”

Nolan takes out a gemstone bracelet.

“You liked this when you saw it the other day.”

“I had someone bring it back for you.”

Gavin places a fluffy little kitten in her arms.

“Don’t be upset anymore.”

“Tomorrow, April will leave Lyden voluntarily.”

“Then all of this will be over.”