My hand dropped to my stomach before I could stop it. The bond went dead silent for one heartbeat, then roared back to life so hard my knees almost buckled. A child. Already?? The thought hit like a fist to the ribs; mine, theirs, ours. Not a bargaining chip. Not something she got to claim.
Darius, Kane, and Rylan stepped up beside me at the same moment, wolves rising close to the surface. I felt the shift in them like a storm rolling in: Darius's ice-blue eyes going flat and murderous, Kane's scarred fingers twitching toward the knives at his ribs, Rylan's grin sharpening into something that promised blood. The air around us thickened with the scent of pine and fury.
The witch stayed still. She tapped her staff once against the stone, and the sound echoed like bone cracking. "Surprised, girl? The bond doesn't waste time. That heat you felt the first night planted it deep. Strong seed from three cursed kings. The child will carry the alpha blood you hide so well… and the curse I laid on their line. Give it to me when it draws its first breath, and I lift the rest of the madness. Refuse, and watch them tear each other apart under the next full moon. Simple as that."
I swallowed hard. My palm pressed tighter against my belly, like I could shield whatever was growing there from her words. The latent alpha blood in me stirred, hot and angry, pushing back against the fear. "You cursed them because your daughter was raped and killed. Now you want to take my child as payment? That's not justice. That's just more blood on your hands."
She laughed again, dry leaves scraping together. "Justice? Your kings' father laughed while my girl screamed. I made sure his sons would feel every second of it until a mate strong enough to survive them appeared. You survived. Barely. But the curse still chews at their wolves. The child balances the scales. Give it willingly, or I take it after they rip each other's throats out. Your choice, girl."
Darius's hand landed heavy on my shoulder. His claws pricked through my cloak, not breaking skin but promising he'd shred the witch if she took one step closer. "Touch what's ours and the North burns with you in it."
Kane didn't speak. He just drew one knife, slow and deliberate, the blade catching the weak light like it was thirsty. Rylan shifted half a step in front of me, shoulders bunched, laugh gone. "We've killed for less. Try it, old woman."
The witch's eyes flicked over them, amused. "Brave words from three pups still one moon from going rogue. The bond bought you time, yes. But the child is the key. Refuse me and the madness returns faster. Stronger. You'll feel your own brothers' teeth in your neck before the snow melts."
My stomach twisted. The bond fed me flashes of their fear. Darius calculating how many days we had left, Kane already planning the fastest way to get me behind Frostfang walls, Rylan wanting to laugh and tear her throat out at the same time. But under it all was something raw and new: protectiveness that wasn't just the curse. It was them. For me. For whatever grew inside me now.
I lifted my chin. "I'm not handing over my child like some tribute. You want blood price? Take mine instead. My latent alpha blood. The same line you cursed their father for touching. That should be enough to break it clean."
The witch's gaze sharpened on me, hungry. "Clever girl. But the child is already tied to the curse. It carries three fathers and my old magic. Either you give it up, or they pay in pieces. Come inside. We'll talk terms while the snow holds."
She turned and limped into the stone hut without waiting. Smoke curled thicker from the bone chimney. The bond screamed at me to run, to fight, to do anything but follow her into that dark mouth of rock.
Darius's grip tightened on my shoulder. "We go in together. No one touches you."
Kane sheathed his knife but kept his hand on it. "If she tries anything, I take her head first."
Rylan cracked his neck, grin back but meaner. "I get the eyes."
I nodded once. My palm stayed pressed to my belly as we stepped through the low doorway. Inside, the hut smelled of dried herbs and old blood. Shelves lined the walls, crammed with jars of teeth and feathers and things I didn't want to name. A fire pit glowed in the center, casting long shadows. The witch sat on a stool carved from what looked like a wolf's spine, staff across her knees.
"Sit," she said, pointing at the floor. "The child quickens in a bonded mate. You'll feel it move before the week is out. The kings will go mad with it; protective, possessive, half-feral every time you bleed or bruise. Enjoy the heat while it lasts. It always turns ugly very quickly."
I stayed standing. The latent alpha in me pushed harder now, a growl building low in my chest that wasn't quite human. "Tell me exactly what happens if I refuse."
The witch leaned forward. Firelight carved deep lines into her face. "The curse reclaims them. First the wolves take control at night. Then during the day. They'll start with outsiders including raiders, travelers. Then pack. Then each other. You'll watch the three of them tear Frostfang apart trying to reach you, because the bond will still scream that you're theirs. And the child? It'll be born in the middle of that slaughter, marked by the same madness. Unless I take it first."
Darius growled low. Kane's knife was out again. Rylan's claws punched through his fingertips.
My heart slammed against my ribs. The bond fed me their terror and rage in equal measure, but underneath it I felt something steadier… my own. This wasn't just about surviving anymore. It was about choosing what kind of queen I'd become. I wouldn't let my child be the price for their curse. Not when I was finally learning how to bite back.
"I'll bargain," I said, voice steady even though my hands shook. "But not with my child. With my blood. My alpha line. Take what you need from me to break the curse clean. But leave the baby out of it."
The witch's smile widened, slow and terrible. "You're bold girl. But the price for that is higher than you think. You'd have to give me something living. Something that hurts."
She lifted the staff and pointed it at my belly again. The air between us crackled.
Outside, the wind picked up, howling through the cliffs like it knew what was coming.
Darius stepped in front of me, blocking her view. "Name your price. Now."
The witch's eyes gleamed. "One of you dies for the other two to live free. Choose which king I take. Or the child is mine."
My stomach dropped. The bond screamed in my head, three voices at once: Darius's cold certainty that it wouldn't be him, Kane's silent vow to take the blade himself, Rylan's reckless laugh daring her to try. I felt their wolves pushing forward, ready to tear the hut apart.
I pressed harder against my belly, the small spark of life there already tying me to them in a way no chains ever could.
The witch waited, staff glowing faint red at the tip.
Either I choose, or lose everything….