Chapter 2

It was Chloe.

My sister. The sweet, fragile she-wolf the elders had always wished Jace had chosen instead of a stubborn, headstrong wolf like me.

Chloe’s eyes widened in orchestrated horror, quickly pulling Jace’s silk sheet over her bare chest. But she didn't look truly sorry. Beneath the faux panic in her eyes, a smug, victorious glint shined through.

Jace froze, his gaze locking onto mine. There was no remorse in his expression—only irritation at being caught before he was ready to deliver the blow himself.

"Aria," Jace said, his voice entirely devoid of the warmth he used to fake so well. He didn't even bother to pull away from her. "You weren't supposed to be back for another two hours."

"An emergency," I whispered, the word tasting like ash. My hands clutched the lapels of my coat so tightly my knuckles turned white. "I came back because there was an emergency. But clearly, you've been managing your own."

Jace sighed, running a hand through his messy blonde hair as he stepped out of the bed, completely unbothered by his nakedness. He grabbed a robe from the chair, throwing it over his shoulders with the casual arrogance of a future Alpha who believed he was untouchable.

"Look, it's better you see this now anyway," Jace said, crossing his arms. "The elders finalized the bloodline audits while you were at the clinic. Your lineage... it's too weak, Aria. The Silvermoon pack needs a strong, purebred Luna to secure our alliances. Chloe fits the criteria. You don't."

"The elders are breathing down my neck about the ceremony arrangements..."

His words from this morning echoed in my head, a cruel, mocking replay. He hadn't been planning our wedding. He had been planning my replacement.

"So the Suitability Test..." I choked out, a bitter, breathless laugh escaping my lips. "It was a setup? A wild goose chase to get me out of the packhouse?"

"It was a formality to prove what we already knew," Jace stated coldly. "I was going to tell you tonight. You'll be reassigned to a delta rank within the outer guard. We’ll tell the pack the Goddess didn't sanction our bond. You'll accept it quietly, for the sake of the pack's image."

He stepped closer, his Alpha aura flaring slightly—a blatant, disgusting attempt to suppress my wolf and force me into submission. "You’re a good wolf, Aria. But you aren't Alpha material. You never were."

The sheer, staggering audacity of it hit me like a physical blow. Hours ago, this would have broken me. I would have begged, cried, and wondered what I did wrong. I would have been terrified of being rejected, cast aside, and humiliated.

But as I stood there, looking at my cheating fiancé and my treacherous sister, a sudden, fierce warmth bloomed deep in my lower abdomen.

The Lycan King’s heir.

A dark, wicked realization washed over me, washing away every ounce of my heartbreak and replacing it with pure,  venom. Jace thought he was casting me out into the dirt. He thought he was stripping away my future. He had absolutely no idea that a force of nature was descending upon his territory in less than twenty-four hours.

"A delta rank," I repeated softly, letting my hands fall to my sides. I lifted my chin, staring directly into the eyes of the boy who thought he was a king. "And what happens to the wedding tomorrow?"

"Chloe and I will take the vows," Jace said, smiling down at me with pity. "Don't make a scene, Aria. You have nowhere else to go, and no one to protect you."

I didn't stop running until I reached the West Wing of the packhouse. My chest was heaving, my vision blurred with hot, angry tears that I absolutely refused to let fall. I needed my parents. I needed the two people who were supposed to be my ultimate safety net to tell me that Jace and the elders couldn't just throw me away.

I shoved open the door to my father’s study. He was sitting at his desk, reviewing patrol logs, while my mother stood by the window, sipping a glass of wine.

"Aria?" my mother asked, her perfectly arched brow raising in mild annoyance. "You're back early from the clinic. Did you get the Luna certification?"

"Jace is cheating on me," I blurted out, my voice cracking as I slammed the door shut behind me. "I just caught him in his bedroom. With Chloe."

The room went dead silent. I waited for my father’s eyes to flash with a protective Alpha’s rage. I waited for my mother to drop her glass in horror.

Instead, my father just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like I had just complained about the weather.

Before either of them could speak, the study opened. Jace strolled in, tying the belt of his robe, with my sister trailing right behind him. Chloe had bothered to slip on one of Jace’s oversized dress shirts, her hair intentionally messy, a smug little pout playing on her lips.

"You couldn't even wait five minutes to go crying to mommy and daddy, could you?" Jace muttered, rolling his eyes as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Get them out of here!" I yelled, looking at my father. "Dad, do you see this? My own sister!"

"Aria, lower your voice this instant," my mother snapped, setting her wine glass down with a sharp clink. "You are acting like a spoilt brat. Stop being so paranoid and dramatic."

I froze, the air leaving my lungs in one painful rush. "Paranoid? Mother, she is wearing his shirt! He just admitted the elders are tossing me out so he can mate with her!"

"Because it’s what is best for the pack," my father said calmly, not even making eye contact with me. "We raised you better than this, Aria. You know the importance of bloodlines. Your wolf hasn't even shown a fraction of the strength required to be a Luna. Chloe is simply... a better fit."

"A better fit?" I whispered, my heart shattering into a million jagged pieces.

"Oh, please don't start the waterworks," Chloe scoffed, stepping out from behind Jace. She looked me up and down with absolute disgust. "Look at yourself in a mirror, Aria. You're practically a fat pig compared to the standards required for a Luna. You really thought Jace wanted to spend the rest of his life with you? No one in their right mind would ever want you."

I flinched, the words slicing deep into my insecurities. I looked at Jace, desperately searching for a shred of the boy I had loved for three years.

"She's right," Jace said, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion. "I was only with you because the previous Alpha suggested it when we were teenagers. But you're basically a reject, Aria. Your lineage is weak. You’d embarrass me in front of the surrounding territories. At least Chloe knows how to act like royalty."

"You're both disgusting," I choked out, my hands trembling. I looked at my parents, who were watching the scene with total apathy. "And you... you're just going to let them do this to me?"

"You will pack your things and move to the delta barracks in the morning," my father commanded, using his Beta tone to force my wolf down. "And you will attend the mating ceremony tomorrow to show your support for your sister. That is final."

I didn't say another word. I couldn't.

I turned around and ran. I ignored Jace’s mocking laughter and Chloe’s cruel whispers echoing down the hallway. I ran all the way up to my small bedroom, locked the door, and slid down against the wood until I hit the floor.

I pulled my knees to my chest and finally let the tears fall. I cried for my stolen future. I cried for the betrayal of my own blood. And deep down, beneath the crushing weight of my heartbreak, I felt a strange, terrifying warmth radiating in my lower stomach.

The Lycan King.

I cried until my eyes burned and my throat was raw, eventually dragging myself into bed and falling into a dark, dreamless sleep.

"Aria! Wake up! Wake up right now!"

Someone was shaking my shoulders violently. I gasped, shooting up in bed, my heart hammering against my ribs.

My best friend, Maya, was standing over me. Her eyes were wide with sheer terror, her hands gripping my arms so tight it bruised.

"Maya, what time is it?" I groaned, rubbing my swollen eyes.

"There is no time!" Maya practically screamed, pulling the blankets off me. "You need to get downstairs immediately. The whole pack is in the courtyard. The elders are losing their minds."

"Why?" I asked, a sense of dread pooling in my gut.

"Because the Lycan King is here," she breathed out, her voice shaking. "King Valerius is standing in our territory."

The memories of the clinic rushed back like a tidal wave. Tomorrow, I am coming to your territory to collect you.

He actually came.

I didn't bother changing out of my simple gray sweatpants and oversized t-shirt. I shoved past Maya and sprinted out of the room, my bare feet slapping against the hardwood floors.

When I burst through the front doors of the packhouse and stepped onto the grand portico, the sight before me made my breath hitch.

The entire Silvermoon pack was gathered in the courtyard, but no one was speaking. The silence was deafening, suffocated by an aura so aggressively dominant that several of the younger wolves were already on their knees, whimpering in submission.

There he was.

King Valerius stood by the fountain, looking like a literal god of war dressed in a tailored black suit. His hands were shoved casually into his pockets, but his molten silver eyes were scanning the crowd with a lethal, terrifying boredom.

The she-wolves in the front row were practically falling over themselves to get his attention. And right there, standing closest to him in a ridiculously tight, low-cut red dress, was Chloe. She was pushing her chest out, batting her eyelashes, and offering him a sickeningly sweet smile, shamelessly throwing herself at him. Valerius didn't even look at her.

Then, from the left side of the courtyard, Jace emerged. He was flanked by the elders, wearing his ceremonial Alpha suit, looking incredibly arrogant as he walked down the marble steps to formally greet the King.

My blood boiled. The sheer audacity of them all. The cruelty they had shown me last night replayed in my mind.

I walked down the center of the courtyard, ignoring the shocked gasps of the pack members as I cut through the crowd.

"Aria!" my father hissed from the sidelines, stepping forward to grab my arm. "What are you doing? Get back to the barracks!"

I ripped my arm out of his grip and kept walking.

Chloe noticed me approaching and shot me a venomous glare. "Are you insane?" she whispered harshly. "Get out of here, you fat pig, you're embarrassing us in front of His Majesty—"

I shoved my shoulder hard against Chloe's collarbone, knocking her completely off balance so she stumbled backward into the dirt.

 I closed the final distance between me and the Lycan King.

I grabbed his shirt, went up on my tiptoes, and kissed him fully on the lips.

The entire courtyard erupted into a collective, horrifying gasp.

His lips were warm, firm, and tasted like  mint and dark danger. A violent jolt of electricity shot straight down my spine, making my toes curl against the pavement. For a split second, I completely forgot where I was. The chemistry was instant, intoxicating, and completely overwhelming.

I pulled back just an inch, my lips brushing his jaw as I whispered frantically, "Play along. Please."

A low, vibrating growl rumbled deep in Valerius's chest. "I don't play, little wolf," he murmured against my mouth.

His massive hand suddenly gripped the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my messy hair. His other arm wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling my body flush against his hard chest, claiming me right there in front of my entire pack. His scent—rain-soaked cedar and pure power—wrapped around me like a shield.

The silence in the courtyard was thick enough to cut with a knife. No one moved. No one breathed.

Then, the sound of slow, hesitant footsteps broke the quiet.

I turned my head slightly, still anchored firmly against Valerius's chest.

Jace was standing a few feet away. His arrogant smirk was completely gone. All the color had drained from his face, leaving him looking pale and genuinely terrified. His eyes darted between me and the massive arm the Lycan King had wrapped possessively around my waist.

Jace swallowed hard, his voice trembling so badly it cracked.

"Father... what are you doing here?"