CHAPTER 04

TRISTAN’s Pov

“Absolutely not.”

My mother’s voice echoed through the dining hall, but I barely looked up from the documents in front of me.

“I’m not asking for your opinion, Mother.” I replied back.

“And I’m not asking for your permission.”

I finally raised my eyes. Queen Victoria sat at the opposite end of the long table, her expression calm despite the argument we had been having for the past thirty minutes. She had always been one of the few people in the kingdom who could speak to me without fear.

Perhaps that was why she was also one of the few people who could make me lose my patience.

“I am not marrying Ketrin.”

“You haven’t even considered her.”

“I have.”

She sighed. “You only met her twice.”

“Twice was enough, Mother.”

Dexter, who had been sitting quietly beside me, suddenly coughed into his fist to hide a laugh. Dexter was the second prince and also my younger brother by two years.

I shot him a warning look and he immediately looked down at a document he was embossing. Traitor.

Mother leaned back in her chair. “Ketrin is the Alpha’s daughter of the Silverridge Pack. Her pack is one of the largest one in New York and her family has been loyal to the crown for generations. She is educated, well mannered, beautiful, and—”

“Utterly annoying.” Dexter choked again.

She glared at him this time.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

I pushed the papers away from me. “You already know how I feel about this.”

“I know how stubborn you are.”

“No. You know that I refuse to marry someone simply because the council thinks she would look good beside me.”

My mother’s expression hardened. “You are no longer a boy who can afford to think only about what you want.”

The words settled heavily between us and I looked away. That was the problem. Everyone seemed to forget that beneath the crown, I was still a man who had never asked for this much responsibility.

Every decision I made affected the kingdom. Every alliance had to be considered. Every battle, every treaty, every dispute between packs eventually found its way to my desk and now they wanted to decide who I would spend the rest of my life with. It is just so pathetic.

“Your brother already announced his engagement this morning,” Mother continued. “At least he has fulfilled his responsibility to the royal family.”

Dexter’s eyebrows lifted. “I wasn’t aware marriage was a royal assignment. I found my mate and that is my only reason.”

My mother ignored him and continued. “You are the Lycan King. You need a queen beside you.”

“And that is why I need my mate for that and not some random wanna be queen.” The words came out louder than I intended.

The room fell silent. For years, I had searched. I had traveled beyond the kingdom. I had attended ceremonies in distant packs. I had met countless wolves and Lycans whose families hoped their daughters would get my attention but none of them ever did. Not because they weren’t beautiful or suitable, but because none of them were her.

My mate. The one woman my wolf had been waiting for. The one person who would make all the searching worth it.

Mother’s expression softened slightly. “You have been searching for her for years.”

“And I will continue searching.”

She leaned forward. “And if you never find her? Will you allow the kingdom to remain without a queen because you are waiting for a woman who may not even exist?”

My jaw tightened. “Think whatever you want, Mother.”

She sighed heavily. “You are willing to risk the stability of the throne for a bond you haven’t even found.”

“I am not risking anything.”

“You are.” She stood from her chair. “The council is becoming impatient. The elders are questioning your refusal to marry. Your position requires an heir and every month you delay gives them another reason to challenge your decisions.”

I stared at her. “So what exactly are you suggesting?”

She didn’t answer immediately and that silence told me enough.

Her eyes met mine. “If you refuse to choose, then yes.”

Dexter’s expression changed. “Mother—”

“The announcement will be made next week,” she continued. “Unless you give us another reason not to.”

I stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor. “You cannot do that.”

For the first time, something flickered across her face. “I am your mother before being the queen. You are also the ruler of this kingdom,” she said quietly. “And a ruler does not get to ignore his responsibilities because he is waiting for a feeling.”

My hands curled into fists. “I won’t marry Ketrin and that’s final.”

“Then find another, worthy of the Luna title.”

I stared at her angrily but she turned and walked away. The moment the doors closed behind her, I released the breath I’d been holding.

Dexter leaned back in his chair. “Well, brother.”

I glared at him and he lifted both hands. “I’m not saying anything but if you kill Mother with your banters, I might have to lock you up in the cells.”

I almost smiled but Instead, I reached for the glass of water in front of me. “I need to get out of here.”

Dexter frowned. “To where?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, a familiar voice suddenly sounded inside my head. My Beta, Kade, rarely mind-linked me unless something was important enough that he couldn’t wait for a messenger.

“What is it?” I asked.

His response came almost immediately.

“We have a problem, Tristan.”

I glanced at Dexter, who was watching me curiously. “What kind of problem?”

There was a brief pause before Kade answered.

“A large group of rogues attacked the eastern border about an hour ago. There are several injured wolves, and two patrol units haven’t reported back yet.”

My expression hardened. The eastern border was one of the regions under the protection of the royal territory. It wasn’t unusual for rogues to cross borders, but a coordinated attack was different.

“We’re still trying to determine that. They retreated before our warriors could surround them.” He continued.

I stood from my chair and Dexter immediately noticed the change in my expression. “What happened?”

I ignored him for a moment.

“They want you there.”

My jaw tightened. This was exactly why I couldn’t afford to disappear from the kingdom whenever I wanted. Being King wasn’t just sitting on a throne and attending ceremonies.

When one pack was attacked, the consequences could spread quickly. Rogues didn’t recognize borders, titles, or treaties. If they sensed weakness in one territory, they could move into another.

And if the council heard that I had ignored an attack, they would have another reason to question my leadership.

I rubbed my jaw. “I’ll meet you there.”

Kade was silent for a moment. “Understood, Your Majesty.”

The mind-link faded and Dexter was already standing. “Rogues?”

I nodded and His expression immediately became serious. “I’ll come with you.”

“No.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“Because Mother just threatened to announce my engagement next week. If you leave with me now, she’ll probably decide we’re both trying to escape our responsibilities.”

Dexter snorted. “You’re the one trying to escape.”

I gave him a look. He chuckled before grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair.

“Fine. Do what you have to. I’ll deal with Mother.”

“You’re enjoying this far too much.”

“Of course I am.” He walked toward the door, then stopped and glanced back at me.

“Oh, before I forget…The city club is having a party tonight.”

I raised an eyebrow. “For your engagement?”

He smiled. “Apparently. It’s not every day the prince finds a mate.”

“You’ve been engaged for less than a day and there’s already a party?” I shook my head. “I have no interest in celebrating your marriage.”

“I didn’t invite you to celebrate my marriage.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I’m telling you because you desperately need to get out of this palace before Mother drives you insane.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Dexter continued, “The whole city might be there. You can sit somewhere, have a drink, and forget about Ketrin for a few hours.”

“Ketrin is not going to be there?”

“Well, not unless someone tells her where you’re at.” That finally made me smile and Dexter grinned.

“Exactly.”

I picked up my jacket. “I’ll think about it.”

He opened the door.

“One more thing. If you do go, don’t worry about coming back to the palace tonight. I’ll book you a room at one of the hotels near the club. You can rest there if it gets too late.”

I looked at him. “You’ve thought this through.”

“I just know my brother.” He paused at the doorway. “And Tristan?”

“What?”

“Try to enjoy yourself for once.”

I watched him disappear down the hallway. For a moment, I remained where I was. The idea almost felt foreign. My entire life has been built around responsibility. Even finding my mate had somehow become another responsibility in everyone’s eyes but I didn’t want a political bride.

After what felt like hours dealing with the rogue attack and going from one meeting to another, I finally had some time to myself. I remembered Dexter’s invitation, and somehow, I ended up at the club.

I stayed there longer than I intended. The music was loud enough to drown out my thoughts, and the alcohol helped numb the anger burning beneath my skin. I definitely didn’t want women throwing themselves at me because they recognized who I was so I stayed glued to the VIP section until I saw her.

She was sitting across the room with another girl. I couldn’t explain what I felt. I only knew that the moment my eyes landed on her, my wolf became restless.

I stood up and walked toward her, but I stopped the moment her scent reached me.

My entire body went still.

Mate. The word thundered inside my head. It was impossible. After all those years of searching, my mate had literally been sitting in a crowded club, looking like she didn’t even belong there.

I didn’t think.

I simply moved forward but before I could get close enough to her, the alcohol hit me harder than I expected and my vision blurred. I was almost losing my sense of direction so I quickly stumbled away from the crowd outside.

The next thing I could clearly remember was taking a quick piss in my hotel room and coming out, she was there.

My mate. She had somehow walked into my room. She was drunk, confused, and completely unaware of who I was.

Yet the moment I touched her, my wolf recognized her again. For the first time in years, everything inside me felt certain and I couldn’t hold myself back anymore.

The next morning came and she screamed at me as though I were a complete stranger. She accused me of being an intruder, demanded that I leave, and then walked away.

I remained standing beside the bed long after the door closed and just stared at it in disbelief.

“She just left.” My voice sounded strange even to me.

I dragged a hand through my hair. My mate had finally appeared after years of searching, and somehow, I had managed to lose her within seconds .

I picked up my phone and called Kade. “I need you to find someone. RIGHT NOW!”