5.

SAMAEL

The door clicked shut behind Lilith, and the silence that followed was suffocating.

I stood there, jaw clenched, telling myself that I had only intervened because Lilith had crossed a line. I knew how vicious she could be when it came to people she didn’t like, and I had promised Dallor that his child would remain safe in my lands.

That was all.

None of this had anything to do with the way my wolf snarled when I caught her scent of distress from down the hall, or the way my legs had moved before I could realise what I was doing.

It was keeping my word. Nothing more.

I turned to face her, and she was watching me, arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to protect herself from me. Despite how vulnerable she looked, her chin was lifted and her shoulders squared like she was waiting for me to say something hostile, and she would be ready to brace herself and defend herself.

She was different.

Most wolves would have bared their necks in submission or scrambled to please me, but she did neither.

Instead, those unsettling eyes that felt like they could peer into your souls remained on me without flinching.

My wolf stirred, wanting to go to her, but I pushed it down.

“Look at me when I speak to you," I said coldly, then realised she already was. It was what was unsettling me because she wasn’t supposed to meet my gaze this easily.

I stepped closer, wanting her to crack or falter, but she didn’t. Her unwavering eyes tracked my movement. She wasn’t afraid or was very good at hiding it, and it made something twist in my chest.

Those eyes. Goddess, those eyes.

They pulled at something buried deep inside me. Something that I thought had died with Amara.

They were wrong. Unnatural. Beautiful in a way that made my skin prickle.

I hated them. And I hated how I couldn’t tear my eyes off them.

“Let me make something clear,” I said, allowing my tone to harden as I spoke. “You are here because my father made a deal with yours. This is a political arrangement, and it’s not going to be anything you expect."

Her expression didn’t change, but I saw her fingers tighten. Good. At least, she was listening.

“There are rules that you must follow. You will not enter the west wing. Ever. Your duties are in name only. You can attend pack events and stand beside me when required. I won’t prevent you from fulfilling your duties as Luna." I paused, letting each word settle before I continued. “But you have no right to interfere in my personal life. You stay out of my way, and I stay out of yours."

I expected her to nod and agree without any arguments. To shrink even a little under my gaze, but she stayed still, studying me as though she was deciding how to reply.

“Are you done?” She asked quietly.

My jaw ticked. That wasn’t how she was supposed to answer. “Excuse me?”

“I asked if you were done with your rules,” she said again, her voice still steady. “Because if we are laying down terms, I have a few of my own I'd like to add."

I stared at her, disbelief filling me. No one had ever spoken to me like this. They wouldn’t dare, but she…

“Go on,” I said, curious about the ‘terms’ she wanted to add.

She took a deep breath, and her hands fell to the side. “You will not treat me like I am something to be discarded or disrespected, especially in front of your pack members. I am an Alpha’s daughter even though it’s a small pack. I didn’t ask to be here anymore than you asked for me, but I won’t be humiliated.” Her eyes flashed. “And your lady, Lilith, stays out of my business. I don’t care what she is to you."

The audacity.

My wolf stirred again, and this time, the pull that I had refused to acknowledge since the Crescent pack tugged dangerously.

It was faint but undeniable. She was my second chance mate.

I didn’t want it. Didn’t ask for it, and the most annoying part? She didn’t seem to know.

How could she not feel it? How could she stand there, staring at me with those defiant eyes and not sense what the goddess had done?

“You think you can make demands and I’ll agree to them?” I asked, my voice low.

“I think I just did,” she said. “Besides, what makes you think you have the right to demand things from me if I can’t?”

Silence crashed between us and I could feel my pulse in my throat as the heat clawed at me.

I should have been furious at her audacity, but instead, I felt a crack in the walls I had built around myself.

I didn’t agree to her ridiculous demands. Instead, I turned and walked out.

My room was dark when I entered, and the only light was from the fireplace at the corner of the room. I paced the room, my fingers curling into fists as I recounted the encounter.

I thought she was quiet and fragile because she had been locked up her whole life, but she was rude.

My wolf paced restlessly, whining in a way that it hadn’t since… No… I shut him down, slamming the door on every traitorous thought.

This meant nothing. She meant nothing. The goddess could keep her second chances. I didn’t want them. Didn’t ask for them.

My eyes drifted to the photograph on my bedside table.

Amara smiled back at me, frozen in time. I remembered the day that photo had been taken. I could still remember the sound of her laughter and the way she had rolled her eyes when I pulled her close because I hated being away from her.

She was perfect. She was mine. And I had failed her.

I picked up the frame, running my thumb over her face. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t want this, you know it, but…”

The bond pulsed, cutting through my words. “It’s the goddess's fault and Dad’s. If he didn’t make me go there, I wouldn’t have met her. I would have been allowed to get only you."

I set the frame down and collapsed onto the bed. I threw my arms over my eyes, pushing those thoughts that wouldn’t leave me alone to the back of my mind.

Sleep refused to come.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw mismatched eyes staring back at me, unafraid. I could feel her presence like it had been branded on my skin even when I didn’t want to.

She was too close. She was real despite me not wanting her to be.