Chapter 2

Santiago's POV

"Father, I made a mistake."

Those words from Penelope cracked through the receiver, her voice thick and breaking. They cut straight through the peace I had spent three full years building. I sat on the heavy stone of the Blue Gem Throne, looking out over the endless miles of ancient trees. The moonlight hit the leaves, turning the forest pale and bright. This was the highest room in the Rogue Pack King Hall. The air inside smelled like crushed pine needles and damp earth. My own aura filled the spaces between the pillars, heavy and thick with the weight of an absolute ruler.

Deep in my chest, my Lycan spirit, Ezra, let out a low, rough growl. The old wolf woke up fast. He felt my anger, but he also felt the deep hurt of our daughter. Her royal blood was our blood, and someone had made her cry.

"Come back home right now," I said. I forced my voice to stay level, though a storm was ripping through my ribs. "We will talk about everything when your feet touch this floor. Nobody gets away with hurting my daughter."

I cut the line. The heavy wooden doors of the royal court seemed to shake with the silence that followed. Along the stone walls, the Beta guards stopped moving entirely. They even held their breath. They knew my moods, and they could feel the heat radiating off my skin.

Three years ago, Penelope walked away from everything. She was my only girl, the true heir to the Lycan name, and the Alpha who was supposed to take over this entire territory. I had picked a perfect match for her, a union that made sense for our people. She threw it away for a fated mate. She hid her real strength, locked her Alpha scent away, and pretended to be a weak Omega just to blend in. She married into the Blue-Claw Pack, setting up a home with that young fool, Julian.

The Blue-Claw Pack had a big name in the Smallville area, but they were nothing to the Lycan King. Julian was an Alpha, sure, but he was a small man compared to royal blood. He had no right to touch a princess.

I had roared at her back then. I tried to lock her in the castle. But Penelope was completely blind from that mate bond. She told me she would cut her own veins and leave the family if I stepped in. So, I backed down. I used my inner strength to wipe her records clean, hiding her tracks so she could play the part of a regular werewolf. I let her run after her dream.

I believed the Moon Goddess would protect her. I thought the mate bond would force Julian to guard her life, even if he did not know her real name.

Instead, she just called me crying about a heart transplant. They wanted my girl, a pure Alpha, to let a doctor cut open her chest. They wanted her heart for some Omega girl named Chloe. They told her the mate bond would keep her alive, that a new heart would just grow inside her over time. It was total madness. Even with the rare healing ties between high Alphas, nobody survived a torn chest. It was a lie to get her killed. They were executing my daughter.

The Blue-Claw Pack. Julian. That girl, Chloe.

They had no idea what they just started.

I closed my lids, letting my mind expand. My mental grip stretched out fast, moving across the borders, rushing over rivers and mountains until it covered the whole continent.

I found the mind link I needed. Cooper, my oldest boy, was out in California. I kept him there on purpose, keeping a quiet eye on the borders, waiting for the day Penelope needed a shield.

"Father," Cooper said in my head. His voice came through instantly, sharp and clear.

"Your sister is broken," I told him, sending the image of her pain through the link. "Take every piece of power you have. Open the Nebula Gate tonight and pull her out of there. Clean up the road behind you. I do not want a single dog from the Blue-Claw Pack finding her trail."

"I am on my way, Father," Cooper answered. I could feel his mental voice vibrating with a dark, heavy rage. "They are going to burn for this."

"They will," I said, opening my eyes to face the dark room. I pictured Cooper's pale blue wolf eyes, full of that freezing fire he took from me. "But your only job right now is to bring my little girl back to this hall alive."

Inside my soul, Ezra bared his teeth, begging to tear the skin off the men who crossed us. Very soon, the whole continent would learn what happens when you make the Lycan King look for blood.