เข้าสู่ระบบThe morning after the announcement, the keep felt different. Rey noticed it the moment she stepped into the corridor. Servants who once greeted her politely now bowed their heads with visible respect. Guards straightened as she passed, their posture noticeably more attentive than before.Word had traveled fast. The Alpha’s heir. It was not simply gossip now, it was a fact the entire pack was already adapting to. Maren followed closely behind her, carrying a tray of herbs.“You shouldn’t walk too quickly, my lady,” Maren murmured.Rey slowed slightly, though the concern amused her. “You’re beginning to sound like Karl.”Maren lowered her voice. “The Alpha gave instructions this morning.”Rey stopped walking. “Instructions?”Maren nodded. “No heavy tasks, no unnecessary stress and I am to remain close to you at all times.”Rey sighed softly. “That man moves quickly.” Karl had clearly spent the entire night reorganizing the keep around her.Rey resumed walking toward the council hall. To
The pack gathered in the great hall that evening. It was not unusual for Karl to summon them. Matters of territory, disputes between wolves, or council decisions often required the presence of elders and high-ranking members.But tonight the atmosphere felt different. Whispers lingered in the corners of the hall. The wolves seated along the long wooden tables spoke quietly among themselves while servants moved between them with food and drink.Rey entered beside Karl. The shift in attention was immediate. Some wolves lowered their gaze respectfully. Others watched her with open curiosity. A few elders exchanged thoughtful glances.The mark on her neck was visible tonight. Karl had insisted on it.“Let them see it,” he had said earlier, his tone firm. “They should understand where you stand.”Rey had not argued. Now she walked calmly beside him toward the raised platform where the Alpha’s seat stood. Karl’s presence filled the room effortlessly. Conversations faded as he approached, hi
A month was enough time for the pack to change its rhythm. It happened quietly at first. Servants began knocking before entering Karl’s chambers, guards positioned themselves outside the corridor more frequently than before, even the elders seemed to linger when Rey walked through the halls, their eyes thoughtful rather than suspicious.The mark on her neck had settled into a faint silver imprint, barely visible unless someone looked closely but its presence was unmistakable and everyone knew what it meant.Rey moved through the keep with measured calm, aware of the subtle shifts around her. Some wolves bowed slightly when she passed now while others avoided her gaze completely.The bond had changed things and Karl had changed things. And yet, the most important change was something no one else could see.The warmth beneath her palm had grown stronger over the past few weeks. She had felt it long before the symptoms appeared but now her body was beginning to show the truth more clearl
The chamber was quiet except for the steady rhythm of breathing.Karl stood near the edge of the bed, watching the woman seated before him. Rey looked calm, almost too calm for what was about to happen. Her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, the candlelight catching faint gold in its strands. She hadn’t tried to leave, she hadn’t argued, she simply waited.Karl’s wolf paced beneath his skin, restless and impatient. The scent of her filled the room, warm, magnetic, impossible to ignore. Ever since the ritual weeks ago, the urge to claim her had grown stronger with every passing day.The instinct had stopped feeling like a suggestion.It felt inevitable.“You can still refuse,” Karl said quietly.His voice carried authority, but beneath it was something else, something less certain. Rey lifted her gaze to meet his. There was no fear in her expression, only thoughtfulness.“I know,” she said.Karl studied her for a long moment, searching her face for hesitation. The bond they ha
KARL’S POVI wake before dawn. Rey is still asleep beside me, her body curled inward as if even rest is something she guards carefully. Her hair spills across my chest, pale gold against my skin, and for a moment, just a moment, I forget everything else.The pack.Politics.Rieka.I trace a finger down Rey’s spine slowly, possessively. She's mine.The thought settles deeper than instinct. It feels… inevitable. I have marked warriors before. Temporary claims, battle bonds, but this is different. This is not strategy or dominance.This is hunger.“She’s dangerous,” the elders warned.They were right. But not in the way they think. Rey opens her eyes, blinking softly as if she senses me watching.“You didn’t sleep,” she murmurs.“I did,” I lied.She studies me too closely, as if she knows better, then sits up, pulling the sheet around herself. The movement exposes her neck, smooth, unmarked.My wolf surges violently. She notices. Her gaze flickers to my mouth. Then back to my eyes.“You
KARL’S POVThe corridor still smells like magic. Not pack magic. Not a wolf.Her magic.I’ve fought rogues, rival Alphas, and hunters. I’ve torn throats and burned villages when necessary. I’ve never felt powerless in my own domain. Until today.Rey stands before me, chest rising too fast, eyes glowing faintly with residual power. The guards are frozen, unsure whether to kneel or attack. Maren is pale, shaking, clearly terrified, but loyal enough to remain standing beside Rey.And I… I don’t know whether to demand answers or pull Rey into my arms and swear the entire world to her protection.“What,” I say slowly, forcing command into my voice, “was that?”She looks at me, really looks, measuring, calculating, deciding how much of the truth I can survive.That alone should anger me.Instead, it ignites something dark and territorial.“I didn’t want you to find out like this,” she says quietly.I step closer. The guards stiffen.“Send them away,” she adds softly. I don’t hesitate.“Leav







