TWO WEEKS FAST

MAYA

The morning light had barely broken through the high arch of my window when the heavy oak door of my quarters crashed open. The sharp crack echoed through the room like a gunshot.

I sat up straight on the bed, my heart instantly racing, pulling the thin sheet up to my chest.

Alpha Edward barged into my room. He didn't knock. He didn't pause. His broad shoulders were tense, his dark hair slightly disheveled, and his amber eyes burned with an intense, unreadable storm.

Right behind him was Maria. Her face was pulled so tight I thought her skin might split. Her teeth were clenched, her nostrils flaring with every shallow breath she drew. Standing there together in the doorway, the suffocating pressure radiating off them made one thing painfully clear: there was an absolute war brewing in this house.

Edward took three long strides into the room, stopping right beside my narrow bed. He stared down at me, his gaze sweeping over my pale face, the soft curve of my shoulders, and finally resting on my flat stomach. For a heavy, silent second, the air in the room felt so thick I couldn't swallow.

"You are carrying the heir," Edward declared. His voice was low, deep, and carried a weight that made the stone floor beneath my feet hum with power. "And you deserve far more than you are getting."

Maria let out a sharp, choked gasp, but Edward didn't even turn his head toward her.

"The mother of my child will be treated like my queen," Edward continued, his amber eyes locking onto mine with absolute finality. "Legitimately. The wedding comes up in two weeks."

Maria’s eyes turned red—a terrifying, blood-crimson shade as her internal wolf surged right beneath her skin. "Edward!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with pure, poisonous rage. "Are you out of your mind?! She is a maid! A street rat! You cannot bring a nameless orphan into the royal line!"

My instinct—the timid, cautious voice of the street orphan I was pretending to be—wanted to scream no. I wanted to back away from the sheer insanity unfolding right in front of me. But deep inside my chest, the ghost of Philomena stirred.

Two weeks.

I was on a mission to ruin this woman. I was here to strip away everything she had stolen from me eighteen years ago, and that journey had just taken a massive, sudden leap forward.

Before I could even speak, Edward reached down, his large, calloused hand gripping my arm. The heat of his touch seared straight through my skin.

"Get up," he commanded, pulling me right out of the bed. "You aren't staying in this dark, dusty room for another second. You are moving to my quarters. Today."

I stumbled slightly as my bare feet hit the cold floorboards, but I caught my balance immediately. He pulled me toward the door, intending to lead me down the grand hallway right into the Alpha’s master suite.

Well, I thought my revenge was going to take months to execute, but the opportunity was right here. Still, I knew I couldn't just play the submissive girl anymore. If I was going to take the crown, I had to command the room.

I yanked my arm back from his grip.

Edward froze. He turned his head slowly, his brow furrowing in utter disbelief as he looked at me.

"No, sir," I said, my voice steady, clear, and ringing out through the quiet room.

Maria stopped mid-breath, her red eyes snapping straight to my face.

I straightened my spine, looking Edward dead in the eye despite the massive Alpha pressure rolling off his shoulders. "Until I become a wife and a legitimate Luna, I will not share a room with the Alpha. I am not a mistress, and I will not be paraded into your bed before the pack elders give their blessing."

Edward’s jaw went slack for a fraction of a second. He was clearly shocked that a low-class girl—a maid he had bought off the streets—was standing in front of him, talking back, and openly refusing his direct order. He wasn't used to anyone saying no to him, let alone a girl carrying his child.

But the ghost in me didn't care at all. I had died once already. His title and his Alpha aura held zero fear over my soul.

Maria had her eyes fixed on me, glaring with so much hatred I could feel the heat of her glare burning against my skin. She looked like she wanted to tear my throat out right then and there. But I didn't care at all. I didn't even glance her way. My entire focus was on Edward, watching the dark, possessive hunger flare deep in his amber eyes.

Instead of getting angry, Edward’s lips twitched into a dark, dangerous smile. He took a slow step closer, towering over me, his scent of cedar and rain washing over my senses.

"A wife and a Luna," he murmured, his deep voice dropping into a rumble that sent an involuntary shiver down my back. "You have a lot of nerve for a maid, Maya."

"I am carrying the heir to Crimson Ridge," I replied softly, tilting my chin up to meet his intense gaze. "If you want me to wear your crown, you will respect my boundaries until the ring is on my finger."

"Fine," Edward agreed, stepping back, though his eyes never left my face. "You stay in this room until the wedding. But starting today, you don't sweep another floor. You don't clear another table. You eat royal meals, and you rest."

He turned on his heel, his heavy boots clicking against the floor as he walked out into the corridor.

Maria stayed behind for a fraction of a second. She took one step toward me, leaning in close so her foul, venomous whisper reached only my ears. "Enjoy your two weeks, street rat," she spat, her face twisting into a hideous, bitter sneer. "Because before you ever make it down that aisle, I will make sure you and that bastard inside you end up six feet under."

I didn't flinch. I didn't back down. I just gave her a small, slow, cold smile.

"Try it, Maria," I whispered back. "See who goes to the grave first this time."

Her eyes widened in a sudden flash of confusion before she turned around, her silk robe sweeping behind her as she hurried out after her husband, slamming the door shut behind them.

I stood alone in the quiet room, my heart hammering like a war drum against my ribs. I reached down, resting my hand gently over my stomach, feeling the soft warmth beneath my tunic.

Two weeks. I had two weeks to secure the throne, marry the Alpha, and prepare the trap that would finally destroy Maria once and for all.

Let the war begin.