Chapter 3

I spent the next few days locked inside Ember Hall. Guards stood shoulder to shoulder beyond the doors. The place was sealed so tightly that not even a fly could slip through.

Lucien came once to persuade me.

"Aria, if you'll go apologize to Lina, I'll lift the confinement."

He stood there for a moment, waiting for me to say something. When I remained silent, he let out a sigh.

"I know you're upset, but I have to think about the wolves' future. Our numbers are dwindling, and the elders are pushing harder every day.

"You know, Lina gets pregnant easily. This pregnancy is crucial. If she delivers strong, healthy pups, the pack can grow again. We won't have to live under the shadow of other tribes."

He kept pressing me with talk of duty and righteousness until I finally turned to face him.

"For the wolves' future? Put your hand on your heart and say you don't have feelings for Lina. Weren't you two already sneaking around, and now you just want a respectable reason to make her your wife?"

His expression darkened at once, like I had struck straight at the secret he was hiding, and humiliation twisted into fury. "You're unbelievable! I thought you knew better, but you're nothing but jealous and unreasonable! I'm done talking to you!"

He spun on his heel and stormed away. From that day forward, he didn't appear before me again.

Time passed quickly, and the wedding day arrived.

As his first wife, I was expected to attend. I let the attendants dress me and guide me to my seat, my expression blank while I kept my own silent count of time.

Keaton should be arriving soon.

The wedding ceremony was held in the palace's largest hall.

Lucien wore his wedding suit, unable to hide his joy.

Lina dressed in white to match him, crowned with jewels and draped in a veil. Her belly was already showing, but she held herself as if it were her greatest triumph.

They seated me in an unnoticed corner. I watched the farce unfold with a calm, expressionless face.

Guests glanced my way and whispered, their voices drifting like gnats.

"Poor thing. She's a princess of the bird tribe, yet she has to watch her husband marry her former maid."

"Poor? Not at all! She brought it on herself! After all these years, she's only laid one mediocre egg, and she still won't let go of the queen's seat."

"Exactly. Look at Lina. She was pregnant even before the wedding, and they say it's triplets. That's the kind of wife who can actually grow the pack!"

I kept my expression calm, but my nails bit deep into my palm.

A bright voice cut through the noise. "What a lively wedding!"

Every head turned when the doors opened and Keaton walked in, clad in black, flanked by a squad of tiger warriors.

The hall rippled with sudden commotion. Everyone knew the tigers and wolves were hardly on friendly terms. Keaton hadn't been invited, and he certainly hadn't come in peace.

Lucien's expression darkened. "Keaton, it's my wedding day! Why are you here instead of minding your own tribe?"

Keaton ignored Lucien completely. He walked straight through the crowd to my table, pulled out the empty chair beside me, and sat down.

When he turned to me, his smile flashed bright enough to dazzle.

Lucien's expression went darker. Lina looked from Keaton to me, then lifted her voice so everyone would hear. "Did you see that, Lucien? I told you she and Keaton had something going on! They must have been together all along!"

It added fuel to the fire. Worked up from Keaton's arrival, Lucien snapped.

"Aria, is that true? What exactly is going on between you and Keaton?"

Keaton let out a mocking laugh and clapped slowly.

The next second, two tiger warriors marched in, dragging a man bound hand and foot.

He bore the head of a wolf on a human body, unmistakably one of Lucien's people.

The moment Lina saw him, the color drained from her face. She began to shake and stumbled back a step, barely keeping her footing.

Lucien noticed her change, frowned at the captive, and confusion flickered in his eyes. "Keaton, what are you doing?" he barked, barely holding on to his patience.

Keaton ignored him, fixing his gaze on Lina, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Do you truly not recognize him, Lina? Tell us whose pups you're carrying!"