Chapter 4

~EMILIA MONROE~

Adrielle hadn’t shut her mouth since she and the other contestants were shown to their chambers inside the mansion.

“Did you see him, Mitchell? His presence carries so much weight. Killian doesn’t even need to speak to command obedience.” Adrielle paced the length of the room, her hands pressed dramatically against her chest. “I swear, he only looked my way once and I felt it. I’ll win this contest. I’ll be his Luna. Just watch.”

Mitchell, was one of Adrielle’s friends way before the contest and seeing as they were both there for the same thing, they latched onto each other. “He certainly has the qualities of an outstanding Alpha. He's every girl's dream.”

I almost chuckled at Mitchell's statement, but I stopped myself.

Adrielle fell onto her bed with a chuckle. “I’ll make him see me and I'll make him choose me. I'll become his precious Luna.” She giggled again. "Gods, he's so handsome and hot."

I noticed her gaze slide toward me and then came the unexpected question.

"What do you think of him, Emilia?"

I had not expected to be dragged into their conversation, and I wasn't sure about what to say. Should I say he frightened me? Or that I felt an unexplainable attraction to him moments ago?

Before I could form a word, Adrielle laughed, cutting me off.

“Never mind. Your opinion doesn’t matter.”

Mitchell smirked, and Adrielle tossed her hair over her shoulder, pleased with herself.

I shrugged off her behaviour and instead drifted away in my thoughts.

All the contestants had been assigned their own maids and I assumed there was no more need for me to stay with Adrielle like my father wanted. So when Mitchelle left, I spoke to her about it.

“Since you have your maid now… maybe I can—”

“No.” She answered me sternly. “Don’t you dare think of leaving. You belong here. If you sneak away, I’ll tell Father, and you know what he’ll do.”

Her tone dripped with venom. My stomach twisted. I wanted so badly to snap back, to put her in her place. But, I remembered how that went the last time. I remembered the sting of my father's slaps on my face.

So quietly, I left the room to wander through the halls in order to calm my rage at Adrielle.

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The hallway stretched endlessly, with dim lights that threw shadows across the stone walls. My footsteps echoed faintly as I walked. I had never seen a place so immense, so commanding before. It felt less like a home and more like a fortress meant to remind everyone who held the power.

Something drew me toward a half-open door at the end of the hall. Curiosity tugged at me and before I could think it through, I slipped inside the room.

The air was cooler there. Portraits lined the walls. Alphas and Lunas of past, all painted with such detail thaf their eyes seemed to follow me as I walked. One portrait stopped me in my tracks. A boy, maybe ten, his dark hair wild, his cold blue eyes piercing straight through the canvas. Killian. I recognized it to be him. Even as a child, those eyes held the promise of something ruthless.

I tore my gaze away, unease creeping along my spine.

The room was filled with beautiful relics of the past and present.

At the center of the room stood a heavy table. Upon it were three golden goblets that had strange carvings on them. Again, without thinking things through, I found myself reaching out to hold them. I could almost feel the chill against my skin when a shadow fell over me

Before I could turn, strong hands lifted me off the ground and slammed my back against the wall. The impact shook my bones, knocking the breath out of ny lungs. My feet dangled, as I was still off the ground and trapped.

And then I met his eyes.

Cold. Blue. Piercing.

Killian.

The pull struck me again like lightning, the same terrifying rush that had gripped me earlier at the choosing. My heart raced wildly, showing how frightened I was of him.

“For a help,” He bagan, his voice sounding each word with disdain. “You have an interesting habit of going where you’re not supposed to, Emilia Monroe.”

My name on his lips felt foreign.

“I—I wasn’t—” I stammered, my throat tight beneath his grip. “I wasn’t going to take it. I’m sorry. I only looked.”

His gaze dropped briefly to the goblets, then returned to my face, studying me. His hand tightened slightly against my throat. Not enough to choke, but enough to remind her who held the power.

And in that instant, I wondered. Did he feel it too? That same undeniable pull tugging at me to him.

“I had wondered.” He finally spoke. “Why my wolf let you go that night.” His eyes bored into mine, and for a split second I saw the beast lurking beneath his skin. “But it became clearer moments ago.”

My heart stuttered painfully in my chest. He remembered me from the other night.

He leaned closer, his breath cold against my ear. “I am relieved about this contest, afterall. Because never will I have such a weakling like you as my Luna.”

His words cut sharper than any blade. He felt the pull too, but he saw me as nothing more than a weakling. He looked at me as though I were dirt beneath his boots. My throat ached, not from his grip but from the effort of holding back tears. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him I hadn’t asked for the mate bond, hadn’t asked for him.

Instead, I forced my voice to be steady, and with my chin lifted, I replied. “It’s not like I wanted a mate anyway. Least of all you.”

For a moment, something unreadable crossed his eyes. Then his mouth curved, not into a smile, but into a cold, dismissive sneer.

My chest ached, my pride stung raw. I was on the edge of breaking when a loud voice echoed through the halls beyond the door.

“All contestants are to prepare for dinner. You have one hour.”

Killian’s grip loosened on me, and I dropped staggeredly to the ground. He said nothing more. Only turned and walked away, his long strides echoing, leaving me shaken, breathless, and furious.

But as he vanished through the door, I could have sworn I felt it, his last glance over his shoulder. For some reason, I felt like he wasn't done with me yet. Things were far from over and my life was about to get more complicated