~~~3. Escaping The Political Mating.

“Alpha, you’re in your rut period. No way you’re facing the Royal Assembly tonight. I won’t allow it.”

Gina coughed while gripping her chest, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the strong scent of the Alpha’s rut hit her.

But she wouldn’t give up. Not when he had just smirked at her.

Despite being in her fifties, her Beta body enhanced her abilities. She crossed swiftly to his front, blocking his view of the mirror. “You don’t have to do this.”

His icy-gray eyes moved sharply and locked onto hers.

“I know you care about me. Just as much as my father did when he was alive. But you of all people know I can’t neglect my duties as King.”

Brayden, the reigning Alpha King of Crownfang Pack, spoke calmly.

“Irrespective of the ministers’ intentions,” he paused, forcing a smile, “I have to be physically present.”

“They aren’t worth it!” Gina drew a shaky breath, her eyes glassy with tears, his scent thick in her nose. “Your father wouldn’t have risked his wellbeing just to please those ingrates trying to satisfy themselves. The ministers only want to force you further into political mating.”

“Gina. Stay out of this and keep your mouth shut.”

He buttoned the last piece of his shirt.

Gina sighed and walked past him, out of the room. She slammed the door hard enough to rattle it.

Brayden shut his eyes, breathed deep, then opened them to catch his reflection in the mirror.

Standing well above six feet, he possessed the broad shoulders expected of an Alpha King. Dark hair fell just above icy-gray eyes that rarely betrayed emotion. A straight nose, sharp jawline, and years of disciplined training gave him an intimidating handsomeness few dared admire openly.

He grabbed the bottle on the table and swallowed some of its contents.

‘I hope this works for the time being.’ He tightened his grip around the bottle as his body warmed again.

*Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?!* Grey, his wolf, asked, concern slipping into his tone.

“I have to attend the meeting.”

*You’re the Alpha King. You could make up an excuse. No one would question you.*

“Grey,” Brayden exhaled, sweat beading on his forehead, “you know that’s not how this works. The Royal Assembly’s been looking for a reason to show I’m not fit to rule. I can’t give them one.”

*Fuck them all!* Grey’s voice tore through his skull hard enough to make him wince. *You’re twenty-four. I don’t understand this pressure.*

“According to Pack law, at twenty we should’ve found our mate, even if we haven’t marked yet. You know this. Don’t make it harder than it already is.” His voice softened. “Please.”

Grey stirred and went quiet.

A knock sounded at the door before it opened.

Hadrian wheeled himself in with an expression unreadable at first, but it softened the moment his eyes landed on his younger brother.

“You look terrible,” Hadrian said, a small, tired smile pulling at his mouth.

“Thanks.” Brayden turned from the mirror. “Come to lecture me too?”

“Gina already did enough of that on her way out.” Hadrian wheeled closer, stopping a few feet from him. “I could hear her from the hallway.”

Brayden huffed something close to a laugh, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

Hadrian studied him for a long moment, the way an older brother does when he’s deciding how much honesty someone can take.

“Father wouldn’t want to see you like this,” he said quietly. “Pushing your body past what it can hold, just to sit at a table with people who’ve never once respected you the way he did.”

Brayden’s jaw tightened.

“I remember how he used to look at you,” Hadrian continued, his voice gentler now. “Like you were already everything the Pack needed. He never once doubted you would be a good King.” He paused. “And now… he would hate what this crown has done to you.”

Something in Brayden’s chest cracked open, just slightly. “I don’t have a choice, Hadrian.”

“You do.” Hadrian rolled a little closer, resting a hand on his brother’s arm. “You’ve always had more choices than you let yourself believe. You just carry this crown like it owns you instead of the other way around.”

Brayden looked away. “Someone has to carry it seriously.”

“I know.” Hadrian’s voice softened further. “I used to think that too, before—” He gestured faintly toward the wheelchair, the words trailing off into something he clearly didn’t want to finish. “Things change what we’re allowed to carry. But you shouldn’t have to break yourself apart just to prove you’re strong enough for a throne no one gave you a choice about either.”

Brayden said nothing for a long moment. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable—it never was, not with Hadrian.

“I might have found a way out, actually.” Hadrian’s tone shifted, even more lighter now. “A way out of the political mating they’re trying to force on you. I’ve been looking into it for weeks.”

Brayden’s eyes lifted, surprise flickering through the exhaustion. “What kind of way?”

“It’s complicated. I would rather explain it properly, not while you’re like this.” Hadrian nodded toward him, toward the sweat beading at his temple, the tremor in his hands. “Let me tell you tomorrow, once your head’s clear.”

Brayden exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Alright.”

He needed air more than he needed answers right now.

“I’m going for a ride,” Brayden said, already moving toward the door. “Clear my head.”

“In your condition?” Hadrian’s brow furrowed.

“I’ll be fine.” Brayden managed a small, tired smile. “I just need to not be inside these walls for a while.”

Hadrian watched him go, a hearty smile forming at the edge of his lips.

Brayden made it as far as the garage before his body betrayed him completely.

“Again?” He let out a frustrated groan. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

His hand flew to his chest, and he doubled over, his breath tearing out of him in ragged pulls. The bottle he had swallowed from earlier had bought him nothing but just a few borrowed minutes.

A guard nearby straightened, alarmed. “Your Majesty—”

Brayden didn’t hear him.

The veins along his neck bulged violently. His fingers curled into fists, trembling with the effort of holding together something that no longer wanted to be held.

*I can’t stop it,* Grey snarled, pain bleeding into every word. *It’s too strong tonight.*

“No—” Brayden’s voice cracked apart. “Not here—”

His eyes flooded white. He threw his head back toward the full moon hanging above the palace walls and let out a howl that shattered whatever composure he had left. Bone cracked against bone as his body folded into itself and reshaped into a wolf with silver fur beneath moonlight.

He surged forward.

Guards scattered out of his path as he tore through the garage, past the gates, past every hand that reached for him and failed to catch hold.

“What do you mean the Alpha ran off?” Gina thundered, slamming the book she was reading on the table.

“We have to find him. Immediately.”