CHAPTER 002

Keira's POV

I stared in awe, unable to withstand the aura oozing from him. I bowed my head in reverence. That single act alone made me realise that this was the Lycan King. If I had been a normal werewolf, I would be prostrating. He was as powerful as the rumours said.

But young? Handsome? I had heard he was an old man who had buried every companion he ever had. Nothing about him matched that story.

He pulled back the weight of his aura, and I lifted my head.

"Lycan King, what do we owe this honour? Your wedding to my sister isn't until a week's time."

He raised his brow and leaned forward to me.

"Your sister? I could smell your Alpha aura from a mile away, Sunflower. Aren't you the only daughter of the Alpha?"

His intense gaze and open stare made me unable to speak for a moment, and then I breathed in… and regretted it almost immediately.

His scent was… clouding. Intoxicating in the sense that it both overwhelmed and drew you closer.

"I… I," I started and stopped, telling myself to get it together. What was it about this man that made me so nervous?

He didn't break his gaze or his closeness, and matter of fact, I shifted away to get some space around him, but he took a step forward immediately.

"I… have an adopted sister. That's who you're going to be married to. You might have heard there's only one daughter available because I'm also going to be getting married to my fated mate on the day you are going to be wed to my sister."

He studied me for a second, his dark, hairy brows knitting up.

"If she's adopted, it means she looks nothing like you?" he said. His hand reached up and touched my chin. I couldn't explain the feeling of his skin on me.

A mix of fear and electricity buzzed through me. This was menacing in the very self.

"Well, I guess I don't care who my bride is," he said, his voice dropping lower as he leaned in. Our faces just inches apart.

"It doesn't matter who." And with that, he straightened and walked down the stairs as though he had not pinned me down with his death stare just now.

I felt my lungs loosen as I finally breathed in air that wasn't filled with his scent.

I needed to find Lyra and Zeke and make sure neither of them was foolish enough to try something that could destroy our entire pack.

I burst into the room where they still had their hands around each other. My love for Zeke made me hopeless most of the time that I didn't say anything when it came to his actions or my sister's.

But Magnus would kill us all if things went wrong.

"Zeke," I said, my voice sharper than I meant it to be, "what do you think you're doing, holding the Lycan King's bride like that? If he walks in and sees this, do you think our pack survives it?"

Lyra stepped in front of him then. Her face masked with that pathetic look of helplessness.

"Keira, please don't be mad at him. I was the one who crossed the line. He was only comforting me."

Zeke pushed her gently aside. His voice sharp when he spoke. "Don't you think you're being too hard on Lyra? Do you know the immense amount of fear and panic of being led to her own death just because she's helpless?"

My eyes widened at the tone he used.

"You should get this in your head that I am your mate. I could tolerate this before, but Zeke, we're one week close to our wedding. One week close!"

"And I will marry you. I will fulfil my duty to the pack and choose you. But what about Lyra? Have you once comforted her after you heard about her fate?"

I looked between the both of them. My wolf digging into my chest, pain shot through me so suddenly that I gasped and held my chest.

Just then I saw the small curve of Lyra's lips in a sly smile.

Comforted her? Not when Lyra was the cause of my bad reputation in the pack. The cold ice queen. Wicked even to her own sister and parents.

Lyra started rumours out of nothing. Made me look evil in front of everyone. Comforting someone like her would be like digging my own grave.

Rage boiled deep through me and unleashed out before I could stop myself.

"Comfort her? This pretentious wretch. Like she didn't deserve it. Maybe the Moon Goddess finally looked down on me with pity and sent her this punishment!" I yelled, and I saw Zeke's face contort with rage.

He raised his hand like he wanted to hit me, and I flinched for half a second before Lyra threw herself on him.

"Zeke, please don't be mad at her. She's right. I'm the problem."

I couldn't take this anymore. "How dare you touch my mate?" I yelled and felt my Alpha aura leave me and push past them like a pressure that made her fly back and hit her head against the wall. But Zeke was still somehow standing.

He rushed to her immediately and dropped down beside her, pulling her into his arms. He stroked her hair and whispered that he was sorry.

I stared at the scene with something dropping low in my stomach.

"Keira, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me. I'm so sorry."

My eyes widened when I saw blood at the back of her head. I hadn't meant for that to happen. I had lost it… and…

"No… please, I didn't mean to hurt her," I said, but Zeke was already carrying her in his arms and heading out. He stopped for just a second as he got to me.

"You say Lyra lied about you. But you never fail to show just how evil and dark your heart is," he said.

"No… wait… I didn't mean it." But he had already left.

I sank to the ground. A deep wave of sadness washed over me. The pain of his words and his coldness weighed deeply on my wolf. A tear slipped from my eyes. Something in me snapped, resigned. I was so done with this.

"You can have each other then.”