The Alpha's Gambit

​(Noah’s POV)

​I had planned for every variable.

​The security at the gates, the vintage of the wine, the exact timing of the Northern Alphas' arrival, everything had been anticipated to project one thing: perfection.

 The Vaelor name was built on the illusion of perfection, and tonight was supposed to be the crowning achievement of my leadership.

​I had planned for Aria to be my masterpiece. I wanted them to see her in the red velvet, a flame among the ashes of Blackthorne history. I wanted them to see the mark and understand that I was in control.

​I also wanted to see how seductive she would look in that dress. No doubt I was already crazy about her, even though I was doing a poor job of hiding it.

 My heart skipped as I saw her walk down the steps, her hand locked in my brother’s. He always knew how to provoke me, the way his fingers lingered on her skin, but I couldn't deny the effect she had on the room.

 She radiated royalty, beauty, and a certain aura that made my mind go numb when she was near.

​Everything was perfect, but what I hadn’t planned for was the scent of rot and betrayal walking through my front door.

​My hand tightened on Aria’s waist, the fabric of her gown bunching beneath my palm. She was trembling. It made my wolf snarl, wanting to tear the throat out of every man in the room who dared to look at her with anything other than fear.

​"Maeve?" she whispered.

​The sound of her name was like a broken plea against my nerves. I didn't like the way she reached for the past. I didn't like the way she looked at the woman in silk and gold as if she were a lifeline.

​The moment we had secured Aria from the ruins of her village, I had put out a secret search. I told myself it was to secure what was mine, but the truth was, I saw the hollow look in Aria’s eyes when she spoke of her cousin.

 I had sent my best trackers to find Maeve, to bring her here so Aria would have no reason to look anywhere else for comfort.

​I had found her. Or rather, I found out who had her.

​"Alpha Julian of Highwood has her, sir," my lead scout had reported in the shadows of my study. "She’s alive. But he’s moved her to another location. He’s... preparing her for something."

​I had sent a message through the underground channels, a demand for her release. I even offered a territory trade that would have made my father turn in his grave. I thought I could buy her back, anything to comfort Aria.

​But Julian had sent back a single, cryptic response: "Why would I sell you the sun when I can use it to burn your house down?"

​I thought I understood the threat. I thought he just wanted to use Maeve as ransom. I never expected this. I never expected Maeve to walk into my hall with a mark on her chest, looking at her own flesh and blood with eyes that wanted her dead.

​When I had sent my messenger to the Highwood camp, he had spoken to Maeve directly. He told her Aria was safe with me. So why was she standing there now, draped in the colors of our enemy? Why would she choose to stand beside a man like Julian to tear down the only person who loved her, the only family she had left?

​"They have her, Noah," Aria gasped, her hand clutching my forearm, her nails digging into the expensive wool of my sleeve. 

"That’s my cousin. We have to…"

​"Be silent, Aria," I commanded.

​It was harsh but necessary. Those who had just been bowing to my girl were already whispering.

​"Julian," I called out, my voice booming through the hall, colder than the air outside. 

"I didn't realize Highwood had a taste for theater. You’ve brought a girl and a glow-stick. Is that supposed to impress me?"

​Maeve pulled back the silk of her collar. The golden crescent on her skin didn't just glow; it was a blinding, aggressive light that felt like a physical blow.

​Julian stepped forward, his hand sliding down Maeve’s arm with a possessiveness that made my blood boil. 

"No theater, Noah. Just the truth. You thought you found the True Heir? My Maeve... She's the light."

​The hall erupted.

​"Two marks?" Lord Varick shouted, his face reddening. "The Ancient Law says there is only one! Which of these is the True Heir?"

​Maeve looked at her cousin with so much visible hatred I wondered where it came from.

​"You were always the weak one, cuz," Maeve said, her voice carrying across the silent ballroom. 

"You were always the one we had to hide. But the mark doesn't lie. Only one of us can lead. And I think it's time the Blackthorne Alphas realized they've been betting on the wrong wolf."

​I felt Aria’s spirit break beside me. I could feel the sharp intake of her breath, the way her body went slack with the weight of the betrayal.

​"No, you… you're my sister, Maeve. I was looking for you. What happened to you?" Aria whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

​Maeve stepped forward, but as she did, something unexpected happened.

​Beside me, Aria screamed.

​She collapsed, her hands clawing at the red velvet over her heart. I caught her before she hit the marble, her body convulsing in my arms.

​"Aria!" I roared, but she didn't hear me.

​Across the hall, Maeve was undergoing the same agony. Her face was twisted in a mask of pain and ecstasy. 

I looked down at Aria. She was turning gray in my arms. Her mark was fading, the gold leaching out of her skin and traveling straight into Maeve.

​"Noah..." Aria’s voice was a ghost of a sound. She reached up, her cold fingers grazing my cheek. "Help…"

​"Cassian, kill the girl!" I commanded, my voice breaking.

​Cassian lunged, but before he could reach them, they vanished as if they had never been there at all.

​Suddenly, Aria’s eyes snapped open.

​They weren't brown. They were a terrifying, abyssal black, the color of the void. She didn't look at me with love. She didn't look at me with fear. 

She reached out, her hand closing around my throat with a strength that cracked the bone.

​"The hunt has begun," she whispered, her voice sounding like a thousand different people at once.

​Then, she blacked out.