Chapter 3

Sylvia’s POV

Almost everyone sucked in a sharp breath as Alpha King Lucian stood before us; his harsh words echoing through the square.

Wolves bowed, spines bending under his presence. Even Alpha Marshall bowed out of respect to the King. Lucian’s eyes flickered all around the square, his eyes darting to each pack member until they landed on me once again.

Alpha Marshall started to ramble on about tradition, but it was clear that the King wasn’t listening; his eyes stayed glued to me. Something in his gaze called to a primal part of me, a submissive urge to bow that rose from instincts I never knew I had. The compulsion left me deeply unsettled.

I staggered backwards, knocking into the pedestal that held the moonstone. It wavered and started to tip. I quickly turned and grabbed it before it could land on the ground, my heart in my throat.

I let out a breath, relieved to have caught it before it hit the ground, but that relief quickly went away as soon as I saw the stone begin to glow.

Just as soon as the moonstone glowed, it faded. My eyes remained fixed on it, my lips parted in shock. It seemed as if I wasn’t the only one who noticed the moonstone’s sudden glow because Alpha Marshall took it from my hands before I could even blink.

“Impossible,” he whispered, his brows furrowed. “What did you do to it?”

His accusing words struck me like a slap across the face. I stared up at him, waiting to tell him off, but I could feel the weight of the Alpha King Lucian staring at me, and suddenly, heat crept up the back of my neck.

I wasn’t surprised that the moonstone had faded; why would the moon bother with someone like me? But I was surprised that it glowed at all… it made me wonder what it meant.

“It has to be broke now,” Alpha Marshall murmured, turning towards the priestess who was staring at me. I hadn’t noticed her eyes on me until that moment, but I could see that she was searching for something on my face… I just couldn’t tell what it was.

“It’s not broken,” she finally said, her voice coming out soft. She didn’t bother looking at the moonstone; she just knew that it wasn’t broken.

The Alpha let out a breath before he turned his attention to the Lucian, who stood tall, his eyes unwavering.

Then Lucian spoke, his voice profound, quiet, and inescapable.

“The stone glowed in my presence,” he said, though it was barely more than a flicker. “That means she is connected to my family somehow.”

Connected.

I blinked, too stunned to speak.

Alpha Marshall stepped in front of me, shielding me from the penetrating eyes of the king.

“Your Majesty, surely you don’t—this is a mistake! She’s wolfless, a burden, a half-blood with no value. Weaker than an omega.”

The king’s head turned slowly as winter's tide, and Marshall fell silent, his head lowering.

“Move aside, Alpha,” the king said coldly, and Marshall had no choice but to obey. He stepped away from me, allowing the king full view. “She comes with me.”

The words crashed through me harder than the Alpha's slap had earlier.

What did he mean by that? I was coming with him? I stared at the Alpha King, his expression serious, showing that he was anything but joking. His eyes flickered between me and Alpha Marshall, daring one of us to argue.

My knees wobbled and I feared they might give way. I looked at Grace, who was watching from afar, her eyes wide with worry and fear.

The hall erupted into murmurs, wolves craning their necks, disbelief written across their face.

Alpha Marshall’s jaw worked; his bow was forced and stiff.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” he murmured, keeping his head down.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. All I could do was meet the King’s gaze and feel the walls of my world collapsing, rebuilding in a shape I didn’t recognize.

….

Lucian’s POV

The girl was younger than I’d expected.

Sera’s letter had reached me too late—she was dead, her warning of what would happen if the pack learned the truth gnawing at me. I have to see for myself whether Sera’s words were true. And if there’s even a chance Sylvia is Jackson’s daughter, even if it’s a lie, I can’t turn my back on her. Not when I made an oath to Jackson.

I concealed my aura so nobody would know that I slipped into the funeral shadows. The sad excuse of a ceremony angered me, but not as much as their treatment of her daughter, Sylvia. I could tell from her similar features and the grief clear in her eyes that she was Jackson and Sera’s daughter.

I watched the way they treated her; they shoved her, slapped her, and dragged her away from her own mother’s funeral before she could even shed a tear. Before she could properly grieve what she had lost.

Disgust curdled my stomach. I’d seen packs with cruel Alphas before, but this? This was rot.

My wolf, Fenrir, stirred violently inside me, anger boiling over. I followed and watched; my men hiding in shadows, ready to fight if any threat came to their king. I nodded at them to follow along with me as I trailed Jackson’s daughter, who was being dragged away violently by large warriors.

A low growl escaped my throat; Fenrir wanted to tear them apart for their rough treatment of her.

Though I shared in the anger, Fenrir's rage was something else entirely. It was unusual, especially for a wolf known for his unnaturally settled presence, one who rarely ever revealed what simmered beneath the surface.

I realized we had entered a mating ceremony.

Were they really planning on doing this right now? Right after her mother died? Before she could even be mourned? The woman wasn’t even given a proper burial.

Along with everyone else, I watched and waited as they performed the ceremony, and when the moonstone didn’t glow, I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. I was relieved that she had no mate in this pack; it meant she wasn’t tied down here.

But then I heard his words; his fucking words.

“You can either be a rogue or the pack whore.”

The aura I’d been holding back broke loose for a moment, spilling like a storm. The gasps erupted before I could conceal my aura again. My cover had been broken; I needed to take action.

I kept my cloak on as I walked towards the center of the square; my men, who were in disguise as well, were about to jump in at any moment, but I gave them a subtle head shake as I continued to walk towards the center… towards her.

I knew from the way she tensed that she could feel my gaze on her. When she turned, her eyes found mine, and for a moment, I found it hard to look away. I saw the recognition in her gaze; she knew me from the fire a bit ago.

Once the Alpha realized who I was, he tried to cover up his past actions… what he feared I already saw. But I wasn’t listening to a word he was saying. I didn’t care about his excuses; I wanted to get Syliva out of this wretched pack.

She staggered backwards when she realized who I was, unable to keep her eyes on mine for much longer, nearly knocking over the moonstone in the process. She quickly reached for it, saving it from hitting the ground.

That was when the stone flickered, a faint glow, bright enough to light an entire room. But just as quickly as it glowed, it faded.

I didn’t miss the accusatory way that Alpha Marshall spoke to her; how he pretty much berated her quietly as if it was somehow her fault that the moonstone suddenly glowed. I wanted to tear his throat out for speaking to her in such a manner, but we had rules that I needed to abide by, and I couldn’t break them even if I was the king.

I didn’t understand why the stone suddenly glowed in my presence. But I didn’t need to. It was enough to take her away from this pack… it was all the excuse I needed.

So, I said the words that could bind the choice.

“She comes with me.”