Chapter Three

The goblet shattered in his hand, but he didn’t so much as flinch at the sting of glass piercing his palm. Crimson wine ran down his fingers like blood, dripping onto the obsidian armrest of his throne. The air thickened, oppressive, charged with his fury.

He leaned forward slowly, claws digging deep into the throne’s armrests until cracks spider-webbed through the black stone. His eyes glowed faintly, a savage light burning within them, the kind of fire that promised ruin to anyone foolish enough to stand against him.

The lake rippled violently, reacting to his rage. Waves crashed against the edges of the basin, hissing, glowing brighter as though Evelyn’s essence itself trembled beneath his wrath.

In the shimmering reflection, Evelyn stirred.

Her brows knitted faintly as though a shadow had touched her dreams. She shifted in her bed, her lips parting, her body curling slightly, unsettled. She did not wake, but her chest rose quicker, her breaths shallow, as though her soul itself sensed the predator who now watched her.

The Alpha’s gaze darkened, sharp and unrelenting. He leaned back again, the throne groaning under his weight, as though even the stone feared his strength. His voice was a low growl, reverberating through the garden, through the bones of every creature near enough to hear.

“Aldric…”

The name dripped with venom, with centuries of hatred buried under layers of control. It was not shouted—it didn’t need to be. The single utterance carried the weight of destruction, enough to make the witch lower her head until her body nearly collapsed in worship.

The shadows writhed across the ground, stretching toward him like serpents, feeding off his wrath. Above, the sky itself darkened, the moon smothered by his aura until the night was thick and endless.

The witch dared a glance at the lake and gasped softly as Evelyn turned once more in her sleep, her fingers twitching as if some unseen thread tugged at her.

The Alpha smirked, though it was nothing human,nothing gentle. It was the kind of smile that promised worlds torn apart, promises broken, lives ended. He dragged a claw across the armrest, leaving a deep scar in the stone, his voice low and final.

“She will never be his, not while I've waited for three hundred years.”

*********

Evelyn’s POV

The living room was too quiet.

I sat before a small mirror propped on the table, its silver frame worn at the edges, not nearly as grand as the golden vanity in my chamber. Yet even here, I could barely recognize the girl staring back at me. Painted lips. Powdered cheeks. A stranger dressed in silk, waiting to be offered like a gift.

I leaned closer, searching my own eyes as though I could peel back the mask. But all I found was the shadow of a dream I couldn’t shake.

Blindfolded.

Hands gliding across my skin.

A voice, low and possessive, whispering into my ear—Mine.

The memory made my chest tighten. Sylvara stirred inside me, restless, her claws raking the edges of my ribs. I hated that dream as much as I craved it, and even now she whined low, her unease bleeding into me.

Because it wasn’t just a dream.

Some nights, I swore I felt eyes on me long after the guards had changed shifts. Shadows lingered outside my window, too still, too deliberate to be tricks of the light. And once,just once,a note had appeared on my dresser. Blank, but carrying a scent that wrapped around me like smoke. It was familiar and irresistible. And yet I couldn’t remember who it belonged to.

I shivered, rubbing my arms though the brazier’s fire kept the room warm. Was I walking toward Aldric, my supposed destiny, or was I already claimed by someone else? Someone I couldn’t name, but made my wolf pace and snarl inside me like prey caught in a hunter’s gaze.

“Milady?”

A hand touched my shoulder. I flinched, the mirror nearly slipping from my grasp.

The maid blinked at me, nervous. “Forgive me. You… drifted. I’ve called you twice already.”

I forced a smile, though my pulse was still erratic. “I’m fine.”

But I wasn’t. My reflection was pale, my eyes too wide, as though even the shadows in this quiet room whispered promises meant only for me.

Silk rustled, pearls clinked, and perfume hung heavy in the air like a cage. I sat before the vanity, staring at the painted girl in the mirror who barely looked like me.

Rouged lips. Kohl-lined eyes. A dress sewn with threads of gold that clung too tightly at the waist. They had dressed me to be a queen, but all I saw was a pawn.

The maids buzzed around me, their laughter sweet and grating.

“Lady Evelyn,” one whispered as she fastened a clasp at my shoulder, “they say Alpha Aldric is the most handsome man alive. The kind of face carved for statues.”

“I sure hope that he has healed fully.” Said a maid.

The other giggled. “If he looked at me, I’d faint at his feet.”

I rolled my eyes. “Then perhaps you should wear my dress.”

Their giggles only grew, but inside me, bitterness coiled. I had never asked for this.Alpha Aldric was ambushed by an unknown wolf and his injuries were fatal. No one knows who it is.

I was not born for thrones or alliances. I was just the orphaned omega the King had raised out of duty. And yet, here I sat, prepared to be offered like a coin.

My stepfather called it destiny. I called it theft. Was Alpha Aldric trying to connect to me through my dreams?

We could run, Sylvara whispered, restless beneath my skin. She was wild and untamable, her spirit as fierce as the storms she loved to chase. She pressed against me now, pacing, ears flicking back as if even she rejected this path.

“Enough,” I whispered under my breath, forcing my hands to still in my lap. “We don’t get to choose.”

The door creaked open.

I stiffened as my stepfather entered, robed in crimson, his crown heavy on his brow. His smile was wide, but his eyes gleamed with calculation.

“My daughter,” he said, pride swelling in his voice. “Today you step into a golden future. You understand, don’t you? This marriage will save us. It will save you.”

Save me? The words tasted bitter. I bowed my head anyway. “Yes, Father.”

He cupped my cheek, warm but unyielding. “Good girl. You will make him proud. You will make me proud.”

When he left, the silence returned. Only the beating of my heart filled the chamber.

And then—

The air changed.

At first, I thought it was the braziers sputtering, the perfumed smoke thickening. But no. This was heavier. Colder. The walls themselves seemed to bow beneath it.

Sylvara whimpered. Her claws scraped against the inside of me, her tail tucked tight between her legs. Alpha…Aplha

Goosebumps raced across my skin. My pulse thundered. Only one man could bend the air like this, command a presence so absolute that even the strongest wolves would kneel.

Aldric.

My heart lodged in my throat. My lips parted, but no sound came. Slowly,so slowly,I rose to my feet. The skirts of my gown dragged like chains across the floor. I had met him once,years ago. I had no idea why my heart thundered upon his arrival.

I turned and I froze.

It wasn’t Aldric.

The man in the doorway was taller, broader, shadows curling at his heels like obedient hounds. His gaze locked onto mine,they were dark, bottomless and dangerous. The chamber seemed to shrink around him, every flame in the braziers bowing low as if in reverence.

Sylvara snarled low inside me, a sound tangled with fear and something I couldn’t name. Not Aldric… not him… yet why does it feel…

My breath hitched. My knees wavered. The golden cage of pearls and silks I wore felt suddenly suffocating, as if he had stripped me bare with nothing but his eyes.

Alpha Dylen Varyn?

Why did my wolf tremble as though she already knew him?

And when his lips curved in the faintest smirk, why did I feel as though destiny itself had just shifted beneath my feet?