Chapter 5

Alpha Damon POV

“Alpha, your orders have been carried out. More cards have been given out and more women have been brought in to join the harem.”

The moment Colleen, my Beta, said those words from across the study, I felt my heart do that familiar unpleasant flip, the one it always did whenever he brought news like that.

My fingers, which had been typing quickly across the keyboard in front of me, slowed, then stopped completely.

The soft clicking of the keys faded into silence as I leaned back slightly in my chair and looked up at him.

My chest felt tight, like something heavy had settled on it.

If anyone looked at me right now, they would probably think I had just been handed a death sentence.

Hell, even the Moon knew how much I hated hearing about that damn ritual.

Hating hearing the sound of more women being brought here.

“How many?” I asked slowly, not because I actually cared.

But because the silence was starting to stretch too long and I needed to say something.

“Fifty.”

Fifty.

The number echoed in my head like the hollow beat of a drum.

And my heart did another flip as I dragged a hand slowly down my face.

Of course, that was how it always was, fifty women every two to three months.

All beautiful, young and promising.

All pushing themselves forward to me with those hopeful eyes and eager smiles, like their entire future depended on me.

But I already knew how it would end, in fact, everyone knew.

Tears, disappointment and broken expectations.

And somehow, despite all that, they still kept coming.

That was the part that never made sense to me.

With all the previous failures, with all the humiliation, women still pushed themselves forward every single time this ritual was announced.

Why?

Was it really just about the benefits that came with being Supreme Luna?

The title, the wealth, and the power that came with it, or was there something more?

My jaw clenched slightly.

Of course, I knew most of them were gold diggers. That much had always been obvious.

You could see it in their eyes when they looked at the palace.

You could hear it in their voice when they spoke about the future.

But not all of them were like that.

Some of them had looked at me differently.

And that was the part that bothered me.

Something kept drawing them back.

Something kept making them believe they had a chance.

My stomach twisted a little as my mind wandered for a moment before a bitter thought surfaced.

Maybe it was the sex.

The thought made something sour rise in my throat almost immediately.

But then, that had to be it.

Aside from the wealth and position, that was the only other thing I ever gave them.

And hell, that was exactly why I wanted this damn ritual to end already.

“Do you think I’m going to find her this time?”

The question left my mouth before I could stop it.

I looked up at Colleen as I asked it, my voice coming out thinner than I intended.

My eyes searched his face.

He blinked in surprise, and for a moment he just stared at me like he hadn’t expected that question.

But of course, he knew what I was talking about.

My mate.

The one the Moon Goddess had apparently decided to hide from me like some cruel cosmic joke.

Every other Alpha had found theirs, and they had already started building families, their bloodline already secured.

But me?

Nothing.

Almost thirty years old and still searching, still waiting, still hosting this ridiculous ritual year after year.

But aside from creating families and securing bloodline,

There was another reason why I needed to find my mate.

Something darker. Something I tried not to think about.

My fingers tapped slowly against the desk as I immediately pushed the thought aside.

Colleen shifted his weight slightly where he stood. I noticed the way he rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze flickering briefly toward the floor before returning to me.

And he looked really unsure, like he didn't know how to answer me.

“Well… um…” he started slowly. “I don’t really know about that, Alpha. But all I'm going to say is you should keep trying.”

"Can you'all just stop f**king telling me that already?!." The growl ripped out from me so unexpectedly as my fist slammed against the desk with a loud bang.

Which echoed through the study, while the computer screen rattled slightly.

Keep trying?

My fist clenched, anger and frustration coiling tight inside me.

That was what everyone kept saying.

But for how long?

This wasn't some ritual I had started practicing recently.

This had been going on for about five years now.

Five damn years.

Five years of watching women walk in and out of this palace.

Five years of fake smiles and hope that always ended the same way.

“I’m so sorry, Alpha.” Colleen immediately bowed his head respectfully, his tone sincere as he apologized.

"I really didn't mean to annoy you. Once again, I'm sorry."

I stared at him as he dipped his head in a bow for a second time.

Even though he tried to hide it, I could see how stiff his body looked after my outburst, the way his fingers curled faintly at his sides.

He was shaken.

A small sting of guilt immediately pricked my chest at the sight.

Damn it.

I shouldn’t have snapped at him like that. He hadn’t said anything wrong. He had only said what anyone would say.

“It’s okay,” I muttered after a moment, rubbing my face roughly with my palm. “I didn’t mean to lash out at you like that.”

I leaned forward in my chair and buried my face in my hands, dragging my fingers into my hair and gripping it tight.

“The thing is, I’m tired, Colleen, really f**king tired of this ritual. I just want this whole thing to end.” I pulled tighter at my hair.

I knew I probably sounded weak and pathetic right now, not the way an Alpha should sound.

But honestly?

I didn’t give a damn.

“It’s okay, Alpha,” Colleen said quietly. “I’m sure you're going to find her this time. Let's not lose hope yet.”

I nodded slowly but didn’t say anything, because right now hope felt like the cruelest joke of all.

My fingers remained in my hair while my thoughts ran wild inside my head, and I was still thinking when suddenly,

The door to my study burst open.

“What the—?”

The words had already started leaving my mouth as I prepared to reprimand the disrespectful guard who dared to storm into my study like that.

But the moment I saw his face, the rest of the words died in my throat.

The man looked pale.

His chest moved fast as he struggled to breathe, his eyes wide like someone who had just seen a ghost.

Something was wrong.

“I’m sorry, Alpha, for barging in like this,” he panted quickly, “but there’s a problem.”

My eyes narrowed at him.

“What problem?”

“One of the… one of the women who was brought into the harem has committed a big offense. She hit her Highness herself, Lady Danica.”

"What?!”

For a moment everything else stopped making sense in that moment, except that one sentence.

Someone hit my sister?

My chair scraped loudly against the floor as I stood up so abruptly it nearly tipped over behind me.

My sister.

My very own sister.

Heat rushed through my veins so fast it made my hands curl into fists.

There were two things in this world I never joked with.

My kingdom and my family.

Everyone in Nightangle knew that.

Servant, worker, guards, and guest alike, anyone who stepped foot inside these walls knew the rule.

If you weren’t royal blood, you dare not look a member of the royal family directly in the eye, no matter what.

Yet some woman not only dared,

She even went as far as raising her hand against my sister.

My hands slowly curled into fists as more rage and anger pulsed through my veins the air around me turned even colder.

“What’s her name?” I growled.

The guard shifted nervously.

"Ah... Kat... Katherina Ru... Rutherford." His voice stumbled over the words as he responded, his body shaking where he stood.

And I didn't need anyone to tell me why.

The energy in the room had changed.

It felt darker and colder because Rowan, my wolf, had surfaced and he was just as angry as I was.

“Bring her to me,” I said slowly, though my voice came out rougher and deeper.

“Right now!” The last part was a growl, mine combined with Rowan's.

"Y...yes Alpha." The guard practically stumbled over himself as he turned around, exited the room.

Silence filled the study once again, and immediately I began pacing.

My boots thudded against the wooden boards, the sound echoing through the study as I moved back and forth, my breathing heavy.

Across the room, Colleen watched me quietly.

His arms crossed over his chest expression conflicted, like he was debating whether he should tell me to calm down or not.

And he better not dare.

A few seconds later, the door opened again.

I stopped pacing, then turned, the guard had returned.

But I let my gaze move past him to the open doorway, waiting to see the woman stupid enough to lay her filthy hands on my sister.

Then it happened.

The scent hit me first.

Vanilla.

Soft and sweet, mixed with something fruity.

It slipped into my head before I even saw her.

My body froze.

Inside me, I felt Rowan's anger immediately quieted. Instead, he began prowling slowly.

The way he did when something caught his interest, more like when he liked something.

I frowned slightly.

No.

No, it couldn’t be.

But before I could even process the thought, I felt a strange tightness in my chest.

I touched it immediately, with my eyes still fixed on the doorway.

Then finally, the figure behind the guards stepped forward.

Blonde hair.

Pale chin held high.

And the most beautiful pair of blue-brown eyes I had ever seen.

My jaw dropped slowly.

Inside my head, Rowan purred again.

*Mine...*