004

Asher POV

The vows were done.

The marking was done.

The crowd was still buzzing, Vanessa clinging to my arm like she’d just won a crown.

My beta leaned in and whispered something in my ear.

“The Lycan King won’t be coming anymore. He sent gifts… and says he’ll grant you that one request you’ve been pressing for.”

I smirked at that, but it faded quickly.

“That bastard is so full of himself,” I muttered under my breath.

The Lycan King… always acting like the world should bow at his feet. He’s just the son of a mistress who lucked into the throne because he’s the only surviving heir. He’s so Cold, Distant…Never shows up to anyone’s celebrations. My father’s been sending him gifts for months just to get him here today, just for the honor of it. And still, he cancels at the last minute.

I forced my irritation down and glanced to my side. Vanessa was giggling, flashing her friends the fresh mark on her neck like it was solid gold. She tilted her head just enough for them to admire it, her voice sugary sweet.

But my mind was elsewhere.

I scanned the crowd. My eyes roamed the tables, the corners, the servant’s entrance.

Where was she?

I wanted to see Nora’s face when I marked Vanessa. I wanted her to watch. I wanted her to feel it burn.

But she wasn’t there.

I scratched the side of my neck, frowning. Hours had passed since the start of this damn ceremony and still no sight of her.

“Where’s Nora?” I asked, my tone sharper than I meant.

My beta shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t think she’s here.”

“Then go look for her,” I ordered. My voice was low but deadly. “Drag her here if you have to.”

He hesitated for a second, like he was about to ask why, but the look I gave him shut that down quickly.

I wanted her here.

I wanted her to see how I treated Vanessa, how I made her Luna in front of the entire pack.

So Nora could understand—really understand—that whatever smirk she once gave me, it's her loss

Maybe in another life she could dream of being here. But not in this one.

My beta came back quicker than I expected.

He leaned in and spoke quietly. “One of the omegas said she spotted Nora at the hospital.”

A slow smile spread across my face. So… the heartbreak, the humiliation—it burned her enough to send her body crashing straight into a hospital bed.

“Prepare the car. I need to see her,” I ordered immediately.

He looked at me like I’d just grown two heads. “You’re the Alpha of the day. The ceremony is still going on—”

“Then you stay here,” I cut in. “And if anyone asks, tell them I had an Alpha duty I needed to attend to personally.”

I wasn’t missing this. I needed to see Nora’s face. To see her smirk turned into tears. To watch Karma do my work for me.

The hospital was a long drive, but I barely felt it. The moment I stepped inside, the staff froze. Surprise flickered on their faces, but they bowed quickly, whispering among themselves.

I didn’t waste time. I went straight to the senior doctor. “Nora Den, Where is she?”

She hesitated, then guard me toward a wing I knew all too well. My eyes narrowed.

“You’re joking,” I said. “That’s the Alpha ward. The highest rank rooms in the building. My family’s ward.” I gave a short, humorless laugh. “What hallucinations and misplaced grace landed Nora in there?”

The doctor repeated the name, calm and certain. “Yes, Alpha. Nora Den. She’s in that room.”

My jaw clenched. I pushed past her and went straight to the door.

The moment I stepped inside, I froze.

It wasn’t the pale look on her face that stopped me. It wasn’t even the fact that she looked… fragile in a way I had never seen.

It was the man sitting across from her.

A man with an aura so cold and commanding the air in the room felt heavier.

He leaned forward, brushed her hair gently behind her ear… and kissed her forehead.

And she didn’t flinch. She sat there looking at him

For a second, I thought my eyes were lying.

But there was no mistaking that face.

The man in the chair was the Lycan King.

The same arrogant bastard who’d sent a messenger to say he “couldn’t attend” my mating ceremony.

And here he was… in my pack’s hospital, in the Alpha ward… sitting inches from Nora.

He lifted his gaze from her slowly, like he’d felt me walk in before I even touched the door.

His eyes—sharp, cold, and impossible to look away from—met mine.

I felt my wolf push forward instantly, growling inside my head. My jaw clenched, and my hands curled into fists.

“What’s going on here” I asked

The man’s gaze didn’t waver. “Do you skip your manners from greeting your King, Alpha Asher?”

His voice was deep, steady, no effort, yet it carried enough weight to still the air in the room.

King Derek. The Lycan King himself.

My pulse stumbled. I bowed my head immediately. “I’m sorry, my King. It’s just… surprising. Shocking, even… to see you with my mate.”

One dark brow lifted. “Mate?” His tone sharpened, amusement laced with a warning. “Alpha Asher, I have always heard how smart you are. But now… you sound like a dullard.”

My jaw tightened. “With all due respect, My King—”

“Mate?” he repeated, cutting me off. “Today is your mating ceremony, is it not? Did you forget the face of your Luna already?” His eyes glinted coldly. “Should I call for the doctor to check your head?”

A couple of Derek’s guards by the door exchanged smirks, and my wolf snarled at the humiliation burning in my chest.

But King Derek had already turned back to Nora, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek with a tenderness that made my stomach knot. He spoke to her in a low tone meant for her alone, but his next words were loud enough to slice through me.

“Alpha,” Derek began, his voice deep but almost casual, “I owe you a lot. For someone who has been longing to meet his fated mate, and refusing every political arrangement thrown at him, finding her here, in your pack, on your big day… is a blessing.”

My head shook before I even realized it. “Are you sure? It can’t be… Nora is just—”

The words barely left my mouth before his gaze snapped to me, sharp enough to slice through my chest.

“Did you just cut me off?” Derek’s voice had dropped, the calm replaced with an edge of pure dominance. He took a slow, deliberate step closer. The weight of his presence pressed against me like a mountain.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “I… I didn’t mean—”

“Did you?” His growl rolled through the room, deep and dangerous, vibrating in the walls.

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, Nora moved. She stepped in front of him, her small frame a stark contrast to the storm of power radiating from him. She placed her hand gently on his chest, looking up at him with eyes that made my stomach twist.

“Mate,” she said softly. One word. But it calmed him instantly.

His chest rose and fell under her touch, his golden eyes dimming just enough to stop the growl rumbling in his throat. He didn’t look at me again—only at her