Chapter 15: Lukas

I entered the ballroom precisely at nine, allowing the herald's announcement to silence the crowd before I crossed the threshold. "His Royal Majesty, Lukas Volkov, Alpha King of the Northern Territories." The sea of wolves parted before me, bowing heads and bent necks offering the submission I'd earned through blood and dominance. My gaze swept the room, seeking the copper hair and emerald dress Nora had described, but found nothing. Amelia was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where is she?’ Ares growled in my mind, his agitation bleeding into my own. 

I descended the marble steps with measured strides, accepting greetings with regal nods while my senses worked overtime. Her scent should have been unmistakable—wildflowers and honey, now marked with my own scent thanks to the claiming bite. But the ballroom's air was a confusion of perfumes, wine, and the natural musk of hundreds of wolves in their finery.

Elder Nora materialized at my side, her silver hair gleaming in the candlelight. "My King," she murmured, bowing slightly. "The arrangements meet your approval?"

"Where is she?" I asked, voice low enough that only she could hear. 

Something flickered across Nora's ancient face—uncertainty, perhaps even concern. "I left her near the east bar not twenty minutes ago. She should still be there."

I changed direction, moving toward the area Nora indicated, but before I'd taken five steps, the first hopeful parents intercepted me. The Alpha of the Stoneclaw Pack and his Luna, their eligible daughter positioned carefully between them like prized livestock at auction.

"Alpha King," the father began, bowing deeply. "May I present my daughter, Serena? She's just turned twenty-one, top of her class at the Academy, and her wolf form is—"

"Not now," I cut him off, continuing past their startled faces.

But they were only the first wave. Another family stepped into my path, then another. Each introducing daughters with fixed smiles and hopeful eyes, none of them understanding that fate had already made its choice. In any other year, I would have humored them—politics demanded at least the appearance of consideration—but tonight, with Amelia's absence gnawing at my composure, I had no patience for the charade.

'Her scent is here,’ Ares insisted. ‘But wrong. Mixed with others. With fear.’

I paused, inhaling deeply. He was right. Beneath the overwhelming cloud of perfumes and bodies, I caught a trace of Amelia—but twisted with the sharp tang of terror, and overlaid with another wolf's scent. One that came from...

The Silver Lake delegation stood near the western windows, a tight cluster of power and privilege. Alpha Marcus Blackwood, looking every inch the traditional leader in his formal attire. His Luna Elena beside him, ice-blonde and perfect. Their Beta, Alexander, tall and watchful. And clinging to the Beta's arm, a blonde female whose blue dress matched eyes currently widened in alarm as she tracked my approach.

I changed course, cutting through the crowd with purpose that sent wolves scrambling from my path. As I drew closer, the scent became unmistakable—Amelia's fear clung to the blonde woman like a second skin, along with something else. Something metallic and warm. Blood. My mate's blood.

‘KILL HER,’ Ares roared, lunging so close to the surface that I felt my canines lengthen in response. ‘SHE TOUCHED WHAT IS OURS.’

With supreme effort, I forced my features into a mask of civility as I reached the Silver Lake wolves. "Alpha Blackwood," I acknowledged. "Luna Blackwood. Thank you for accepting my invitation."

Marcus bowed deeply, Elena sinking into a perfect curtsy beside him. "The honor is ours, Alpha King," Marcus replied smoothly. "Allow me to present my Beta, Alexander Rookwood, and his companion, Victoria Bloomsbury."

I let my gaze rest on Victoria, noting how she shrank slightly under my scrutiny. "Miss Bloomsbury," I said, the words coated in frost. "I don't believe we've met."

"N-no, Your Majesty." She attempted a smile that came out as a grimace. "It's my first time at court."

"Yet you seem to have made yourself quite at home." I stepped closer, watching her pulse jump in her throat. "Tell me, do you often assault guests at royal functions?"

Confusion rippled across the faces of the Silver Lake wolves. Victoria's face drained of color, but she recovered quickly, her expression shifting to one of practiced innocence.

"I'm afraid I don't understand, my King," she said, her voice honeyed with false concern. "I've been right here all evening."

"Strange," I replied, moving closer still. "Because I can smell my mate on you. I can smell her blood on your hands."

Victoria's mask slipped for just an instant, fear flashing across her features before she composed herself. "Perhaps you're mistaken, Your Majesty. I haven't—"

My hand shot out, closing around her throat, claws extending to prick the delicate skin beneath her jaw. The ballroom fell silent, hundreds of eyes turning to watch as I lifted the she-wolf until her feet barely touched the floor.

"Where is she?" I demanded, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Where is Amelia Blackwood?"

Victoria clawed at my hand, eyes bulging with fear. Marcus stepped forward, alarm evident on his face. “My King, surely there's been some misunderstanding. Victoria is—"

"Your Majesty," Alexander interrupted, his tone urgent. "If you could release her, I'm sure we can—"

"I won't ask again," I said, tightening my grip just enough to make Victoria's eyes water. "Where is my Queen?"

Victoria's gaze flicked involuntarily toward the balcony doors before returning to my face. The brief movement was all the confirmation I needed.

"Dominic," I called, knowing my Head of Security would be within earshot. He materialized at my side instantly. "Restrain this one. No one touches her until I return."

I released Victoria, letting her crumple into Dominic's waiting grip, and strode toward the balcony doors. Wolves scrambled from my path, the crowd parting like water before the prow of a ship. I threw the doors open, cold night air washing over me along with the unmistakable scent of my mate's blood.

She lay crumpled against the stone balustrade, the emerald gown spread around her like spilled wine. Blood matted her copper hair where it had struck the stone. More blood trickled from fresh scratches across my mark on her neck—deliberate desecration that made Ares howl with murderous rage. Her face was already bruising, lip split and swollen, eyes closed in unconsciousness.

I gathered her into my arms, her body frighteningly light, unnaturally still. Only the faint flutter of her pulse against my fingers kept Ares from breaking free and tearing apart every wolf in the ballroom until we found the one responsible.

Though I already knew. The evidence was written across Victoria's hands, embedded beneath her manicured nails.

I carried Amelia back into the ballroom, her head cradled against my chest. The assembled wolves fell silent as I passed, hundreds of eyes tracking our progress as I moved with deadly purpose toward the Silver Lake delegation. Victoria struggled in Dominic's grip, panic evident in every line of her body.

"Alpha Marcus," I said, my voice carrying across the hushed room. "Do you recognize this woman?"

Marcus's gaze flicked between Amelia's unconscious form and my face, calculation evident in his eyes. "She was our ward," he admitted carefully. "Adopted as a toddler, but unfortunately lacking a wolf. We provided for her as a servant after she failed to shift."

"A servant," I repeated, each syllable dripping with contempt. "Your daughter. Cast out when you thought she was worthless, abused and starved in your own house."

Elena stepped forward, her perfect features arranged in a concerned mask. "Alpha King, we had no idea she'd been mistreated. If we had known—"

"Silence." The word cracked like a whip. "Amelia Blackwood is my fated mate, my claimed and marked Queen. And your Beta's companion"—I gestured toward Victoria with a jerk of my chin—"just assaulted her on my own grounds."

Shock rippled through the ballroom. Alexander moved to speak, but I cut him off with a growl that made him instinctively bare his throat.

Victoria's composure finally broke. "She's a freak!" she spat, still struggling in Dominic's grip. "A human playing at being wolf! She doesn't deserve—"

"Victoria, shut up," Elena hissed, but it was far too late.

"Dominic," I interrupted, not bothering to look at her. "Take her to the cells. She'll be tried for crimes against the crown."

Alexander stepped forward, his posture tense with desperation. "My King, please. Victoria acted rashly, but surely imprisonment—"

I turned my full attention to him, letting him see the predator beneath the crown. "Amelia Blackwood is my true mate, Beta. Your companion laid hands on the King's claimed and marked Queen. What do you think the punishment for that is?"

The color drained from his face as the realization sank in. Death. The automatic sentence for assaulting a royal mate.

"Dominic," I continued, "lock up anyone else sharing these sentiments. I've had quite enough disloyalty for one evening."

I turned to address the stunned crowd, Amelia's weight in my arms a constant reminder of what was at stake. "Let it be known that I, Alpha King Lukas Volkov, have found my fated mate in Amelia Blackwood. She is your Queen, recognized by wolf law and by my claim. Anyone who lays a hand on her—directly or through negligence—will answer to me personally."

Without waiting for a response, I strode from the ballroom, cradling Amelia closer to my chest. As the doors closed behind us, I reached out through the pack bond to my head healer.

‘Dr. Thornwood,’ I called. ‘Meet me in my quarters immediately. My mate needs your attention.’

Her response came instantly, tinged with surprise and curiosity. ‘On my way, my King'.’