LOGIN
The crack of Vera’s hand against my cheek echoed through the hallway like a gunshot. The force of it knocked me off my feet, and I hit the marble floor hard, pain shooting through my shoulder and hip.
I lay there for a moment, dazed, the coppery taste of blood blooming on my tongue. I looked up at her, my vision sharp with a stinging disbelief. Vera. My best friend since childhood. The girl I had shared my secrets with, the one I thought would stand by me when the world crumbled.
"Vera, I didn't..." I pressed on, propping myself up on my elbows. "I didn't covet an Alpha. I would never""Ren, you think I don't know?"You like Alpha Kane." Vera cut me off, her voice high and mocking. She sneered, looking down at me."Don't you find it absolutely revolting? A man actually wanting another Alpha male... it’s pathetic. You’re disgusting, Ren."
I froze, my blood turning cold. How did Vera know? That was a lifetime ago—a flicker of a crush I had buried and killed long ago. I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could utter a word, she lunged.
Her fists rained down on me, heavy strikes to my arms and sharp kicks to my ribs. I curled into a ball, gritting my teeth to keep from crying out as I shielded my head. This wasn't just anger; it was enjoyment. She enjoyed this. She enjoyed the power she now held over me.
In the brief moment between her kicks, I saw her. Behind Vera, standing near the alcove, was a young maid I had spoken to just that morning. I had only paid her a compliment, a passing remark about how Alpha Kane was very charming. I had thought it was harmless gossip between servants.
But the maid was staring at me with a smirk, her arms crossed over her chest. She had betrayed me. She had taken my innocent words and twisted them into a confession of lust for the Alpha, handing them to Vera on a silver platter to curry favor.
I looked back at Vera, who was panting with exertion, her face flushed with cruelty. I sneered, though my lip was split and bleeding. A deep, suffocating sadness welled up inside me, heavier than the physical pain.
Since I was fifteen, something happened that changed my life. Since then, my family has been demoted from Beta to Omega. We are bullied by everyone. Now, even a maid can bully me.
Vera stopped hitting me. She took a step back, smoothing down her dress, examining her nails as if she hadn't just beaten her former friend into the floor.
She crouched down, her grip like iron as she grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at her. Her eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth they once held."Tonight, Alpha Kane invited me to make love with him," she said, her voice dripping with venomous delight. "Since you like Alphas so much, then come and watch us make love. Maybe you’ll learn what a real wolf looks like."
The air in the Alpha’s bedroom was thick, heavy with the scent of sweat and sex. I stood in the corner, my back pressed against the wall, my hands clasped tightly behind my back to stop them from shaking.
I never imagined that as a man, I’d be forced to watch a man and a woman fucking right in front of me.I thought Vera’s words were just a cruel threat. But Kane had allowed it. He hadn't even glanced at me when I entered, his focus entirely on the woman writhing beneath him.
On the massive bed, Vera screamed. It was a wild, pure scream of ecstasy, raw and unfiltered. Her voice soared, a mixture of cursing and pleading, her breath coming in ragged gasps. I shifted uncomfortably, feeling a heat creep up my neck not from excitement, but from profound shame.
I always knew Kane was a playboy. I often saw him change partners in the pack, leaving a trail of broken hearts and satisfied smiles. He was sexually potent, a virile Alpha that the she-wolves in the pack were fanatically devoted to. They would do anything to share his bed for a night. But I never imagined he’d allow someone to watch him, to witness his intimacy like a spectator at a show.
"Slut, scream louder!" Kane’s voice was a rough growl.
Smack.
His hand came down on Vera’s firm ass with a loud crack. He thrust into her forcefully, dozens of rapid, punishing strokes, before changing positions. He rolled onto his back, and Vera straddled him, landing heavily on his erect penis.
She began to ride him, rising and falling with frantic energy, occasionally grabbing her own breasts and screaming his name. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, wet and obscene.
"Oh god, I'm... I'm cumming!" she wailed.
A heat slowly rose in my lower abdomen, traitorous and unwanted. My biology was reacting to the pheromones in the air, to the sight of an Alpha in his prime. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block it out. I wanted to leave. I couldn't bear to see the friend I once loved debasing herself like this, and I couldn't bear to see the man I had secretly admired since childhood using her so carelessly.
While the two were engrossed in their lovemaking, I prepared to slip away quietly. I knew Vera would likely beat and scold me later for leaving early, but anything was better than this. I took a step toward the door."You filthy Omega!" Vera suddenly screamed, twisting her head to glare at me. "I didn't give you permission to move a muscle!"
I froze in my tracks. I was about to explain, to apologize, when Vera suddenly threw her head back and screamed again.
Kane had suddenly sped up his thrusts, gripping her hips hard, and ejaculated inside her. "Take it!" he snarled.
Good heavens, he had orgasmed too. The scent of his release filled the room, musky and dominant. From my angle near the door, I could clearly see Kane's member as he pulled out of her, still throbbing, glistening with their fluids.
I instinctively looked up, only to find Kane staring directly at me.
My heart stopped.
He was propped up on the pillows, his chest heaving, sweat slicking his skin. His eyes, deep blue and piercing, were locked onto mine. There was no lust in them now, only a cold, predatory focus.
Panic seized me. I was afraid of Kane. Not just because he was the Alpha, but because of history. My father was accused of killing the previous Alpha. I was the son of a "murderer," and Kane was the son of the victim. I was lower than dirt to him.
I quickly lowered my head, dropping to my knees on the ground, pressing my forehead to the carpet. "Alpha... I apologize. I was leaving."
I paced the massive marble floor. My bare feet slapped the cold stone. One step. Two steps. Turn around. Repeat.Deep shadows swallowed the corners of the royal bedchamber. The sun had dipped completely below the horizon. Outside the tall glass windows, heavy carriages rolled steadily over the courtyard cobblestones. The clanking of armor and the loud booming voices of noblemen echoed through the thick glass.The Welcome Banquet was starting. The entire empire was gathering right below my feet. My stomach twisted into tight painful knots. I rubbed my sweaty palms against my thighs. Where was Lyall? He promised he would return quickly.The heavy oak doors suddenly swung open.I spun around. I took a quick hopeful step forward."Lyall?" I called out.Five unfamiliar women marched inside. They wore crisp identical gray uniforms. They carried heavy wooden buckets, thick velvet garment bags, and stiff iron brushes.I stopped instantly. My muscles tensed. I lowered my center of gravity. I
The Queen Mother finally stopped pacing. She stood towering over my kneeling figure, her shadow completely engulfing me in the dim light of the fire.The silence stretched until my lungs burned. Then, a cold, ruthless smirk pulled at the corner of her lips."You are a very ambitious little rat," she murmured, her voice dripping with equal parts disgust and dark approval. "To walk into the lion's den with such a treacherous proposition... it shows you have teeth. But remember this: you are nothing but a vessel. A temporary, invisible womb. If you ever dare to bare those teeth at me, I will have them pulled from your skull.""I am entirely yours to command, Your Grace," I whispered, keeping my eyes fixed firmly on the floorboards.She turned away and walked gracefully toward her massive, claw-footed mahogany desk. She reached beneath her heavy velvet robe and produced a small, ornate silver key from a chain around her neck. She slid it into a concealed lock hidden beneath the desk drawe
Vera's POVThe stone floor was cold against my bare feet. I crept out of the servant's quarters well past midnight, staying completely submerged in the shadows.I had spent the last two days scrubbing every inch of the grand corridors on my hands and knees. The cruel punishment had actually given me a massive advantage. My blistered fingers had mapped every crack in the marble, and my ears had memorized the exact timing of the elite guards' patrol routes.I waited for the heavy footsteps of a passing patrol to fade down the hall. Then, I slipped behind a heavy velvet tapestry and pressed my body into the narrow, hidden servant passages.These dark, claustrophobic tunnels ran directly behind the walls of the royal wing. They were designed so the high nobility would never have to look at the lowly maids lighting the fires. The air inside was stale and thick with dust. My heart pounded wildly against my ribs, echoing loudly in my own ears.I knew exactly what was at stake. If an elite gua
King Lyall’s POV"Report," I said as the heavy oak doors clicked shut. The thick wood completely cut off Ren’s soft trembling breaths.I stood alone in the grand corridor. The gentle warmth of my mate faded from my hands. My wolf clawed violently at the inside of my chest. I boiled with blinding fury from the disrespect in the Grand Hall.Beta Caspian waited a few paces away. His hand rested heavily on the hilt of his sword. His face was entirely grim."It is the elite vanguard," Caspian said in a low voice. ''They refuse to take their posts. They will absolutely not serve a King who breaks the sacred laws of the Goddess."I rolled my shoulders. My thick bones cracked loudly in the quiet hall.We marched away from the royal wing. We pushed through the massive iron gates of the western courtyard.Over two hundred heavily armed Lycan warriors stood in perfect formation on the dirt. They were seasoned veterans. These were the most lethal battle-hardened soldiers in all of Goldcrest. Thei
Vera's POVSplash!A bucket of freezing, murky water crashed violently against my knees, soaking straight through my thin, coarse servant's dress."Get back to work!" the Head Maid barked, her voice echoing harshly off the damp stone walls.She threw a filthy, foul-smelling rag directly at my face. I barely managed to catch it before it slapped against my nose. The icy water dripped down my shivering arms, sending a bone-deep chill through my entire body."You missed a spot on the grand staircase," the Head Maid sneered. She crossed her thick, muscular arms over her chest, glaring down at me with absolute disgust. "Scrub it again. You are not a guest here. You are a stray from a dead pack. If I see a single speck of dirt on this marble, you will not get any dinner tonight. Do I make myself clear?"I lowered my head, hiding the venomous hatred burning in my eyes, and gave a tight, subservient nod. The Head Maid turned her broad back and stomped heavily down the corridor, her keys jangl
Kane's POV"My love! Please, open your eyes!"A shrill, tearful voice pierced through the blinding pain in my skull. I forced my heavy eyelids open.The harsh white light of the royal infirmary pierced my eyelids. I forced them open. The sharp scent of medicinal herbs and rubbing alcohol flooded my nose. I tried to part my lips to speak. A violent shockwave of raw agony shot down my neck. Cold heavy metal wires held my teeth completely locked together. I tasted stale blood and copper on my tongue.That broken Omega actually dared to hit me. Ren had shattered my jaw. He humiliated me in front of the entire royal court.A blinding murderous rage boiled deep in my chest. I wanted to tear him apart. I wanted to rip his throat out with my bare hands. I manipulated my own pack. I killed my own father to secure my power. I did not survive the ashes of the Silver River just to be laid out on the marble stairs by a male Omega with a sealed wolf."Kane! Thank the Moon Goddess!"Princess Eliana
Ren’s POV "Little beauty, you've finally fallen into my hands!"A lewd, mocking voice suddenly echoed from above me. I snapped my head up, and my blood ran cold when I saw who it was. It was Malachi, the Beta from last night.Panic surged through me as I looked around. We weren't heading to the pla
"Expelled? On what grounds?"The words felt like a death sentence. I stood there, shaking, my mind racing through everything we had given up. I've done so much for this pack day after day. My mother had literally sold her body to the pack’s Betas, letting them use her like a toy just so we could sta
Hearing my name on that man’s lips, spoken with such vile intent, made my skin crawl. It was a desecration. I’d always been too fair, too slender for a pack wolf. My features were too fine, my lips too full, my hair a dark, unruly cascade that fell into my eyes. They whispered I looked more like a
Mate! Mine! Fenris was still howling in my head, desperate to break free and finally reach the mate he’d waited so long to see. But it was impossible. Kane shoved me away like I was something contaminated, and my body slammed into the marble floor once again. A sharp crack echoed through the room







