Chapter 4

Lyra's POV

The moment he walked into the room, the men around the long table immediately straightened. I hesitated at the doorway for a few seconds before finally following him inside.

There were five men seated around the table, all dressed in dark suits bearing his golden wolf crest. Their attention briefly shifted toward me before returning to their Alpha.

"Continue," Valdren ordered, taking his place at the head of the table while ignoring the displeased looks on their faces.

One of the men cleared his throat. "As we were saying, Alpha, Alpha Jake officially named his twins as the Crescent Pack's heirs yesterday during a feast involving only his pack council. In the next three days, he will re-announce them during another feast involving the Alphas and Lunas from across the four territories.”

My fingers curled. Sarah had really meant what she said about celebrating my replacement while handing me off to a man I'd never met until yesterday.

"And?" Valdren prompted.

"The announcement will strengthen his position. Most of his council already supports his twins," the man concluded.

Another man placed a document on the table. "There is also the matter of the alliance.”

"The West-Northern alliance?" Valdren asked.

"Yes, Alpha. The one he had been negotiating on behalf of his heir before the twins were even known," the man replied.

"Why do you all care so much about the Crescent Pack?" I cut in, holding Valdren's gaze from where I stood near the door. I knew I had interrupted a private discussion, but I didn't care.

The table fell completely silent, and Valdren looked at me. "Because your former Alpha has been making arrangements that could alter the balance between our territories. Now leave," he ordered, his dangerous tone instantly shattering what little courage I had managed to maintain.

I immediately made to leave, but then the familiar seal on the document caught my attention.

Looking back at him, I held his cold expression for a moment before stepping closer. "That is not Alpha Jake's official seal," I said, pointing at the document.

The man before the document frowned. "What do you know?" he growled.

Unmoved, I pointed toward the bottom. "I grew up in Alpha Jake's household, and I've seen the seal on his official documents my entire life. His original seal has a crescent moon with three lines beneath it. This one has four.”

The room instantly became still again, and I turned back toward Valdren. There, I found him still coldly staring at me.

"I gave you an order," he reminded in a dangerously low voice.

Gulping hard, I batted my lashes for a brief moment. "I'll leave now, Alpha," I muttered and turned toward the door.

"Find out who issued the document," Valdren ordered just as I drew near the door.

"Yes, Alpha," the man replied.

~

Upon entering my room, I found Mara sitting on the only chair beside the dining table.

"Where have you been? I had a maid bring you food, and she said you weren't in," she muttered, rising.

"I was with the Alpha," I responded calmly.

She studied me for a moment before gesturing toward the table. "You should eat now before the food gets cold.”

"Thanks," I muttered.

When she got to my side, she paused. "It's nothing," she said, wearing a faint smile before continuing toward the door.

As the door shut behind her, my mind went back to the council room. But then, my stomach rumbled, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything since I arrived last night.

With a sigh, I walked to the dining table.

As I ate the rice and chicken, I couldn't stop thinking about the tons of problems I was facing, but I forced myself to eat anyway.

Just as I finished, someone knocked on the door. Raising my brows, I stood and walked over to open it.

“The Alpha wants you in his private quarters," the guard standing outside announced.

I arched my brow, hoping he'd say more. But he remained silent, his expression blank.

I smacked my lips at his attitude before stepping out and shutting the door behind me.

"After you. I don't know the way," I said, gesturing for him to lead.

"Follow me, Miss," he replied, turning toward the corridor opposite the stairs.

We walked a short distance before I spotted another guard at the extreme end.

The guard next to me pointed to a polished door and said, “You can go through the door.”

Halting in front of it, I stared at the towering door, wondering what he could possibly want from me. Suddenly, the door opened, and Elena stepped out with her lipstick smudged and eyes slightly red.

The door shutting behind her, she walked past me without a word.

Curious, I reached for the handle and twisted it open. As I stepped in, I found him standing close to the couch, adjusting the collar of his shirt while fully clothed.

No one needed to tell me what had happened. I knew he had just finished being intimate with Elena.

“You defied my orders. Twice,” he stated coldly, his amber eyes piercing into mine. “That deserves death. But I have a far more intimate punishment in mind.”

His words irritated me, and I raised my head higher to hold his gaze. I knew he was feared and worshipped, but I wasn't planning to be like the other women.

“Didn't you just finish having sex with her?” I shot back, gazing directly into his glowing eyes.

He narrowed his gaze slightly, as though my response had caught him off guard. Then, he took slow steps toward me and stopped barely an inch away.

Unexpectedly, he roughly grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up. “Next time you defy me—” he began, his voice dropping into a quiet warning.

“You'll kill me like the rest of your late mistresses?” I cut him off.

He paused for a brief second. Then, with startling speed, he moved with me and pinned me hard against the nearest wall, his Alpha aura slamming into me with overwhelming force.

Instinctively sensing the danger radiating from him, I felt my breath quicken, and my wolf went completely still inside me.