BennettThe coronation had come to an end.I was officially the heir to the Wolf Crest Park.The weight of the crown pressed into my scalp and I couldn't wait to get to my room and yank it, along with the robes that hugged me so tightly.Shouts of ‘Congratulations’ echoed around me, and I should have felt proud. The youngest Alpha heir officially named under the full moon.But all I could feel was the way my skin itched as if something was about to go horribly wrong. I’d casually scanned the crowd a few times during the course of the ceremony. The first time I saw him he stood with Brittney and a sharp pain had gone straight to my chest.I’d seen Kael, Ryder. The visiting Alphas from Southern Ridge and Hollowvale and some other guests. I had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when a high-pitched scream filled with terror rent the air. “Rogues! . They are coming.”Chaos erupted in the open fields as everything went crazy. Kael moved fast, tackling me from the side just as a
Lucas POVI stood at the edge of the ceremonial circle, barely breathing through the stiffness in my shoulder.Brittney's fingers were digging painfully into my arm as though she was scared that I might disappear the moment she let’s go.The sickening smell of her perfume wafted into my nostrils as she leaned into me and whispered commentary with breathless excitement.“This is all so majestic,” she gushed. “Do you think we’ll have something this beautiful for our mating ceremony one day?”I didn't answer, my throat was too dry to get anything out. I forced out a hollow smile and nodded absently to whatever she was saying.Her voice blurred into background noise as my eyes found Bennett on stage. My eyes raked over him, taking in how regal he looked but just as quickly I looked away.I couldn't afford to let anything slip through.I could feel my father’s gaze burning into me from across the field. One wrong move from me and I was going to get it.The bruises on my ribs had mostly
Kael’s POVI adjusted the collar of my jacket again. Anyone looking at me would've thought I was allergic to some shit.My fingers twitched at the edge of the ceremonial fabric. It wasn’t the clothes that bothered me.It was the fucking crowd. The scent of dozens of different wolves mingling together in the open ceremonial grounds was nearly suffocating and unpleasant to say the least. A pungent cocktail of dominance, nerves, cheap cologne, and something I couldn’t name or I didn't want to name.There were Alphas here. Betas and Warriors. Diplomats. Spies in ceremonial robes I could see their pretense in trying to blend in.And all of them were here for one reason: Bennett Cross, the man everyone's been talking about. I scanned the grounds slowly, my eyes trained to pick out more than faces. I was watching the body language, their stance, breathing patterns anything I could notice,I noted who stood too stiffly. Who clung too closely to their weapons, even under the guise of formal
Bennett’s POVI adjusted the ceremonial robe for the third time, As i tugged at the collar like it was choking me.The fabric felt too stiff and heavy. Like it wasn’t stitched for me, but for someone else—someone more sure of himself.I didn't want itI stared at the little boy in the mirror, the boy who was supposed to become the Alpha heir tonight. I'm supposed to feel proud.It was an Honor. I was ready for this But all I felt was hollow.The satin gleamed in the light, the silver threads running through deep forest green, that were the official colors of Wolf Crest’s ruling line. It was my line. My birthrightI should have been more excited. This was everything, the moment I’d trained for. Everything my father had prepared me for since I was old enough to shift. Hell, since I was old enough to walk and here I am fidgeting like a coward But instead of adrenaline, there was this knot twisting in my chest. I had never felt it before Was it doubt, maybe. Or guilt. Or so
LUCAS3 days after Something slipped out of my bag as I reached in to grab my laptop. I reached down and picked it up.I stared at the invitation in my hands, running a thumb across the silver-foiled crest, turning it over. It was formal, elegant, and impersonal. The exact opposite of what I felt staring at it.‘Bennett Cross’s coronation. Three days. Full moon. All Alpha heirs and their families in attendance.’ Great."Shit," I muttered under my breath, earning a glare from the librarian two tables away."What now?" Bennett asked, glancing up from his laptop. This is the second meeting we’ve had in a week and we were finally heading somewhere with our project.I slid the invitation across the table. “Your coronation. I forgot it was this weekend.”He picked it up, read it slowly, then placed it down like it might catch fire. “Right. The coronation.”His voice was calm, but I caught the way his jaw clenched. He was anxious, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud. And honestly? I didn
Lucas POV My father had summoned me this morning to his office and honestly apart from discussing park politics with him in public, I really hated being in close proximity to him. I stood with my back straight, my eyes fixed on the floor, trying not to flinch as the old leather chair groaned under my father’s weight. His fingers drummed on the polished wood. This was always a bad sign. Finally, he spoke. “The witch came by this morning.” I froze, my heartbeat accelerating as I felt my stomach tighten into a knot. “She told me that you’ve been taking potions. In an attempt to ‘suppress the bond.’ He stood up slowly, walked around the desk, and stopped a few inches from me.“Are you going to tell me who it is?” I swallowed hard, my hands trembling. I could lie, say any name. But would the outcome be different? At the end of the day, my father would never accept a man. I was tired, too tired of the pressure pressing down on my ribs. The kind of pressure that never lets you slee