THE CULLING

ARIA

The morning of the Culling, I woke to chaos.

Females everywhere were getting ready: curling hair, applying makeup, squeezing into dresses that barely qualified as clothing. The air reeked of perfume, desperation, and competing wolf scents.

I braided my hair in the same tight plait I wore every day and pulled on the plain grey dress Bryson had approved. No makeup. No jewelry. Nothing that would draw attention.

Maya appeared at my tent entrance, her eyes wide. "Have you seen what they're wearing? Some of these dresses are practically see-through!"

"They want to be noticed."

"But by him?" She shuddered. "I heard he ripped someone's arm off last year for touching his throne."

I didn't respond. The stories about Kael Devereaux ranged from brutal to impossible, and I had no idea which were true. Not that it mattered. I wouldn't get close enough to find out.

The march to the arena took an hour. We were organized by rank: Alphas in front, Betas in the middle, Omegas in back. Thousands of females moving as one, all heading toward the same fate.

The arena was circular, carved from black stone, with rows of seating that climbed toward the sky. But we wouldn't be sitting. We'd be standing on the floor, displayed like merchandise while the King walked among us.

Guards directed us to our positions. I ended up in the very back corner, pressed between the wall and a support column. Perfect. I could practically disappear here.

Selene was near the front, her crimson dress like a beacon in the sea of colors. She'd positioned herself exactly where the King would enter, her smile practiced and perfect.

The wait was agonizing. An hour passed. Then another. The sun climbed higher, and the arena grew hot. Females around me started swaying, their nerves getting the better of them.

Then the horns sounded.

Every wolf in the arena froze.

The massive doors at the far end swung open, and the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. Power rolled through the space like a physical wave, making my knees weak and my wolf surge against my control.

Kael Devereaux entered, and the world tilted.

He was massive, at least six and a half feet of pure muscle, moving with a predator's grace. Black hair fell to his shoulders, and his eyes glowed gold even in human form. A scar cut through his left eyebrow, and his jaw was sharp enough to cut glass.

He wore all black: leather pants, boots, a shirt that did nothing to hide the muscles underneath. Power radiated from him like heat from a fire.

But it was his beast that made my breath catch. I could feel it pressing against his skin, could sense its barely controlled violence. This wasn't a man who controlled his wolf. This was a man constantly at war with it.

Behind him walked Ryker and several other guards, but they might as well have been invisible. Everyone's attention was locked on the King.

Kael walked slowly through the rows of females, his expression bored. He didn't look at faces, didn't slow down, just moved through them like they were furniture.

Females preened and postured, trying to catch his eye. He ignored all of them.

Selene stepped directly into his path, her practiced smile in place. "Your Majesty, I'm Selene Cole from the Ember Pack. It would be my honor to—"

He walked around her without breaking stride. Didn't even glance her direction.

Her face flushed red, but she kept her composure. Barely.

I pressed myself harder against the column, making myself as small as possible. My heart hammered against my ribs. Just a few more minutes, and this would be over.

Kael was halfway through the arena now, his boredom clear in every line of his body. This was exactly like every other Culling: a waste of time, a display of dominance, nothing more.

Then he stopped.

His head lifted slightly, like a wolf catching a scent. His nostrils flared, and his eyes burned brighter gold. The beast under his skin surged forward, visible as shadows rippling across his arms.

The entire arena held its breath.

Kael turned slowly, his gaze sweeping across the back rows. Across the Omegas. Across the servants and nobodies that lined the walls.

His eyes locked on me.

No. No, no, no.

I tried to look away, but his gaze pinned me in place. Gold eyes burned into mine, and I felt his beast recognize something in me. Something my suppressant herbs had failed to hide.

He moved.

Not walked. Moved. Like a predator closing in on prey. Females scattered out of his way as he cut through the arena, heading straight for my corner.

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. My wolf was going insane, throwing herself against my control, demanding to be released.

Kael stopped inches away from me. He was so close I could feel the heat coming off his body, could smell pine and smoke and wild woods. His chest heaved like he'd been running.

"You," he growled, his voice layered with his beast. Not quite human. Not quite animal.

I couldn't speak. My voice had abandoned me completely.

He leaned down, his face level with mine, and breathed deep. His eyes slid closed for a moment, like he was savoring something. When they opened again, they were pure gold. No human left at all.

"Mine."

The word echoed through the arena like a gunshot.

Before I could process, before I could run, his hand shot out and tangled in my hair, yanking my head to the side. His teeth sank into my neck, not deep enough to break skin, but hard enough to leave a mark that would last.

The claiming bite.

Pain and pleasure exploded through my body. I gasped, my hands flying to his shoulders, unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer. His beast poured into me through the bite, demanding submission, demanding recognition.

And my wolf answered.

She surged forward with a force I couldn't control, meeting his beast with equal power. Silver light exploded from my skin, so bright that people screamed and covered their eyes.

When the light faded, I was glowing. Silver ran under my skin like veins of moonlight, and my eyes, I could feel them burning the same silver as my hidden wolf.

The entire arena stared.

Kael pulled back, blood on his lips, his expression somewhere between shocked and triumphant. "A silver wolf," he breathed. "The Moon Goddess has finally answered."

Then he smiled, and it was the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen.

"You're my Luna now, little wolf. And I'm never letting you go."