CHAPTER 4

Zephyr’s POV

I stood near the massive entrance doors, letting my gaze sweep over the rows of dressed-up guests. They immediately bowed their heads in fear and respect, stepping backward to clear a wide path for me.

Beside me, Drystan, a weak Alpha from a small pack, was practically groveling on the floor. He kept bowing his head over and over, his voice trembling as he spoke to me.

"Alpha Zephyr..." Drystan said, holding his hands together nervously as if he were praying to a god. "What an absolute honor it is to have you at our banquet!

We never expected a king like you to grace our humble territory with your presence. Please, come in! Anything you need tonight, my pack will gladly provide for you."

I did not listen to a single word coming out of his pathetic mouth. His voice was just useless noise in the background.

My entire body went completely still, freezing in place like a solid block of ice. My eyes locked onto a young woman standing just a few feet behind him.

She was wearing a simple dress, her pale hands clutching her small purse tightly.

Her lips were parted in absolute shock, and her big, beautiful eyes were wide with pure panic. Color drained out of her cheeks, making her look like a ghost standing under the bright ballroom lights.

It was her.

My heart hammered heavily against my ribs, sending a sudden rush of fire straight through my veins. My wolf stirred deep inside my chest, letting out a low, possessive growl that almost escaped my throat.

I couldn't believe my own eyes. It was the same fiery woman who had walked up to me in that dark, noisy nightclub just twenty-four hours ago.

I remembered every single second of last night as if it were happening right now in slow motion.

I had fully intended to stay by her side until she woke up the next morning. I wanted to see her dark eyes open in the sunlight.

I wanted to learn her name, her story, and why she had looked so broken in that club. But at five o'clock in the morning, my phone vibrated relentlessly on the wooden nightstand.

My Beta, Marcus, had called me in an urgent panic. A sudden border emergency had broken out in our home territory, requiring my immediate presence as the Alpha King. I had hated leaving that comfortable bed. I had looked down at her sweet, sleeping face one last time, gently brushing a soft strand of hair away from her cheek, before quietly stepping out into the chilly morning air.

Three hours later, as soon as the emergency was settled, I had rushed back to the grand hotel room.

But when I opened the heavy door, the room was cold and completely empty. The sheets were neatly pushed back, and there was no trace of her left behind.

"Find her," I had ordered Marcus, my voice dangerous and deep. "I don't care how many records you have to search or how many cameras you have to check.

Track down every single piece of information about the woman who was in my room last night. I want her full name on my desk before the sun sets today."

Marcus had worked endlessly for hours, making calls and checking security footage from every camera around the city center. Just an hour before this banquet started, he had walked into my private office and handed me a thick manila folder.

When I opened that folder and read the first sentence, my jaw had set into a tight line.

Her name was Amelia. She was the Luna of this small, and weak territory. And worst of all, she was legally married to Alpha Drystan who is the foolish man currently bowing like a dog right in front of my boots.

I looked down at Drystan, watching him sweat in his very expensive suit

He had absolutely no clue that the quiet, respectful wife he took for granted had spent the night wrapped in the arms of the most powerful Alpha King in the entire continent. He didn't know that I knew how soft her skin was, or how her voice sounded when she whispered in the dark.

A slow, dark smirk curled the corners of my lips as I shifted my heavy gaze back to Amelia.

I took a slow step forward, my heavy boots thudding softly against the polished marble floor. The intense pressure of my Alpha aura filled the entire room, making the surrounding guests lower their eyes even further in pure fear. Drystan scrambled backward, quickly bowing again to make way for me.

I stopped directly in front of Amelia, towering over her small frame. The sweet, heavenly scent of her filled my nose, driving my wolf absolutely wild inside my chest. She squeezed her eyes shut for a fast second, her small shoulders shaking as she tried so hard to control her quick breathing. She was terrified that I would reveal her secret right here in front of her husband and the whole pack.

"Alpha Drystan," I said smoothly, my deep voice booming across the silent ballroom like dark thunder. I kept my dark eyes fixed completely on his trembling wife. "Who is this lovely lady standing beside you?"

Drystan blinked, quickly looking over at Amelia with an annoyed frown before flashing me a fake, polite smile. "Oh, her? That is just my wife, Amelia, your Highness. She isn't anyone important. Please, let me show you to the main VIP table instead."

I let out a low, dark chuckle that sent a visible shiver straight down Amelia's spine.

"Is that so?" I murmured, stepping even closer until I was standing right in her personal space. The smirk on my face grew wider as I watched a hot blush creep all the way up her delicate neck.