Chapter 2

Today is my father’s funeral.

I didn’t cry. Not because I didn’t feel anything, but because I didn’t know what to feel. The grief, the anger, the confusion. Arthur was never much of a father to me. He had never been soft. He hadn’t been gentle. Not the kind you miss when they’re gone. But now that he’s dead, I feel like someone cut the last thread tying me to this pack.

The last time I’d stood in front of a crowd like this was my wedding day. My hands in Adrian’s, my father nowhere to be found. And now, here I was again, wrapped in black, surrounded by strangers pretending to grieve. It’s all fake. Before I could make sense of that betrayal, I was burying the man who gave me half my DNA and not much else.

The pack didn’t mourn Arthur. Not really. Most of the murmuring voices weren't remembering him—they were buzzing about the new alphas. The twins. Lucian and Kieran. Two names that had spread through the territory like wildfire. Not because they were strong, though they were, but because they were brutal. They had taken Arthur’s title the only way alphas knew how—by ripping it from his cold, dead hands.

In our world, weakness isn't just punished—it’s erased. If a wolf challenges the alpha, it’s a fight to the death. No second chances, no surrender. You win, or you die. There’s no in-between. That’s the law of the pack. Cold. Unforgiving.

In the human world, you didn’t get to murder someone and call yourself king. But here? In this savage, loyal-to-power pack, blood was law. And power always won. I didn’t belong here. Not anymore.

Then her venomous voice broke my thoughts.

“Well, well. Look who came back.”

I didn’t even have to turn around. I’d recognize that smug tone anywhere. Chloe.

She crossed her arms and smiled like she was offering charity, not conversation. “You being here is… fair, I suppose. Everyone deserves a chance to say goodbye, even a mutt blood.”

I blinked slowly, tasting the bitterness in her words. “Don’t you have a father to mourn?”

Chloe gave a humorless laugh. “Please. He was weak. You know how this works.”

I stared at her, almost stunned by the ease with which she could dismiss everything. “He raised you. Fed you. Trained you. They killed him. And now you’re lining up to impress them?”

Chloe shrugged. “That’s how it goes. Power respects power. You wouldn’t understand.” She let the pause stretch, then added with a soft laugh, “Still, I admire your bravery. Coming back now… hoping one of them might overlook your bloodline and give you a second chance? Bold, really. Almost cute.”

Chloe took a step closer, her smile curling. “I’m the pureblood alpha daughter. I’ve been training for this since I could walk. You’re just… a leftover. A reminder of a mistake. You’re not meant to be here.”

I swallowed hard, the words hitting deeper than she knew. “What about Adrian? Didn’t you just work so hard to get him?” My voice came out softer than I planned. Even after everything, Adrian was the one bright spot in all this darkness, the one person I thought might anchor me to this savage world. My hope.

Chloe’s smile flickered, but only for a second before she replied coolly, “Adrian? He’s a rogue now. The twins exiled him.” She spoke the words like they were facts carved in stone, final and unchangeable. “No one goes against the pack’s law without paying the price.”

The wolf inside me stirred violently. My senses sharpened; a pulse of familiarity throbbed close—strong, urgent, undeniable. My mate was near. Somewhere in this crowd… was my second chance. I hadn’t even let myself believe that was possible. I’d already had a mate. Adrian.

“Alpha Lucian, Alpha Kieran!” The voices rang out, breaking through the heavy silence like thunder. A sudden commotion rippled through the crowd, a wave of movement so synchronized it looked almost unnatural.

Werewolves bowed deeply toward the twins, their bodies bending and swaying like a field of wheat whipped by a ruthless wind. Heads lowered, backs curved—an unspoken tribute to power, respect, or maybe something darker: fear. I didn’t care. Not about the twins, not about their followers.

I stood apart from the sea of bowed bodies, indifferent to the display. I scanned the crowd, tired and numb, trying to guess which one of the wolves was meant to be mine—the mate I’d long ago stopped hoping for. But no matter who it was, I knew the meeting would be complicated. I was half-blood, the pack’s forgotten shadow. Even if they recognized me, would they accept me?

Mates have their own ways of recognizing each other—Adrian had proven it to me once—his touch, his scent, the way our souls intertwined like a binding spell. But I had already learned that even fate’s binding could be broken. Even mates could betray, the closest bonds could unravel, leaving betrayal in their wake. More than that, I couldn’t be claimed again. If I was marked a second time, it would mean death.

My body ached with the memory of the last bond—the pain, the fight to survive. I had made my decision long before today. No matter who my second chance was, I would leave the pack behind. I had to. It was the only way I could stay alive.

Then I felt it—eyes on me, sharp and unyielding. Slowly, I lifted my gaze and met their stare. There, standing apart from the bowed crowd, were the twins. Alpha Lucian with his deep blonde hair and sea-blue eyes, face carved with cold authority and a gaze so sharp it felt like it could cut steel.

Beside him, Alpha Kieran’s lighter blonde hair caught the sunlight, his icy blue eyes sparkling with a teasing charm that made his smile all the more dangerous. They were identical in their power, but never mistaken for one another. Lucian was the storm’s fury, unrelenting and serious. Kieran was the calm before the storm, deceptively easy going but just as deadly.

A group of she-wolves pushed forward, their faces eager and hopeful, trying to catch the twins’ attentio with practiced smiles and careful postures, each trying to stake their claim by proximity alone. Even Chloe stepped forward, her posture dripping with entitlement, her eyes gleaming confident in her place at the top of the pile. She moved as if the very ground beneath her feet belonged to her by birthright.

The twins’ gazes locked onto Chloe as she moved forward, every inch of her body language screaming that she expected the world to part for her. A faint, satisfied smile tugged at her lips — she could almost taste victory. The murmurs in the crowd grew louder; the unspoken agreement that Chloe was the alpha daughter, the one worthy of their attention

The twins’ gaze briefly touched Chloe as they approached, a flicker of acknowledgment in their eyes. But without hesitation, they stepped past her, their attention moving steadily forward, slipping right behind her like a shadow she hadn’t noticed. Their focus didn’t waver, sliding smoothly over her with quiet purpose, as if she was just another part of the crowd to be ignored.

I watched Chloe falter ever so slightly, the confident mask cracking under the weight of that silent dismissal. Her smile tightened, eyes flickering with something like disbelief, maybe even a flicker of fear, before she forced herself to stand taller, to keep up the act.

Lucian and Kieran moved through the crowd, parting the gathered wolves. The others fell back almost instinctively, leaving a clear path as the twins advanced steadily—past the hopeful she-wolves who had expected their attention.

Lucian and Kieran moved straight toward me. I steadied myself, heart pounding and breath shallow, as they came to a stop right in front of me. Their eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unreadable, staring down with the full weight of the pack’s new authority.