Chapter 2

Levi

“Are the plans ready for tonight?” I ask, looking at the tablet in my hand and reviewing the documents.

“They are, Levi,” Lance, my beta, replies with an eye roll. I chuckle, catching my friend’s glare as I continue to slowly read through the preparations for today. The omegas have been quick to clean the ballroom, making it shine at my orders last week when I learned that the second-largest pack, Nightstone, would be visiting today.

Everyone is excited as Alpha Blake Stone’s daughter has come of age, and he is searching for her mate. So far, he has visited three packs but has had no luck.

After visiting the third pack, he called on the day they were heading to the next allied pack and requested to come to the royal pack to see if anyone here might be her mate. At first, I wanted to decline, not wanting a visiting pack at the moment while I prepared the palace for the yearly Assembly of Alphas next month. But then the thought of his daughter possibly being the mate I have been searching for over the last five years crossed my mind.

In the end, I agreed and told Alpha Blake that he could come today and stay for three days. If in those three days his daughter did not find her mate here, then he would have to leave and continue searching.

“We also have a pack member turning eighteen today. She will be able to find her own mate now,” Lance adds as the silence in the room stretches on far longer than he is comfortable with. I sigh, place the tablet on my desk, and glare at my beta.

“Don’t talk about that gold digger,” I snarl, watching my childhood friend roll his eyes.

“She isn’t a gold digger. If she were, she would have drugged you by now and had you claim her,” Lance states in annoyance. “That, or she would have taken advantage of your rut instead of coming to find me every time it happened.”

I scoff at these words, annoyed that my friend would defend Phoebe. For the last five years, she has been diligently by my side. Officially, she is my maid, but the truth is, she is much stronger than most perceive her to be. Her parents were hidden guards of my own parents, giving their lives to save them and me from a rogue attack. It was because of this that Phoebe was given the position of my “maid” and diligently cleaned up after me so that she could protect me from the shadows.

I always had a clean room each night, fresh clothes every morning, and an organized office. But two years ago, on her sixteenth birthday, rumors of her planning to become my luna began to surface.

At first, I thought they were baseless rumors, malicious words spread by jealous omegas. I shrugged them off until five months later when I went into a rut. Phoebe had just walked into my room when it happened, her eyes wide. She went to my side, asking me if I needed help, and it was then I realized the rumors were real. Since then, I have kept that girl at arm’s length.

She may be quiet, but they always say it is the quiet ones who scheme your downfall for their own gain, and I’ll be damned if I ever fall for any of Phoebe’s schemes.

“I don’t want to hear any more about Phoebe Cross!” I snap back the command, Lance instantly closing his mouth with a frown.

“Fine. I won’t talk about her anymore,” he complies. Before I can say anything, Lance excuses himself, telling me he will see me later tonight before slipping out of my office. Irritated, I pick up the mug on my desk and throw it into the fireplace. The glass shatters, the sound a piercing noise.

I hate that Lance takes the side of that gold digger. Ever since she turned sixteen and shifted for the first time, I have offered Phoebe many opportunities to move up the ranks of the pack—to become a warrior or even a hunter. Instead, she has steadily declined, stating that her place is by my side as my maid.

I know she comes from a long line of hidden guards, but as the alpha king, I am stronger than Phoebe. I can hold my own against three strong regular alphas, so what does that little she-wolf think she can protect me from?

Now in a foul mood, I glare at my laptop before standing up. The wolves of Nightstone will be here in an hour, and I need to calm down before I accidentally attack a visiting pack. Exiting my office, I am immediately hit by the sweet scent of vanilla custard. The scent is faint, lingering in the air. It seems familiar, and I instantly know it belongs to one of my packmates. Not only that, but something in my soul seems to stir.

Taking a deep breath, I inhale whatever traces remain of this scent, feeling my irritation begin to fade bit by bit with each breath I take. A soft smile plays on my lips as I understand why this scent has such a soothing effect on me. My mate has finally appeared.

A few wolves have lived outside the pack for the last year due to school and have returned now that they have graduated. Maybe my mate is one of these wolves. If this is the case, then it explains why I have had a hard time finding her inside the royal pack.

'I don’t think my mate is the daughter of Alpha Blake Stone', I find myself linking to my beta.

'Why do you think that?' Lance links back, annoyance still in his voice.

'Because I have scented her. She is part of the royal pack, and I think she is one of the wolves who just returned from graduating school', I answer, retreating back into my office.

I sense Lance’s hesitation at my answer and roll my eyes. I have a feeling he wants to say more, but he reminds me to be careful. If my mate is near, I might go into a rut right away. After reassuring him that I would be fine, I shut the link and return to my chair. Nightstone will be here soon, and I plan to get some work done before I have to greet this visiting alpha and inform him that his daughter is not my mate.