Chapter 2: The Ghost in the Throne Room

Theron

My chest always felt like it had a giant hole in it. It was a cold, empty space where my soul used to be. Every time I breathed, the hole hurt. 

Doctors said I was fine, but they were wrong. I was an Alpha with an empty heart. Five years ago, I had ripped it out and thrown it away when I rejected Keira.

Now, the space where our mate bond should have been, felt like a "phantom limb", like an arm that was cut off but still felt itchy and sore.

I sat on my heavy stone throne, looking at the other Alphas in the room. We were having a big meeting because something was attacking our borders. 

My pack was scared. Cattle were dying, and my warriors were being found beaten in the woods.

"You look tired, Theron," a voice hissed from the corner.

It was my father, Silas. He wasn't the Alpha anymore, but he still acted like he owned the world. He sat in the shadows, his eyes watching me like a hawk.

"I am fine, Father," I said. My voice was deep and tired.

"You are thinking about that weak girl again," Silas said with a mean laugh. "Keira was a mistake. She was too small, too quiet, and too slow. 

If you had kept her, our pack would be dead by now. Be glad she jumped into that river after you rejected her. She saved us the trouble of cleaning up her mess."

My jaw tightened. Every word he said felt like a slap. I remembered that night. I remembered the way Keira’s eyes had filled with tears when I told her I didn't want her. 

My brain told me I had done the right thing for the pack, but my soul felt like it was screaming.

"The meeting is over," I told the other Alphas. 

"Leave me."

When they were all gone, I walked slowly to my private study. I locked the door behind me. This was the only place where I could be weak. 

In the corner of the room was a small table. On it was a single white flower that never died, it was kept alive by magic and a small ribbon Keira used to wear in her hair.

I touched the ribbon. "I'm sorry," I whispered to the empty air.

Suddenly, I saw her. For a second, a girl with soft eyes and messy hair stood by the window. She was smiling at me.

"Keira?" I stepped forward, my heart beating fast.

But she vanished. It was just another hallucination. I saw her everywhere in the shadows of the hallway, in the reflection of my wine glass, in my dreams. 

I believed she was dead because my father had shown me her broken body by the river. I had buried that body myself, crying like a child.

A loud knock on the door made me jump.

"Alpha!" my Beta, Marcus, shouted. "The mercenary is here. The one we hired to protect the borders. She just drove through the front gates."

"I’m coming," I said. I wiped my eyes and put on my Alpha face, the face that was made of cold stone.

I walked down to the front courtyard. I expected a dirty wolf in old clothes. Instead, a huge, black armored SUV, a car that looked like a tank pulled up. The engine roared like a monster.

The door opened, and a woman stepped out.

She was not a normal wolf. In fact, I couldn't smell a wolf on her at all. She smelled like the air right before a lightning storm, sharp, cold, and electric. She also smelled like something old... like ancient blood and expensive silk.

She was wearing a long, flowing dress made of black silk that hugged her body in all the right places. 

It moved like water around her legs. Over her face, she wore a mask made of white bone. It was carved with strange symbols that made my head hurt if I looked at them too long.

"You are the Alpha?" she asked.

Her voice was like music, but a scary kind of music. It was a melodic, chilling rasp that made the hair on my arms stand up. It felt like a soft hand and a sharp knife at the same time.

"I am Alpha Theron," I said, stepping closer.

As I got near her, a violent, magnetic pull hit me in the stomach. It was so strong I almost fell over. 

My wolf, who had been sleeping and sad for five years, suddenly woke up. He started howling inside my head. MATE! MATE! MATE!

I shook my head. That was impossible. My mate was dead. This woman was tall, strong, and walked like she owned the sun and the moon. 

She was a goddess of death. She couldn't be the small, "pathetic" Keira I remembered.

"I am called The Huntress," she said. She walked toward me, and even though she was shorter than me, she felt much more powerful. 

She didn't look at my eyes; she looked at my neck, like she was deciding where to bite.

"You are late," I said, trying to sound tough. But my heart was racing. Why was I so attracted to a stranger? Why did I want to reach out and touch the silk on her shoulder?

She laughed, a short, dark sound. "I am exactly when I need to be. I heard your pack is falling apart, Alpha. I heard you are losing control."

"My pack is fine," I snapped.

"Is it?" She stepped into my personal space. She was so close I could feel the coldness coming off her skin. Most people are warm, but she was like ice. 

It was a strange, sexy kind of cold. "Your men are scared. You are haunted. And the thing that is attacking your borders? It isn't a wolf. It's something much worse."

She reached out and ran a gloved finger down the front of my shirt. The touch was light, but it felt like a jolt of electricity. 

My skin burned where she touched me. I wanted to grab her waist and pull her against me. I wanted to rip that bone mask off and see who she was.

"Why do you wear the mask?" I asked, my voice getting husky.

"Because the truth is too much for you to handle," she whispered. She leaned into my ear, her breath cold against my skin.

 "You hired me to kill your enemies, Theron. Are you sure you want me staying in your house? 

I might find things you want to keep hidden."