Chapter Four

 A LOSING GAME

LUCIEN

Who was that young man? The question about his identity was rolling through my mind at a speed that scared me.

It had been two days since the incident that once again left me feeling a fool in front of the pack subordinates.

He looked so small, frail enough that you had to wonder what kind of life he had lived before now.

But that wasn't even what the biggest issue was, it was the warmth that had traveled through me at his touch.

I shook my head. That was wrong. I knew for a fact that an attraction for men had never run through my veins, but now…

A knock sounded on the door, helping to completely draw me out of my thoughts and back into the present.

“Come in,” I ordered.

The door pushed open and the king's second, Lyam, walked into the room. He bowed. “My Lord.”

“Speak,” I said.

“The king requests your presence in the council room now. Every member of the royal family is expected to be there.”

Dread settled over me as memories I didn't want to have started to filter their way back into my mind.

The hiking trip that put me in this chair. We were supposed to be having a bonding session - my brother and I, but at the last minute, I was shoved down the hill like I was nothing more than a rag doll.

That fall had been deadly, sending me into a trap that would probably have completely severed my leg if I had been any smaller.

The pain that came with that, followed by my father's decision to believe that it was an accident when everything pointed to the contrary made my stomach twist into knots.

“I will be there.” My response came out clipped, and I forced a deep breath in and out of my lungs before I placed my book down on the table and started for the council hall.

When we arrived, father was seated at the head of the huge table - no surprises, he was Alpha after all. The other men of the council were seated around it, and so was my piece of shit brother.

Darius shot me a smirk, and my fists clenched against the arms of my wheelchair. I rolled into the place that was reserved for me.

“Alpha. Councilmen.”

My father nodded from his place at the table, and the rest of the council offered me murmured greetings alongside pitying glances.

“Brother.” Darius was desperate for my reaction, and it was right there in the way he called out to me.

I offered him nothing more than a nod, then knotted my fingers on my thigh and turned my attention to father.

He heaved a sigh, confirming my suspicion on what this meeting was about.

“I called this meeting because the time has come for the future of Nightveil to be decided.”

I went completely still, and I didn't even need to glance at Darius to know that he was watching me, and smirking.

“Nightveil holds the highest level of power among the werewolf kingdoms, and for that reason, our decision to keep its strength works best to serve the kingdom.”

My breathing shortened, anger coursing through me in violent waves. I knew where he was headed with that, and even my own disbelief wasn't able to keep me from feeling my insides being trampled on.

Father kept going. “To that effect,” there was a lengthy pause then. “The heir of Nightveil is Darius Nightveil.”

The room went deathly quiet and I held my breath to keep my temper on a leash.

“I will do Nightveil proud, father,” Darius declared, tone smug enough to snap my control.

“You've tied my entire worth to my ability to walk in favor of the son who caused it?” I questioned, the hate in my voice unmistakable.

Darius gasped theatrically. “You can't still hold that against me, Lucien. We were kids when that happened.”

“Lucien!” Father scolded. “Enough. It was an accident.”

I met his eyes. “Was it really? Or did you just choose to believe that because it soothed your conscience?”

His voice boomed through the room as he smacked his palm on the table, rising to his feet. “That's enough of that. You cannot speak to your Alpha like that.”

I didn't flinch. I met his gaze head on. “How about my father? Can I speak to him like that after he failed his own child?”

The question hung in the air between us, and the elders shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

“Darius is the next ruler of Nightveil, Lucien. I don't care how you feel about that.”

“It was always my birthright,” I countered. “That position always belonged to me.”

“You cannot rule from that chair, Lucien. No pack would stand for an Alpha who cannot lead them in battle.” His chest heaved with annoyance. “You also haven't found a mate. The future of the pack must be secured.”

A thought formed in my head and I smiled, leaning back in my chair. I would be damned if I let Darius sweep in and take everything that was owed to me because he thought he could.

“If I find a Luna? If I can find a mate and produce an heir, would you give me a fair chance to fight for what belongs to me?”

Darius shot up, anger in his voice. “You need to give up the wishful thinking, brother. The throne needs stability. You cannot offer us that.”

My eyes trailed over to his. “Yet here you are, threatened by the mere mention of my being given a chance. How stable does that sound to you?”

His fists clenched on the table and I ignored him, turning my attention back to father.

“Pack codex, section C. Every one of royal blood is eligible to contend for rulership should they find a mate and bear an heir.”

His eyes glowed with anger this time. “Fine. But only when you find a true mate. Someone who accepts you.” His eyes moved over me and the chair I was restricted to. “All of you.”

I ignored the sting of hurt that swam through me at his words and nodded. “I agree.”

“Dismissed.” He turned to Lyam. “Get the new boy.”

The councilmen filed out of the room, and Darius shot me a dark look before he followed behind them.

As I got to the door, the boy who had rescued me walked up. He paused as he saw me, eyes meeting mine.

I moved aside to let him in and he nodded once, moving past me into the room. His knee bumped against mine as he brushed past, and this time it wasn't just warmth, but heat that speared through me.

Pain shot through my skull and I gasped in shock. A voice I recognized far too well spoke up inside my head.

“Mate.”