Chapter 006

Damien's POV

Ceremony torches flickered against the night sky. Smoke tightened my chest, the heat of it thick and bitter. Three years of searching for a missing piece of my soul, and every she-wolf the council trotted out remained a hollow imitation of what I needed.

Near the entrance, Kael spoke to the elders. His voice was a practiced, low murmur, but the intent was loud. He wanted the title. He wanted the crown. The Mate Rule he’d maneuvered through the council last month was a ticking clock.

The hall doors creaked. Clement stepped inside.

"Alpha. They're waiting."

I had pulled Clement from a burning border town three winters ago. He was the only man here who didn't look at me like a vulture circling a carcass.

"I'm aware."

The tone made Clement dip his chin. He turned, his boots receding into the stone corridor.

I rose from the bed. The silk of my ceremonial jacket felt like a cold shroud against my shoulders. I buttoned it, the fabric stiff, and stepped out. The hallway smelled of cold stone and spent wax.

Near the gala gates, I paused. Voices drifted from a shadowed alcove.

"The Silver Fang pack," a voice whispered. "That's where he should be looking."

My face remained a mask. I didn't break stride.

Inside the great hall, the heat of hundreds of bodies and sharp wine pressed inward. The yellow glow of the chandeliers caught the crowd, silencing the room as I entered. Wolves near the aisle bowed on instinct.

I walked with deliberate steps. My father and mother sat on the dais. Kael stood at my father’s right. His mouth held a smile that never touched his eyes.

"Power is nothing without a pairing," a noble lady whispered as I passed. "Watch. He's stumbling."

I turned. She went rigid.

She stood then, her red silk dress whispering against the floor as she drifted toward me. She stopped, invading my space, and pressed her fingers against my chest.

Heat flared under my skin, but it was thin—a chemical imitation, like perfume sprayed over rot. I caught her wrist. The bone felt fragile. Pain flickered in her eyes, and I released her.

"Alpha," she breathed. "You feel that, don't you? Fate isn't a mistake."

"You're trying too hard," I said, my voice low.

"I could be what you need," she whispered, her breath cloying and sweet.

My body surged, desperate for the lie to be true, but my mind stayed cold. I pulled her in, one hand at her waist. A performance for the gallery. The scent of expensive rose oil overwhelmed the air.

Kael moved. He descended the dais steps with the predatory grace of a man who owned the room.

"A touching display," Kael said, his tone a polished blade. "Finally found a reason to stay, brother?"

"I'm surprised you're not already wearing the crown, Kael," I said, releasing the noble lady. I stepped into his space. "You've certainly practiced the posture for it."

Kael’s smile sharpened. "The elders don't care about posture. They care about the line of succession. And right now? Yours looks empty."

He turned toward the dais, raising his voice for the room. "Father! Perhaps we should stop pretending. The girl is gone, and the Alpha is distracted."

I walked past him toward the long table. I picked up a glass of wine; it tasted of iron and black cherries. Kael’s breath was sharp behind me.

"Damien," my father said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "The clock doesn't stop for anyone. Not even you."

I turned to my mother. The dais steps creaked under my weight as I dropped to one knee before her throne. Her skin looked like translucent paper.

"You're not here, Mom," I whispered, touching the edge of her gown. "Where are you?"

"Searching," she rasped. Her eyes were unfocused. "She's bleeding, Damien. The shadows are heavy where she is."

"Tell me where."

"Your mother is tired," an elder interrupted. "The visions take a toll."

I stood, my shadow falling over the table. The elder's inner wolf paced—the smell of fear filled the gap between us.

"Finish the sentence," I commanded.

"The Silver Fang territory," the elder said. "The face is clear now."

I spun back to my mother. "Name her."

"Enough!" Kael snapped, stepping forward. "You're chasing ghosts to keep a seat you don't deserve."

I didn't think. I let the weight of my wolf break the surface. It dropped on Kael like an avalanche of ice. His knees hit the floor with a bone-crushing crack.

"Careful, Kael," I said, watching the blood trickle from his lip. "I'm still the Alpha. Don't forget again."

I pulled the pressure back. The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop.

"Sienna," my mother whispered.

The name hit my chest like a physical blow. My wolf surged, violent and hungry.

Mate.