Chapter 6

SHADOWFELL PACK

Nyx's POV

"The Lycans King returns in a week...and this time, you should not miss your chance to make him yours Nyx"

Father's voice slithered through the dining hall - low, controlled, heavy with authority. The kind of voice that made warriors straighten their spines and made the walls feel like they were listening.

His tone tasted like iron and expectation.

I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other, lazily dragging my form through the food I had no appetite for. The stew's steam curled upward, smelling of roasted herbs and smoke, but nothing could pull my attention from the anticipation burning under my ribs.

"I know Father" I replied.

"I know exactly how to approach him."

A proud, satisfied smile tugged at his mouth - one he never once have Hazel.

"You better...as my strongest daughter. The one born to lead, you need this"

Yes, I need this, not just for father but for myself as well.

Bradley.

The Lycan king.

The man whispered about in shadows, feared on battlefields, rumored to be cursed by the moon goddess to exist without a mate.

I, Nyx Shadowfell, had already chosen him. Claimed him in my mind long before he ever looked in my direction.

Nothing - no prophecy, no woman, no goddess - would stop me.

Hazel would have been the one standing beside Bradley... if I hadn't stolen her powers. A secret buried so deep even the moon herself could choke on it.

Vespera's fork paused midair, she hated these conversations - power, ambition, destiny. All the things she never had the spine for.

"Galen... Bradley is not a man who chooses easily," she said carefully.

"He's dangerous. Cursed. There are other paths for Nyx, safer pa-"

I rolled my eyes so hard the chandelier's candlelight blurred.

"Mother, please. Spare us the poetry. Power isn't safe, and Bradley is the only one worth standing beside."

Father nodded in firm agreement.

"The packs need a queen with spine. Bradley needs someone who won't cower before him"

"He's cursed... and what he needs is a mate," Vespera whispered.

"And I'm giving him one," I smirked.

"What about Klan, isn't he your mate?" Mom always find the slightest opportunity to remind me of my fated mate.

"You can't dismiss the bond"

"Stop it mom" clinging my fit, heat flooded my pulse.

"And there's no bond between us because I won't accept it"

I've already dismissed my actual mate - a wealthy, influential alpha from the neighbouring pack after I've learnt about Bradley and felt his presence once.

Once.

Any other woman would've clung to Klan.

But not me.

Why settle for an alpha...

When I could have a king?

Father's voice dropped again, heavy with strategy.

"When Bradley hold court, you'll be the first woman he sees. Keep your confidence. Hold his gaze. And remember - he respects strength, not softness."

His hand covered mine, steady and warm.

"You were born for this, Nyx"

I felt a thrill rise in my chest.

Born for this.

Yes.

I knew.

Mother exhaled sharply, frustration simmering beneath her calm facade.

"You both speak as though Bradley would simply take Nyx because she stands in from of him," she muttered.

"He's not a prize to claim."

I tilted my head.

"Everything is a prize if you're bold enough and besides I'm the perfect match for him, no one else"

The memory flashed like lightning:

The day I saw him in the court room.

His aura had filled the courtroom that day, thick and intoxicating, pressing against my skin like gravity. He didn't even look at me, he didn't have to.

His power brushed my wolf so forcefully I felt my knees weaken. The room had smelled of cold stone, old parchment, and him - storm rain and iron.

No one could see his face.

But yet, everyone bowed.

Some shock.

Some couldn't even breathe right.

I wasn't scared...

Not exactly.

But the moment I felt his eyes lift, even for a heartbeat, I froze.

Not because I was weak.

Because he was... too much.

Too powerful.

Too built for blood and dominance and things I wanted more than air.

I should've walked up to him.

Introduced myself.

Shown him I wasn't like the others.

But my knees locked.

My wolf curled back in awe and he left like he never existed.

My failure still tasted like iron in my mouth.

"That reminds me, the Shadowmoon pack wants to form an alignment with us." Father spoke.

That's klan's pack.

"Only if you agree to the mate bond, Nyx," he added.

"Not happening..." I rolled my eyes.

"That's because you keep pushing Nyx to mate with Bradley, Galen," Mother said.

"Why? You want Hazel to mate with him instead?"

"Hazel was born with Vespera's softness," father said, flicking his fingers dismissively.

"So fragile and weak" I added.

Vespera frowned, and I felt her judgement scrape against my skin. She'd always preferred Hazel - the gentle one, the obedient one, the one who cried when wolves snarled too loud.

"Hazel would never chase a man like that," she muttered.

Exactly.

Hazel would never chase anything worth having.

Father smirked.

"Hazel lacks ambition," he said.

"She always has..."

Mother's jaw tightened.

"And besides, Bradley wouldn't want to mate with a wolf less Omega"

"That's enough Nyx," mother snapped.

"What mum... That's the truth, and we all know it, Hazel is too -"

And then -

A knock.

The guard entered, bowing quickly.

"Alpha Galen. Alpha Sylus has arrived, he brought lady Hazel with him."

My stomach tightened.

Hazel. Of course she show up today, of all days.

Father frowned slightly.

"Hazel? What business does she have returning so suddenly?"

Valerie's face turned pale, worry instantly taking over.

But me? I felt irritation burn under my skin. Hazel ruined things without even meaning to, her existence was an inconvenience. Her timing... infuriating.

I stood slowly, smoothing my dress and masking the venom curling in my chest.

"Well," I said, offering a thin smile.

"Let's greet my dear sister."

Because if Hazel was back... and Sylus looked tense. Something was wrong.

And wrong things had a way of shifting destines.

-----

Hazel POV

The shadowfell gates swallowed the sky above me - tall iron spires laced with frost, metal humming with old magic. The air smelled like cold stone and damp pine, the kind of scent that always mads my chest tighten.

This was my home, yet it never felt like home.

Sylus walked ahead of me, shoulders rigid, his step punching into the ground like each one irritated him. He hadn't said a word the entire ride. His scent - smoke, steel, something sharp - hovered around him, unsettling and heavy.

I kept my hands on my stomach, pretending the twisting inside was morning sickness, not dread.

I had overheard him talking to his Beta, planning to visit the Shadowfell pack.

I had begged him to allow me to go with him, and I wanted to speak to Elena. She might be the only one who could explain why a wolfless woman had a pup growing inside her.

Sylus didn't suspect anything. After much thought, he allowed me to tag along.

When we got inside, my stomach twisted. The cold hit harder, it crawled into my bones.

"Alpha Sylus... Lady Hazel. Your family is expecting you"

Of course they were.

Shadowfell thrived on tension.

The moment we stepped into the dining hall, the entire atmosphere shifted - like the air thickened around my neck. The room smelled of roasted meat and spiced wine, but beneath it all was something bitter, something hostile.

Nyx was already on her feet, her lips curved into a smile that cut sharper than a blade.

"Well," she drawled, "look who finally decided to show up."

Father rose slowly. His eyes dragged over me like I was a report he needed to skim, not a daughter he hadn't seen in months.

"Hazel."

No warmth, just my name, clipped and cool.

"What brings you home unannounced?"

My palms went damp, but Sylus answered, his voice clipped.

"Business"

Father's gaze slid to him, then back to me.

"Then join us for lunch"

I sat, the wooden chair colder than stone under me. Mother's eyes found mind instantly - she leans forward, voice soft, fingers trembling when she touched my arm.

"Are you okay, dear?" She reached for my arm, gently.

"What do you expect? She's never okay, the weak omega," Nyx cut in.

"I'm fine, mother," I pulled my hand back.

"So Hazel..." Father didn't even look at me.

"How have you been to Alpha Sylus as a good Luna?"

"I-I..." I stammered.

"We have a lot of things to worry about and not waste time on less important things," Sylus cut me off.

"Yeah, who wastes time talking about less important things?" Nyx snorted.

I stayed still, I always did, I ate quickly, pushing food around even though each swallow felt like gravel.

"The Blackmores' pack won't back down after I raid their pack and take what's mine," Sylus said.

War.

Of course.

"Didn't you hold their Alpha captive?" Father asked.

"No, the bastard escaped. And now he's backing off the seven ancient packs..." Sylus set his cup down slowly.

"I'm afraid my men aren't enough to take on them"

Father dropped his cutlery, looking at him fully.

"The seven ancient pack is strong... only the Lycans can defeat them"

"Yes, Father. No one challenges the power of the Lycans, especially the King," Nyx said, staring directly at me.

"Nyx will be mating with the Lycans' King soon enough. That will strengthen our alignment and help you fight them off," Father added.

I looked at Nyx, and I could see the pride written all over her face. But I wasn't here for her.

"Very soon our pack will grow in power, and then we will lend a helping hand," Nyx said, still staring at me.

"And what makes you think, the king would want to mate with you?" Sylus asked.

"Because I'm his mate!" Nyx snapped.

Mate?

When did that happen? Yeah, Dad has been using Nyx to build alignment with the Lycans, so stupid for her not to see.

My eyes kept wandering, I was searching for Elena. She would have come to see me on hearing my arrival but she didn't.

"Looking for something, Hazel?" Mother asked gently.

"Um, yeah... I haven't seen Elena" I responded.

"Where do you expect her to be? Dining with us?" Nyx scoffed.

"Of course, she's where she's meant to be. With the servant"

"Why?!" I questioned, the word tore out of me louder than I meant. Shock flashed across several faces.

I stormed out and left the dining room to look for Elena.

The corridors smelled of lavender oil and polished wood. And as I walked down the hallway, the maids looked at me with astonished faces, some with a surprised look, others mumbled as I walked past them.

I ignored them and headed to the quarters room.

"Elena," I breathed.

She looked up from stitching cloth, eyes round, needle frozen mid-air.

"H...Hazel?" She stood, confused, hands shaking as I ran into her arms.

"Elena, what are you doing here?" I asked, scanning the cramped room - the tiny bed, the dim lantern, the scent of soap and old fabric.

"Hazel, it's nothing. I'm just a maid" Elena responded.

"What are you doing here?"

"I...I came here with Sylus"

"Why?"

"It's war stuff but... I have something to tell you."

"What? What's going on? Your arm? Has Sylus been hitting you?" She studied me, worry filing her eyes.

"It's nothing but..." I hesitated. Then breathed out.

"I'm pregnant" I announced.

"What?"

I leaned on the window frame, cold iron pressing into my spine. Elena stared like she was seeing a ghost.

"I had to follow Sylus because I thought you'd find an answer. I'm not supposed to be pregnant, Elena. I don't have a wolf,"

"Oh, Hazel, that's goodnews"

"Tell me, what's going on. You keep acting like you're hiding something from me"

"Does Sylus know?"

Sylus had ordered the pack's doctor to get rid of the baby, but when I opened my eyes. I told him, I've heard everything. I begged him to keep the baby.

"The pup might not survive" he had warned.

"If I abort it, I might die as well"

If I really have a wolf and it's weak, just like Lyrielle said, I might bleed to death. My wounds barely heal like other wolves.

I begged the doctor to keep it between us, Sylus shouldn't find out the baby lived.

"Yes, and he wants to get rid of the pup"

"Your wolf can't heal that those wounds"

"What do you suggest I do? What's wrong with me, Elena? I have...have this maid that serves me, she tells me everything. She's weird, I don't understand anything about her..."

Elena froze.

"Hazel... about Lyrielle..."

How did Elena know about Lyrielle, what does Elena know that I don't?

"How did you know about Lyrielle...?"

"Lyrielle is..."

"What do you mean you're pregnant Hazel?" Mother's voice sliced into the room. Her eyes were fixed directly on me.

"Don't lie to me. I overheard everything!"

"Mum, please, Sylus shouldn't know about this"

"Why? Because he wants it gone?"

"Because he doesn't want an heir"

"Your wolf... You didn't transform" mum shook her head

"No. I won't let this happen"

"Mum!"

Mum ran out to the study room, where Father and Sylus were discussing. I ran after her, and yeah, I know I'm doomed if she gets to Sylus before I can reach her.

Mother didn't slow down, not for the guards, not for the locked doors, not for the fact that she was about to throw herself into the Jaws of an alpha and a shadowfell patriarch.

She shoved the study doors open so hard they slammed into the walls.

"Sylus! How dare you?!"

Her voice cracked like a whip across the room. Father rose from behind his desk, fury darkening his expression. Papers rustled, the air thickened.

Sylus turned slowly, too slowly. His eyes locked on me the moment I darted in behind her - wide, startled, then instantly cold and dangerous.

"What's all this Hazel?" His mind linked with mine.

My pulse hammered so loud I could barely hear the rest of the word.

"Vespera," Father barked, "what's the meaning of this intrusion?"

Mother didn't flinch, she didn't even look at him. Her eyes were on Sylus, sharp, wet, trembling with rage and fear.

"How could you be so cruel," she hisses

"You want to take my grandchild"

Sylus's jaw ticked once, and a muscle jumped near his eye. But he didn't deny it, of course, he didn't.

He just stared at her like she was a minor inconvenience, a buzzing fly he was deciding whether to kill or not.

Father's gaze whipped to me, cold and cutting.

"Hazel."

My name felt like a blade in his mouth. I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe, I'm in so much trouble.

Mother stepped forward, fire in every line of her body.

"She's with a pup, Galen. Pregnant. And he -" she jabbed a finger at Sylus.

"- plans to get rid of it"

Father's eyes widened, shock flickering across his face before settling into something much worse:

Disappointment.

Disgust.

Calculation.

"Hazel is pregnant?" Father demanded.

"But...but she doesn't have a wolf" His stare pinned Sylus like a spear.

"I'm also thinking the same, Alpha Galen." Sylus didn't blink; he simply stared at me.

"How can a wolfless Omega, suddenly have a pup?"

"That doesn't hide the fact that you want to get rid of it." Mother said simply, voice cold as frost.

"Hazel might not survi..."

"Have you forgotten why I chose to mate your weak daughter?" Sylus spat, his anger already at the surface.

Just then Nyx stepped into the room with confusion all over her face.

"What's going on? Father?"

"Your reasons are not justified Sylus." Mother snapped, I've never seen her this bold and confident.

A mother dies just to protect her pup.

"They are!" Father barked.

"Sylus chose to mate with Hazel because she was wolfless. He doesn't want an heir"

The words shattered something inside me. That was why I was sold out to a monster because I was good as nothing to any Alpha male.

"So you're saying Hazel should die because of what he wants?" Mother snapped, turning back to Sylus.

"Vespera," he warned, "this is a matter between a man and his mate"

Sylus's gaze narrowed, Dangerous, quiet. A predator weighing whether he needed to defend his authority.

"Guess I've been tricked after all, Alpha Galen" Sylus broke in.

"No...no, we knew nothing about this, we don't know Hazel has a wolf"

"Hazel has a wolf?" Nyx asked surprisingly.

"That's impossible, you didn't transform during the ceremony... Your wolf didn't respond," she whispered, frantic.

"So, guess the little bitch has been lying to us all," Sylus growled.

"No..no," I shook my head vigorously.

"I never tricked anyone, I didn't know I could bear a pup,"

I tried defending myself, but I guessed no one listened except Mum, who kept weeping.

"I'm so sorry about this Sylus. Hazel has always been a disgrace and a disappointment to the Shadowfell. We have expected this from you" Father's voice broke.

"Guess it's time I take my leave. Hazel let's go"

"No. She stays -" Mother grabbed my hand again, desperate.

"Enough! Vespera!" Father roared.

Sylus raised his hand to hit my mother as I stood right in between. His wolf eye was already at the surface, his claws elongated.

"I'll go with you" I trembled.

"Alpha Galen, guess Hazel isn't the only one to be punished tonight" Sylus shot his wolf eyes at me.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered to my mother as Sylus bragged me out of the pack.