Chapter Seven: The Invite

Maya lay on the bed, her face streaked with tears, lost in thought. It was bad enough that her father favored Zara. But wanting her to marry the oldest man in the pack? "This is the height of it," she mumbled, a sob escaping her lips.

“Over my dead body will I marry him,” she whispered, her voice trembling with disgust. “I would rather run wild into the forest and be torn apart by rogues than chain myself to that old man.” The thought of his wrinkled hands on her skin made her shudder.

Alpha Kane had promised to return, so why wasn't he here yet? Or did he despise her too? "They all hate me, after all," she said as a fresh wave of tears flooded her face, her heart stinging, making her breath hitch. Her mind replayed the scene from earlier that day.

Her father had walked away without sparing her a glance, the stony expression she knew meant his decision was final.”

"Who is he selling me to?" she had asked her mother, her voice barely above a whisper.

“No one is selling you, sweetie,” her mother had said, stroking her hair with trembling fingers.

“Mr. Pascal asked for your hand in marriage, but I would never allow that.”

But even as the words left her mother’s lips, Maya had seen the fear in her eyes, a fear that mirrored her own. Her mother couldn’t fight her father, and they all knew it.

She had always been treated like dirt.

A memory flashed through Maya's mind: a few years ago they were seated at the dining table, eating as one big family when suddenly Zara poured a cup of water inside Maya’s plate of food, her mother had gone to bring more chicken, when she had Maya’s wail, she rushed down to see what had happened.

“Zara!! What have you done?” Her mother screamed.

“Mum, she’s just a weakling. Eating a lot of food won’t make her strong. Stop wasting our food,” Zara said, and Atheus nodded.

“Atheus did you just nod? What kind of a father are you?” She queried. “You are supporting disunity among your daughters.”

“It is my house, Agatha, I will support what I like” he growled leaving the dining.

A drop of tear slid down her eye bringing her back to the present, she cleaned it with the back of her palm.

“Nobody can force me to marry whom I don’t want” she concluded sniffling.

* * * *

Meanwhile, miles away in the ShadowFang Pack, Alpha Kane sat in his dimly lit study, surrounded by books and papers. A cup of black coffee sat beside him as he sorted through paperwork, including contracts with other packs and draft agreements for settling land disputes. He hadn't slept properly in days, haunted by a promise he'd made to a girl he barely knew.

He was so deeply engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice the silent entry of someone, nor the movement behind him until he felt hands wrapped around his torso. He stiffened, every muscle in his body tensing, but as the fragrance of caramel mixed with honey hit his nostrils, he relaxed a little bit.

“Prisca,” he said flatly, his voice devoid of any warmth. “What are you doing here?”

“Since you came back from your last trip, you’ve been distant,” she pouted, bringing her hand to his chest, caressing it lightly. He caught her hands, dropping them gently. His mind was elsewhere, replaying the image of Maya's tear-streaked face.

“I’ve been busy, Prisca,” he said, his eyes going back to the load of work on the table. He needed to find a way to help Maya, but he couldn't risk starting a war with the BloodMoon Pack.

“But you promised to fix a date for crowning me your Luna,” she lamented.

“Soon Prisca, I’m just busy for now”

She was about to protest when a guard appeared and stood by the door.

“Greetings, Alpha, a message from BloodMoon Pack,” he informed, making Kane’s head perk up. His heart skipped a beat.

“Leave, Prisca. I will call for you later.”

Prisca wasn’t happy, but she knew better than to disobey. She dragged her feet away, but an idea crossed her mind, and she halted, hiding behind the door to eavesdrop on the conversation, careful enough not to get caught.

“Go ahead, Andrew,” he commanded.

Andrew nodded, breaking the seal, and read aloud, “You are invited to the Acceptance ceremony for the Luna of BloodMoon pack, Supreme Alpha.”

Prisca heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s just an invite, nothing to worry about,” she smiled, slipping away as fast as she could.

Andrew, who was coming out of the king’s Chambers, saw her and decided to let it slide. He knew better than to cross Prisca.

On his way out, he met Gavin. “Greetings, Beta,” he greeted.

“How are you doing, Andrew?”

“I’m fine,” Andrew replied, avoiding eye contact. He always felt uneasy around Gavin, the Beta's intense gaze making him uncomfortable.

“Is the Alpha in?” Gavin asked.

“Yes, sir,” and Gavin strode away without any more words.

Andrew released a breath. “I don’t know why my heart races anytime I see him,” he mumbled, walking in another direction.

Gavin arrived and met Kane lost in thought.

“Good day, Alpha, is there a problem?” Gavin asked, his gaze sharp with curiosity. He had a knack for sensing when something was amiss.

“Cut the formality, Gavin, it’s Kane when we are alone,” Kane fired, rubbing his temples.

“Alright, alright,” Gavin chuckled, raising his two hands in surrender. “What is bothering you? I can see worry all over you.” He added.

Kane was about to reply when Gavin’s eyes landed on the scroll. He picked it up, scanned the words, and his jaw clenched. Rage flickered across his features, disgust, then fury, and finally cold determination.

“Alpha Zane rejected his true mate, and now he’s rushing to mark her sister?” he snarled, his voice rumbling with anger.

Kane’s gaze hardened, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm.

“We’ll attend the ceremony. And on that day, we’ll bring the fragile girl home—where she belongs. Prepare everything, we take her either peacefully or violently.”

Gavin gave a sharp nod, patted Kane’s shoulder, and left, his expression grim. Kane sat back staring into space losing the Zeal to work.