Chapter 5

ALEXEI’S POV

Today was the day that father announced me as his successor. The heir apparent of Ash moon pack.

In my past life, I had be overjoyed by father’s announcement. Naive and ignorant about the enemies I had made as a result.

Freida had squealed in false cheer, hugging me tightly. Luna Mya had smiled at me, giving me a soft pat on the back.

How had I not been able to see their loathing, shimmering right beneath the surface of their fake smiles?

How could I have been so blind to it?

It was a good thing that I knew better. It was almost as if I could see everyone in a new light. It made it so much easier to sift out false reactions from the fake ones.

The throne room was packed full of pack members and elders. Father sat on his custom high backed seat, observing the assembled crowd with an air of polite rigidity.

From my place next to his seat, I studied my step mother and sister closely.

They looked normal enough. Calm and collected in their pristine designer outfits.

Freida had an easy smile on her heart shaped face.

Honestly, if I hadn’t witnessed her shoving that vial of wolfsbane down my throat, and overhearing what she had said about Luna Mya having a hand in father’s death, I could easily have believed that all of it had been nothing more than a bad nightmare.

How could I not, when she had such a sweet smile on her face?

Luna Mya was no better. She was seated next to father at the top of the room and kept shooting him little adoring looks.

I felt bile rise in my throat and clenched my fists to keep it at bay.

Just then, Freida looked in my direction. She locked eyes with me.

Her lips twitched in amusement as she raised her fingers to me in a small wave.

I swallowed the thickness in my throat and looked away from her.

I had to find a way to get through this. No matter how much I wanted to lash out at these selfish, two-faced monsters, I needed to reel it in.

If I caused a scene right now, there was no way to prove any accusations I threw at Freida and the Luna.

Frankly, there was a high chance that it could come back to bite me in the ass.

A few more minutes passed by, characterized by numbing chatter. Finally, father got down to it— addressing the business for which everyone had gathered.

It was just like the last time.

He gave a small speech about how he’d built Ash moon from the ground, right alongside my mother. Then, he acknowledged the pack’s numerous wins over the years. The booming businesses. Our vast lands. Our numbers.

He also highlighted our weaknesses when it came to military numbers and defense mechanisms.

“Ash moon needs a leader backed by the light and approval of the moon goddess. The goddess searches all of our hearts and understands our capabilities more than we could ever imagine.”

Father’s tone carried through the room with the force of one that longed to lift a heavy burden off his chest.

My heart clenched with nerves as he finally announced my name.

The silence that filled the room was quiet and reverberating. It stretched, filling my ear with white noise.

It was just like last time. Everyone was shocked by father’s announcement.

It was quite apparent that they had been counting on Freida being announced as heir.

She was the popular choice, afterall.

She was stronger than me.

She had a wolf and encompassed an aura I was only beginning to realize was fake.

Watching her poison me in the gardens convinced me that her so-called aura was nothing to be fascinated by. It was nothing more than an empty shell etched in darkness.

The silence that had met father’s announcement was soon followed by an uncoordinated round of applause.

I remembered things going this way. Any moment now, Freida would come running in my direction.

She would throw her arms around me in a hug and congratulate me in front of everyone.

And then, Luna Mya could pay shoulder in a fake show of maternal love and support.

The first time they had done it, I had been greatly moved and highly emotional.

Now, the thought of their presence, surrounding me, made my skin crawl.

I needed to find a way to avoid it.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if I ran away?

I wondered how much such a small glitch in my predesigned story would change my fate.

Without thinking, I withdrew from the crowd, taking a few steps backwards.

Father’s eyebrows drew together by my sudden movements backwards. He gave me a questioning look, unsure of how to interpret my abrupt reaction.

I ignored his look and spurn around on my feet. Without a care for what anyone had to say, I did the first thing that came to mind.

I made my escape from the throne room.

I shot past the double doors and burst into the hallway. I had merely made it a few steps when I slammed face first into a hard wall.

Only it wasn’t a wall.

It was a broad, strong chest.

Equally strong arms reached out to wrap around my waist, halting my fall.

I inhaled a sharp breath as I was brought flush against the full length of my rescuer.

I locked gazes with a pair of eyes that were almost identical to mine, and instantly, my face drained of colour.

My blood ran cold, causing a shiver of sheer terror to course down the length of my spine.

Brandon gave me the brightest smile he could muster, oblivious to my negative reaction to his touch— to his closeness.

“Careful darling,” he snickered, bringing his face close to mine. “You could easily have hurt yourself. I guess it’s a good thing you’ve got me to look after you.”

He shot me a conspiratorial wink.

I didn’t realize I was still holding my breath until I felt my head swim with a heavy wave of dizziness.