C4

Lamia Blackmoor POV

“He is on one knee,” I whisper.

My eyes stay on the heavy ring. Clay is down on the floor in front of me, and his dark eyes are looking right at my face. I cannot get any air into my chest.

When Rham asked to form our covenant, it was different. It was like a big play for the whole pack to watch at Shadowclaw Citadel. There were hundreds of wolves in beautiful furs under the full moon. Rham made a proud speech. He called me to the front, dropped down, and gave me the stone.

It was just a pack duty, a big show. When he put the silver band on my finger and gave me a fast, cold kiss on my lips, I felt like I was flying high above the trees. I was just watching another girl. I was not really there.

But right now, looking at the big moonstone and the serious look on Clay's sharp face, I feel everything. The fire is popping in the hearth of the Pack Grove Manor. Our breathing is loud in the quiet room. I am right here.

But I have to remember that this proposal is a trick, too. It is just a different kind of show.

“Do not be stupid, Clay,” I say. I pull my hand away from his strong fingers. I push my chair back so I can stand up and get away from him.

My brain is shaking from what Rham did yesterday. I cannot believe he ran away to the Shadowfang Wilds. I cannot believe I lost my temper and screamed like a wild animal in my bedroom. I feel like thin ice today. One wrong step and I will break into pieces. A fake proposal from the dangerous, rogue prince will not fix my life.

Clay stays on his knee, perfectly steady. He looks like a giant, powerful wall that cannot be moved. “I am not being stupid, Lamia. It is a great plan. It is smart.”

“It is crazy,” I spit out. My voice is sharp because I am so scared. “The Grand Wolf Assembly will tear me apart. They will say I got dumped by one Jasperfang brother and picked up by the wild one like a piece of leftover meat.”

The hot shame burns my skin again. Waves of heat go from my neck to my face.

“Besides,” I say, looking down at his broad, muscular frame, “nobody will believe you want to settle down with one Luna. You sleep with every female wolf from here to the Silver River District. You are the biggest playboy in the whole Moonshadow Dominion.”

I feel bad as soon as the words come out of my mouth. But Clay just smiles a little bit, his dark eyes flashing with a wicked light. He does not get mad. He holds the ring higher.

“That is not true,” Clay says. His voice gets very deep and warm, sliding over my skin like silk. “Everyone in the territory knows I always wanted you, Lamia. I never hid it.”

He reaches out and puts his large, heavy hand on my thigh. His skin is very hot through my deer-hide pants. He looks down at my body and then back up to my eyes. His look is bold. It feels like a dangerous dare.

“I would be very happy to put my mark on you,” he whispers.

I have to tell myself that this is just what Clay does. He is very good at using his words and his intense eyes to get female wolves into his bed. He makes people believe him in the moment, and that makes him dangerous. He is a predator.

“There is a big difference between wanting a female wolf and making her your Luna,” I say, trying to keep my heart safe.

“Very true,” he says, and a slow, lethal grin cuts across his face. “But it is a good start. And it is much more than you ever had with my brother.”

I do not say anything back to that. He is right, and it hurts.

“A lot of girls would run to the altar for me,” Clay says. He lifts one dark eyebrow, looking incredibly handsome and full of trouble. “Especially now. You are looking at the new future Alpha King of the Jasperfang Pack.”

My mouth drops open. I cannot stop it. Rham told me King Aldric cut him off, but I thought the title might go to their mean cousin, Victor Ravenshadow.

Clay is the High Alpha Lord of the Silvercrest Territory.

I never, ever thought that could happen.

“Now you are listening,” he teases me. His voice sounds like thick honey. “Suddenly, the bad-boy brother looks a lot better, right? What do you say, Lamia? You never wanted Rham. You wanted the Silverclaw Throne. Well, now you get the throne, and you get me. I told you. It is a smart plan.”

A cold feeling hits my stomach like sour mountain water. “So that is the trick. Your father will not give you the Alpha power unless you keep the royal alliance with my pack.”

Clay lets out a low breath and stands up in one smooth, powerful motion. He is so tall and broad that he blocks out the warmth of the fire. His dark aura presses heavily against me. “Standing on stone floors takes a while. Come here.”

Before I can move away, Clay grabs my waist with his strong hands. He pulls me right against his hard, muscular chest. He sits down heavily in my big armchair, pulling me directly onto his lap. His arm is like a thick iron bar behind my back, holding me tight. My legs are draped over his massive, solid thighs.

This is bad. This is very bad.

He takes a slow breath and relaxes, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. “That is better, future Luna. We need to get used to being close like this, don't we?”

“I am not your Luna,” I say, trying to push against his broad chest. It feels like pushing against a solid mountain of muscle. “Answer my question, Clay.”

He lets out a loud, booming laugh that vibrates right through my own body. “Wow, you are tough. Okay, you are a little bit right. King Aldric wants to see this wedding happen before his spirit leaves his body. But he hates Victor Ravenshadow, and he will never forgive Rham for running away from his duty. Even if I stay single, I will still take the throne. I did not break the pack law.”