CHAPTER 2: The Cost of Crowns

Kaelen's POV

The sounds of celebration still echoed through the pack grounds as I guided Selene toward my quarters. Her arm was wrapped around mine, her smile bright and victorious. 

I kept my expression neutral... the mask I'd worn all evening... but inside, something was clawing at my chest.

"So this is where you live," Selene said with her eyes sweeping over the stone walls of my private wing. "It's a bit gloomy don't you think? I thought alphas liked grand spaces."

I grunted.. I wasn't in the mood for interior design critiques.

"Tell you what," she continued, her fingers lightly tracing patterns on my sleeve. "I'll bring in some new curtains.. maybe some candles. Make it feel more like home."

Her chatter filled my ears like white noise. I barely registered her words... my mind kept drifting back to the clearing... back to Freya's face when I said those terrible things.

God! I might as well have driven a blade through her heart.

"... and the master bath is lovely but the stone work could use updating..."

"We're here," I said abruptly, stopping at the door to my chambers.

Selene blinked at the finality in my voice and before she could protest, I summoned over.

"Take Selene to my room," I commanded. "She'll be staying there tonight. I have matters to attend to in my study."

"Does that mean you'll be joining me soon?" She asked, stepping closer with her blue eyes gleaming with intent. "Because I'll be waiting. And I won't be wearing anything to keep me warm."

A blush crept up my neck but I turned away before she could see it.

"See to her comfort," I directed the servant, already striding down the corridor. "I'll be busy for some time."

Her laugh followed me. 

"Don't keep me waiting too long, Alpha!"

I didn't look back.

My study door slammed shut behind me with a force that rattled the bookshelves and for one glorious moment, I let the mask crack. 

My fist connected with the antique vase on my desk... gift from a neighboring pack ambassador... sending shards scattering across the polished floor.

What have I done?

I swept my arm across the desk. Scrolls, inkwells and documents rained down onto the rug.. a chair hit the wall with a satisfying crunch and my wolf snarled inside me, furious at my own actions, at the cowardice that had led me to that clearing tonight.

Three years.. three years of stolen nights, of whispered promises beneath the stars, of her soft laughter filling this very room when she thought no one was listening.. three years of fighting the mating bond that screamed at me every time she was near and I'd thrown it away like it meant nothing.

"Freya," I rasped, dropping into the wreckage of my chair. My hands trembled. "Freya, I'm so sorry."

No one came to check on the noise... I made sure of that. Even my guards knew better than to disturb me when I went dark like this.

I sat in the ruins for a long time, my head in my hands breathing heavily. 

My wolf paced restlessly, still bristling with anger... not at Freya, never at her but at myself.. at the elders and at the impossible position I'd allowed myself to be cornered into.

Finally the storm inside me quieted.. just slightly enough to function.

I opened the mind link, reaching for the one person who had never judged me.. never demanded more than I could give.

'Rowan. My study. Now.'

The response came immediately. 

'On my way.'

True to his word, Beta Rowan appeared within minutes. He surveyed the destroyed room without flinching, his brown hair still neat and his hands clasped respectfully behind his back. The man could witness the apocalypse and manage to look dignified.

"You wanted to see me, Alpha?" he asked calmly.

I rose from my chair, still breathing hard. 

"Look at this room, Rowan. Look at what I've done."

"I've seen worse," he said dryly. "Remember the Thornbrook incident?"

Despite everything, a huff of laughter escaped me but it was short and humorless.

I moved to the window, staring out at the moonlit forest. 

"I rejected her, Rowan. I stood in front of our entire pack and called her nothing. I watched her face break and I didn't take it back."

"You had no choice."

"Everyone kept saying that!" I spun around, my fists clenching. "The elders… now you. But I did have a choice. I could have fought for her. I could have told the elders to shove their political alliances up their..."

"And then what?" Rowan interrupted, his voice still level. "You'd have a fractured pack. The Highmoon Pack would withdraw their trade agreements. The western packs would smell weakness and descend like wolves on wounded deer."

"Freya wouldn't have been hurt."

"Freya would have been hurt anyway," he said softly. "Eventually. The elders would have made her life miserable until you rescinded the mating bond. At least this way she still has her pride."

He was right, of course. He was always right. But that didn't make it easier to live with.

"I love her," I whispered but the words felt like stones in my mouth.

His expression softened almost imperceptibly. 

"I know."

I moved to my desk, sifting through the debris until I found what I needed... a blank parchment and a pen.

"Arrange transport," I said, my voice steadier now. "Take her somewhere distant.. somewhere the elders won't think to look. Somewhere she can start fresh."

"And if she refuses to leave?"

"She won't," I said, signing the authorization with a flourish. "She's too practical for that.. too proud to beg but she just needs to be somewhere safe. Somewhere I can..." I stopped myself. "Just get her there safely. That's all I ask."

Rowan took the parchment, tucking it into his coat. 

"It will be done by dawn. No one will know."

"Thank you." I met his eyes, letting my wolf show its gratitude through our bond. "For everything."

He inclined his head and left me alone with the wreckage.

******

The walk back to my chambers felt like a death march. My boots echoed too loudly in the empty hallway and each step brought me closer to the inevitable... of Selene's laughter.. of her cold blue eyes watching me.. of duties I never asked for.

The door to my room was slightly ajar. I pushed it open and stopped dead in the doorway.

Selene lay propped against my pillows, her platinum hair fanning across the dark silk sheets. The sheet itself did very little to preserve her modesty. 

One pale shoulder was exposed along with the curve of her hip as she traced a finger down her collarbone lazily watching me with half-lidded eyes.

"Took you long enough," she murmured. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me."

"Selene." My voice came out strangled. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting," she said simply as she sat up slightly, letting the sheet slip lower. "As promised. I'm not wearing anything."

I looked away sharply with heat flooding my face. "You should put something on."

"Why?" She laughed with that light musical sound that used to be charming and now set my teeth on edge. "Surely you know what's expected tonight."

"This isn't a wedding. It was an announcement."

"Semantics." 

She rose from the bed and before I could react, her arms wrapped around my waist from behind. Her breasts pressed against my back, her lips found my neck. 

"Come to bed, Kaelen. Forget your troubles. Let me take care of you."

"Selene..."

"I've been told I'm very good at taking care of things," she purred, her hands roaming across my chest. 

Her fingers found the fastenings of my shirt, working them loose with practiced efficiency. 

"We could be very happy together. You and me. I can be whatever you need."

Her touch was skilled.. I couldn't deny that. Heat was beginning to curl through my abdomen despite myself. Three years of faithful devotion to Freya had left me... unused to attention from anyone else.

'Stop,' my wolf snarled. 'This isn't right. This isn't her.'

But she was pressing closer, her lips finding that sensitive spot behind my ear. My hands lifted... almost involuntarily... to cover her wrists.

"That's it," she breathed against my skin. "Just relax. Let me..."

"FREYA!"

The name tore out of me before I could stop it. I shoved her away violently, stumbling back until my knees hit the bed frame.

Selene stared at me, her expression shifting from surprised to enraged in a second. 

"Did you just..."

"I can't do this." My voice was hoarse and I couldn't meet her eyes. "Not tonight. Not... not yet."

"You called out another woman's name!" Her voice rose to a shriek with the polished mask finally cracking. "While your hands were on me! What kind of man..."

"A terrible one," I admitted and finally looked up, meeting her furious gaze. "You're right to be angry. But I won't pretend to be something I'm not."

Her chest heaved with visible rage and for a moment I saw the real Selene... the calculating, ruthless she-wolf beneath the pretty face then she took a deep breath and rebuilt her composure piece by piece.

"Fine," she said coolly, retrieving a robe from the chair by the fireplace. "We can wait. But understand this, Alpha... I didn't agree to this mating to be cast aside for some omega tramp. You made your choice tonight. Stick to it."

She tied the robe with angry motions then swept past me toward the door.

"I'll stay out

of your way tonight," she threw over her shoulder. "Call for me when you've remembered your priorities."

The door slammed behind her with enough force to rattle the windowpanes…