Tve agreed to marry Alpha Maximus Thane.”
The words were ice on my tongue.
My father, Alpha Rowan Aethon, froze at the edge of the war table, the scent of freshly inked scrolls and burning cedar hanging in the air. His head lifted slowly, disbelief painting his features.
“You can’t be serious,” he finally said, gaze narrowing
But I was. I had never been more serious in my life.
Alpha Maximus Thane, heir to the prestigious Thane Pack Powerful, feared, admired–until he turned twenty–four and was poisoned by vampire blood laced with shadowroot. He collapsed mid–run during a hunt, and he hadn’t opened his eyes since.!
No healer, no witch, not even the Moon Priests could wake him. Only his royal wolf blood kept his body from rotting–kept him alive, like some cruel, eternal sleep.
a sleeping corpse? Tying your wolf to someone who may never even look at you?
No one wanted to be his Luna. Who would? Mating with a sleep
But I volunteered. And I had my reasons.
“The Thane Pack has been demanding the ceremony,” I reminded him. “You’re Alpha. You know they won’t wait forever.” “They wanted Maurine,” he said stiffly.X
“I’m aware,” I said coolly. “But Maurine can’t bear the idea of being Luna to a cursed man. So I’m offering myself as a substitute.”
He exhaled sharply, then–like the calculating wolf he was–his shoulders began to relax. “This might work. It settles the alliance. They get a Luna. We secure our northern border. I’ll start planning the wedding at once. We’ll need-”
“I want payment” My voice sliced through his.)
He paused, turning back to me. “What?”
I looked him dead in the eye. “You’re offering me as a replacement. That’s not love–it’s convenience. So if I’m going to marry a man in a deep slumber to protect your little favorite illegitimate daughter, I want compensation.“}
His brow furrowed. “Rebecca, don’t be dramatic-”
“I want half the treasury.” I stepped forward, my voice flat. “Not just the ceremonial Luna dowry. Half of the pack’s gold. Including your personal vault“:
His nostrils flared. “That would drain me dry.”
“Good”
He stared at me like he didn’t recognize me. Like I hadn’t always been the daughter he kept at arm’s length, the one who grew up in the shadows of his shame.9
“And” I added, turning away from him and already walking toward the door, “I want you to reassign Lucas.”
He blinked. “What?”
“My wolf knight I want you to assign him to Maurine. He’ll guard her now.
“You’re giving up Lucas?” he asked, stunned. “You once told me you wanted to mate him “8
“I don’t,” I said without turning back. “Not anymore.”
He didn’t call after me. Not as my heels echoed against the marble. Not as the heavy wooden door shut behind me.
But I knew he would agree. He always gave Maurine everything. He could give me this one thing.”
My mother had died from heartbreak when she found out my father had a secret family. That he’d taken another woman while still mated
to her. The betrayal broke her–drove her wolf mad. She died screaming, foaming at the mouth. I watched it all.
Since then, I’ve hated him. Hated them, especially Maurine who had stolen everything from me.
Perhaps, that was why I had grown to love Lucas because he was all I had. All I believed in.
Until recently.
It was past midnight by the time I returned to my house in the outer edge of the Aethon territory, the moon casting long silver streaks through the trees.
Most wolves lived near the Pack Heart, close to the patrol barracks and the war fields.
I preferred the distance. Distance didn’t lie.X
But as I approached the side hallway leading to the guest quarters, I heard something–soft penting. Guttural. Rhythmic.
I paused. The scent hit me next Lust Heat. Like a wolf in rut.X
It was Lucas. The door was cracked open. I should’ve walked past. I should’ve respected the boundaries. I should’ve. But I didn’t.
I leaned in, just enough to see through the gap. And it shattered me.X
He was on the edge of the bed, shirtless, sweat clinging to his body like moonlight to steel. His hand moved fast over his length, eyes half–lidded. A photo clenched in his free hand
Not just any photo. It was her–Maurine
He moaned her name, slow and sweet, like a pmyer.!!
He stared at me like he didn’t recognize me. Like I hadn’t always been the daughter he kept at arm’s length, the one who grew up in the shadows of his shame.
“And” I added, turning away from him and already walking toward the door, “I want you to reassign Lucas.”
He blinked. “What?”
“My wolf knight. I want you to assign him to Maurine. He’ll guard her now.”
“You’re giving up Lucas?” he asked, stunned. “You once told me you wanted to mate him.“%
7 don’t,” I said without turning back. “Not anymore.”
He didn’t call after me. Not as my heels echoed against the marble. Not as the heavy wooden door shut behind me
But I knew he would agree. He always gave Maurine everything. He could give me this one thing.
My mother had died from heartbreak when she found out my father had a secret family. That he’d taken another woman while still mated
to her. The betrayal broke her–drove her wolf mad. She died screaming, foaming at the mouth. I watched it all.
Since then, I’ve hated him. Hated them, especially Maurine who had stolen everything from me.
Perhaps, that was why I had grown to love Lucas because he was all I had. All I believed in.
Until recently.
time I returned to my house in the outer edge of the Aethon territory, the moon casting long silver streaks
It was past midnight by the ti through the trees.
Most wolves lived near the Pack Heart, close to the patrol barracks and the war fields.
I preferred the distance. Distance didn’t lie.
But as I approached the side hallway leading to the guest quarters, I heard something–soft panting. Guttural. Rhythmic.
I paused. The scent hit me next. Lust. Heat Like a wolf in rut./.
It was Lucas. The door was cracked open, I should’ve walked past. I should’ve respected the boundaries. I should’ve… But I didn’t
1 leaned in, just enough to see through the gap. And it shattered me.
He was on the edge of the bed, shirtless, sweat clinging to his body like moonlight to steel. His hand moved fast over his length, eyes half–lidded. A photo clenched in his free hand.8
Not just any photo. It was her–Maurine.
He moaned her name, slow and sweet, like a prayer.}
My heart dropped so fast I forgot to breathe. My wolf whimpered inside me. Weak Betrayed.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t look away. Lucas. My Lucas. The one I had chosen three years ago from a lineup of elite Wolf Knights. He wasn’t just strong–he was silent, composed, disciplined.
He stood at the far end of the line–silent, still, and unreadable.
While the other Wolf Knights shifted proudly under the weight of their armor, chests puffed and eyes gleaming with ambition, he simply stood like a statue carved from storm–forged stone. Not a single twitch. Not a hint of arrogance. His presence didn’t need to shout to be felt–it commanded the space around him like gravity. And above all, he was the most handsome man I had ever laid my eyes on.3
I’d flirted with him shamelessly. Dressed in silks that barely covered my skin. Drenched myself in the perfume that made male wolves go wild. I’d even faked almost slipping near the cliffs. Or pretended getting attacked by leopards in the woods.
He never touched me. He never gave in.
I thought it was honor. Turns out it was disinterest.
And then–his phone buzzed. He picked it up without hesitation.
“Yeah,” he said, his tone suddenly different. Commanding. Smooth. Alpha–like.
I froze
“I’ve been pretending to be Rebecca’s wolf knight for years,” he said. “You think I’d give up like that? I need to make sure Maurine’s safe. Rebecca’s the only way to get Maurine close.“”
A pause.
“No, she has no idea. She thinks she’s seducing me. Pathetic.“%
My knees weakened. What in the Moon Goddess’s grace am I hearing?
“She’s not even worth a strand of Maurino’s hair. Maurine is the key, you know that. I’m pretty sure she’s the she–wolf in the seer’s golden glass ball,”
That was the blow that broke me.
“Til stay close until Maurine realizes that Take care of my pack, the Silvana Pack, while I am away. Understood?”
Silvana. That pack? They were myth. Shadows. A pack whispered about in rogue circles. Their lands were hidden beyond mountain passes Unregistered. Unmapped. Their wolves different.X
Cold Ruthless. And Lucas… Lucas was their Alpha?!
My blood burned. I should’ve walked away. Should’ve screamed. Should’ve howled into the forest like my mother once did before she died, heart split open by my father’s betrayal.
indraad
