Four

“There will be no marriage,” Alpha Feal said, his voice firm and final as it settled heavily over the room, leaving no space for argument or hope, and though he stood at the head of the chamber like a ruler addressing his people, there was something in his tone that felt more desperate than commanding, something that suggested this decision had not come easily, yet would not be undone. “Dairus has been missing since the battle,” he continued, his expression tightening as though the memory itself irritated him. “I lost him during the entire fight with Aurelian.”

“What?!” Hazel’s voice broke apart as she cried out, her shock turning instantly into grief as tears streamed down her face, her body trembling as if the weight of his words had crushed her from within.

But while her sorrow filled the room, I stood frozen, completely lost, my thoughts tangled and confused, because nothing they were saying made sense to me, not the battle, not the loss, not even the name that echoed again and again in my mind like a shadow I could not grasp.

Aurelian.

Who was Aurelian?

“We don’t have time,” Alpha Feal said sharply, cutting through everything as his gaze shifted toward Madam Sonia, his expression hardening with disapproval and something dangerously close to anger. “Sonia, you used your blood on her, and that alone deserves punishment. It is against our law to heal a latent wolf.”

My heart lurched violently at his words, panic rising so suddenly it made it hard to breathe, and I turned instinctively toward Madam Sonia, hoping—desperately—that she would deny it, that she would say something to ease the fear clawing its way through my chest, but instead she stood her ground, calm and unwavering, her eyes meeting his without hesitation.

“A latent wolf, according to your law,” she said evenly, her voice steady despite the tension thickening in the room, “should be banished.”

The word struck me like a blow.

Banished.

It echoed in my head, louder than anything else, drowning out Hazel’s quiet sobs, drowning out even my own breathing, and for a moment I felt as though the ground beneath me had disappeared.

Was she speaking about me? I watched the heated stare between them, the silent clash of authority and defiance, and confusion twisted tighter within me because no one spoke to Alpha Feal like that, no one dared challenge him, yet Madam Sonia did so openly, fearlessly, as though she held something over him or perhaps knew something no one else did.

“There will be no need for punishment,” Alpha Feal said at last, though his tone carried a restrained irritation that made it clear this was not a decision he welcomed. “Get her dressed and ready. They will be here tonight. Zoran will give everything she can.”

My breath caught.

Get who dressed?

Me?

“I want you to tell me yourself, Alpha,” Madam Sonia demanded, her voice quieter now but firm, unyielding, as though she refused to let him hide behind orders and half-truths. “Why are these arrangements being made? I have heard the rumors, but you have to tell me yourself.”

I had never seen anyone speak to him that way, never seen anyone stand before him without lowering their gaze, and for a moment even he seemed taken aback, his face grim, his anger flickering beneath the surface, yet he answered.

“We lost the battle,” he said, each word heavy with consequence. “Aurelian, the Wolf Council, and his army will be here. And Aurelian…” His eyes shifted toward me, cold and calculating. “…will take Seraphine as his prize.”

The words hit me like a storm.

I felt my body go still, my thoughts scattering, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else.

Aurelian would take me?

As his prize?

What battle had we lost?

What was happening to my life?

“Get her ready,” Alpha Feal added, already turning away as though the matter was settled and I was no longer worth his attention. “Her future husband would not want to be kept waiting.”

AURELIAN POV

Aurelian stepped into the Moonlight Pack as though he were walking into a graveyard that belonged to him, his expression dark with something far deeper than hatred, something carved from years of pain and rage, and the moment his boots touched the ground, he spat to the side, his disgust clear as he took in the sight of the place that had once been filled with people he loved.

He hated this place.

He remembered it too well.

As a child, he had walked these grounds with trust, with innocence, with the belief that alliances meant safety, that loyalty meant something, but all of that had been shattered the night this very pack betrayed his family, spilling his father’s blood into the soil, severing his mother’s head without mercy, tearing his sister apart while he watched, powerless, before they had left him for dead among the ruins of everything he had known.

But death had not taken him.

And now he had returned.

Not as a boy.

But as something far more dangerous.

The Wolf Council walked beside him, their presence the only reason the pack still stood, the only reason he had not already burned it to the ground and painted its walls with the blood of every last wolf within it, and though the law restrained him—for now—it did not erase his hatred.

By that same law, he could not yet kill Alpha Feal or his Luna until the next new moon, but everything else… everything else was his to claim.

Including their bloodline.

Including the girl.

As he walked through the castle, wolves scattered at his presence, their fear unmistakable, their heads lowered, their bodies tense, and he felt a dark satisfaction in it because this—this fear—was what they deserved.

He entered the throne room without hesitation and sat as though it already belonged to him, his gaze sweeping across the space with cold calculation, already imagining its destruction, already seeing it reduced to nothing but rubble and ash.

“Where are they?” he demanded, his voice low but laced with deadly impatience.

“My patience is thinning,” he added, leaning back slightly, his fingers tapping against the armrest. “I will forfeit the law and slaughter every last one of them if they test me.”

“He will be here soon,” one of the council leaders replied carefully.

Aurelian let out a slow breath, his eyes dark.

He would give them five minutes.

Only five.

SERAPHINE’S POV

I stared at my reflection, hardly recognizing the girl before me, because she looked nothing like the person I had been only hours ago, dressed in a gown of cream fabric adorned with delicate pearls that shimmered under the light, clinging to my body in a way that made me painfully aware of every curve I had always been taught to hide, my long red hair styled carefully, my face softened with touches that made me appear… almost beautiful.

Almost.

A veil rested over my head, ready to conceal me, to hide what Alpha Feal so clearly despised, and as I stood there, I could not help but feel like something being prepared, something being decorated before it was handed over.

“What is going to happen to me?” I asked softly, turning to Madam Sonia, fear tightening my chest as I struggled to steady my voice, because I no longer wanted fragments of truth, no longer wanted to be shielded from what awaited me.

I wanted to know.

Even if it broke me.

She hesitated, glancing briefly at Zoran, who stood nearby selecting jewelry with careful attention, before stepping closer to me, her expression softening.

“This is an accord,” she said quietly. “Alpha Feal—your uncle—struck a deal with the Wolf Council.”

My breath caught slightly at the word uncle, a reminder of a truth that had never brought me comfort.

“He cannot be taken,” she continued, “nor his Luna, not until the next new moon, but Aurelian… he is allowed to claim anything else he desires.”

A chill ran through me, Anything else.

“Why me?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Why present me as his daughter?”

Her gaze held mine, filled with a quiet sadness.

“Because he will not risk his true blood,” she said gently. “And to him… you are expendable.”

The words settled heavily inside me, colder than I had expected, sharper than I could bear.

“Will I have to marry him?” I asked after a moment.

She exhaled softly.

“That will depend entirely on what he decides to do with you.”

Before I could respond, the doors burst open as Alpha Feal entered, his presence immediately suffocating the room, his gaze landing on me with unmistakable disdain.

“For heaven’s sake, cover her face,” he snapped. “I will not have him insulted by that sight.”

My heart broke instantly, and as the veil was lowered over my face, I felt the weight of his rejection more than ever, the quiet confirmation that I was nothing in his eyes.

“I hope you know how to behave like royalty,” he continued harshly.

I flinched, unsure of what to say.

“Did you hear me?” he demanded. “If this fails, it will be because of you, and what I will do to you afterward will be far worse.”

Tears burned behind the veil, hidden from view.

“That will be enough,” Madam Sonia said firmly, stepping forward.

“You never treated her like she was your daughter,” she continued, her voice steady despite the danger. “And yet today, you expect her to act like a princess. Seraphine is a good girl, and you do not deserve her.”

Silence fell instantly.

Everyone turned toward her, even Zoran.

Alpha Feal’s expression darkened, his anger rising, yet for a moment he said nothing, as though restraining himself.

“Just because of the past does not give you the right to speak to me this way,” he warned coldly. “I will deal with you later.”

Fear gripped me for her, because I knew what he was capable of, knew the consequences of defying him, and yet she did not back down.

Not even now.

And then, without another word, he turned and stormed out, the doors slamming behind him as the sound echoed through the room, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than anything before it.

And as I stood there, trembling beneath the veil, I realized that whatever awaited me beyond those doors was no longer something I could escape, no longer something I could deny, because my life was no longer mine—It had already been decided.