I Was the Pack’s Mistake… Until the Alpha Saw Our Little Wolf

"If you sigh one more time, Riva, I am going to order my guards to throw you out of your own throne room," King Thane muttered out of the corner of his mouth. I kept my eyes fixed on the murmuring crowd of aristocrats, forcing a polite, icy smile onto my face. "I didn't sigh, Thane. I merely breathed." "You breathed with aggressive boredom," the King teased, his deep voice low enough that only I could hear. "Bear with me, please. The council insists on this exchange program. They want an elite warrior from the Eastern packs to act as your Personal Protector. It's just politics." "I don't need a babysitter," I whispered back sharply, not dropping my smile. "I am perfectly capable of walking around the palace without a shadow." "You need a shield," Thane corrected, his tone shifting from playful to serious for a fraction of a second. "There have been rogue sightings near the borders. The elders are nervous. And they say this guy is the most lethal Alpha the East has ever produced. He will keep you safe." I rolled my eyes slightly. Thane was a notorious playboy, but when it came to me, he was fiercely protective. No one in this room knew that our marriage was nothing more than a political shield. To them, we were the perfect royal couple. In reality, we were just best friends. "Nisa," I whispered, leaning slightly back toward my loyal maid standing behind the throne. "Do I look alright? Is the crown straight?" "You look like a true Queen, my Luna," Nisa whispered back, her voice full of warmth. "No one looking at you right now would ever guess you arrived at this palace shivering in the snow." I flinched slightly. "Don't talk about that. That girl is dead." "Who is dead?" Thane chimed in, leaning closer. "My patience? Because it's certainly dying while we wait for this Eastern warrior to show up." Before I could answer him, the heavy oak doors at the far end of the throne room groaned loudly. The Royal Herald stepped forward, striking his gilded staff against the floor. "Silence for the King and Luna!" he barked. The buzzing crowd instantly quieted down. "Presenting the new Personal Protector! Sent by the Eastern Alliance in honor of our enduring peace!" "Finally," Thane muttered, sitting up straight and adjusting his golden crown. "Let's see what this lethal Alpha looks like." I straightened my spine, ready to offer a cold, royal greeting to whatever stranger walked through those doors. But before the man even stepped fully into the light, it hit me. Smash. A violent wave of heat crashed directly into my chest. My lungs completely locked. I couldn't pull in a single breath. A wild, electrical current shot through my veins, setting my blood on absolute fire. My inner wolf, usually so calm and dormant, suddenly slammed against my ribs, howling in a sudden, desperate frenzy. No. No, it can't be. Then, the scent reached me. It cut through the perfume of the crowd. Dark pine needles. Winter frost. A deep, masculine musk. The scent of the man who had let his pack throw me out into the freezing snow seven years ago. The man who had called me a weak mistake. The man I loved. The man I hated. My hands began to tremble so violently I had to grip the armrests of my throne to keep from shaking visibly. He stepped out of the shadows. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Lethal. He wore the dark uniform of an elite guard, his jaw covered in a rugged shadow. He had a faded scar over his left eyebrow now. But the face... the face was exactly the same. Korren. He marched down the aisle, his eyes fixed forward in perfect, rigid military discipline. He hadn't looked up at the thrones yet. Don't break, I screamed at myself internally. You are the Luna. You are not that broken, pregnant girl they discarded. Put your mask on! "Ah, here he is," Thane said cheerfully. "He certainly looks the part. Built like a mountain." Korren stopped at the base of the dais. And then, the scent of the room must have finally hit him. His broad shoulders stiffened violently. His chest heaved as he dragged in a sharp, ragged breath. His hands instantly curled into tight fists at his sides. Slowly, as if fighting an invisible force, Korren snapped his head up. His piercing eyes locked directly onto mine. For a second, the hardened warrior completely vanished. Pure, unadulterated shock ripped across his handsome face. His lips parted. He stared at the diamond crown on my head, then down to my face, his eyes widening in absolute horror and disbelief as he recognized the 'mistake' his pack had thrown away. I stared back, forcing my face to remain a mask of sculpted ice, even though my heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to pass out. "Protector," Thane's voice boomed happily, completely oblivious to the silent bomb detonating beside him. "Welcome to the Central Pack. I am King Thane." Korren didn't look at the King. He couldn't stop looking at me. His breathing was heavy, erratic. "Introduce yourself, Alpha," Thane prompted, a bit of command slipping into his friendly tone. Korren’s jaw clenched tight. He forced himself to tear his eyes away from my face and dropped to one knee before the King. "Alpha Korren of the Eastern Ridge," he gritted out. His voice was deeper than I remembered. It sounded rough, entirely strained. "I trust you had a good journey?" Thane asked. "I did... Your Majesty," Korren replied, staring at the floor. "Excellent. You come highly recommended," Thane continued. "I need the best man standing at my wife's back. I trust you will protect the Luna with your life?" "With my life," Korren repeated. The words sounded like they were choking him. Thane smiled and nudged my arm gently. "Say hello to your new shadow, Riva." I swallowed the massive lump of glass in my throat. I raised my chin, wrapping myself in the coldest, most arrogant armor I could find. If he thought he could just walk back into my life, he was dead wrong. "Welcome to the court, Alpha Korren," I said. My voice was a flawless sheet of ice. Korren flinched. He slowly lifted his head, his dark eyes meeting mine again. The pain in his gaze was so raw, so physical, it almost made me gasp. "Do you understand the duties of a Personal Protector, Alpha?" I asked sharply, cutting through the silence. "I do... Your Majesty," he whispered. "It means you do not speak unless spoken to," I commanded, my voice ringing clearly across the quiet throne room. "It means you stand in the shadows. You do not question my orders. You are my guard, nothing more. Can you handle that? Or are the Eastern Alphas too proud to serve?" Thane raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my sudden hostility. "Riva, go easy on the man. He just got here." "I need to know he understands his place, Thane," I replied coldly, never breaking eye contact with Korren. "Well, Alpha? Answer me." Korren stared at me. I could see a hundred questions, a thousand betrayals, and seven years of agony screaming between us in the heavy silence. His chest rose and fell rapidly. "I understand my place," Korren said hoarsely. "Good," I snapped. "I am here to serve you," he continued, his voice dropping an octave, becoming a dark, vibrating rumble that sent a violent shiver down my spine. "However you see fit." "We will see about that," I said dismissively, turning my face away from him to look back at the crowd. But I could still feel his eyes burning into the side of my face. "Well," Thane clapped his hands together, breaking the tension. "You two seem to be getting along swimmingly! Protector, take your place by the stairs. We have a long reception ahead of us." "Yes, Your Majesty," Korren muttered. He stood up, his massive frame towering near the dais. He stepped back into the shadows beside the throne, just out of my direct line of sight. But the air between us was still crackling with electricity. I could feel his body heat. I could feel his gaze heavy on my skin. I squeezed my eyes shut for a fraction of a second. He thinks I am married. He thinks I am the King's wife. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. And standing in the shadows, gripping the hilt of his sword so hard his knuckles turned white, Korren couldn't hear the King's speech anymore. The crowd, the palace, the entire world had faded into absolute nothingness. There was only her. And inside Korren’s mind, his inner wolf was violently clawing its way to the surface, roaring and howling a single, world-shattering word. Mate.