THE RISE OF THE WOLF KING

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Chosen by the Moon

The ceremonial blade sliced across my palm, and my blood struck the ancient stone beneath my feet.

A cheer erupted from the hundreds of wolves gathered in the courtyard.

“Dios del Sol!” they roared.

Their voices rolled across the Texas night like thunder.

Black-and-gold banners snapped in the warm wind above the pack house. Torches burned from iron brackets along the courtyard walls, their flames bending beneath a cloudless sky. Beyond the reach of the firelight, the territory stretched into darkness—miles of live oak, cedar, and mesquite surrounding dry fields and limestone creeks. The land had belonged to Dios del Sol for generations. Tonight, beneath a full moon bright enough to turn the grass silver, it became mine to protect.

I stood barefoot inside the sacred circle, dressed in the ceremonial black leather and gold embroidery of my ancestors. My mother stood to my right with Maggie and Ian. Carlos waited on my left, his crooked smile suggesting the enchanted wine had not yet surrendered its hold on him.

I was fairly certain the ground was moving.

I prayed no one else had noticed.

My father stood before me with his hand wrapped around my bleeding palm. Behind him rested the Alpha’s throne, carved from dark Texas oak and marked with the names of every Soto who had ruled before me.

The Fang of the Sun rested against my hip.

Its presence steadied me.

“Blood given willingly,” Father declared, his voice carrying throughout the courtyard. “Strength offered freely. A life bound eternally to the wolves of Dios del Sol.”

The pack answered as one.

“Blood for blood. Life for life.”

Father stared into my eyes.

His expression remained solemn, but pride burned beneath it.

“Enrique Raúl Soto, do you stand before your pack willingly?”

“I do.”

“Do you swear to place their survival before your comfort, their freedom before your pride, and their future before your hunger?”

The final word struck me differently than the others.

Hunger.

My mother’s warning returned to me.

Power will reveal every hidden corner of your heart.

I raised my chin.

“I swear it.”

My father released my hand and turned toward the waiting crowd.

“For 40 years, I have carried the power of Dios del Sol. I have felt every wolf beneath my protection. I have shared their joy, carried their grief, defended their blood, and buried their dead.”

Silence fell across the courtyard.

Even the children stopped moving.

“My time as your Alpha has ended.”

Father faced me again.

He placed one hand over my heart and the other against the back of my neck.

Power slammed into me.

I gasped.

The force drove me to my knees.

A thousand invisible threads wrapped themselves around my body. They entered through my wound, burned beneath my skin, and hooked themselves into my bones. My wolf surged forward with a roar, meeting the ancient power as though it had been waiting for this moment since my birth.

Suddenly, I could feel them all.

Every wolf.

My mother’s pride was warm and golden. Maggie’s excitement flickered like flame. Ian’s joy rushed through me so fiercely that I nearly laughed. Carlos stood firm beside me, bound by loyalty, affection, and a hint of drunkenness he was attempting to conceal.

Beyond them were hundreds more.

Warriors. Elders. Mothers cradling sleeping infants. Servants watching from the back of the courtyard. Children who had spent the week practicing their bows.

They were separate heartbeats joined by one living current.

My pack.

Mine.

The power continued pouring into me until I feared my body would split apart. My fingers dug into the stone. A growl tore from my throat as my wolf fought to contain everything my father had carried for three decades.

Then the pain disappeared.

I opened my eyes.

My father was kneeling before me.

For the first time in my life, Lorenzo Soto lowered his head to me.

“My Alpha.”

The courtyard erupted.

The sound shook the walls.

I rose as hundreds of wolves bent their knees. My mother bowed. My sister and brother bowed. Warriors who had trained me lowered their heads. Elders who had carried me as an infant exposed their throats.

Carlos dropped to one knee.

His expression had lost its usual humor.

“I, Carlos Anthony Rivera, pledge my strength, my blood, and my life to Alpha Enrique Raúl Soto,” he said. “I will stand beside you in battle, challenge you in private, defend your name in public, and drag you home when your ambition carries you too far.”

Laughter broke through the solemn silence.

I looked down at him.

“You added that last part.”

“You need it.”

“Probably.”

I held out my uninjured hand.

Carlos accepted it, and I pulled him to his feet.

“Rise, Beta Rivera.”

The cheering began again.

My mother carried the Alpha’s crown into the sacred circle.

It had been forged from darkened gold, its pointed edges shaped like rays of sunlight. A wolf stood at its center with its head raised toward an invisible moon.

Mother’s eyes shone as she lifted it.

“Do not let this become heavier than the people you wear it for,” she whispered.

Then she placed the crown on my head.

The pack rose.

“Long live Alpha Enrique!”

The words came again and again until they became one deafening voice.

I turned toward my people and felt more powerful than any man had a right to feel.

Standing beneath the full moon with Dios del Sol connected to my soul, I believed there was nothing in this world I could not accomplish.

Nothing I could not conquer.

The ceremony ended with music.

Drums pounded while fiddles and guitars filled the courtyard. The sacred circle disappeared beneath dancing feet as servants carried out platters of roasted beef, smoked pork, fresh bread, tamales, grilled corn, fruit, and honey cakes. Barrels were opened, cups were filled, and the solemn gathering transformed into the largest celebration Dios del Sol had seen in years.

Carlos disappeared into the crowd before I could remove my crown.

I found him near one of the long tables with a woman tucked beneath his arm.

Lucía.

She had been Carlos’s mate for nearly a year, although they still looked at one another as though the bond had formed that morning. Lucía was beautiful, with warm brown skin, long dark hair, and large brown eyes that missed very little. She wore a deep green dress with embroidered flowers around the neckline.

Her hand rested naturally against Carlos’s chest.

His fingers moved along her waist as if he needed constant proof that she was beside him.

“You allowed him to drink enchanted wine before my coronation,” I said.

Lucía’s eyes widened. “He told me you found it.”

Carlos looked offended. “I would never accuse my Alpha of theft.”

“You stole it from my father.”

“I recovered it from a neglected corner of the cellar.”

Lucía struck his chest. “Carlos.”

He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“Do not look at me like that, mi vida. It was a historic occasion.”

“You are fortunate you could stand through the ceremony.”

“I stand better when drunk.”

“He does most things better when drunk,” I said.

Lucía sighed. “Please do not encourage him. You are his Alpha now.”

“I was hoping that meant he would finally listen to me.”

Carlos and Lucía exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.

I stared at them.

“I can have you both imprisoned.”

“On your first night?” Carlos asked. “People will call you cruel.”

“Only the fortunate ones.”

Lucía smiled and reached up to straighten my crown. “You did well tonight, Enrique. Your family is proud of you.”

“Even Maggie?”

“Maggie cried.”

My smile grew. “I will remind her every day for the rest of her life.”

Carlos looked across the courtyard. “She will stab you before morning.”

“She must catch me first.”

“Alpha!”

Several young warriors called my name and raised their cups. I returned the gesture, enjoying the way the title sounded.

Alpha Enrique.

It belonged to me now.

I moved through the celebration with Carlos and Lucía beside me. Pack members stopped us every few steps to offer blessings, gifts, and unsolicited advice. One elderly woman grabbed my face and kissed both cheeks. A warrior presented me with a handmade saddle. Three children gave me a collection of stones they claimed were enchanted.

By the time we reached the opposite end of the courtyard, my arms were full.

“You require servants,” Carlos observed.

“I have servants.”

“You require more obedient servants.”

“You mean servants who will carry the gifts you are refusing to touch?”

“I am the Beta. My hands are needed for war.”

“Your hand is on Lucía’s backside.”

Carlos did not move it. “I am protecting her.”

“From what?”

He glanced around. “Anything.”

Lucía blushed, but the love moving through their bond was so strong I could feel it through my new connection to the pack.

I had always envied them.

Not enough to admit it, of course.

I wanted what they possessed—the certainty, the closeness, the quiet knowledge that the Goddess had shaped one soul to recognize the other. My parents’ bond had guided Dios del Sol for decades. Carlos had found Lucía at seventeen.

I had begun to wonder whether my mate existed at all.

A servant hurried past carrying a tray of wine.

I reached for a cup.

The scent hit me before my fingers touched it.

Brown sugar.

Warm vanilla.

Night-blooming jasmine.

My wolf rose so violently that the crown nearly slipped from my head.

I froze.

The music dulled. The voices around me faded. Even the bond connecting me to the pack seemed to fall away beneath the force exploding through my body.

Something inside me pulled tight.

Then it pulled me forward.

“Enrique?” Carlos asked.

I did not answer.

I turned toward the scent.

A young woman stood near the doors leading into the kitchens, holding a heavy silver tray against her hip.

She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.

Her skin was deep brown, darker and richer than the polished wood of my father’s throne. Torchlight moved across it like gold laid over silk. She wore a simple cream servant’s dress with sleeves rolled to her elbows. A white apron was tied around her waist, and several curls had escaped the scarf covering her thick black hair.

She was not dressed in jewels.

She wore no paint on her lips or gold around her throat.

She did not need any of it.

Her beauty struck with the violence of a blade.

Full lips parted as she drew a sudden breath. Her dark eyes widened and locked onto mine.

The tray slipped from her hands.

Silver cups crashed against the stone.

Every head nearby turned.

She did not notice.

Neither did I.

My wolf released a single word inside my mind.

Mate.

The bond tore open between us.

Warmth flooded my chest, followed by a need so powerful it bordered on pain. I could hear her heartbeat. I could taste her fear. I felt her shock as though it belonged to me.

Beneath it all was recognition.

She knew.

The woman stared at the crown on my head.

Then she looked down at her servant’s dress.

The joy that should have accompanied the discovery of a fated mate vanished from her face.

“No,” she whispered.

I crossed the courtyard without deciding to move.

People stepped aside as I passed. Conversations stopped. The musicians continued playing for several uncertain notes before falling silent one by one.

The woman backed toward the kitchen doors.

“Wait.”

My Alpha command slipped into the word.

She stopped instantly.

Regret struck me.

I did not want her obedience.

I wanted her to look at me again.

“What is your name?” I asked.

Her throat moved as she swallowed. “Carmen.”

The name entered my soul as though it had always lived there.

“Carmen,” I repeated.

A murmur moved through the crowd.

I became aware of the people surrounding us. Hundreds of wolves watched their newly crowned Alpha standing before a Black servant. Confusion rippled through the pack bond, followed by disbelief and something colder.

Disapproval.

An older councilman near the front stared at Carmen’s skin before looking at my father.

Another whispered something to his wife.

I heard the words despite the distance between us.

“She cannot be Luna.”

A growl rolled from my chest.

The courtyard fell completely silent.

Carmen flinched.

Not because she feared my wolf.

Because she understood exactly why they were staring.

My gaze found my family.

Mother stood near the throne with one hand pressed against her heart. Her surprise was unmistakable, but she was not looking at Carmen with disgust.

Maggie appeared stunned.

Ian looked between us with open curiosity.

My father’s expression was impossible to read.

Carlos remained beside Lucía. His hand had fallen from her waist, and the amusement had disappeared from his face.

“Enrique,” he said carefully.

I looked back at Carmen.

She lowered her eyes.

“Forgive me, Alpha. I should return to the kitchens.”

“You are my mate.”

A few people gasped.

The words felt sacred in my mouth.

Carmen finally looked at me again. Emotion glistened in her dark eyes, but her back remained straight.

“I know.”

“Then why are you walking away?”

Her gaze moved beyond me toward the gathered pack.

“Because they know too.”

The meaning cut through the haze of the bond.

My mate was not afraid that I would reject her.

She was afraid of what Dios del Sol would do if I accepted her.

I turned toward my pack.

Only moments earlier, their love and loyalty had filled me with enough strength to believe I could conquer the world. Now I felt every ugly thread woven among them. Suspicion. Prejudice. Fear that the woman chosen by the Goddess did not look like the Lunas who came before her.

Power revealed every hidden corner of the heart.

Not only mine.

Theirs too.

I removed the crown from my head.

My father took one step forward.

I placed the crown on the table beside me and returned to Carmen.

Then, before my family, my council, and every wolf beneath my protection, I lowered myself to one knee at her feet.

Carmen’s breath caught.

“My name is Enrique Raúl Soto,” I said, looking up at her. “Tonight, I became Alpha of Dios del Sol.”

“I know who you are.”

“Then you know I do not kneel easily.”

Something flickered in her eyes.

“Stand,” she whispered.

“Tell me you accept the bond.”

“We have known each other for less than a minute.”

“My wolf has known you his entire life.”

“That does not mean you know me.”

“No.” I held her gaze. “But I will.”

Her fear pressed against my chest through the unfinished bond.

Behind us, someone muttered that I had lost my senses.

I ignored them.

Carmen looked down at me for a long time.

Finally, she lifted her hand.

Her fingertips touched my face.

The entire world disappeared.

A rush of warmth traveled from her skin into mine. My wolf surged toward her, not with the violence he showed an enemy, but with a devotion that humbled me.

Carmen felt it.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

“I accept that you are my mate,” she said softly. “But I will not accept being treated as something shameful.”

I rose.

“You will never be my shame.”

Her expression remained guarded. “You cannot promise that for everyone else.”

“No.” I turned toward the silent courtyard. “But I can promise they will answer to me.”

The power of my new title entered my voice.

Every wolf lowered their head.

Not willingly.

Not all of them.

But they lowered them.

I reached for Carmen’s hand.

She hesitated before giving it to me.

Her fingers trembled inside mine.

I looked at the people who had celebrated my rise only moments before.

“This is Carmen,” I announced. “She is my fated mate. The Goddess chose her, and there is no councilman, bloodline, tradition, or prejudice within Dios del Sol powerful enough to undo that choice.”

No one spoke.

I felt their resistance gathering beneath the silence.

My father’s warning returned to me.

Your duty is not to make them fear your strength. It is to make them trust it.

But as I stood beside Carmen and felt the hatred directed toward her because of the color of her skin, trust was the last thing I wanted from them.

I wanted obedience.

For the first time in my life, I understood how easily love could sharpen itself into cruelty.

And for the first time that night, the crown waiting behind me felt less like a promise than a weapon.