The Lycan King Wolfless Bride

PROLOGUE The Wolfless Child The night Criliah Valerienne was born, the moon disappeared. Not behind clouds. Not behind the mountains. It simply vanished. Across the kingdom of Lycanthia, every wolf lifted its head toward the sky and howled as if mourning something that had not yet happened. Inside the grand halls of the Valerienne Manor, however, no one was listening to the wolves. They were waiting. Waiting for the birth of the child who was destined to inherit one of the oldest bloodlines in the realm. The chamber doors stood wide open. Inside, the scent of herbs and burning incense filled the air as servants moved anxiously around the bed. Healers whispered prayers beneath their breath while several members of the Valerienne family stood behind the silver barrier that separated them from the birthing chamber. At the center of it all was the newborn child. A little girl. She had barely stopped crying when the ancient Moonstone was brought before her. It was a sacred stone used by every noble Lycan family. According to tradition, the moment a child was born, the stone would reveal the color of their inner wolf. Silver for an ordinary wolf. Gold for an Alpha. White for an exceptionally powerful bloodline. And on the rarest occasions— Black. The color of a Lycan. Everyone watched as the healer carefully placed the Moonstone against the newborn's tiny palm. For one breath, nothing happened. Then— WHOOM! A burst of silver light filled the chamber. Several people gasped. "She's awakened!" "Look at the stone!" "The Valerienne bloodline is strong!" The stone glowed brighter. But then the light flickered. Once. Twice. And slowly— the silver disappeared. The Moonstone turned gray. Dead gray. Lifeless. The room fell silent. No one breathed. The healer stared at the stone as though she could not understand what she was seeing. Then she looked at the infant. Her face drained of color. "Impossible." The patriarch of the Valerienne family stepped forward. "What happened?" The healer swallowed. "My Lord..." Her voice trembled. "The child has no wolf." A horrified murmur spread through the chamber. "No wolf?" "That's impossible." "She's a Valerienne." "Test it again!" The patriarch's eyes hardened. "Do it." The healer obeyed. She placed the Moonstone against the baby's chest. Nothing. Gray. Still gray. The patriarch's expression slowly turned to disbelief. Then disappointment. The child continued crying, unaware of the judgment surrounding her. Her tiny fingers curled around the healer's finger. She was innocent. She was helpless. And yet, within seconds of entering the world, the entire room had already decided what she was worth. "Wolfless," someone whispered. The word traveled through the chamber like a curse. "Wolfless." A woman standing among the nobles covered her mouth. "How could the Moon Goddess allow this?" Another scoffed. "Perhaps the Goddess has abandoned the Valerienne bloodline." "She cannot possibly inherit the family." "She will bring shame upon the house." The newborn cried louder. But no one came closer to comfort her. No one except the old healer. She gently lifted the child into her arms and looked down at her tiny face. "Criliah," she whispered. The name had been chosen before her birth. Criliah Valerienne. A name meant to carry power. A name meant to command respect. Yet that night, it became a name whispered with pity. The patriarch turned away. "Hide the stone." "My Lord?" "No one outside this household needs to know." But it was already too late. Outside the manor, the wolves were still howling. And far beyond the kingdom's borders, in a castle carved into the black mountains, something ancient had awakened. A pair of golden eyes opened in the darkness. The creature slowly raised its head. For the first time in centuries, the mighty Lycan felt the presence of his mate. His claws dug into the stone floor. His breathing grew heavy. She was here. Somewhere in the world, his destined queen had been born. But there was something terribly wrong. He could feel her heartbeat. He could feel her existence. Yet he could not feel her wolf. The Lycan King's eyes narrowed. "Find her." His command echoed through the ancient castle. His warriors bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty." But none of them knew what he knew. The Moon Goddess had never made a mistake. If the girl truly had no wolf... then perhaps the world had been looking for her power in the wrong place. Back at the Valerienne Manor, Criliah finally stopped crying. Her gray eyes opened. For a brief moment, the candles around the chamber flickered. Every flame went out. The room plunged into darkness. Then, from somewhere deep within the forest, a single wolf howled. The sound was so powerful that the windows trembled. Everyone froze. The old healer looked down at the baby in her arms. Criliah was staring toward the window. And for just one heartbeat— the healer swore she saw something impossible reflected in the child's eyes. A flash of gold. Then it vanished. The Moonstone remained gray. The nobles turned away in disgust. They called her defective. They called her cursed. They called her wolfless. They had no idea that the little girl they had condemned that night would one day stand before the most powerful Lycan in existence. And when that day came— they would all wish they had treated the wolfless child differently.