Prologue
1021 Words
Ariella’s POV
His breath was hot against my neck, and his words sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with want.
“Open,” Alpha Rion whispered in my ear, his voice low and rough, full of that hungry edge he always got when he thought he owned me.
I didn’t move. I didn’t even blink. My eyes stayed locked on the one man who made my heart pound like it was trying to break free…the Alpha King.
He sat at the head of the grand table in the packed hall, surrounded by warriors and pack leaders bowing their heads to him. Torchlight flickered off the stone walls, and the air smelled of roasted meat and wine. Everyone was here for the big alliance feast, celebrating the packs coming together under his rule.
Laughter and talk filled the room, but to me, it all blurred into nothing.
He was all I saw.
The Alpha King. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that fell just right and eyes that could cut through you. Power rolled off him like heat from a fire. He is Alpha Rion’s cousin, the one who ruled over all of us now that the old wars were done and the packs had united. He didn’t have to growl or snap to make people listen. They just did.
Rion’s hands tightened on my hips, pulling me closer against him.
Sparks shot through my skin from the mate bond…the one the Moon Goddess had forced on us. It was supposed to feel like magic, like home. But it didn’t.
At least not for me.
“I said open, Ariella, and kiss me,” Alpha Rion growled louder this time, his chest rumbling against my back.
He thought that sound would make me give in, like it did with everyone else.
I sucked my teeth and turned my head away just a bit. If I could speak, I would have told him to get lost. To stop standing in my way. But words weren’t mine to use. I’d been mute for as long as I could remember, silent in a world full of howls and commands. So I lifted my hand and signed sharp and clear… Move.
His growl turned deeper, angry now. Alphas like him hated being told no. They needed control, needed everyone to bow. But I didn’t care.
Not tonight. Not ever, really.
I work as a personal maid in the palace, lowest in the pack ranks.
Plain gray dress, hair tied back, always in the shadows. That’s how I got close to the King during feasts like this. I’d volunteer to serve his table every time he visited. I’d refill his glass before it got half empty. I’d linger a second too long when I set down his plate, hoping..just hoping…he’d look up. Really look at me.
Tonight was no different. I’d been extra careful. I’d picked the best cuts of meat for him. Poured his wine slowly so it wouldn’t spill. Stood close enough that maybe he’d catch my scent.
But he never did.
His eyes stayed on the leaders talking war plans or on the maps spread out in front of him. Not once did he glance my way.
It hurt, that blank nothing in his face. Like I didn’t exist.
Rion spun me around then, forcing me to face him. His eyes glowed gold with anger. “What’s wrong with you tonight?” he muttered lowly, so no one else heard. “You’re acting like I’m nothing.”
I glared at him. If I could talk, I’d tell him the truth…You are nothing to me. Not compared to him.
The mate bond pulled at me, trying to make me feel guilty. Trying to make his touch feel right. But I shoved it down. I’d felt the pull the very first day we met, when the sparks hit. Alpha Rion had ever since had his eyes on me. But even then, my eyes had wandered to the King, standing tall in the crowd.
I didn’t want Alpha Rion. I didn’t want this bond that tied me to a man I felt nothing real for. My heart had picked someone else long before the Moon Goddess messed things up.
The Alpha King.
He was everything. Strong, fair, untouchable. I’ve been obsessed with him for years, ever since he took the throne after the last big battle. And gods, just looking at him made my chest tight and my stomach flip.
Rion’s hand slid up to my waist, gripping hard. Possessive. Those sparks flared again, and part of me hated how my body reacted even when my mind screamed no.
I wouldn’t look at him. I refused. My eyes darted past his shoulder, back to the King. He was leaning forward now, saying something that made the others nod fast. His fingers tapped the arm of his chair, slow and sure. That strong jaw, those broad shoulders…I couldn’t look away.
Rion noticed again. He always did.
“Him again?” he hissed, voice full of hurt and rage. “Your eyes are always on him. Like I’m not even here.”
I didn’t deny it. Couldn’t, even if I wanted to.
He let go and stepped back, chest heaving. For a second, I thought he might shift right there, let his wolf out in the middle of the feast. But he just stared at me, eyes dark. “You’re my mate, Ariella. Chosen by the Goddess herself. This obsession of yours…it ends tonight.”
No, it doesn’t.
I wanted the King. I needed him. The bond with Alpha Rion felt like chains.
Wrong and forced. Like a distraction.
But what I felt for the King? That was fire. Real and burning, even if he didn’t know I existed yet.
One day, he would.
I’d make him see me. Make him want me.
Even if it meant breaking this stupid mate bond.
Even if it meant turning my back on the Goddess’s choice.
Even if it cost me my place in the pack, my sanity, everything.
I’d have him.
The Alpha King would be mine.
- Writer
