Chapter 22
1163 Words
"The moment a king chooses, the world must accept it… even when it shatters pride and power."
The silence inside the Blackwood great hall became suffocating.
Hundreds of eyes stared at the strange scene unfolding near the stone pillars. Warriors, elders, noble families, and servants alike watched with equal disbelief.
Prince Ariel Silvermoon stood directly before Isolde.
A servant.
A girl many of them had barely noticed before.
Yet the Lycan prince looked at her as if she were the only person in the room.
Isolde’s hands trembled at her sides. She could feel the heat of his presence, the quiet storm of power radiating from him. The air itself felt heavier, charged with something ancient and dangerous.
Her wolf stirred again.
Not timidly.
Hungrily.
It pushed forward in her mind with a strength she had never felt before, responding to the man standing before her like a long-lost part of itself.
Ariel’s silver gaze studied her face carefully.
The fading bruises.
The fear she tried so hard to hide.
And something else.
Something powerful buried deep within her soul.
His Lycan growled softly in approval.
Mine.
Across the hall, the whispers began spreading like wildfire.
“What is happening?”
“Why is the prince standing with her?”
“Who is that girl?”
“She’s just a servant.”
“No… wait.”
Recognition slowly dawned across a few faces.
“That’s the Gamma daughter.”
“The one Valen rejected.”
Shock rippled through the crowd again.
All eyes slowly shifted toward Valen Blackwood.
The future Alpha stood near the ceremonial platform, his jaw clenched tightly as he stared at the scene unfolding before him.
His fists curled slowly at his sides.
The bond between him and Isolde was already broken. He had rejected her himself before the entire pack.
Yet something ugly twisted inside his chest as he watched Ariel standing so close to her.
Possessiveness.
Obsession.
Regret.
Beside him, Cassiana’s expression had darkened.
Her sharp eyes studied the prince carefully.
She could feel the tension in the air now.
This wasn’t curiosity.
This was something far more dangerous.
Back near the pillar, Ariel lowered his hand slowly.
“Look at me,” he said quietly.
Isolde hesitated before raising her eyes again.
Meeting his gaze sent another strange warmth spreading through her chest.
The pull between them was undeniable now.
The entire hall could feel it.
One of the elders finally stepped forward cautiously.
“Your Highness,” the old wolf said respectfully, bowing his head slightly. “Is there something wrong? Perhaps the pack can assist you.”
Ariel didn’t look away from Isolde when he answered.
“No.”
His voice remained calm.
“Nothing is wrong.”
The elder frowned slightly, confused.
“Then… may we ask why—”
“She is mine.”
The words cut through the hall like a blade.
The reaction was immediate.
Gasps erupted across the room.
Several she-wolves stared in open disbelief.
“What did he say?”
“That servant?”
“No…”
“He can’t mean—”
Ariel finally turned slightly toward the crowd.
His silver eyes were cold now.
Sharp.
“Is there confusion?” he asked.
No one answered.
The prince’s gaze slowly swept across the room until it landed on Valen.
Recognition flickered in his eyes.
“You,” Ariel said calmly.
Valen stiffened.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You are the one who rejected her.”
It wasn’t a question.
Valen forced a tight smile.
“She was weak,” he replied coldly. “A future Alpha cannot have a mate who brings shame to the pack.”
The words echoed through the hall.
Isolde lowered her eyes again, humiliation rising in her chest.
But Ariel’s expression darkened instantly.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
“Weak?” he repeated softly.
His aura shifted suddenly.
A crushing wave of Lycan dominance rolled through the hall like thunder.
Several wolves stumbled backward.
Some dropped to one knee instinctively.
Even the Alphas present stiffened under the pressure.
Ariel took one step closer to Isolde.
Then another.
Until he stood beside her.
“She carries a power your entire pack failed to recognize,” he said quietly.
Murmurs spread through the crowd again.
“What does he mean?”
“Power?”
“That girl?”
Valen’s eyes narrowed.
“With respect, Your Highness,” he said carefully, “you must be mistaken.”
Ariel looked at him again.
The faintest hint of a smile touched his lips.
“I rarely make mistakes.”
He turned back to Isolde.
“You have never shifted before, have you?”
The question startled her.
She shook her head slowly.
“No.”
Another wave of whispers spread across the hall.
A wolf who had never shifted was considered weak.
Broken.
Useless.
Valen laughed quietly.
“You see?” he said. “Even now she proves my point.”
Ariel ignored him completely.
Instead, he leaned slightly closer to Isolde.
His voice softened.
“You were never weak.”
His hand lifted gently, resting just above her heart without touching.
“You were waiting.”
The warmth in Isolde’s chest exploded.
Her breath caught.
Something inside her snapped.
Her wolf surged forward with a sudden, overwhelming force.
Across the hall, several elders suddenly stiffened.
They could feel it.
Power.
Ancient and unfamiliar.
The air trembled slightly.
Ariel’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
“There it is,” he murmured.
Confusion swept through the crowd.
Valen frowned deeply.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
But Ariel didn’t answer.
Instead, he spoke softly to Isolde.
“Come with me.”
He turned toward the massive doors leading outside to the courtyard.
Isolde hesitated only a moment before following him.
The crowd parted instantly as they walked.
Every wolf in the hall felt it now.
Something enormous was about to happen.
Outside, the courtyard stretched wide beneath the open sky.
The evening sun had begun sinking toward the horizon, painting the clouds with shades of gold and crimson.
Ariel stopped in the center of the courtyard.
Then he turned to face her.
“Tonight,” he said softly, “the world will finally see who you truly are.”
Behind them, the entire Blackwood pack flooded into the courtyard to watch.
Valen pushed his way to the front.
Cassiana followed close behind.
Everyone sensed it now.
A moment that would change everything.
Isolde’s heart pounded wildly.
“What’s happening to me?” she whispered.
Ariel’s expression softened again.
“Your wolf is waking.”
A sudden pulse of power rippled through her body.
Her knees weakened slightly.
Pain followed.
Sharp.
Violent.
But beneath the pain was something else.
Freedom.
Ariel’s silver eyes glowed faintly as he watched her.
And deep in his chest, his Lycan roared with anticipation.
Because the girl the Blackwood pack had treated like nothing…
Was about to awaken something legendary.
- Writer
