The Alpha King's Forbidden Bride

His Gambit

LORCAN

Blood and broken pride... The scent clung to Zylia Clyde like expensive perfume as she stumbled past the gawking crowd.

My younger brother had always been spectacular at destroying things; toys as a child, alliances as a teenager, and now this.

A mate bond.

The metallic tang of severed connection hung in the air, sharp enough to make my wolf pace restlessly.

Around us, two hundred pack leaders whispered behind manicured hands, their shock rippling through the ballroom like disturbed water.

Idiots. All of them.

They saw a public rejection, a political embarrassment, a woman brought low. I saw opportunity walking out that door on unsteady legs, leaving droplets of blood on imported marble.

"Sir?" My assistant, Ridley materialized beside me, his voice pitched low enough that even enhanced werewolf hearing couldn't catch it. "Should we intervene?"

I watched Zylia pause at the ballroom entrance; one hand pressed against the doorframe for support.

Her spine straightened with visible effort, wounded but not broken.

Interesting.

"Follow her," I murmured. "But keep your distance."

Ridley melted back into the shadows.

Twenty years of service had taught him when questions were unwelcome.

The crowd began to disperse, their excitement deflating now that the spectacle had ended.

My father stood beside Dylan like a statue carved from disappointment, his weathered face grim.

The blonde, Cassandra something, from the Silver Creek pack, still clung to my brother's arm, though her earlier smugness had curdled into uncertainty.

Smart girl. She was beginning to realize she'd attached herself to a sinking ship.

I straightened my cufflinks and approached the wreckage of my family's reputation.

"Lorcan." My father's voice carried decades of exhaustion. "I didn't know you were here."

"I make it a point to attend events where our family's political standing might be... affected." I let my gaze slide to Dylan, who had the grace to look ashamed.

"Though I didn't expect quite this level of entertainment."

Dylan's jaw tightened. "Stay out of this, Lorcan. You don't understand..."

"I understand perfectly." The Alpha command in my voice made him step back involuntarily.

Around us, conversations stuttered to a halt. "You just rejected a mate in front of the Continental Council's most influential leaders. You chose your c**k over your crown, and now our family looks weak."

"She wasn't Luna material..."

"She was your Luna material. Chosen divinely." I moved closer, and Dylan's borrowed confidence crumbled like cheap plaster. "But you're right about one thing, brother. She deserves better than a disgrace to our bloodline."

The words hit like physical blows.

Dylan's face went white, then red, then settled into something uglier. "You always did think you were better than everyone else."

"I am." No point in false modesty. "Which is why I'm going to fix your mess."

Before anyone could respond, I turned and walked away. The crowd parted automatically, twenty years of being the North American Alpha King had trained them well.

I found Zylia in the corridor outside the ballroom, leaning against a marble pillar like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

Blood stained her lower lip, and her midnight blue dress was wrinkled from her fall, but she held her chin high.

Resilient. My wolf approved with a rumble of interest that caught me off guard.

"Miss Clyde." I kept my voice gentle, though gentleness had never come naturally to me. "We need to talk."

Those beautiful eyes... like Navida’s, but sharper and more intelligent, fixed on my face. Recognition dawned slowly, followed by something that might have been wariness.

"You're Lorcan Callahan." She affirmed, not a question. "The Alpha King."

"I am." I gestured toward a private alcove away from curious ears. "And you're bleeding on my host's marble. Shall we find somewhere more comfortable?"

She pushed away from the pillar with visible effort. "I'm fine."

Liar. But I admired the attempt.

The alcove provided privacy and two leather chairs that took almost an eternity to make. Zylia sank into one, like her bones had turned to water, though she tried to hide it.

"You watched," she said suddenly. "The whole thing. You just stood there and watched him destroy me."

"Yes." No point in denial. "And I watched you handle it with more grace than he deserved."

Her laugh came out broken. "Grace? I collapsed. I bled on their floor."

"You survived." I leaned forward, studying her face. "Do you know how rare that is? Most wolves don't survive a rejection that violent. The bond severing alone should have killed you."

Something flickered in her expression, surprise, maybe even hope. "It felt like it was trying to."

"But it didn't. Which tells me you're stronger than my brother gave you credit for." I paused, letting that sink in. "It also tells me you might be exactly what I need."

"I don't understand."

"Your pack is bankrupt."

Her spine stiffened, but I continued without mercy.

"The Continental Council froze your assets four days ago. Rogue attacks started three days later. Not a coincidence, I must say. Your territory is under siege, your people are dying, and your Beta is here begging for help instead of home defending what's left."

"How do you..."

"I'm the Alpha King, Miss Clyde. It's my business to know when packs are in trouble." I pulled out my phone, scrolled to a particular file, and handed it to her.

"These photos were taken two hours ago."

Her face went white as she scrolled through the images. Burning buildings. Bodies in the street. And worse, children running, terror carved into their small faces as massive rogues gave chase.

"My God." The phone trembled in her hands. "These are just children. Omega children."

"Your children. Your pack." I retrieved the phone, tucked it away. "They have maybe six hours before total annihilation."

Tears tracked down her cheeks, but her voice stayed steady. "What do you want?"

She was direct and I respected that.

"A wife."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"The Continental Council is pressuring me to take a Luna. Apparently, my bachelor status makes them nervous, too much power concentrated in one unmated male." I shrugged. "Politics."

"So, marry someone else. You're the Alpha King. You could have anyone."

"I could. But I don't want anyone." I leaned back, studying her reaction. "I want you."

The confusion and shock on her face was evident and she was doing nothing to stop it. I loved how I made her feel.

This would indeed, be great fun.

"That's insane. Your brother just ..."

"My brother is an i***t who threw away the most valuable thing he'll ever possess." My wolf stirred restlessly, drawn to something in her scent.

Strength under the pain. Steel wrapped in silk. "But his loss could be our mutual gain."

She shook her head slowly. "You want to marry your brother's rejected mate. The scandal alone..."

"Would fade within a year. Especially if you produced an heir." I let that hang in the air between us. "Two years, Miss Clyde. A contract marriage. You get ten million dollars and your pack's complete financial backing. I get a Luna wife and political stability."

"And the heir?"

"Insurance. For both of us." I watched her face carefully. "Children cement alliances, ensure bloodline continuation. One child, preferably male, and your obligations are complete."

Her wolf was responding to me. I could see it in the way her posture shifted slightly, the unconscious tilt of her head.

Even wounded, even rejected, her wolf recognized power when it saw it.

Interesting. Very interesting.

"This is crazy," she whispered. "I need time to think..."

My phone rang. The Council's emergency tone. I answered without taking my eyes off her face.

"Sir," Ridley's voice was tight with urgency. "The attack on the Moon Pack has escalated. Long-range scouts report complete territorial breach. They have maybe six hours before total annihilation."

I hung up and met her wide, terrified eyes.

"Six hours, Miss Clyde. Not twenty-four." I stood, straightening my jacket. "Your people are dying while we speak. Your choice is simple... marry me and save them, or maintain your pride and bury them."

Her hands shook as she gripped the chair arms. But her voice, when it came, was steady as steel.

"If I say yes... when do we start?"