Chapter Four: Adelaide's POV
1060 Words
My split teeth bit through my lower lip. Blood filled my mouth.
"Rejection? You want to reject Ulrik?" Lycan Erasmus sounded surprised.
I held back tears.
"Lycan Erasmus, Alpha Ulrik and Velda used their battle rewards to ask for your permission to be mates. Today is the anniversary of my father and brothers' deaths. I want to use their rewards to ask for your permission to reject Ulrik."
"Do you know what waits for you outside Bloodmoon, Adelaide?" Erasmus's voice held complicated feelings.
"Do you know what you'll face after this rejection?"
Before Erasmus became Lycan King, he visited Frostfang often. He trained with my father and brought me gifts.
But when I was sent to the teachers, he disappeared from my life.
"I know," I forced a smile. "I won't stand in Ulrik and Velda's way. If their love is true, it's the Moon Goddess's will. I won't break tradition."
"Frostfang's gone, Adelaide. Will you return to ruins? What's next for you?"
At that moment, my feelings calmed down.
I answered, "I visited Frostfang today. The land's abandoned, but the wards still work. I'll take in any wolf who wants to join and care for lone pups. Even if Frostfang stays small, I'll keep it alive."
The young king stood up. His red cape swept down a row of candles.
In the flickering darkness, he leaned close. The smell of iron and white musk hit my senses.
"Really thought this through? The little wolf who pulled at my sleeve for frosted pastries—look at you now..."
His fingers, covered in black iron armor, tapped the desk.
"Using Frostfang's rewards for freedom?"
"I have. I won't choke my life away on a broken bond or a title."
"You said you liked Ulrik when you two mated."
Liked?
Not exactly. I always admired shifter warriors, and my mom wanted peace for me. That's why I agreed.
I smiled faintly.
"If he can walk away, so can I."
Erasmus's slit pupils blazed blue.
"I grant it. A new order will come—freeing you both."
"Adelaide, if anyone crosses you, my door's always open," he added gently.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said. I felt lighter already.
Ulrik's POV
I stood in the training yard, watching the younger wolves practice. The afternoon sun made their fur shine as they circled each other.
Velda was beside me, her arms crossed. She watched with sharp green eyes that missed nothing.
"That one's sloppy," she said, pointing at a gray wolf. "His back leg drags. He'll get killed in real combat."
I nodded, but my mind wasn't on training.
Adelaide's face kept appearing in my thoughts. The way she looked at me yesterday—cold and empty. Like I was a stranger.
"Ulrik?" Velda touched my arm. "You're distracted."
"Just tired from the journey," I lied.
Velda wasn't fooled. She never was.
"It's about Adelaide, isn't it?"
I didn't answer right away. What could I say? That I felt guilty? That part of me wondered if I made a mistake?
No. I loved Velda. I respected her. That was real.
Adelaide was... Adelaide was the Luna my pack needed. The one who kept everything running. But we never had what Velda and I had—that fire, that understanding between warriors.
"She'll adjust," I said finally. "Adelaide's practical. She knows this arrangement benefits everyone."
Velda's laugh was harsh.
"Benefits everyone? Ulrik, I'm a warrior, not a fool. You're asking her to share her mate and her position. What female would accept that happily?"
"She agreed to the mating knowing I might take others eventually," I said, defensive now. "It's how packs work."
"Is it?" Velda turned to face me fully. "Or is it just how males justify treating females poorly?"
Her words stung. Coming from Velda—the strongest, most independent she-wolf I knew—they hit harder.
"I thought you wanted this," I said.
"I do want to be with you," Velda said. "But I'm not blind to what it costs Adelaide. Don't pretend there's no victim here."
Before I could respond, Fabian, one of the Lycan King's messengers, approached. His face was serious.
"Alpha Ulrik," he said with a small bow. "The Lycan King requests your presence immediately."
My stomach dropped. Erasmus didn't summon people for good news.
"What's this about?" I asked.
"I'm not at liberty to say. But you should come now."
Velda and I exchanged looks. She nodded slightly—go.
I followed Fabian to the palace, my mind racing. Did something happen with the northern tribes? Was there another attack?
When I entered Erasmus's throne room, the temperature seemed to drop.
The Lycan King sat on his throne, his silver-white hair catching the light. His golden eyes—those terrifying slit pupils—fixed on me.
"Ulrik," he said. His voice was calm, but I heard the edge in it. "I've received an interesting request today."
I knelt. "Your Majesty?"
"Adelaide came to see me. She waited outside my palace for hours in the heat. Do you know what she asked for?"
My blood went cold. Adelaide came here? Why?
"No, Your Majesty."
"She asked permission to reject your mating bond."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I actually stumbled back a step.
"She... what?"
"She used her father and brothers' war merits—substantial merits, earned through their deaths in my service—to request freedom from you."
I couldn't breathe. Adelaide wanted to reject me? Leave Bloodmoon?
"Your Majesty, this is a misunderstanding. Adelaide's just upset about Velda. She'll calm down—"
"Will she?" Erasmus stood. The power that radiated from him made me want to shrink back. "Tell me, Ulrik. How did you inform Adelaide about Velda? Did you show her respect? Did you honor the year she spent managing your pack while you were gone?"
I opened my mouth, but no words came.
"I thought not," Erasmus said coldly. "Adelaide told me everything. How you announced Velda as your second Luna without discussion. How you've already marked Velda despite your bond with Adelaide. How your family treats Adelaide like a bank vault—useful for funding but not worthy of genuine respect."
Shame burned through me. Hearing it said out loud like this...
"I granted her request," Erasmus said.
"No!" The word burst from me. "Your Majesty, please—"
"Silence!"
- Writer
