Chapter Three: The Unwanted Mate
1025 Words
CHAPTER THREE
The Unwanted Mate
Silence swallowed the Great Hall.
Not the peaceful kind.
It was the suffocating silence that came before chaos.
Princess Lyra Ashthorn stood frozen beneath the silver light pouring from the Moon Throne. Every muscle in her body had gone rigid, her silver-gray eyes locked onto the stranger standing at the entrance of the hall.
Kael Draven.
The son of the kingdom's greatest traitor.
Her mate.
The word echoed inside her mind like a curse.
No...
This couldn't be happening.
Not today.
Not before her coronation.
Not before the entire kingdom.
Around them, the nobles stared in complete disbelief.
Then the whispers began.
"The Moon Goddess chose him?"
"The traitor's son?"
"This has to be a mistake."
"How can the future queen be mated to an exile?"
Lord Cedric stepped forward, his face twisted with disgust.
"This is impossible!" he shouted. "The Moon Goddess would never bind our future queen to the bloodline of a traitor!"
The High Elder tightened his grip on his staff.
"The Moon Goddess does not make mistakes."
Lord Cedric scoffed.
"Then perhaps someone has tampered with the ritual."
The accusation spread through the hall like wildfire.
Several nobles nodded.
Others exchanged uneasy glances.
Kael remained where he stood.
His golden eyes never left Lyra.
He looked just as shocked as everyone else.
His wolf was restless.
He could feel the mate bond pulling him toward her with every passing second.
It took everything inside him not to walk across the hall.
Lyra could feel it too.
A strange warmth settled in her chest.
Every instinct urged her to go to him.
To stand beside him.
To breathe in his scent.
To touch him.
She clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms.
"No."
Her voice echoed through the hall.
"I refuse."
The words stunned everyone.
The High Elder stared at her.
"Princess—"
"I refuse this bond."
Gasps filled the room.
Even Captain Rowan looked horrified.
"Your Highness..."
"I said no."
She turned to face the glowing throne.
"I reject this mate."
The room seemed to hold its breath.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then the throne trembled.
A loud c***k echoed across the hall.
The moonstones embedded in its armrests suddenly dimmed.
The silver light surrounding Lyra flickered violently before disappearing altogether.
A freezing wind swept through the palace.
The chandeliers shook.
Windows rattled.
Outside, dark clouds rolled across the sky, blocking out the sun.
Boom!
Thunder roared.
Several ladies screamed.
The High Elder's expression turned pale.
"The throne..."
Hairline cracks spread across the marble floor beneath it.
One by one, the candles extinguished themselves.
The hall fell into eerie darkness.
"What have you done?" one elder whispered.
Lyra stared in confusion.
"I only rejected the bond."
The High Elder slowly shook his head.
"No ruler of Mooncrest has ever rejected the Moon Goddess's chosen mate."
Kael frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The elder looked between them.
"It means the throne has rejected the coronation."
A wave of panic swept through the nobles.
"No coronation?"
"The kingdom cannot remain without a ruler."
"This is a disaster."
Lord Cedric pointed accusingly at Kael.
"This is his fault!"
Several guards immediately surrounded Kael.
Swords slid from their sheaths.
Kael remained calm.
"If I wanted your kingdom, I wouldn't have walked through the front gate."
"You expect us to believe that?" another noble snapped.
Captain Rowan stepped between them.
"Enough."
The room fell silent again.
"The Moon Goddess chose him."
His voice was firm.
"Whether we like it or not."
Lord Cedric glared at Kael.
"His father betrayed the crown."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"My father was innocent."
"You dare lie inside this hall?"
"I dare tell the truth."
The tension became unbearable.
Lyra watched Kael carefully.
There was something in his eyes.
Not arrogance.
Not hatred.
Pain.
Years of it.
The same pain she had carried since losing both her parents.
For the first time, she wondered...
What if everything she had been told about his family wasn't true?
She quickly pushed the thought away.
Impossible.
Her father had trusted the council.
He would never have executed an innocent man.
Would he?
The question lingered.
The High Elder struck his staff against the floor.
"Enough."
Everyone became quiet.
"The Moon Goddess has spoken."
"No one leaves this palace."
"Until we understand why she has chosen Kael Draven."
Lord Cedric's face darkened.
"You would allow him to remain here?"
"I would obey the Moon Goddess."
Kael folded his arms.
"I didn't come here to claim a throne."
"Then why did you come?" Lyra finally asked.
Their eyes met once again.
Kael answered honestly.
"I received a summons."
"A summons?"
He nodded.
"Three nights ago."
"From whom?"
"I don't know."
He reached into his cloak and removed an old parchment sealed with silver wax.
Captain Rowan accepted it before handing it to the High Elder.
The old man's hands trembled as he opened it.
His eyes widened.
"This seal..."
"What is it?" Lyra asked.
"It belongs to the royal family."
The hall erupted once more.
Lord Cedric looked stunned.
"Impossible!"
"The letter was sent from inside the palace."
Every noble began accusing one another.
Someone inside the royal court had secretly invited Kael back to Mooncrest.
Someone had known this day was coming.
Someone wanted him here.
Lyra's heartbeat quickened.
This was no coincidence.
Someone was playing a dangerous game.
Before anyone could speak again, a terrified guard burst through the palace doors.
He dropped to one knee, struggling to catch his breath.
"Your Highness!"
Captain Rowan frowned.
"What happened?"
"The western watchtower..."
"What about it?"
"It's burning."
The room froze.
"And..."
The guard swallowed hard.
"The royal prison has been attacked."
Captain Rowan's face hardened.
"By whom?"
The guard looked toward Kael.
"We don't know."
"But the attackers..."
"They carried the mark of the Black Wolf."
Kael's expression changed instantly.
For the first time since entering the palace...
He looked genuinely alarmed.
"That's impossible."
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"You know them?"
Kael's voice became deadly serious.
"If the Black Wolves have returned..."
He looked directly at her.
"...then your throne is the least of our problems."
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