Chapter 4
1255 Words
"No," Maison replied firmly. "Now I know you're a queen without a throne, and my father's oldest ally. That changes things."
Alpha Logan nodded gravely. "Our packs have been allies for generations. Your father and I fought side by side in the Border Wars. When he fell, I promised to protect his bloodline if any survived."
The weight of history pressed down on me—a history I knew nothing about, a legacy I never asked for. "What happens now?"
"Not if we do this right," Alpha Logan said. "The Northern Territories have been in chaos for too long. Many would welcome the return of legitimate rule."
"And many wouldn't," I countered.
Luna Mara's expression softened. "This is why we wanted to wait until your twenty-first birthday. The transition would be smoother with proper preparation."
I laughed humourlessly. "Well, sorry to disappoint, but it seems the Silver Stone pack had other plans."
"We still have time," Maison said unexpectedly. "No one else knows for sure that you are really alive. But if they’re still hoping for the political marriage, however, it might be easier if we find your mate.”
I stared at Maison in disbelief. "My mate? You think finding my mate will solve this political nightmare?""You have a choice," Uncle Mateo said gently. "We can continue hiding, find a new identity, a new location. Or..."
"Or I can claim my birthright," I finished. "Go back to a territory I don't remember, rule people I've never met, and probably get assassinated like my parents."
"It might," Alpha Logan interjected, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "A mated pair is stronger than an individual ruler. The Silver Stone pack would face not just you, but your mate's bloodline as well."
"Assuming my mate isn't some random human who knows nothing about werewolf politics," I muttered.
Uncle Mateo shook his head. "The Graystone line has never mated with humans. Your wolf would seek out someone worthy of your bloodline."
I threw my hands up in exasperation. "My wolf doesn't even know she's royal! Star thinks she's just a regular wolf who happens to live in hiding."
"Star?" Luna Mara's eyebrows shot up. "You named your wolf Star?"
Something in her tone made me pause. "Yes. Why?"
Luna Mara and Alpha Logan exchanged another one of those loaded glances that made my stomach knot.
"Because," Alpha Logan said carefully, "the Graystone royal line has carried the same wolf name for generations. Their wolves are always named after celestial bodies. Your mother's wolf was Luna, your father's Sol, and your brother's was Comet."
"I never told her that," Uncle Mateo whispered, his face pale. "I never mentioned the naming tradition."
A chill ran down my spine. "Are you saying I somehow knew?"
"Blood remembers," Luna Mara said simply. "Even when the mind forgets."
I sank back into my chair, overwhelmed. Star stirred inside me, more restless than I'd ever felt her.
"Let me get this straight," I said, trying to organize my thoughts. "I'm the last surviving member of a royal family that was murdered for refusing a political marriage. Now the people who killed my family want to find me, and my best chance of survival is to find my fated mate before they find me."
"That's... actually a pretty accurate summary," Maison said, the ghost of a smile crossing his face.
"And where exactly am I supposed to find this mate?" I demanded. "It's not like there's a dating app for royal werewolves on the run."
Uncle Mateo and Alpha Logan looked at each other, and I recognised the expression. It was the same one they wore whenever they knew something I wouldn't like.
"What?" I asked suspiciously.
"There's a gathering," Alpha Logan began, "that happens once every five years. The Lunar Conclave. Representatives from all the major packs attend to discuss treaties, resolve disputes, and... facilitate mate-finding among unmated wolves of a certain status."
"The next one is in two weeks," Luna Mara added. "In neutral territory—the mountain ranges to the west."
"Two weeks?" I repeated incredulously. "You expect me to go from burger-flipping to queen -seeking in two weeks? And what makes you think my mate would even be at this gathering?"
"The Lunar Conclave isn't just any gathering," Maison explained, his voice uncharacteristically patient. "It draws wolves from every territory. If your mate is of age, they'll likely be there."
"And if they're not?" I challenged.
"Then we proceed with Plan B," Alpha Logan said firmly. "We announce your survival at the Conclave itself, with enough allies present to ensure your safety."
My head was spinning. Everything I thought I knew about myself had been a carefully constructed lie. I wasn't Daisy Thompson, the unremarkable fast-food worker. I was Marabelle Graystone, heir to a throne I'd never seen, target of people who'd already murdered my family once.
"I need air," I muttered, standing abruptly.
No one tried to stop me as I walked out of the study and found my way to a balcony overlooking the pack grounds. The afternoon sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the training fields where young wolves sparred under the watchful eyes of their elders.
I heard the door open behind me but didn't turn around.
"For what it's worth," Maison said quietly, coming to stand beside me at the railing, "I understand how it feels to have your life decided for you."
I gave him a sideways glance. "You've been groomed to be Alpha your whole life. You knew exactly who you were."
"And never had a choice about it," he countered. "Just like you never had a choice about hiding."
We stood in silence for a moment, watching the pack go about their daily routines below.
"Why are you being nice to me suddenly?" I asked. "You've spent years glaring at me like I personally offended you."
Maison sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Nightshade sensed something powerful in you. Something that could be a threat to our pack. I thought you were hiding your true nature deliberately."
"I was hiding, all right," I said bitterly. "Just not from you. And apparently not well enough."
"Actually," he said, "you hid remarkably well. The Silver Stone pack has been searching for fifteen years without success. If Thomas hadn't gotten lucky..."
"Lucky how?"
Maison hesitated. "Father is investigating that. Thomas must have had help, inside information."
The implication sent a chill down my spine. "You think someone in your pack betrayed me?"
"Or someone close to Mateo," he said carefully. "We'll find out."
I gripped the railing tighter, my knuckles turning white. "All these years, I thought I was just some random wolf whose parents got caught in the crossfire. I've spent my life looking over my shoulder, never knowing why." My voice cracked. "And now you're telling me it's because I’m destined to become Queen in place of my brother I don’t even remember having. Please Maison just leave me alone, although I’m surprised your brother isn’t here too to have a good laugh at me at my expanse as well.”
Maison's jaw tightened, his expression darkening. "Jackson isn't here because he's securing the borders with half our warriors. He doesn't know about any of this yet." He leaned against the railing beside me, maintaining a careful distance. "And he wouldn't laugh at you. Neither of us would."
I scoffed, trying to mask the tremor in my voice. "Right. Because you've both been so welcoming all these years."
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