Claiming my rogue princess

Chapter 7

Bound by chains

The firelight in the great hall sparkled against the tall stone walls, throwing long shadows across the ancient frameworks. Damian sat stiff at the dining table, without touching his fork, the roasted venison on his plate was cooling by the second.

But the voices around him blurred… servants dragging their feet as they walked, dishes clinking, and his mother murmuring to one of the house stewards.

His wolf paced under his skin, disturbed. Something was coming. He felt it in the way his father had kept silent through most of the meal, and the way his mother’s eyes glanced toward him as though she were holding back words.

Finally, Alpha Julian Thorne set down his goblet with a sharp and deliberate sound, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“It is time we spoke of your future,” Julian said, his deep voice filling the chamber. But his gaze was strongly set on Damian. “And the future of this pack.”

Damian sat straight, his muscles taut. He knows his father never wasted words, and when he spoke with that tone, it was never a suggestion but clarity.

“You are heir,” Alpha Julian continued, folding his hands across the table. “And your duty is not only to lead but to secure alliances that will keep us strong. The war with the rogues grows bloodier by the season. We need unity.”

Damian’s mother, Lydia , reached out, touching her son’s arm lightly as if to soften what was coming. “A marriage has been arranged,” she said, her eyes steady on his.

The air seemed to stop. Damian’s fork scraped against the plate as his fingers tightened.

“Marriage,” he repeated, his voice lowered.

“To Jasmine Willows,” his father said firmly. “Daughter of Alpha Jacob Willows of Moonvale. She is strong, well-trained, and of a noble household. Their pack has long been our rivals, but this alliance will seal a bond that cannot be broken. And together, we will crush the rogues before they spread any further.”

Lydia’s lips curved in a soft smile, though her eyes betrayed the sharp watchfulness of a mother gauging her son’s reaction. “She is a fine match, Son. Beautiful, and intelligent. You will come to see this is for the good of all.”

The wolf within Damian silenced, then burst with a violent snarl. His chest tightened until every breath felt like a battle. Jasmine Willows… a stranger chosen for him like a pawn on a chessboard, while the wildfire eyes of another haunted him every night.

He pushed back his chair, the legs scraping loudly against the stone floor.

“No.”

The word cut across the room like a blade.

His mother’s smile faded. “Damian…”

“No,” he said again, louder this time, standing to face his father. “I will not marry her. I will not be bound by chains you forged without asking me.”

His father's gaze grew dark, and his presence filled the hall with the weight of command. “You are not a boy to throw tantrums. You are heir. Your wants are irrelevant when the survival of our people is at stake.”

Damian clenched his fists at his sides, his pulse beating loud. His wolf howled underneath, asking him to speak and resist the offer. “What if survival does not have to mean s*******r? What if we end this war another way?”

The silence fell heavy with his words as it echoed against the stone walls as if the hall itself was stunned.

“You would make peace with rogues?” His father’s voice dropped low, but thick with fury. “They are vermin. Murderers. They deserve nothing but swords.”

“Not all of them,” Damian shot back. “You fight shadows without ever looking into their eyes. I have seen them… and I know they are not all monsters.”

Lydia’s fork slipped against her plate, clattering loudly in the silence. Her eyes widened, searching her son’s face, perhaps realizing there was more behind his words than conviction.

Alpha Thorne rose slowly from his chair, towering, his power rolling off him in waves. “You will not speak of peace in my house. You will marry Jasmine Willows, and you will unite these packs. That is final.”

Damian met his father’s gaze head-on, every muscle in his body pulled tight, somehow ready for the clash. “If you want a puppet to bow to your commands, you chose the wrong son.”

The Alpha’s jaw tensed, his eyes narrowing to slits. The air between them flashed with a dangerous silence.

Then his mother broke it with her sharp voice, almost desperate. “Damian, enough.”

But Damian’s decision had already rooted deep. He turned from the table, his heart pounding, and vision blurring at the weight of his own anger. He stormed from the hall before his father’s next words could chain him.

The training yard was empty, save for the pale lanterns that burned against the night. Damian stood at the center, fists bruised from striking the practice post until the wood split beneath his blows. His breath came torn, with sweat dripping down his jaw.

“You always did break things when you were angry,” a voice said lightly.

Damian glanced up and saw Liam leaned against the rail, arms crossed, with sharp eyes as his grin faded. He stepped down into the yard, boots crunching the pebbles.

“You heard,” Damian mumbled, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

Liam shrugged. “Hard not to. Your father’s voice could shake the walls down.”

Damian let out a short, humorless laugh. He flexed his bloodied knuckles, the sting grounding him. “He wants me to marry Jasmine Willows so as to seal an alliance with Moonvale against the rogues.”

“And you told him no,” Liam guessed, with no question in his tone.

Damian looked at his Beta, somehow expecting judgment. Instead, Liam’s grin widened.

“About time someone told him no.”

The knot in Damian’s chest loosened a fraction. He exhaled, and his shoulders dropped in ease.

“You agree with me,” he said quietly.

“Of course,” Liam said. “I’ve fought rogues too, and I’ve seen the rage in them, but I’ve also seen their fear, hunger, and loneliness. Not every battle is as simple as we’re told. If your gut tells you peace is possible, I will stand with you. Even if it means standing against your father.”

Damian stared at him, with gratitude heavy in his chest. Liam was more than a Beta. He was a brother, a shield, and an anchor.

“Be careful,” Damian said, with a bitter edge in his smile. “Loyalty like that might get you killed.”

Liam clapped a hand to his shoulder. “Then we die on the right side.”

For a moment, the world felt steady. Then the night split with the sound of hurried footsteps. A guard stumbled into the yard, breathless, his face pale beneath the lantern glow.

“My lord,” the guard gasped, bowing low. “There has been… a breach at the border. The rogues… They are attacking with full force.

Damian’s breath stilled. Liam’s hand dropped from his shoulder, his eyes narrowing.

“Attacking, why?” Damian questioned.

The guard nodded quickly. “They came under a false pretense. Fully armed and their leader demands a battle with you… not your father but only you.”

The night thickened around them, silence pressing tight. Damian’s wolf welled up, restless, with recognition prickling down his spine.

He already knew who it was.