Chapter 4
1217 Words
“What are you still mulling over? They’ve stomped all over your face—*this* is how you fight back?”
As Jack and Seraphina’s figures faded into the distance, Nate leapt down from the rooftop, landing with a thud. “Your performance disappointed me, you know.”
I had no idea how long he’d been up there—maybe he’d watched this entire farce from start to finish without ever leaving.
“A newly crowned Wolf King with this much free time?” I shot back, my voice edged with skepticism.
Rumors swirled about Nate. He’d forced his way into the royal Alpha candidate pool just a month before the final trials—a brash outsider who’d sparked outrage among the established wolves. Even after clawing his way to the throne, the old candidates and their noble families hadn’t let up. They’d thrown every obstacle at him—trips, traps, even assassins sent to cut his reign short.
So why, I wondered, would he waste time at a sensitive moment like this, accepting the Rose Pack’s invitation to my engagement with Jack—and sticking around to eavesdrop on our ugly breakup? I wasn’t naïve enough to think the man before me was here out of kindness.
“Of course I’m here,” Nate replied, brushing off my jab, “because I’ve found a treasure.”
His eyes didn’t meet mine. Instead, they roamed the nearby table with purpose. His large hand seized a flower vase, smashing it against the surface with a sharp c***k. Gripping the jagged remnants, he dragged the glass across his other arm without a flinch.
Blood poured from the gash, dripping onto the carpet as he advanced toward me. He didn’t seem to notice—or care—his grin widening with every step. My gasp did nothing to slow him.
Nate was convinced he’d stumbled onto something extraordinary. One more test, and his hunch would be confirmed.
His hand shot out, yanking me back as I tried to retreat. My wide-eyed stare met his as he locked an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him—no space, no escape. His chiseled features loomed closer, and then his lips claimed mine. He pried them open with ruthless intent, his tongue tangling with mine, stealing my breath.
I was gasping, irritation flaring, when I kicked his leg. Only then did he release my mouth, though his grip on my hand didn’t falter. He guided my fingers to his muscled arm, pressing them to the spot he’d just sliced open.
His gaze tracked my touch. Where the wound had been—a deep, bloody gash moments ago—there was nothing but smooth skin, miraculously healed.
Nate arched his brow. “As I thought. You’ve got the power to heal.”
He’d almost left after dropping me at the engagement venue. The rumors were true—danger dogged his every step. On the journey from the royal court to the Rose Pack, he’d dodged three assassination attempts. But then he’d noticed something: a stab wound from one of those skirmishes had vanished.
The only person he’d been close to since then was me.
And not just close—skin-to-skin, bare and unguarded.
So he’d doubled back to test me. And he’d bet right.
I met his stare with cool indifference, no trace of panic at having my secret exposed. My eyes traced his face, unflinching.
“So what?” I asked. “What do you want?”
If he’d uncovered this before I’d learned of Jack and Seraphina’s plot to kill me, I’d have been a wreck—desperate to deny it, to bury it. This gift, this curse, had been mine alone for years, hidden even from Jack and my family. A woman whose fluids could heal wounds? If word spread, the packs would lose their minds. I’d be reduced to something less than human.
But now? Things were different. I needed out of the Rose Pack’s trap, and Nate—a fledgling Wolf King surrounded by enemies—might be my ticket. He could use my secret, and I could use him. Judging by his return, he likely thought the same.
His fingers brushed my cheek as he spoke. “What do *you* want? I’ll give you whatever I can.”
“Anything?” I pressed.
“Anything.”
My gaze slid from his arm to his chest, then locked onto his face. “I want to be this nation’s Luna. Will the Wolf King grant me that?”
......
The next morning, I woke up in chaos.
The dining table buzzed with voices—everyone in the family was there, except my brother. I’d barely shuffled from my room and taken a seat at the far end when my cousin Addie’s loud sneer cut through the air.
“Don’t think getting engaged to Jack makes you Luna. Until you’re officially crowned, you’ll do what we say in this house.”
I kept my head down, picking at my food. “So once I’m Luna, you’ll all follow *my* orders?”
Addie glared. “Dream on.”
Aunt Grace turned her sharp eyes on me, scolding, “Layla, as Luna, you’re supposed to set an example for the pack—care for your family. How dare you harbor such wicked thoughts about us obeying you? If your wolf hadn’t bonded with Jack’s, we’d have pushed Addie for Luna. You’d never have gotten the chance…”
A cold smirk tugged at my lips. Then Uncle Henry, seated at the head of the table, cleared his throat. Addie and Grace fell silent mid-rant.
“Ahem. Enough, both of you,” he said, squinting at me. “I trust Layla. And I trust she’s always worried about Owen’s condition, right?”
At the mention of my brother, my grip tightened on my fork and knife, masking the frustration simmering beneath.
Addie and Grace, though, lit up with glee, chuckling as they veered into lighter chatter.
Owen’s name always shifted the mood. After a car accident left him comatose, Uncle Henry had shipped him off to a hospital whose location I was never allowed to know—a leash to keep me in line.
I thought back to Nate’s reaction last night when I’d made my demand.
He’d only asked, “Why?” before a subordinate lurking nearby signaled him to leave. I’d waited in that spot for ages, but he never returned.
Something must’ve pulled him back to the royal court. No matter. Even if he rejected my request, I wouldn’t be crushed—I hadn’t truly expected him to agree.
It was a calculated move: ask for the moon first, so when he refused, I could pivot to something smaller. A psychological retreat.
My real request? For Nate to track down Owen’s hospital. For a Wolf King, that was child’s play. He’d have no reason to say no. The thought steadied the restless churn in my chest, easing the helplessness of my current bind.
I’d planned to use Jack’s power as Luna to find Owen, playing the devoted fiancée to his face. Now that Nate knew my secret, striking a deal with the Wolf King might be even better.
The only question was when he’d return to the Rose Pack…
- Writer
