"She rejected me?" His voice thundered through the palace, causing the very walls to tremble.
He had anticipated their return with thrilling news, only for them to deliver such revolting words.
"What do you mean she rejected me?" he demanded again, his tone sharp and dangerous.
His beta, Luke, was stifling a laugh, while the omega, Parker, looked on the verge of wetting himself.
The caretaker he had entrusted with delivering the proposal—his most faithful servant—shifted uncomfortably, her expression confirming the worst. The girl truly had the audacity to refuse him.
"Do you wish to lose your voice box, Luke?" he growled, fixing his beta with a deathly glare.
Luke choked on his laugh, quickly clearing his throat. "Of course not, Your Majesty. I wouldn't dare."
The caretaker, Mary, stepped forward hesitantly. "The maiden said she is not interested in the marriage. Perhaps we should consider another bride—one of the lovely ladies from our pack or a neighboring one?"
Her suggestion only fueled his rage. Outside, the skies darkened, and lightning streaked across the heavens, as if nature itself mirrored his fury.
He clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. He had chosen Alana Kingston because she was perfect.
Perfectly weak.
Her parents' obsession with lycan lore, her lack of friends, and her boyfriend—a wandering philanderer who couldn't be bothered with her—made her utterly isolated and vulnerable.
She was the ideal pawn.
Someone he could use, discard, and easily explain away as an unfortunate accident.
Pick from the pack? Was Mary trying to insult his intelligence?
He clenched his teeth, recalling the blood-soaked memories of his parents' demise at the hands of the Grey Wolves. Fifty of his pack members had died in that same massacre. He had been rebuilding his kingdom ever since, clawing his way back from the brink of destruction.
To secure the strength of the Moon Goddess, he needed Alana—not as a mate, but as a tool.
Stubborn, was she? Fine. He would handle her himself.
"You may go," he said, dismissing Mary and the soldiers with a wave of his hand.
Once they were gone, leaving him alone with Luke, he stood.
"Luke," he said, as Parker, his omega valet, began helping him into a fresh outfit.
"Yes, Alpha," Luke replied, watching him closely.
"Cover for me," the Alpha commanded, his voice low and menacing.
And with that, he disappeared into the night.