Ryker's POV
The council chamber was silent, the kind of silence that carried weight. My warriors, advisors, and even Lila stood gathered, waiting for me to speak. Days had passed since the arena—two days since Kate's Lycan had ripped through centuries of belief and left everyone shaken to the core.
And yet, she sat beside me now, calm but with her eyes lowered, as if unsure of her place despite everything. My wolf prowled beneath my skin, restless. She is ours. Mate. Queen. Why does she not see it yet?
I cleared my throat. "The pack deserves answers," I said, my gaze sweeping across the gathered faces. "But first—so do I."
Kate stiffened, finally meeting my eyes. The defiance there surprised me. "I don't have answers, Ryker," she said softly, though her voice carried in the still room. "I didn't even know this part of me existed until it ripped out of me in that arena."
Her words struck something raw in me. I leaned closer, lowering my tone so only she could hear. "Then who were your parents, Kate? What blood runs in your veins that could make you what even legends called impossible?"
The room leaned into the silence, hanging on her every breath.
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Kate's POV
His question cut through me sharper than claws. For a heartbeat, I was back in the tiny cottage where I grew up, listening to hushed whispers and half-truths from a mother who never looked me in the eye when I asked about my father.
"I don't know," I admitted. The words felt like failure. "My mother told me he was gone before I was born. She said nothing else. And she never—" I swallowed hard, blinking back the sting in my eyes. "She never mentioned Lycans."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber, suspicion and curiosity threading together like poison.
Ryker's hand slid over mine beneath the table. Steady, grounding, warm. "Then we'll find the truth together," he said firmly, voice leaving no room for doubt.
My chest ached. For the first time, I realized he wasn't just the Alpha King—he was my anchor.
Lila stepped forward, surprising everyone. "If I may," she said, bowing briefly before looking at me with something close to reverence. "There are old records—fragments about Lycans and their bloodlines. My mother was a scholar before she passed. If Kate allows, I can search them. Quietly."
Ryker gave a sharp nod. "Do it." His eyes never left me. "But no one outside this room breathes a word. The world cannot know—not yet."
I felt the weight of his words. Not yet. That meant one day, the truth would come to light, and with it—chaos.
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Ryker's POV
As the meeting ended, I caught the faintest flicker in Kate's expression. She looked troubled, distracted. Almost as if… she was hearing something I couldn't.
Her fingers tensed in mine, then relaxed as though she'd forced calm. I frowned, but she only smiled at me, soft and practiced, as if to say not now.
Later, when the corridors had emptied and we walked the long path back to our chambers, I finally asked.
"You're holding something back, mate," I murmured.
Kate hesitated, gaze fixed on the moonlight spilling through the arched windows. "I… don't know how to explain it yet. But I think something in me is changing. Something more than just the Lycan."
Her honesty sent a shiver down my spine. My wolf pressed closer, listening. She is more than mate. She is power. Destiny.
I stopped her gently, pulling her into the shadows where no one else could see us. My thumb traced her jaw. "Whatever it is, Kate, I don't care if it terrifies the world. You're mine. And I'll tear down kingdoms before I let anyone use you for what you are."
For the first time, she didn't argue. She only leaned into me, her lips brushing mine with a whisper of a promise.
And I knew—our greatest trials had not yet begun.