The cold stone beneath Nyx's knees bit into her skin as she scrubbed the marble floors of the Alpha's grand hall, her fingers raw and red. The scent of bleach stung her nose, mixing with the faint trace of perfume left behind by her stepmother, Morgana.
Voices echoed above her. Laughter. Dresses swishing. Servants rushing.
It was Cassandra's birthday banquet. Again.
Nyx wasn't invited.
A breeze rustled through the open windows, and with it came the scent of pine and distant thunder. Her wolf stirred in her mind, a soft growl of unease.
*"You don't belong on your knees."*
The voice wasn't hers. It was that familiar comfort, her wolf, ever-present and protective.
But Nyx had long learned not to respond aloud. That earned her more beatings.
Footsteps clicked behind her.
"Still scrubbing?" Cassandra's mocking tone cut through the air. She stood in the doorway, resplendent in a crimson gown that clung to her like a second skin. Her golden hair shimmered under the chandelier's light.
"Don't forget to polish the steps too, sister," she added with a false smile. "Wouldn't want King Kael slipping when he arrives tonight."
Nyx's head snapped up.
King Kael.
The name sent a shiver down her spine.
The feared ruler of the Five Clans. The man whispered about in taverns and scrolls. The man no one dared cross.
And he was coming here?
The wolf inside her bristled.
"Something's coming."
The words whispered through her thoughts like a prophecy.
Nyx lowered her head again, ignoring Cassandra's cruel smirk as she swept past.
She was the forgotten daughter.
The servant in a palace she should have ruled.
But everything was about to change.
As Cassandra's heels disappeared into the grand hall, Nyx exhaled shakily and dropped the scrubber. Her palms ached, and her knees were sore, but what hurt most was the invisible weight pressing down on her chest.
The scent of perfume, wine, and roasted meat wafted in from the kitchen. Everyone was preparing for the feast, except her.
"You shouldn't take it anymore."
Nyx flinched as her wolf's voice filled her mind again, calm but edged with growing frustration.
"What do you expect me to do?"* she thought back. "Defy Morgana? She'd have me whipped and thrown into the cellar again."
"Let her. You weren't born to bow, Nyx."
"Born to what, exactly?" Nyx bit back. "Born to scrub floors? Hide bruises? Live in shadows?"
Her wolf went quiet for a moment. Then:
"No. You were born to burn kingdoms."
Nyx's hands froze.
It wasn't the first time her wolf had said cryptic things like that. Since she turned thirteen, the voice had grown stronger, more distinct. At first, Nyx thought she was going mad, but no. Her wolf was real. The only part of her that felt true.
"You always say things like that… but you never explain."
"Because you're not ready."
Nyx clenched her jaw. "Well, I'm tired of waiting."
A sudden jolt of power stirred deep inside her. A flicker, quick and hot, surged through her fingertips before vanishing just as fast.
She looked down. Her hands were trembling.
"What was that?"
"A spark. More will come."
The main doors creaked as the wind howled through the corridors. Candles flickered.
Something shifted in the air.
A deep, distant growl of thunder rumbled through the skies above. A storm was coming. But Nyx felt something else arriving too, something colder than the rain and far more dangerous.
"He's here."
Nyx stilled.
"Who?" she whispered.
But her wolf didn't answer. Not this time.
Because they both felt it,
A strange pull in her chest.
A pulse… that wasn't hers.
And far above her, in the towering castle hall, the doors boomed open as King Kael entered.
Upstairs, the chatter and music paused momentarily as the towering doors of the grand hall swung open with a deep echo.
Every noble turned. Cassandra smiled sweetly and stepped forward in anticipation.
But Nyx, still downstairs in the servants' wing, gripped the edges of the worn wooden sink, her knuckles whitening.
Her heart thudded in her chest.
"Why do I feel like I can't breathe?" she murmured aloud.
"Because he's here," her wolf growled in her mind, voice low and reverent. "The King of the Five Clans. And more importantly… your mate."
Nyx's breath caught. "What?"
"You heard me. I felt it the moment his boots touched this land. Our bond is tied to him."
"No," Nyx whispered, shaking her head. "That can't be true."
"You don't get to choose fate, Nyx. You are more than you know. And he's the beginning of everything."
There was a sharp knock at the door.
"Nyx!" one of the kitchen maids hissed. "You're wanted upstairs. Now."
Her stomach twisted. "Why would I be.."
But the maid was already gone.
"Go," her wolf urged. "You need to see him. He needs to see you."
Nyx wiped her hands on her tattered dress and forced her feet to move.
As she stepped into the grand hall, head down, trying not to draw attention, the moment her foot touched the marble floor, the world stopped.
Kael's eyes locked onto her instantly.
He was in the center of the room, tall and cloaked in black with a silver embroidered emblem of the Five Clans on his chest. His presence sucked the air from the hall.
He hadn't spoken a word yet. But his gaze, burning, stunned, and impossibly intense, was fixed entirely on her.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Cassandra, still smiling confidently by Kael's side, turned… only to find his attention stolen.
By her.
By Nyx.
Kael took one step forward, then another, ignoring everyone as if they ceased to exist.
Nyx froze, her lips parted. Her wolf whispered, reverently,
"He's ours."
The silence in the hall was suffocating.
All eyes followed Kael as he approached, his footsteps echoing against the polished marble, tension thick in the air. Nyx couldn't move, her legs rooted, heart pounding loud in her ears.
Cassandra's voice finally broke the spell.
"Y-Your Majesty?" she said sweetly, stepping into his path. "You were about to greet my.."
"Move," Kael growled without sparing her a glance.
Cassandra's smile faltered. The King hadn't even acknowledged her presence.
Gasps whispered again across the room.
Kael stopped directly in front of Nyx. Her chin dipped in reflex, trained to make herself small.
But he lifted her face gently with two fingers under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
His eyes weren't cruel like she'd expected, not like the rumors said. No, they were burning. Intense. Knowing.
"What is your name?" he asked, his voice low, gravelly, almost… reverent.
She swallowed. "Nyx."
His jaw clenched. "Nyx," he repeated like a promise, tasting it. "You're mine."
The hall erupted in chaos.
Cassandra shrieked, "What?! No, she's just a servant!"
"She's my mate," Kael announced, never looking away from Nyx. "By the laws of the Clans, I claim her. She leaves with me tonight."
Alpha Gabriel stepped forward, clearly shaken. "Y-Your Majesty, surely there's a misunderstanding. That girl.."
Kael's stare cut through him. "Are you questioning a royal claim?"
Gabriel paled.
Morgana, desperate to salvage control, forced a laugh. "Perhaps a mistake. My daughter..."
Kael turned slightly, his voice like thunder. "Enough."
And then, softer, only for Nyx, "You're not safe here. Come."
Nyx hesitated. Her hands trembled.
"Go," her wolf whispered. "This is your fate."
With a deep breath, Nyx took Kael's offered hand, and the room seemed to shatter around them.
The feared King of the Clans had come.
And he'd left… with the forgotten girl.