Sophie groaned. "Sometimes I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that you know me this well."
"Stop stalling," I pressed.
She sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll tell you."
She lowered her voice. "There's been a huge issue with the king. Just two days ago, the council of alphas challenged him. They don't like that he rules without a mate. They say he's unstable, that without a mate to ground him, he's dangerous. Apparently, when the king loses his temper, they have to restrain him. There's even a special room where they chain him so his lycan doesn't destroy everything."
I sat there stunned, listening.
"That's awful," I whispered. "But… couldn't the king just refuse? He is the king."
Niya asked the same thing.
Sophie shook her head. "No. If he refused, he'd be seen as ignoring the will of the alphas, and that could destroy unity. A king can't afford to appear weak. The worst part is, his real mate is out there somewhere. She was born to be his queen, not this other woman. All of us lycans are struggling to accept this. Forcing him into a false bond could break him."
I sighed heavily, my chest tightening. "That's heartbreaking. He's sacrificing himself for the sake of peace."
Sophie nodded sadly. "Exactly. Since the decision, he hasn't left his rooms. He has an entire floor to himself, but he won't come out. I think he feels like he's betraying his true mate, wherever she is."
Niya whispered, "I hope he finds her soon."
Sophie explained that was why these grand balls were held, to give him the chance to find her. But so far, nothing. His mate might be too young, human… or worse, no longer alive.
The thought made my stomach twist. Fate couldn't be that cruel, could it?
We tried to change the subject, chatting about lighter things. Niya admitted she wanted to find her mate soon, especially now that Diya would move here with Cain. That left Niya alone in her pack, still dealing with unwanted attention from the males.
Then, as expected, the twins asked about Hunta. I shut it down quickly. "I don't want to talk about him. He found his mate. I'm moving on."
Sophie grinned wickedly. "Do you want me to scare him?"
I laughed but shook my head. "No thanks."
Just as I was relaxing, the entire atmosphere of the ballroom shifted. A heavy tension spread through the lycans. My wolf stirred, restless. Everyone's eyes turned toward the staircase.
My heart began to pound.
"That's her," Sophie whispered. "That's Savanah, the lycan the council chose."
I turned and froze. Savanah walked up the stairs with her head held high, ignoring the icy glares thrown her way. She was absolutely stunning, long blonde hair, waves cascading down her back, dressed in an elegant black gown that fit her perfectly.
But my wolf reacted violently. Anger boiled inside me, so strong I gripped the table to stop myself from shifting right there.
Never before had I lost control like this. My wolf growled, furious. I struggled to calm her, but she wanted out.
Sophie sighed. "She's probably going to see the king."
At those words, my wolf snarled, rage surging through me. Panicked, I stood up and rushed outside into the night air.
I sat on a bench near the gardens, eyes closed, breathing deeply, forcing my wolf to settle. Slowly, the fury eased, but she wasn't happy. I could feel her simmering beneath the surface.
What was happening to me? My wolf and I had always been close, in sync. She never lost control like this.
Maybe she was reacting to Sophie's emotions, or to the king's situation. Maybe she sensed the injustice.
But deep down, something told me it was more than that. My wolf's reaction was too strong, too personal.
And I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.
"Anaa, what happened?" the panicked voice of my best friend called out. I turned to see Sophie rushing over to me with a terrified look on her face. She sat down next to me, and I watched as her eyes trailed over me, as if she was checking that I was okay.
"I have no idea what is wrong with my wolf. She was so angry that I nearly shifted. I had to get out of there." I sighed.
"What? Your wolf has never been like that," Sophie exclaimed.
"I know, I know. That's why I'm so confused. She seems to be calm now though," I replied.
Sophie looked at me warily. "Are you sure you want to go back inside? If your wolf is acting weird, maybe you should go back."
I shook my head. "No, I can't do that. I came here with Cain, and it looks bad on the pack if I leave. I feel fine now." Standing up, I smiled to prove my point. Sophie was still weary as we walked toward the palace. In all honesty, so was I, but I didn't want to worry anyone.
As soon as we entered the palace, Cain rushed over to me and looked at me to see if I was hurt. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?" Cain looked worried.
I smiled and shook my head. "I'm fine, Cain, honestly. I just needed some fresh air. I feel a lot better now."
Cain looked at me unconvinced but nodded his head nevertheless. Sophie cleared her throat. "I need to go to Luke. The king will be arriving soon. Cain, look after Anaa." She walked away, and I turned to Cain, who was holding hands with Diya.
I smirked. "Wow, mates with my cousin, hey?"
"She's my mate, your luna now," Cain said smugly.
"Before she's my luna, she is my cousin, dumbass," I replied.
"That's true, I am," Diya responded, smiling at me.
"Hey, you're meant to be on my side," Cain protested.
"Sisters before misters." I stuck my tongue out.
"You two are arguing like children," Niya laughed.
"It's your sister. She started it." Cain rolled his eyes.
"And that is something that a child would say. Take responsibility for your actions."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Whatever," Cain mumbled, causing us three to laugh.
I stuck by Cain and my cousins. We didn't spend long talking as the crowds quieted down. I glanced up and saw a lycan standing there, waiting for silence.
Above us was a balcony with two thrones; this would be where the king and Savanah would be sitting. For some reason that didn't sit well with me or my wolf. I didn't want to risk my wolf going crazy, so I quickly thought about something else.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming here today. On behalf of the king, I welcome you to the Lycan Ball. I hope this will be an enjoyable evening for you all. Very shortly, the king will be joining us, and he will be accompanied this evening by Savanah Willows."
I watched as the man tried not to cringe after saying Savanah's name. My eyes found Sophie and Luke, who also looked super uncomfortable. My wolf suddenly stirred again, the anger building up.
Oh no, not again. The king was coming, I couldn't afford to lose control. To distract myself, I found Hunta and Lana, who were holding hands, and I watched as Hunta kissed Lana on the cheek. Even though I hated seeing that, it was the only thing that distracted my wolf, so she calmed down.
"I can't wait to see the king," Diya gushed.
"The king has a certain aura about him that makes everyone want a glance of him," Cain said.
A certain aura? Maybe my wolf desperately wanted to see the king then? No, that didn't add up. I was certain I was going to go crazy before this night was over.
There was no time to dwell on that fact as everyone suddenly went quiet yet again. Guards came and stood on the sides. The king was coming.
I clutched Niya's hand just as the announcer shouted, "Introducing his Royal Highness, King Atlas Dimitri Grey, accompanied by Savanah Willows."
I watched in awe as the king confidently walked past the announcer. Everyone bowed, and I followed suit, my eyes glancing up to see his dark brown hair that was styled to perfection.
He nodded to the crowd and sat down on his throne, his cape pooling around him. My gaze snapped to Savanah, who was behind the king. She was about to sit down on the second throne but was stopped by the king. I watched as Savanah's face dropped slightly as the king motioned for a guard. The guard escorted her to stand next to the king instead.
My eyes found their way to the king's hair again, and I found myself thinking what it would be like to run my hands through it. My eyes widened, and I tore my gaze away. Jeez, Anaa, stop thinking dangerous thoughts, it won't end well. Instead, I looked at my shoes. That was a safe bet, couldn't do anything to embarrass myself by looking at my shoes.
"OMG, look what the king is doing?" Niya whispered to me.
No, Anaa, don't look, I told myself. Don't do it, you'll regret it. Urgh, damn it, I couldn't help myself. I glanced up to see the king sniffing the air. Well, that was not what I expected to see. What in the world was he doing?
Savanah was looking at him weirdly, but the king clearly didn't care. In a split second, his hazel eyes connected with mine, and I gasped.
Holy shit, I had never seen eyes that beautiful before. I was lost in them. The king quickly stood up, causing me to jump out of my trance. Oh no, please tell me this wasn't happening.
My wolf was jumping up and down, and I knew exactly what that meant, but that didn't mean I wanted it.
As the king stood up, the crowd began to push past me as they went toward him. Clearly they thought he was going to greet them. His hazel eyes never lost mine, his gaze was firmly locked onto me.
The air felt heavy as we stared at each other, it felt like there was no one else but us in this moment. Temporarily I forgot about all my troubles, my heartbreak as I found myself lost in the captivating hazel eyes.
The connection was broken as more and more people moved in, causing Cain and Diya to get swept away with the others. I was by myself at the back. Only a few wolves remained here. Everyone wanted to see the king. Everyone but me.
I was breathing heavy and racked my brain. Should I run? This is the perfect time to do so, I won't get another opportunity.
My wolf protested, but I didn't listen. I ran outside. This time I ran past the bench and into the gardens. Shivers went down my spine as I heard a powerful roar. Shit! That was definitely the king.
Groaning, I rushed toward a row of bushes and sat down, catching my breath. Those movies where the female characters run in heels is false. You can't run in heels without tearing your feet off, it just wasn't possible.
As I caught my breath, I heard the palace door fly open. My eyes widened, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was in trouble, and I knew it. My wolf was simply smug, like she knew this was going to happen. She probably liked to see my struggle. How annoying.
"You can run, little mate, but I'll always find you," a deep voice said, sending my wolf into a frenzy.
He said it, that word that I was dreading.
"Mate."
My mate was the king.
HOW ON EARTH DID I END UP HAVING THE KING AS MY MATE!!!!!!!!