""Kira!"
A voice called from outside her room, followed by an urgent knock.
Kira groaned, burying her head deeper under the pillow as if that could make the intruder disappear. "Can't a girl get five minutes of sleep?" she grumbled.
"Get up," Ms Beatrice's voice came through the door, firmer and clearly annoyed. "Did you forget what day it is today?"
Fuck whatever day it is, Kira thought. She didn't care if the world was ending; she wanted to sleep for a century. But the next words from the head omega acted like a bucket of ice water.
"If you aren't out of that room in two minutes, I'm reporting you to your father, you stubborn child."
Kira bolted upright, the fog of sleep vanishing instantly. "I'm up! I'm up!" she yelled back, tossing the blanket aside.
"Better for you," the head omega muttered before her footsteps faded down the corridor.
Kira sat there for a moment, listening until the sound disappeared, then let out a long sigh and swung her legs off the bed. She couldn't stand the thought of the crowded, gossipy communal bathrooms used by the omegas, so she grabbed her soap bag and slipped out toward the river. It was still dawn; the path should be empty.
The cool morning air brushed her skin as she reached the water's edge. She stripped quickly and waded in, letting the cold current wake her fully. After a quick swim, she dressed again, wringing water from her hair.
A low growl rumbled behind her.
Kira's head snapped around, but she saw nothing. Heart hammering, she gathered her things and turned to head back, only to freeze. A giant black wolf with burning red eyes stood barely ten feet away. It bared its fangs, lips curled in a menacing snarl.
Oh, Goddess. I'm dead meat, Kira thought, her blood running cold. What a terrible day to be wolfless.
She had heard stories of rogues prowling near the river, but she had never come face to face with one. Until now. The wolf lowered its body, muscles coiled, ready to spring. If I'm going to die, I'm going to make him work for it. She spun on her heel and sprinted. The rogue was right behind her, its heavy paws thudding against the earth and its hot breath almost touching her heels. She didn't make it far, as her foot caught on a stray root, and she went down hard, face-first into the dirt. Adrenaline forced her to roll over, her eyes wide as the black mass lunged at her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for teeth and pain.
It never came.
Instead, she heard crashing bodies and furious snarling. She peeked one eye open. A man and the wolf were tumbling across the grass in a blur of fur and limbs. Her eyes flew open. Too shaken to run, she sat frozen, watching. After a few brutal moments, the struggling stopped. Kira's heart sank. She was sure the man was dead and scrambled to her feet, but the man shoved the limp carcass of the rogue aside with a grunt and slowly rose.
She froze again. He was huge—easily the tallest, most powerfully built man she had ever seen. Handsome in a sharp, dangerous way that made her stomach flip. She couldn't stop staring as he wiped a smear of blood and dirt from his jaw, his ripped shirt hanging off broad shoulders, muscles flexing when he ran a hand through his thick brown hair. Then his eyes locked on hers. Amber-gold, so piercing.
Wait, what am I doing? Kira chided herself, realizing she was practically drooling over a stranger. She had never seen him before. Who was he? A rogue? An enemy alpha? Or worse… a Lycan? The last thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.
"Thank you," she said, her voice small and trembling. "My name is Ki—"
The man turned his broad back to her without a word and bolted into the woods. Kira stared after him, her nose scrunched in confusion.
"Well, was he born that rude, or did he have to practice?" she muttered to the empty trees.
By the time she reached the packhouse, the place was was already buzzing with activity. It was Chloe's eighteenth birthday—the 'Golden Daughter' who had shifted for the first time last night. Her father had been practically weeping with joy, mostly because Kira had failed to shift on her own eighteenth birthday, a disappointment he never let her forget.
She made her way toward the remote corner of the grounds where her father kept her isolated, claiming she was too wild and unruly to be trusted with pack matters. Most pack members didn't even know she was his daughter; they all thought Chloe was his only daughter and heir.
"Kira!" Ms Beatrice's sharp voice cut through her thoughts as the woman marched toward her. "Where on earth have you been? Your father is fuming. Report to his office. Now!"
Kira barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. So much for my near-death experience.
She changed direction and headed toward the main house. As she hurried down the long hallways of the pack house, snippets of whispered conversation drifted to her from a cluster of omegas gossiping near the laundry room.
"…heard he's coming to take a bride from our pack," one said in a hushed tone.
"I wonder which poor girl he'll pick," another replied.
"I heard he has already asked Alpha to hand over Miss Chloe. He threatened war if Alpha doesn't agree. He wants the heir."
The others gasped. "But why?"
Kira hurried away from the gossiping omegas, wondering who "he" was and why he wanted Chloe.
When she reached her father's study, she knocked once and pushed the door open. Her father stood behind his wide oak desk, talking in low tones with his head gamma. Her stepmother Lydia and stepsister Chloe sat on the twin couch. Chloe's eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, her head resting on her mother's chest while Lydia stroked her hair.
Oh, why is the golden daughter ruining her face on her birthday? Kira thought. Wait! she's being shipped off to marry someone who isn't her mate. Sorry, sister. One of the perks of being the heir.
No one even looked at her.
"Make sure everyone stays in line," her father was saying, his voice low and tight. "We cannot risk provoking King Derek Wolfe, not now."
King Derek Wolfe? Kira's stomach dropped. The formidable Lycan King feared across every pack. His visits to werewolf territory rarely ended well. He had terrorised the packs for years just to remain on top. Had he been the one demanding Chloe's hand and threatening war? Now she was mad.
"Yes, Alpha," the gamma said and bowed deeply.
"You may leave," her father ordered.
The gamma bowed again and slipped past Kira, closing the door softly behind him. Only then did her father's eyes lift to her. They were cold, flat and empty of any warmth.
Kira dipped into a slow, careful bow. "You requested my presence."
Luna Lydia stood up, pulling Chloe with her. As they brushed past, Lydia went out of her way to shove her shoulder into Kira's. Kira gritted her teeth, closing her eyesto rein in her anger. Not today, Satan. Not today.
Different questions burned on her tongue as she faced her father again, but she swallowed them all, knowing he would never indulge her. Dark shadows lay beneath his eyes; he had clearly not slept all night. Deep lines of worry creased his forehead. She knew why. Chloe was his treasure, the chosen heir. The thought of losing her to a ruthless man was tearing him apart.
He stepped out from behind the desk, hands clasped behind his back. "There has been a development," he said, tone deceptively calm. "King Derek Wolfe arrives tomorrow. He has demanded a bride in exchange for continued peace." He paused, meeting her gaze without a flicker of regret. "You will go with him."