Prince Alaeric Pov
The sun was barely up, but the weight on my shoulders already felt like a mountain.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of my office, staring out at the peaks of the Blackthorn mountains. My hands were clenched behind my back. My skin was itching, a restless, burning crawl that reminded me the curse was never far away.
Four years.
I had been Alpha for four years, and for four years, I had searched every corner of the werewolf world for me fated mate. Nothing. No scent, no spark, no pull. My wolf was growing bitter, and the Bloodmoon Decay was starting to eat at my edges. If I didn't find my mate soon, I wouldn't be a Prince anymore. I'd be a monster in a cage.
A soft knock came at the door, but I didn't turn around. I knew that scent.
"You're thinking again, Alaeric," Selene said, her voice smooth and confident.
I sighed, turning to look at her. Selene was beautiful, everyone said so. She was a powerful she-wolf, a warrior's daughter, and she had been trained since birth to be a Luna. On paper, she was perfect. Marrying her would bring peace to our borders and give my pack the stability it needed.
"The Elders are asking for a date, Alaeric," she continued, stepping closer.
"They want the ceremony before the next full moon. We've waited long enough, let's make it official".
She was right. I was chasing a dream while my pack needed a leader. Selene was strong, loyal, and she was already here. Maybe it was time to stop waiting for fate and start making my own choices.
"I know, Selene," I grunted, my voice rough from lack of sleep. "Give me until the end of the week. I'll give the Elders their answer then."
She nodded, a satisfied smile touching her lips before she slipped out of the room. I sank into my leather chair, rubbing my temples. Was this it? Was I really going to give up on the mate bond?
The door burst open again, but this time it wasn't a gentle knock. It was Kael.
Kael wasn't just my Beta; he was the only person in this world I actually trusted. We had grown up together, bled on the same battlefields, and shared enough drinks to drown a small village. He was my brother in everything but blood.
"You look like hell," Kael said, walking straight to the sideboard and pouring himself a drink.
"Good morning to you, too," I muttered. "What is it? Did the border patrol find more rogues?"
Kael's expression shifted. He set the glass down, his face turning serious. "We caught a trespasser last night. Just past the Red Hollow markers."
I stiffened. Red Hollow. Just hearing the name of Kayden's pack made my blood boil.
"A spy?" I asked, my voice dropping an octave. My wolf growled low in my chest.
"She says she's an Omega," Kael said, leaning against my desk. "She's a mess, Alaeric. Tattered dress, covered in blood, looked like she'd been dragged through the forest by her hair. The guards wanted to kill her on the spot."
"And why didn't they?" I snapped. "My orders were clear.
Kael hesitated, which wasn't like him. He looked at his hand, then back at me. "Something about her is... off. She's in the dungeon now. I figured you'd want to break her yourself before we send her head back to Kayden."
I stood up, the chair scraping loudly against the stone floor. A Red Hollow girl. Just what I needed to take my mind off Selene and the Elders. I needed someone to bleed. I needed to remind Kayden that my borders were made of iron, not silk.
"Lead the way," I said, grabbing my heavy fur cloak. "Let's see what kind of trash Kayden is sending into my woods."
We walked through the cold stone corridors of the palace, descending into the damp, dark belly of the dungeon. The air down here smelled of salt and old stone. My wolf was restless, pacing in the back of my mind, his claws digging into my thoughts.
As we reached the iron gate of the lowest cell, the air suddenly felt different.
The heavy, dark pressure of my own power seemed to hit a wall. Usually, people shivered or looked away when I got close. But as I stopped in front of the bars, I felt a strange, electric tingle in the air.
"She's in there," Kael whispered.
I looked through the shadows. A girl was huddled on the stone floor, her back against the wall. She was small, dangerously small. Her dark hair was a matted mess, and her skin was pale enough to look like marble in the dim light.
She looked like a broken toy. A piece of garbage that had been thrown away.
"Hey," I barked, my voice echoing off the walls. "Look at me, Red Hollow."
The girl flinched, her body trembling, but she didn't look up.
"I don't have all morning," I growled, stepping closer to the bars. "Tell me why you're here, or I'll let my guards use you for target practice."
Slowly, painfully, she lifted her head.
The moment her eyes met mine, the world stopped.
My heart felt like it had been struck by lightning. A roar erupted in my ears, and my wolf went absolutely silent, not out of fear, but out of total, crushing shock. The restless itch on my skin vanished, replaced by a pull so strong it nearly knocked me off my feet.
Mate.
The word didn't just whisper in my mind; it screamed through my entire soul.
She was the Red Hollow girl. She was an Omega. She was a trespasser.
And she was mine.