Chapter 0004

~Third person~

Alexander sat back in his chair, combat boots kicked up on his desk, scattering papers to the floor. He crossed his arms behind his head as he closed his eyes, Grace’s face appearing in his mind. He’d never met a woman like her. Her boldness, her feistiness… It impressed him, really.

Alexander recognised her from news headlines that frequently reported on her infertility and what that could mean for the Nightshade Pack, so he had assumed that someone in her position would be desperate enough to steal his nephew, Leo. It just made sense.

However, a couple of hours after Grace had left, Leo woke up and told him with wide, teary eyes about the rogue that chased him down, and how Grace swooped in and saved him. It was then that Alexander realized Grace was not the thief after all.

Thor, his wolf, scoffed at him mockingly. He knew where Alexander’s thoughts had drifted. Alexander opened his eyes and growled in frustration.

“I told you she wasn’t lying. You just can’t admit when you’re wrong,” Thor chuckled.

“Shut it,” Alexander growled, taking his feet off of the desk.

An unfamiliar feeling rose up inside of him. It felt… awful. He kept replaying the confrontation he had with Grace and his false accusation, and how hurt she looked when he accused her.

“That’s guilt,” Thor told him shortly. “Probably the first time you’ve felt it.”

Alexander stayed quiet, but he knew he was right.

~Grace~

I flew down the road on my motorcycle, hair whipping behind me. My heart beat fast in my chest, and I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this. What would the Lycan King say? What if he executed me on the spot? Or kidnapped me to try to use me as a bargaining piece with Liam?

Doubts flooded my thoughts, but before I could change my mind, I found myself driving in between tall, pointed black gates. I parked my bike and slid my helmet off. There was a cool breeze in the air, and leaves blew past my feet.

A tall, gothic building rose above me, and its presence was just as intimidating as I imagined the Lycan King’s would be. Black spires pierced the sky, and the gray stone had darkened from years of exposure to the elements.

I called out to Nola, who had always been a source of comfort to me for adventures like these in the past, but there was no response. She was still recovering from the mess of events a couple of days ago.

I felt scared. I hadn’t been alone like this in… I couldn’t remember a time I wasn’t.

I took a deep breath, smoothing out my pants. It didn’t matter that I was alone, I had done hard things in the past, and this was no different.

My heeled boots clicked on the stairs as I began to climb. At the top, a topless guard stopped me.

“What’s your business?” He asked in a gruff voice.

“I am the Luna of the Nightshade pack and I must see the Lycan King. It is an urgent matter,” I told him assertively.

A moment of silence passed as I watched the guard, who looked me up and down much longer than I appreciated. Suddenly, he burst out into laughter.

“I’ve never heard of a she-wolf doing business with the Lycan king. What, is your Alpha too afraid of the Lycan King to talk to him himself?” The guard took a step closer, lowering his voice. “Or perhaps you’re not here for him… If it’s a man you’re looking for, I can help with that.”

He reached his hand out, trying to touch my face. I promptly swatted it away, recoiling in disgust.

What kind of place was this, that this was my first interaction?

The guard scowled and I watched him reach for a weapon on his hip when a voice boomed out, freezing us both.

“Stop!”

A tall and endlessly handsome man stepped from an elevator that I hadn’t even noticed had arrived. My heart sank when I saw him.

Great, as if this couldn’t get any worse. It was the man who had accused me of stealing his nephew. What could he want? Nothing good, I was sure.

A wave of panic washed over me as I thought of him throwing me out. Had I ruined my chances of ever seeing the Lycan King without even knowing it? I swallowed my fear and faced him.

The man smiled. “Couldn’t get enough of me? Had to track me down just to see me again?” He taunted, eyes full of amusement.

“In your dreams,” I spat back. “You’re the last person I want to see.”

I turned around, fuming. I didn’t want to talk to him for even a second. I came here to do business, not get humiliated by men. Women had long since been treated as mere accessories to powerful men, but I was sick of it. I vowed to get myself on the council and change that mindset once and for all.

“Get out!” The guard shouted at me, and I turned and looked at him, confused. He looked appalled at what I had said to the other man.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could blink, the man grabbed the guard by the throat. The guard grabbed at his hands, trying to get a breath in, but was lifted off of the ground.

“You will retire your tongue and hand today, you won’t be needing them any longer,” he said, and the guard stared at him in terror. The man turned toward the building and raised his voice, and it echoed as he spoke. “As the Lycan King, I command that no one shall ever prevent Luna Grace from entering or leaving this place as she pleases!”

He dropped the guard on the ground, who scrambled into a deep bowing position, still coughing and gagging for air. The other guards in the area bowed to me as well.

I stood, frozen in place, as I stared at this man who I had considered a thorn in my side. He was the Lycan King? And how did he know who I was? Did he know me when we first met?

Looking over at the Lycan King, I tried to read his expression, unsuccessfully. I couldn’t tell if he was simply playing me, or if he actually cared to entertain me.

Either way, I had to take this opportunity. It seemed he passed me an olive branch, and I’d be stupid not to take it.