Two: Rejected By the Alpha King

Cara's POV

I woke to the sound of bustling servants, the echo of footsteps and hurried whispers filling the hall outside my chamber. It was my wedding day, I thought with a sinking feeling, bile rising in my throat as I stared at the ceiling above me.

The morning passed in a blur, every second counting to prepare me for the afternoon. Dresses were draped over me, my hair tamed, my skin perfumed and powdered. Despite the short notice of the wedding, it went very smoothly, leading me to wonder just how long father had been planning this before he informed me.

I was ready just in time because two servants came shortly after the maids left, their faces set in impassive masks as they led me to my father. I followed silently.

As we entered the great hall, I stiffened, folding into myself at the sight of the small crowd that had already gathered. Steeling my nerves, I walked down to where my father was seated, and took the empty chair beside him, doing my best to ignore the eyes and whispered that followed my every move. I sat down quietly, smoothing the folds of my gown with trembling hands. My breath was shallow, the weight of my father's expectations suffocating.

We waited for several minutes, father not saying a word to me throughout and soon enough the time came. A commotion in the anteroom let me know that new guests had arrived and from the size of the party, I could tell it was the Alpha King’s.

My heart skipped several beats, a lump forming in my throat as I tried to swallow around my nervousness. My father sat up in his seat as well and an air of anticipation hit the air, suffocating me even more.

The doors swung open and a tall figure strode in, his broad shoulders and commanding presence impossible to ignore. His long black hair was tied back, his chiseled face set in an expression of cold authority. He was every bit the powerful Lycan King I had imagined, but something about him made my skin crawl. There was a cruelty in the sneer upon his lips, an arrogance in his eyes that made me cringe. I knew instinctively that this was not a man capable of love or tenderness. He was a man who only knew power, strength and violence and he made no effort to hide it.

Behind him, his men followed like shadows, their expressions unreadable. As they reached the dais where my father and I sat, Darius inclined his head in greeting, his eyes never once flicking in my direction.

“Roy Wylder,” Darius said, his voice smooth yet laced with an underlying menace. “It’s been many years since I’ve set foot in your lands. I’m pleased to see you well.”

My father rose from his seat and clasped Darius’s arm in greeting, a forced smile on his lips. “Darius, it’s long overdue, indeed. I’m glad to see you’ve arrived safely.”

Darius’s gaze flicked to me for a brief moment before returning to my father. “I’m surprised, Roy. After so many years of ignoring my proposal, I never thought you’d be willing to part with your precious daughter. What changed your mind?”

A small chuckle escaped my father and to my knowing ears, it sounded strained. “I simply think that it’s time, Darius. Better to see her wed now than let her waste away here and become an old maid in my keep.”

The men surrounding Darius laughed, and my cheeks burned with shame. I wanted to disappear— to escape their scrutiny, but there was nowhere to hide. I sat there, silent and still, like the prize my father was presenting me to be.

Darius’s attention shifted back to me, and his cold eyes met mine for the first time. They were completely unreadable. Dark, depthless pools filled with calculation and cunning as they raked over me.

“Let me see her,” he said, his tone casual as if he were inspecting livestock for sale.

My father gestured for me to stand, and I obeyed, rising slowly to my feet and stepping forward. Every muscle in my body felt tight, coiled with tension. Darius circled me, his gaze taking in every detail, from the gold-embroidered hem of my gown to the nervous way I clenched my hands at my sides.

He stopped in front of me, towering over me in such a way that I couldn’t help but flinch when he took on of my fisted hands. To my surprise, he only lifted them to his lips pressing a kiss on my knuckles while his eyes bore into mine. The gesture was meant to be gentlemanly, but it only made my stomach churn with fear and revulsion. There was nothing warm or affectionate in his gaze, only possessiveness and calculation and more of that cold cruelty that terrified me so.

I swallowed hard, willing myself to stay composed. This was what my father wanted—what he believed would save me. If I failed now, if I showed any weakness, it would all be over.

Darius smirked, still holding my hand. “She’s beautiful, Roy. I see why you kept her to yourself all this while.”

A ripple of laughter spread through the room, and Darius’s men cheered, clapping their hands together in approval.

“I’ll take her.” The Alpha King declared and my father, for the first time that day, relaxed, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. The deal was sealed then. I would become Darius’s Luna, his mate.

I was whisked to my room after that, the servants descending upon me like vultures. They worked quickly, stripping me of the gown I wore and dressing me in something even finer—my wedding attire. I had a moment to look in the mirror, unable to recognize my reflection before I was whisked back to the ballroom where the ceremony was to take place. The room was filled with faces—pack members, royals, visiting Alphas—but I felt utterly alone.

The procession began, and I moved down the aisle like a puppet, my feet moving without conscious thought. At the altar stood Darius, his expression as cold and calculating as ever. He watched me approach, and when I reached his side, the wise man stepped forward to begin the rites.

The verbal joining was the first step. A simple recitation of vows, words meant to bind us in spirit and mind. I repeated them mindlessly after the wise man.

The next was the blood joining and the wise man brought out an athame then told us to put our palms forward.

I did as asked, as did Darius but just as thewise- man stepped forward with the blade, one of Darius's men broke through from the crowd, interrupting the proceedings to whisper something in his ear. Darius’s face remained impassive, but I saw the shift in his eyes as he glanced my way. My father, standing just behind me, tensed visibly.

Darius nodded, then straightened, turning to face the crowd. His voice boomed through the hall, commanding attention. “It seems there are some concerns that need to be addressed.”

My stomach twisted with dread and father stepped forward, his voice tight with anxiety. “Concerns? Surely there is nothing that can’t wait until after the ceremony.”

Darius’s gaze met my father’s, hard and unforgiving. “I’m afraid not, Roy. You see, my attention has been drawn to something... unusual about your daughter.”

The blood drained from my face. I knew what was coming.

“I noticed it myself when I kissed her hand. She gives off more of a human aura than a wolf. I asked my men to investigate and they report back to me with some disturbing news” Darius drawled, quirking his brows. “It appears you’ve been hiding something.”

“That’s ridiculous. Cara—” Father started but Darius raised a hand, cutting him off. “—is not who you say she is. You’re trying to wed her to me under false pretenses. Right Alpha Wylder?”

The room was deathly silent. My heart hammered in my chest, and I could feel my father’s anxiousness radiating through the air.

Darius stepped toward me, his eyes narrowing. “They say the Golden Luna is wolfless.”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. My knees trembled, my hands cold as ice. This was it; my deepest shame, laid bare for all to see.

“Alpha Darius—”

“Silence.” Darius boomed, cutting my father off yet again before he turned to me with a chilling smile.

“I’ll make this all very simple. If she can shift, we proceed and I will mate with you right now. If not... Well, I think we all know the answer.”

I stood frozen, every eye in the room on me, judging, waiting to see what I would do. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My wolf, the one that had never come in all my nineteen years of trying, would not come now and I knew it. So I didn’t try. Instead, I stood there motionless, hanging my head in shame while I prayed for the ground to open up and swallow me.

Silence stretched on, one moment then two and when it was clear what the result of his test would be, Darius chuckled darkly, seemingly pleased to have caught me so red-handed.

“Well, I suppose that answers that. No wolf. No mate.” He said decisively and the room erupted in murmurs.

“As the Lycan King, I can’t possibly bind myself to a wolfless Luna. How can my pack members respect me after that? And my heir, will she curse my children with her wolflessness as well? I’ll have to turn down this beautiful daughter of yours Roy. Perhaps she’ll remain an old maid after all.”

My father’s voice hardened, his eyes devoid of emotion as he shook his head firmly.“Her time in my pack is over. She must fulfil her destiny as Luna. There is no longer a place for her here” Father said, breaking my heart completely.

Darius smirked. “Well, it certainly won’t be with me.”

He turned to the crowd, his voice mocking. “Anyone else care to take her? She’s pretty enough, albeit wolfless.”

No one stepped forward.

“Well,” Darius said with a shrug. “I suppose I’ll take her as a slave. It’s the least I can do, as desperate as you are to get rid of her Roy. Clearly you won’t find an Alpha who’ll have her.”

Panic surged through me. I turned to my father, pleading silently, but he looked away, his face hard and unforgiving.

Darius’s men moved to take me, their hands gripping my arms when suddenly, a voice rang out.

“Unhand her.”

The crowd fell silent, and I turned to see a man step forward from the shadows. He was tall, but not as broad as Darius, with a full head of rich, auburn hair and eyes the color of moss. Those eyes scanned over Darius idly, not seeming to be affected by the Lycan King’s presence. Darius’s countenance changed immediately, a flash of something I couldn’t quite name, appearing in his gaze.

“Lucien Valen,” Darius, he sneered mockingly and I bit back a gasp. Lucien Valen used to be the most powerful Alpha in all the lands. It is he who was to be Lycan King before he lost most of his power and turned into a recluse. I hadn’t even realised he was here.

“And why would I do that Lucien? What right do you have to interfere with this girl.”

Lucien’s voice was calm but firm. “Quite a lot I reckon. Because from now henceforth, I claim her as my mate.”