Chapter 4 Meeting the Alpha King

Cecilia POV

Before I moved to Thorn Pack, my mother, Aria Dunn, warned me about the challenges of being a Luna.

With great power came great responsibility.

The Alpha needed strength to command the pack's loyalty, while the Luna had to use her wits to earn their respect. Managing people was an art form. It required a keen understanding of who was trustworthy and who was not.

Shortly after my arrival at the Thorn Pack, I had Pearly gather gossip from public places like the market and the bar about Vahn and his family. As an Omega, Pearly was better positioned to earn people's trust. Many in the pack were aware of Rosie's past actions of murdering the pregnant woman back then, but they were too fearful to speak openly.

"Backstabbing bitches!" Pearly exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration. "What can we do now? Are we just supposed to watch as they get married?"

"Check the flights to Black Stone for tonight," I instructed, taking a bite of the apple pie Rosie had brought. It tasted quite alright.

"Black Stone? Are you going to see the Alpha King to stop their wedding?" Pearly asked, her eyes lighting up as she pulled out her phone to look up flight options.

"I'm not going to stop the wedding. I intend to ask the Alpha King to break the bond between Vahn and me."

"What?" Pearly froze, her eyes wide with shock.

"This is no joke. Do you know what will happen if your bond with Vahn is broken off? You'll no longer be Luna. You might even be kicked out of the pack. It's also more likely that you'll never find another mate again. You will be forced to live alone for the rest of your life."

"If I have to live with these people instead, I would rather die alone." I sighed.

In the past, I had seen Vahn as akin to my father—brave and a formidable warrior. Even at just 19, he commanded the respect of many older werewolves as the Alpha of the pack. However, being an excellent Alpha didn't necessarily make him a good husband.

"I will stay with you forever, then," Pearly said, walking over and giving me a tight hug.

"Silly girl. Once you turn 18 next year, the Moon Goddess will bless you with a mate. You'll have your own family." I ruffled her soft, golden hair.

"I might never have a mate," she said, gazing out at the distant woods with misty blue eyes.

"If you really want to leave, reject Vahn now. We can return to the Lotus Pack immediately. That's our true home."

"That won't work," I replied, shaking my head. "If I reject Vahn now, he won't accept it. He's afraid it will damage his reputation. Even if he does, his family won't. You saw how Rosie and Patricia are—they see me as a means to access my family's wealth. Everyone knows my father's riches spanned the nation, and I am his only heir. I must see the Alpha King tonight. Only he has the authority to forcefully abolish the bond between mates."

"If we had known Vahn was such a man, you should have rejected him a year ago," Pearly said with a scowl.

"Rosie will surely have someone watching me closely during this time. We need a plan to sneak out without them noticing."

"Let me think." She paced for a few minutes on the patio before saying to me, "Wait here. I'll go grab something from my room."

A few minutes later, she returned with a huge box in her arms.

"Hair dyes, curlers, foundation, fake eyelashes, eyeliners..." She began unpacking the box, placing each item on my bed.

"Oh, and I also have temporary hair dye. I'll dye my hair red and curl it. Then, I'll dye your hair blonde and straighten it. With some makeup, we'll be able to fool them," she explained.

"Our scents are different, though. If they examine us too closely, they'll figure out the ruse," I pointed out.

"We'll swap clothes as well," she said.

"That's all we can do."

Once we were finished with our transformations, we glanced at our reflections in the mirror and burst into laughter.

"Wait, you still need a mole," Pearly said, tilting my head up and drawing a small dot on my right cheek near the nose bridge. "There, now you look just like me." She nodded with satisfaction, hands on her hips.

For some reason, a wave of sorrow washed over me.

It reminded me of my childhood. Each year during Halloween, my brothers, Pearly, and I would dress up. My third brother, Jericho Shore, had always been fond of Pearly. He'd insist on matching costumes with her every year. Though he never confessed his feelings, I knew he loved her. They both did. But just as their feelings were on the verge of blossoming, they were tragically cut short.

Perhaps that was why Pearly believed she would never find a mate again.

Sometimes, I couldn't understand why fate was so cruel to both of us.

At around 5:00PM, as the setting sun stretched shadows long across the ground, the woods around the manor grew quiet. Pearly changed into my clothes and drove off in my car.

I watched from the patio. As expected, a car soon followed her, though her pursuers hadn't yet realized the switch. I quickly took Pearly's car and drove toward the airport.

As the plane took off, I realized I hadn't left Thorn Pack's territory in a whole year.

Most werewolf packs preferred to settle in rural areas, deep forests, grasslands, or lakes. On the one hand, it was because werewolves adored nature. On the other hand, it was more beneficial for werewolves to wage war in a natural environment. For over a decade, we had been embroiled in constant conflict with Rogues, the werewolves from the north, humans, vampires, and other races. The battles never ceased.

However, the Alpha King's palace was situated in Black Stone, Valdora's most vibrant city. It had remained unchallenged for centuries, its grandeur untarnished. After a whole night of flying, I was greeted by the morning sun illuminating the palace's stone bricks. The handmade bricks stood out like a peacock flaunting its feathers, their elegance a stark contrast to the city's modernity.

I stood before the palace gates. When I tried to enter, the guards stopped me.

"I am the Luna of Thorn Pack. I urgently need to see the Alpha King," I said, showing the Thorn Pack's Luna crest. Each pack's Alpha and Luna had a crest made by the Alpha King himself.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but it's truly urgent. Please, you must pass on my request."

"I'm sorry, but you can't enter without an appointment," the guard said, unyielding as a statue.

I paced outside the palace for what felt like hours, hoping for a chance encounter with the Alpha King. However, I never once saw him. As my hopes dwindled, I spotted a familiar face—Ben Wilson, a warrior who had fought alongside my father when he was still alive.