Kael’s POV
The Pit had been brutal tonight.
I sat in the back of my car, watching blood drip from my knuckles onto the leather seat. The cut above my eyebrow stung. My ribs ached from a kick I’d been too slow to dodge.
Good.
Pain was good. Pain ant I could feel sothing other than this gnawing emptiness in my chest.
I’d taken three fights instead of one. Fenrir had been feral. Hungry for violence. I’d given him what he wanted.
It hadn’t helped.
*You know what would help,* my wolf growled. *Go to her.*
"Shut up."
The driver glanced at in the rearview mirror. I ignored him.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to the Blood Crown estate. The mansion lood against the night sky like a mausoleum. Cold stone. Dark windows. Everything about this place felt dead.
I got out. Walked inside. Just wanted to get to my room. Shower. Sleep. Forget.
"Kael!"
Mother’s voice stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
I turned. She stood in the doorway to the sitting room. Her silver hair caught the lamplight. She looked tired. More tired than usual.
"You’re hurt." She moved toward . Her fingers reached for my face.
I stepped back. "It’s nothing."
"You’ve been fighting again." Not a question. She knew. She always knew.
"I’m fine."
"You’re bleeding."
"I said I’m fine."
She flinched. Just slightly. But I saw it.
Guilt twisted in my gut. I hated when I spoke to her like that. She didn’t deserve it. She was the only person in this family who actually gave a damn about .
"Sorry." The word ca out rough. "Long night."
Mother nodded slowly. Her eyes searched my face. Looking for sothing. I didn’t know what.
"Co sit with ," she said. "Just for a mont."
I wanted to say no. Wanted to escape to my room. But sothing in her expression made follow her into the sitting room.
The fire crackled in the hearth. Warm light flickered across the walls. This was the one room in the house that didn’t feel like a tomb.
Mother settled onto the sofa. Patted the space beside her.
I sat. Kept my distance. Stared at the flas.
Silence stretched between us.
"I’ve been thinking," she finally said. Her voice was soft. Careful. "About your brother."
Lucian.
My jaw tightened.
"What about him?"
"He’s been... different lately." She folded her hands in her lap. "More present. More lucid. The doctors think he’s finally stabilizing."
I said nothing. Didn’t trust myself to speak.
Lucian had been "stabilizing" before. Multiple tis. And every ti, we’d let ourselves hope. Every ti, he’d crashed back down.
"I was thinking," Mother continued, "maybe it’s ti we helped him move forward. Find so purpose. Sothing to live for."
"Like what?"
She hesitated. Her fingers twisted together.
"A companion. A partner, maybe." She glanced at . "Do you know anyone? Any young won who might be... suitable?"
The question hit like a punch.
My mind went blank. Then filled with silver eyes. Moonflower scent. A broken smile in the darkness of a hotel room.
Aria.
Her face flashed through my thoughts before I could stop it. Her crying. Her laughing. Her looking at like I was sothing worth believing in.
"Kael?"
I blinked. Realized Mother was staring at .
"What?"
"I asked if you knew anyone. For Lucian."
"No." The word ca out too fast. Too sharp. "I don’t know anyone suitable."
Mother’s brow furrowed. "Are you sure? There must be soone—"
"There’s no one."
Silence.
She studied with those knowing eyes. The sa eyes Lucian had inherited. The sa eyes that saw too much.
"You seem distracted," she observed quietly. "Is sothing bothering you?"
Everything. Everything was bothering .
But I couldn’t tell her that. Couldn’t explain that I’d spent three nights destroying myself in The Pit because I couldn’t stop thinking about a Shadow Moon Oga. Couldn’t admit that I’d touched her. Tasted her. Wanted her with an intensity that terrified .
"I’m fine," I said. Again. The words felt hollow.
"Kael—"
Heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway.
We both went still.
Father.
Magnus Blood Crown appeared in the doorway. His red-gold eyes swept over the room. Over Mother. Over .
"Selene." His voice was cold. Commanding. "I need to speak with our son."
Mother rose imdiately. Years of conditioning. Years of fear. She didn’t argue. Didn’t protest. Just nodded and slipped past him without a word.
I watched her go. Hatred burned in my chest.
One day. One day I’d be strong enough to protect her from him. One day I’d tear his throat out for every bruise he’d ever left on her skin.
But not yet.
Not yet.
Father closed the door. Turned to face .
"You look like hell," he observed.
"Thanks."
"The Pit again?"
I shrugged. "Needed to blow off steam."
"Hmm." He crossed the room. Poured himself a drink from the crystal decanter. Didn’t offer one. "Your mother’s worried about you."
"She worries about everything."
"True." He swirled the amber liquid. Took a slow sip. "But in this case, perhaps she has reason."
I waited. Said nothing.
Father had a point. He always had a point. And he’d get to it in his own ti.
"You’re twenty-five, Kael."
There it was.
"I’m aware."
"And still unmated." He set down his glass. Fixed with those cold eyes. "Still without a Luna."
My spine stiffened.
"What’s your point?"
"My point—" he moved closer "—is that an Alpha without a Luna cannot lead a pack. It’s tradition. Law. Without a mate, you cannot inherit the Alpha position."
Rage flickered in my chest.
"I know the rules."
"Then act like it." His voice sharpened. "You’ve been playing gas with that Silver Fang girl for years. Either claim her or move on. But this... drifting... ends now."
Rebecca.
Of course he ant Rebecca.
The thought of mating her—of marking her, bonding with her, spending my life with her—made my stomach turn.
"I’ll handle it," I said.
"When?"
"Soon."
Father’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t believe . I didn’t bla him.
"The council ets in three months." His voice dropped to sothing dangerous. "By then, I expect an announcent. A Luna. A proper mate. Or I’ll choose one for you myself."
The threat hung in the air.
I forced myself to stay calm. To not react. To not give him the satisfaction.
"Understood."
Father studied for a long mont. Then nodded curtly.
"Good. Don’t disappoint , Kael."
He walked out. Left alone with the fire and the silence and the weight of expectations I’d never asked for.
I sat there for a long ti.
Staring at nothing.
Three months.
Three months to find a Luna. To claim a mate. To tie myself to soone for the rest of my life.
And all I could think about was her.
---
The next day was torture.
I went through the motions. etings. Business calls. The endless tedium of being the Alpha heir.
But my mind was elsewhere.
Every ti I closed my eyes, I saw Aria. Heard her voice. Felt her hands on my skin.
The club was busy when I arrived.
Friday night. The place was packed with wolves trying to impress each other. Music pounded. Glasses clinked. The usual crowd of beta wannabes and desperate Ogas filled every corner.
I scanned the room.
Where was she?
My eyes moved from table to table. Server to server. Looking for that silver-grey hair. Those distinctive eyes.
There.
She stood near the bar. Tray balanced on her palm. Talking to another server—that friend of hers. Elara.
My heart stuttered.
Even from across the room, she looked... wrong. Hollow. Dark circles under her eyes. Movents chanical. Like a puppet going through the motions.
Because of .
I’d done that to her.
The realization hit harder than any punch I’d taken in The Pit.
"Aria."
I called her na. Not loud. But loud enough.
She froze.
Her whole body went rigid. I saw her knuckles whiten on the tray.
Then she turned away.
Deliberately. Obviously. She walked in the opposite direction without looking back.
Running from .
Sothing dark twisted in my chest.
I started toward her. Pushed through the crowd.
"Aria."
She moved faster. Disappeared behind the bar. Through the staff door.
I stopped.
Couldn’t follow her there. Not without causing a scene. Not without everyone in this club knowing that the Blood Crown heir was chasing after Shadow Moon trash.
But I wasn’t leaving. Not until I saw her. Not until this was finished.
I found a booth near the back. Ordered a drink I didn’t want. Settled in to wait.
She’d have to co out eventually. Her shift would end. And when it did, I’d be here.
The hours crawled by.
I watched her work. Every ti she erged from the back, my eyes tracked her movents. She served tables on the opposite side of the room. Kept her back to . Avoided eye contact completely.
She knew I was here. Knew I was watching.
And she was doing everything possible to pretend I didn’t exist.
*Serves you right,* Fenrir muttered.
Maybe it did.
But I wasn’t leaving.
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