Episode 5

Kael

I leave the room and close the door quietly behind me. Margaret is waiting in the corridor, genuine concern written across her face.

"How is she?" she asks.

"Frightened," I answer simply, walking toward my office. "And with reason."

"Sir, perhaps you should..."

"Prepare a room for her," I cut in gently, but with authority. "A beautiful one. With a view of the garden."

Margaret nods and steps away, but I know she feels the change. Everyone around me feels it. I rarely bring anyone to the castle. And when I do, never like this.

I climb the stone stairs that lead to my private office. The door is heavy, made of old oak, and it opens silently. Inside, Volker is already waiting for me.

My beta is as imposing as I am, though in a different way. Where my power is ancestral, his is tactical. His eyes are gray as a storm, and his body carries the scars of a hundred battles.

"Sir." He stands when he sees me. "We've received word that Alpha Dominic is... agitated. There are reports of impulsive behavior from him."

I walk to my desk and sit, gesturing for him to do the same.

"The bond between him and his mate was cut," I say simply.

Volker blinks, processing.

"He rejected his own Luna?" Disbelief colors his voice. "What kind of idiot would do that?"

"A contemptible one," I answer, pouring myself a little cider from an old bottle. "But that is not the problem right now."

"It isn't?" Volker leans forward. "Sir, if he's in that state, he may try something reckless. He may try to invade our territory."

"He won't do anything," I cut in. "Because he doesn't even know she is here."

Volker freezes.

"SHE'S HERE? The girl?"

"Yes."

"Sir..." He draws a deep breath, choosing his words with care. "With all due respect, bringing an Alpha's rejected Luna into your castle is a declaration of war. If he finds out..."

"When he finds out," I correct, "he will suffer. And that is exactly what he deserves."

Volker watches me with that look I know well. The one that says he senses there is more to this story than I am revealing.

"There is something you're not telling me," he says. It is not a question.

I remain silent for a moment, drinking. The liquid burns down my throat.

"She is different," I say at last.

"Different how?" Volker leans closer.

"I don't know," I admit, and that is rare. Admitting I do not know something. "Her scent. Her wolf. It is as if... as if she is older than she should be."

Volker goes pale.

"Sir, you aren't suggesting that..."

"I'm not suggesting anything," I cut in. "Not yet. But I need you to investigate. Find out everything about her pack. Where she came from before Dominic. Who her parents were. Everything."

"Sir, if she is what I'm thinking..."

"Then we need to be careful," I finish. "And discreet."

Volker rises and walks to the window facing the forest.

"This will draw attention," he says. "Other packs will ask why you're keeping her here. They'll speculate."

"Let them speculate," I answer coldly. "I am the Supreme. I do not owe them explanations."

"True," he agrees. "But what about her? What do you intend to do with her in the meantime?"

It is a valid question. What am I going to do with a frightened she-wolf? With a Luna who believed her mate had a good heart and was shattered for it?

"I will let her rest," I say. "For now, I will let her recover."

Volker nods slowly and leaves the office, abandoning me to my thoughts and my drink. I walk to the window and look down at the forest below. My kingdom. My domain.

And somewhere in this castle is a she-wolf who has no idea her entire world is about to be rewritten.

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