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The aroma of freshly brewed tea and warm pastries fills the spacious dining hall. The morning sun filters through the grand windows, casting golden streaks across the dark mahogany table where Kane and I sit. My plate is stacked high with eggs, toast, and crispy bacon, while Kaneβs remains almost untouchedβexcept for his steaming cup of tea, which he occasionally sips from, watching me with mild amusement.
I ignore his stare and focus on my food. The warmth of the eggs, the crunch of the toastβit grounds me, gives me something to focus on besides the strange, brooding man across from me.
Kane sets his cup down with a quiet clink.
βHow old are you?” he asks smoothly.
I swallow a bite of toast before answering.
βTwenty.β
He hums, his expression unreadable.
βDo you have siblings?β
My hand pauses over my plate, surprised by the question.
βYes. An older brother and a younger sister.β
βYour parents?β Kane raises a brow.
βTheyβre alive.β I hesitate. βAt least, the last time I saw them.β
His fingers tap against his cup.
βAnd when was that?β
I frown, shifting slightly.
βBefore Darius took me.β
βWhy did you become a rogue?β he asks another annoying question.
βThatβs none of your businessβ I tense, gripping my fork tighter.
Kane simply lifts his cup, his gaze never leaving mine.
βYouβre rightβ he murmurs before taking a slow sip of tea. βThat means you donβt belong to any pack.β
I clench my jaw, stabbing a piece of bacon with unnecessary force.
βYouβre observantβ I respond.
His lips twitch.
βThat also means you had no one to guide you through your first shift.β
I still, my appetite vanishing.
Kane sets his cup down.
βYouβre twentyβ he utters. βWhich means you’ve long passed the age of your first shift. Though it seems you haven’t done so before.β
My heart kicks against my ribs. My fingers curl around my fork, but I donβt take another bite.
βHow do you know that?β I lift my eyes to him, guarded.
Kane leans back in his chair, his expression calm.
βI donβt sense your wolf.β He studies me as if I were a puzzle he had just solved. βAnd back in the woods, you couldnβt shift to escape. Any wolf, even an inexperienced one, would have tried. But you didnβt. That was a clue.β
I drop my gaze, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip.
A scoff breaks the silence.
βNot only are you a rogue…” He sneers, “but you’re also one who can’t shift. Double the burden.β
Heat rushes to my face, but it isnβt embarrassmentβitβs anger. I lift my gaze, glaring at him.
βAnd youβ¦β I shoot back, βare an insufferable @$$!β
βWatch your tone, rogue.β His eyes darken instantly.
I slam my fork down, the clang echoing through the hall.
βWho the hell do you think you are, looking down on me? Just because Iβm not some big, bad alpha like you doesnβt mean you get toββ
βEnough.β Kaneβs voice is swift as a whip, but when I donβt back down, his expression hardens.
βYou do not raise your FuΓ§king voice at me!β he barks.
The sheer force of his tone sends shivers all over my body. My breath catches, and before I can stop myself, I swallow hard.
A tense silence hangs between us.
With a defiant lift of my chin, I meet his gaze.
βThen maybe you should learn not to insult the only person at this table who actually finished their breakfastβ I utter.
Kaneβs gaze darkens with something unreadable before he smirks.
βHow delusional you must be to think you were the firstβ he replies.
I blink. His reply definitely catches me off guard.
β’β’β’β’β’β’
Later that morning, after Kane storms off with a swirl of his long coat and a clenched jaw, I find myself in the east corridor near the kitchens. I didnβt plan to wander, but my mind is buzzingβhaunted by Kaneβs words:
βHow delusional you must be to think you were the first.β
First what?
I spot Greta organizing trays of folded linens on a table near the servant quarters. She looks composed as always, her salt-and-pepper hair pulled tightly into a bun and her uniform pressed to perfection.
βGretaβ I call, approaching cautiously.
She looks up with a polite smile.
βMiss Nevaeh. Can I help you with something?β
I hesitate. βCan we talk? Just for a moment?β
She gives a slight nod, gesturing toward a quiet corner where the bustle of the kitchen fades into the background.
βOf course.β
I take a breath, heart racing.
βDidβ¦ did Kane ever have a mate before?β I let the question slip out.
Gretaβs hands pause mid-fold, and for a flicker of a second, something unreadable passes through her eyes.
βThatβs not something Iβm allowed to discuss.β
βYou know, donβt you?β I press gently. βHe said something to me at breakfast, and Iβhe made it sound like I wasnβt the first. I justβ¦ I need to understand what that means.β
Greta inhales slowly, then resumes folding.
βYou ask many questions, Missβ she replies.
βI knowβ I whisper. βBut there are so many pieces that donβt fit. The way he looks at me, the anger, theβ¦ pain. Itβs like heβs battling something I donβt see. And now Iβm starting to wonder if itβs about her.β
Gretaβs hands freeze again, and this time, she sets the linens down. She turns to face me fully.
βThere are rules in this householdβ she says quietly but firmly. βCertain topics areβ¦ off-limits. The Alphaβs past is one of them.β
βBut I just want to understandββ
βI knowβ she says, a little softer this time. βBut it is not my place to keep digging up stories the Alpha himself has buried.β
I open my mouth to argue again, but Greta raises her hand gently.
βCuriosity may be natural, but hereβ¦ it can also be dangerous.β
Her eyes hold mine meaningfully, and the quiet warning in them is clear.
βI wonβt speak of it againβ she asserts, turning back to her linens. βAnd I suggestβfor your own peaceβyou do the same.β
A tight knot forms in my chest. I nod slowly, though the questions continue to scream inside me.
ππππ
The wind howls through the cliffs behind the estate, but I barely notice. The balcony off my study overlooks the forestβa dark sea of trees swaying beneath a silver sky. I stand there in silence, one hand gripping the cold stone railing, the other clutching a crystal tumbler of untouched whiskey.
I can still feel her stare.
Nevaeh. All fire and defiance at breakfast.
The girl is impossible to ignore.
She isnβt like the others. She didnβt shrink in fear or worship. She challenged. She questioned. She reminded me ofβ
βYour moodβs gone to hell again, Alpha.β
I donβt turn. I know that voice too well.
Lyall steps onto the balcony with his usual swagger and crossed arms. His hair is slicked back, his tailored black coat fluttering lightly in the breeze.
βWhat do you want?β I ask, eyes fixed on the treetops.
βYou summoned me.β
I drain the glass with a grimace and set it down hard on the edge.
βRight.β I rub the back of my neck. βI need you to keep an eye on her.β
βNevaeh?β Lyallβs brow arches. βThe little rogue with the pretty mouth and temper to match?β
I shoot him a warning look.
He holds up his hands.
βEasy, Alpha. Just an observation.β
βSheβs notβ¦ normalβ I mutter, returning my gaze to the woods. βShe didnβt shift. She didnβt even try. Itβs like her wolfβs asleep, or trappedβor worse.β
Lyall leans against the stone column beside me.
βCould be trauma. Rogues donβt exactly have peaceful upbringings.β
βItβs more than thatβ I say tightly. βThereβs something off. Something familiar.β
That catches his attention. βFamiliar?β
βShe has a markβ I say, voice low. βOn her shoulder. I saw it the night I brought her in. The crescent over the thorned circle.β
βThat symbolβs been dead for years.β Lyallβs eyes widen slightly.
βNoβ I reply. βItβs back. On her.β
He goes quiet, tension thickening between us like a storm cloud.
βYou think itβs starting again?β he asks.
I donβt answer.
βI read about the mark a long time agoβ he mentions.
βWhere?β I ask, curious.
βIn the old texts. The forbidden ones buried beneath the Lunar Archives.β
βThe ones locked away after the Sacred Wolf Wars?β My brow furrows, and he nods.
βThey werenβt just stories. That markβ¦ the crescent over the thorned circleβit belongs to the Velmire Wolves.β
The name echoes, ancient and heavy.
βThey were said to be born under a Blood Moon Eclipseβ Lyall goes on. βChosen. Dangerous. Forgotten.β
Rogue. A Velmire?
βSheβs notβshe canβt beββ I snap.
βBut what if she is?β Lyall steps closer. βWhat if the goddess never ended it? What if this girl is the next phase?β
I look down at my hand, the faint scar on my palm pulsing with heat. The mark had never truly fadedβonly quietedβ¦ waiting.
βI want to know everything about herβ I demand. βHer lineage. Her bloodline. I donβt care how many records you have to dig through. I want answers.β
Lyall nods slowly, but his eyes never leave my face.
βYouβre starting to care about her.β
βCare, my foot.β I turn swiftly.
βNo?β He gives a humorless chuckle. βBecause the last time you cared, the whole pack bled for it.β
Heβs rightβbut that would never repeat itself.
βShe doesnβt even know what she isβ I mutter.
βThatβs what makes it worseβ Lyall responds. βIf her wolf awakens and she doesnβt know how to control itβ¦β
βFind out what she is,β I cut him off darkly, βbefore she becomes the unthinkable.β
