Chapter 10: I Came for His Blood, Not His Heart.

I’d spent five hours in a bus with more women than I could count, all going to see the Lycan King. I left my pack feeling like I’d betrayed my husband, my people. Leaving them behind with Rebecca, knowing she could never be trusted. My husband didn’t understand why I needed to see the Lycan King, he certainly didn’t approve of it, but I didn’t care.

“Oh goddess! I can’t imagine the day is finally here.’’ A tall blonde spoke to her friend excitedly.

“I know right. I pray the Lycan King chooses me.’’

“Me too!’’ Another shouted.

“Me too!’’ Then another.

Just as I’m about to ask what they’re talking about, the bus stops at the gate of the Lycan King’s pack. We alight, watching with wide eyes at the massive golden gates of the pack. Their territory, five times bigger than mine, looks more like a kingdom than a pack.

Here, I’d come to plead my case. Here, I’d come to know whether Rebecca had managed to bewitch the most powerful wolf in our world, turning him against me.

‘Goddess! He’s going to think I’m crazy. What kind of Alpha pushes him away then comes to his pack to ask for a vial of his blood? What kind of lowlife alpha stands him up on a meeting I begged for then shows up unannounced at his gates?’

A woman beside me gasped. "Can you believe it? We're actually here!"

I was about to ask what she meant when I noticed more buses arriving, each packed with women.

"What's going on?" I asked.

The woman turned to me, eyes wide. "Do you live under a rock? Tonight's the night!"

"What night?"

"The Lycan King is looking for his mate," another woman chimed in. "Everyone's here hoping his wolf cries for them."

My stomach dropped. "His wolf?"

"Yes. Lycan King Orion is set to find his true mate today, and each of us are here hoping it’s us. Isn’t that why you’re here?

I paused, taking in her words. "But why tonight?"

"It's a full moon," a third woman explained, practically bouncing with excitement. "The high priestess of Orion's pack had a vision. She foretold that tonight, under the moon goddess's light, Orion will meet his true mate."

I watched more women pour through the gates, looking excited and hopeful.

"Everyone's here praying it's them," the blonde said. "Can you imagine? Being chosen as the Lycan King's mate?"

I stood frozen, the reality of my situation crashing down. I'd come to beg for his help, and instead I'd walked into... this.

How was I supposed to reach him now? How could I possibly get him to listen about Rebecca and my dying pack when hundreds of women were here vying for his attention?

To make matters worse, with Luna absent, no one could tell I was an Alpha.

The crowd pressed in from all sides, pushing me further from the guards. Without my wolf, my Alpha presence was nothing more than a whisper. Just another face in the sea of hopefuls.

The Lycan King’s beta appeared on a raised platform, commanding immediate silence.

"Welcome, she-wolves," he announced. "Tonight, as the full moon rises, our King's wolf will choose his destined mate. This could happen anytime in the next two hours, so please remain in the waiting area."

A woman next to me clutched her friend's arm. "Did you hear that? Two hours! Two hours and one of our lives will change forever."

"When the moon reaches its peak," the beta continued, "King Orion will arrive. The moon goddess herself will guide his wolf to his true mate."

The room erupted in excited chatter.

"I heard he's even more handsome in person-"

"They say his wolf is pure white-"

"The most powerful Lycan in centuries-"

I watched as women pulled out mirrors and makeup, braiding each other's hair, their voices a constant stream of gossip about Orion.

"This is useless," I muttered, scanning the room. There – a service door in the corner.

While everyone fussed over their appearance, I slipped away, pushing through the door into what looked like kitchen corridors. I'd barely taken two steps when I stumbled, falling face-first into a pile of coal.

"For goddess sake, girl!" Someone remarked in a shart, stern tone. "Can't you watch where you're going?"

I looked up to see a stern-faced woman in a supervisor's uniform.

"I- I'm sorry-"

"Sorry doesn't get dinner to the King, does it?" She pulled me up, brushing coal from my ruined dress. "Go change into a clean uniform. And wash your face! Can't have you serving His Majesty looking like a chimney sweep."

My heart jumped. "Serving... His Majesty?"

Perhaps this is my chance.

"Are you deaf as well as clumsy? Yes, the King's dinner. Now hurry!"

Minutes later, cleaned and changed into a maid's uniform, I balanced a heavy tray of food. The supervisor thrust a piece of paper into my hands.

"Third floor, west wing. Follow these directions exactly. And girl?" She narrowed her eyes. "Don't mess this up."

I nodded, my pulse racing. The moon would rise soon. This was my only chance.

I walked up the flight of stairs, careful not to drop the food.

Suddenly, my wolf woke up.

After being dead silent for days, she was suddenly there. Just like that day in the forest. She only ever came alive when…

When he was close.

I stopped at a door. My heart was racing so hard I could barely think. He was here. I could feel it. I kicked the door open, my hands full with the food tray.

I froze.

Orion stood there, completely naked, water running down his body from the shower. Our eyes locked.

The tray hit the floor. Food scattered everywhere. Through the window, the full moon rose right when he looked at me.

His eyes turned blood red. "MATE."

One word. That's all it took to shatter my world. And then I really saw his face. The man from the forest. The one who'd saved me when I fell of the cliff and dropped me at the gates of our pack.

My wolf exploded inside me. "MATE. OUR MATE."

My pack's lives hung in the balance. And the only person who could save them was standing naked before me, his eyes burning red, calling me mate.