Andrea' POV
Amalia smiled as she swept into the room, full of that effortless warmth I had started to appreciate. Despite being an Alpha's sister, she felt... human. Easy to talk to. Less intimidating than her brothers and definitely less complicated than everything else.
She gestured toward two girls who stepped in behind her—identical in height, though Luc had her hair tied in a high bun while Ani wore hers in soft curls. "These are Luc and Ani," Amalia said. "They're your personal maids now. They'll be with you at all times."
I blinked. Personal maids? Me?
"Get some rest, Andrea," she added, stepping closer. "And don't worry about who likes you and who doesn't. Once the marking ceremony is done, no one will be able to challenge you."
She paused, her gaze turning softer. "And if that's not enough, just remember—my brothers can and will protect you."
I nodded quietly, trying to smile. Marking ceremony? I Guess the ceremony never ends.
Amalia glanced around the room, wrinkling her nose. "First thing tomorrow, we're going shopping. The Alphas and their beta have terrible taste in fashion. I'm overhauling that entire wardrobe."
She winked at me as she turned and left, the door closing gently behind her.
I looked at the two girls still standing quietly. They looked poised, professional—clearly used to royal orders. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to dismiss them, but I tried anyway.
"You can... go," I said, unsure if my voice even sounded like mine. They nodded, polite and wordless, and slipped out of the room like shadows. And just like that, I was alone.
The room was enormous. Beautiful. Silent.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the flickering candlelight casting golden shapes on the wall. The night had been perfect—or so it seemed. But I couldn't get her voice out of my head.
The Queen Mother.
Her words. Her hatred. Her warning.
She didn't want me here. Didn't want me near her sons. None of it made sense. Why did her rejection sting so badly? Why did it matter to me what she thought?
And worse—why did I have this aching, gnawing feeling like I was forgetting something important?
Who am I?
Do I even belong here?
The truth was… I felt more like myself in this strange palace than I ever had at the orphanage. As strange as that was, it scared me more than I wanted to admit.
A sound broke my thoughts.
Footsteps.
Not loud, but sure. Heavy. I knew it was them. I didn't even need to open my eyes to know they were near. I quickly pulled the blanket over my head and slowed my breathing.
Pretending to be asleep seemed safer than talking. Safer than feeling.
But even in the darkness, I felt their presence.
Their gazes lingered. My skin prickled with awareness. My heart thudded in my chest. Each of them stepped forward, and I held my breath—until I felt it.
A soft press of lips on my forehead. One. Then another. Then the third. Gentle. Reverent. Like I was something fragile they didn't dare break.
And then…
A voice.
Clear. Soft. Inside me.
Mate.
I gasped and threw the covers off—but the room was empty.
They were gone.
Silence returned.
The voice disappeared with them, slipping back into the quiet where it had come from.
I sat up slowly, chest rising and falling too fast.
Who's voice do I keep hearing?
And why… did it feel like I wasn't alone?
Lionel's POV
It had been a long night.
Everything happened so fast—from the moment we found her, to the ceremony that shook the entire pack to its core. And now... she's here. Just down the hall. Breathing the same air. Sleeping in the room meant for our Luna.
But I can't hold her. I can't touch her. Not that I don't wish to but I can't.
The bond hums under my skin like fire trapped beneath my flesh, and my wolf is restless. Pacing. Growling. Demanding I go to her, claim her, mark her—make her ours.
And I know I'm not the only one losing control.
Joseph's been short-tempered since she passed out again. Matthew pretends to be the calm one, but I've caught him standing outside her door more than once, jaw clenched, hands shaking.
We're all unraveling.
I rub a hand across the back of my neck, trying to clear my head. The stars outside are fading, dawn creeping in. I should be sleeping, but sleep's a joke when she's so close... and yet completely out of reach.
My thoughts burn with her. Her scent. The sound of her voice. The way she flinched when we tried to explain what she meant to us, not because she was afraid, but because the truth was too heavy for her to carry. She doesn't understand what she is.
And my mother... Goddess, my mother.
I don't know what scares me more—her hatred of Andrea, or the lengths she might go to if she thinks it'll keep her throne intact.
She's never lost. Never once been forced to step aside. Not even when Father died. She carried the weight of the crown when we were too young. I respect her for that.
But she doesn't get to decide who our mate is. Not this time.
I can only hope she finally understands that after our talk... and that she's smart enough to stop pushing.
Because if she tries anything again—if she touches Andrea—I'll burn down every inch of this kingdom before I let her lay a hand on what's mine.
My fists clench at the thought, my wolf snarling inside me. I breathe out slowly.
Control, Lionel. Just wait.
James will return soon. With answers. Maybe then we'll finally learn why the Moon chose Andrea. What's hiding in her blood, in her past. In that fire that flares inside her every time we get too close.
Because she's not just a human. She never was. And when she's ready—when she accepts us fully—when I finally get to mark her… The world will know she's ours. And nothing—not tradition, not politics, not even my mother—will stand in the way.