Chapter 3 ORIGIN

Trina's POV

The Lycan base looks less like a wolf settlement and more like a luxury mountain resort, with all modern conveniences and sturdy stone buildings nestled harmoniously amongst the craggy peaks. Nothing at all like the small, ramshackle timber houses of my own Silver Moon pack.

Logan leads me through curious crowds of muscular Lycans into the largest impressively carved hall at the valley's center. Inside he gestures for me to sit at a heavy wooden table littered with half-eaten game and china mugs of fragrant wine. My stomach rumbles.

Overwhelmed, I sank onto the soft cushions. Fear still twisted my belly into knots but I could not deny my curiosity about this strange pack and their formidable leader. I had crossed into mythic lands long spoken of in hushed whispers back home. Lands the Silver Moon pack pretended did not exist, wilfully ignoring things beyond their tamed understanding. But ignorance clearly served no purpose now.

"Eat. You'll need your strength for what comes next." Logan pushes a platter of roasted meat toward me. Too ravenous to argue, I dig in hungrily under his watchful eye. Daelan enters moments later in a billowing black cloak, now also in his man-skin. He towers over us, face unreadable as he studies me devouring the food.

Logan runs a frustrated hand through his hair. "Your manners, Alpha. Or lack thereof. You're scaring the poor thing to death with all the silent brooding!"

Daelan's stare swings slowly to his Beta. "You dare lecture your Alpha on manners?" His voice rumbles low with warning. Logan clears his throat.

"Apologies. I only meant...she is our guest here. The girl has done nothing warranting such intimidation."

The Alpha snorts derisively but says nothing more before turning to leave, black cloak swirling behind him dramatically. Logan sighs in relief.

"You'll have to forgive Daelan. He has little patience for strangers. But pay him no mind, girl. I won't let him harm you." The Beta smiles kindly. My nerves settle slightly.

As I set aside the empty plate, Logan stood. "Come along then. Let's not keep him waiting."

Him. The mysterious Alpha who held my fate in his powerful hands. I trailed Logan apprehensively back into a vast greatroom.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the figure silhouetted in flickering firelight. Daelan stood by the hearth, the dark cloak discarded, still no less intimidating. He stood with his back to me, displaying an intricate tattoo spanning his shoulders and arms that swirled hypnotically over corded muscle. Sleek black hair brushed the nape of his neck, matching the lambent darkness of his eyes when he turned to regard us.

I dropped my gaze quickly, pulse racing. Logan addressed him casually. "Alpha Daelan, here is the stray, as you requested."

Daelan. Not Dealan as I had first thought. An ancient name, from an ancient bloodline by all accounts. He approached slowly and I kept very still, suddenly afraid. His size eclipsed us both by nearly a foot, his presence pure unbridled power. Being this close to something so feral and untamed sent primal whispers through my psyche. Dangerous, yet compelling.

"What is your name, stray?" The timbre of his voice startled me, a smooth baritone that seemed at odds with his intimidating frame.

I licked dry lips before answering shyly. "I am called Trina."

"Trina." He tested the shape of it. "You are a long way from your own territory. Explain how you came to trespass so deeply onto Nightfall lands."

Haltingly I told him about fleeing the disastrous mating ceremony, heedless of where I was going. When I described Victor's public rejection, a spark of anger flashed across the Alpha's face. Or was it contempt? But his stoic mask soon returned.

"This Victor does not deserve you." Quiet steel laced his words. "Any male who discards his female so easily is no man at all. Better you be free of him."

I blinked in surprise at his candor. These wolves' ways were much different than what I knew. Before I could think better of it, my next question slipped out.

"What will become of me now?"

A small smile quirked Daelan's mouth though his eyes remained enigmatic depths. "You need not worry for your safety." His gaze held mine, direct and disturbingly perceptive. "In fact it may be fortuitous our paths crossed when they did."

Unease skittered down my spine at his cryptic words. Logan spoke then, preventing further questions.

"Enough standing around. Let us sit, enjoy good food and mead. The night stretches long ahead for pleasant discourse."

Soon I sat picking daintily at a laden plate, listening to Logan regale us with a thrilling tale about a mountain troll hunt. Daelan listened quietly, those penetrating eyes returning frequently my way. Their weight left me increasingly unsettled.

As Logan paused for a drink, I gathered my nerve to speak. "Forgive me, but why do you spare such kindness on an unwelcome stray? What do you see in me?" It was bold, but I needed to understand. Their behavior confounded all I knew of harsh wolf code and etiquette.

Daelan set down his drinking horn, gaze boring into mine. "Unwelcome at first perhaps, but no longer." He exchanged an unreadable look with Logan. "You need convincing that your presence here is valued. Desired, even."

Blood rushed hotly under my skin as his eyes roamed my body without pretense before locking once more with mine. Alarm skittered through me. Valued? Desired? Just what sort of pack had I entangled with? These were not wolves ruled by familiar habits and structure. Their wildness went soul-deep.

Daelan rose abruptly, that unsettling half-smile playing about his lips. "I will let you consider things at length. We shall speak again soon."

He stalked toward the exit, power and feral grace in every step. Logan inclined his head at me in parting.

"Rest well tonight, Trina. You are privileged to receive Alpha Daelan's personal assessment. Do not squander what the gods have gifted you." With that cryptic sentiment he followed the Alpha out, leaving me alone and greatly unsettled.

I sat stunned as scattered puzzle pieces shifted in my mind. Kyle's venomous hatred toward Daelan over his mate's demise. Victor's seed taking root in Sandra when she was supposedly not in heat. And now the bizarre fortune of my trespass onto Nightfall territory, bringing me under the scrutiny of its unpredictable leader.

Unease congealed into fear. What political machinations had I unwittingly stepped into? Daelan's intense focus on me hinted at complex schemes and gambits far beyond my experience.

I was being maneuvered as a piece on some elaborate chessboard. But I did not yet grasp the rules of the game, or the true measure of the powerful wolf orchestrating it all.