Chapter 5 Declaration of War

KILLIAN

This room is still the same. Cold, tidy, silent. But tonight is different. I have just been officially named the Alpha of Shadowfang, and Raine... is now my Luna.

I removed my ceremonial cloak and placed it silently on the chair. A few omegas moved in and out, bringing her clothes and belongings into my room.

Raine said nothing. I didn't ask anything.

The sound of footsteps from the omegas echoed clearly in the stillness. Once everything was done, the door closed. Silence.

I stood with my back to her, facing the mirror. My reflection was sharp, expressionless. But one fact burned quietly in my head. After two years of holding back my instincts and the ache that came with it... she's finally mine.

The one thing I could never lie about was my wolf's instinct. It recognized Raine on the night of my eighteenth birthday. From that day on, every time she passed by me, her scent hit me like a whip. Sweet. Warm. Binding.

I remember the hunger to mark her back then. But she was just a clueless teenage girl.

I took a slow breath.

Two years ago, I realized who Raine was to me-my true mate. But I rejected it. Not because I hated her, but because I was afraid I'd break her more than I already had.

Before that, treating her badly was just entertainment. But after knowing who she really was... I stopped. Not because I went soft, but because my wolf loved her.

I chased away her friends and warned them not to be close to her. Yeah, my wolf is possessive. I couldn't stand seeing her laugh with other male wolves or even females. Watching her happy without me made my instincts burn with jealousy.

I heard the soft rustling of fabric. She took a pillow and blanket from her room and walked over to the long sofa in the corner. She didn't say a word. As if I didn't exist.

I turned slowly. "Why aren't you sleeping in the bed?"

My voice was flat. Cold. Emotionless, as always.

She froze for a second, then replied without looking at me, her voice laced with restrained anger. "I'm not sharing a bed with a spoiled brat who's tormented me for years."

"I suggest you sleep in the bed," I said without turning, tone blank as ever. "Or that spoiled brat might just torment you again."

Silence. No answer. But I knew she heard me.

I hadn't gone to the bed yet. Still sitting by the desk, slowly unbuttoning my shirt. The faint sound of fabric again. Raine was still stiff on the sofa, clearly lost in thought.

'Spoiled brat.' She's been calling me that for ten years-ever since our first fight, two days after she moved into this house.

She said I was my father's spoiled brat. And since then, she never once took it back. She stuck to it.

Eventually, she stood up. Still wordless. Dragging her blanket, pillow tucked under one arm, she walked toward my bed.

I didn't move. Just watched her reflection in the mirror on the wardrobe.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her face downcast. Chin tucked. But to my eyes, or more accurately, to my wolf's instinct-that expression looked... endearing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Raine carefully place a bolster pillow in the middle of the bed, creating a barrier.

Clear message: she didn't want to be touched tonight. I let out the faintest smirk. That wall she made, it was just her way of protecting herself.

A sharp knock rang out at the door.Followed by the steady voice of my Beta, Jax- the only one who was sworn in alongside me tonight.

"Apologies, Alpha. I need to speak with you. There's something urgent I must report," his voice rang, firm and serious.

I moved fast, wolf instincts engaged.

In a single breath, I was at the door. Opened it.

Jax stood there, tension carved into his face.

"Alpha," he said bluntly, "the Moon Qyi Pack has declared war. They consider your rejection of their Alpha's daughter-your arranged mate as a grave insult. They demand war!"