Chapter 3 3

Pearl Gem "Please don't tell me you are still daydreaming about His Highness." My younger brother's voice floated in from the doorway, dragging me back to the world I was so desperate to escape. I turned toward him, still clutching the pillow that had become my obsession. "Goodness, Gem," He laughed. "He's not coming back. And let's be honest. Everyone believes you are going to end up with Royce." "Royce is a best friend. Not a man to me!" I snapped, shooting up and chasing after him down the hallway. Laughter echoed through our little home as we dashed into the living room.

My mother, busy serving lunch in the dining area, looked up with a small, knowing smile. My father, resting on the couch after a long day at the shop, barely spared us a glance before sighing like a man who had accepted his fate with unrushed exhaustion. It had been one month. One whole month since I had saved the Alpha Prince. Since he had left the Omega Ghetto without a single word. No goodbye. No message. And still... I hadn't been able to let him go. I had tried to lose myself in distractions, helping my mom and dad in the shop, playing with Bright, spending time with Royce, but none of it dulled the memory. None of it erased the feel of his golden gaze on mine, the sharp command in his voice, the raw power of his presence. Instead, I found myself clutching the same pillow he had laid on that night, holding it against my chest like it could somehow fill the hollow he left behind. Call it obsession at first glance. I wouldn't deny it. "Pearl," My father called gently. "Won't you go help your mother in the kitchen?" I paused mid-chase and gave Bright a playful glare before moving toward the dining room, just as the sound of tires crunching gravel reached us. I froze. So did the rest of my family. Who has arrived? "Honey," My mother asked cautiously, "did any customers say they'd stop by for shoes?" My father shook his head. "No, none today." Curiosity coiled tightly inside me and I made my way to the window, cautiously peeking out just in time to see him. My breath hitched. My knees nearly buckled. "It's... it's His Highness," I whispered. Goosebumps raced across my skin as the world tilted on its axis. What was he doing here? Beside me, Bright leaned closer. His voice held disbelief, awe. "It is him. Did he... come for you?" Before I could gather a single thought, a soft but firm knock sounded on the main door. We all turned toward the sound but no response until another knock came in. This time, my father stood. Slowly, like the world itself had changed weight. Moments later, he returned, face pale, lips parted. "His Highness demands your presence, Pearl." The air vanished from the room. My heart skipped a beat... no, three. Kade King... demanded me? Had he... felt it too? That unrelenting pull? That month of restless nights? Still dazed, I walked to the door, my family trailing behind in stunned silence. When I opened it... there he was. The future king of the Wolf Empire. His presence was even more commanding than I remembered. Tall, unyielding. Dressed in black and Gold, the crest of the royal bloodline gleaming on his shoulder. His very stance was enough to make the stars bow. His golden eyes met mine. But this time... there was no arrogance. No coldness. His jaw tightened, his lips parted. and then came the words that stole every last breath from my lungs. "Hi," He said. "Will you be my bride?" *** "We can't let her go. He's... he's too far above her. Omegas aren't meant for dreams like this..." "She's in love with him," My mother cut in quietly. My father turned to her, his throat moving as he swallowed hard. "Ever since that night," She continued softly, "you and I both know she hasn't been the same. If there's even a chance... we have to let her go." "But..." "She won't be a slave forever, not our daughter." Her voice quivered but her gaze never wavered. "She will be what she chooses to be. She always has been." I sat motionless in the entrance, my heart still spinning, still struggling to believe what had happened earlier today. Kade King, the Alpha Prince, heir to the Wolf Empire had come here. To me. To the Ghetto. The media was already ablaze with an headline that reads . "Will an Omega be our next Luna Queen?" It didn't feel real. It couldn't be real. And yet... was this proof? Had he felt it too? The same pull that haunted me night after night? I was still lost in my whirlwind thoughts when the front door burst open and Royce came rushing in, out of breath, sweat at his brow, pulling me into the living room where I stare at him. He stood in the doorway, eyes frantic. "Royce..." I breathed, a smile breaking through the fog. "Hey." I stepped into his arms without thinking, leaning into the comfort, the familiarity. "I heard the news," He said, voice low. "Please... don't tell me you are saying yes to His Highness." I pulled back, just enough to look into his eyes. I could feel my parents watching. Bright too, lingering behind. The weight of everyone's expectations pressed down like stone. Kade had proposed. With no riddles. No courtly games. Just that sharp, deliberate voice saying "Will you be my bride?" He had told me to take time. But who was I to keep a future king waiting? "If my parents don't object..." I whispered. "Then yes, Royce. I will say yes." His expression crumpled. His shoulders sagged. "Pearl... His Highness has someone. Drizzel Uriah. You must have heard of her, everyone has. She's the daughter of the High chancellor. They have been together for years." The words stabbed deep, sharp and sudden. I blinked, shaking my head slowly, unwilling to let those syllables poison the one shred of happiness I had held onto. "He proposed, Royce." My voice cracked. "He proposed to me. That has to mean something." He stared at me, lips pressed in a hard line and I stared back, holding onto the only truth I could feel in my soul. That even if I was just an Omega... Somehow, impossibly... Kade King had chosen me.