Chapter 4 His eyes on her

The banners were up before the sun broke the horizon. Thick strands of silver and deep navy silk hung between the outer walls of the Nightshade Packhouse, swaying gently in the crisp morning breeze. The courtyard, normally quiet save for the occasional warrior patrol, had been swept spotless. Flower petals, lavender and white foxglove lined the walkways in preparation.

The Alpha King was arriving.

Even the forest seemed to hold its breath. Liora stood behind a pillar near the edge of the crowd, partially hidden, a hood drawn up over her curls. The robe the council had given her was stiff and formal pale gray with a white sash signifying her role as healer. It felt like a costume, as if she were playing a part in a story she had no business being in.

But she couldn't deny the weight of the moment.

The entire pack had gathered in front of the great hall. Warriors lined both sides of the long path leading to the center of the court, where Alpha Cillian and his betas waited. The rest of the pack, elders, ranked wolves, and even curious pups stood in formation. Everyone was tense, faces tight with anticipation, their eyes fixed on the gates.

Liora stayed in the shadows, where she belonged. Even with the mysterious royal summons burning a hole in her memory, she didn't believe for a second that she was anything more than a footnote in whatever business had brought the king here.

And yet, her chest ached in a way she couldn't explain.

The energy in the air was different today. It crackled, thick and electric, pressing down on her skin like a coming storm.

She touched the crescent charm that hung from her neck out of habit, a relic from childhood prayers she no longer whispered and tried to breathe. The gates opened with a groaning creak. Then he appeared.

Alpha King Kaelen of House Vareth.

He rode a massive black warhorse, its armor trimmed in silver, its hooves striking the ground like thunder. His cloak billowed behind him, dark as the night sky, stitched with the silver crescent moon, the seal of the Crescent Throne.

Liora's breath caught in her throat.

He was... more.

More than the stories.

More than the portraits hung in the great hall.

His presence swallowed the court whole.

Power radiated from him in waves, invisible but undeniable. It pressed against every wolf's instincts, demanding submission. Even the strongest warriors near the front bowed their heads instinctively. No one spoke. No one moved.

And then his gaze began to scan the crowd.

Liora felt it long before it found her. A strange pull, deep in her chest, like a string had been plucked inside her ribcage.

Kaelen's eyes were sharp, crystalline gray, set in a face carved from stone and shadow. His jaw was strong, his mouth unsmiling. He looked like a man who hadn't known rest in years. A king forged by war.

Then-he saw her.

Their eyes locked.

It wasn't long. A second. Maybe two.

But the world stopped moving.

Liora forgot how to breathe.

The pull deepened, wrapping itself around her like a warm wind cutting through winter. Her knees weakened. Her wolf who was dormant for years stirred.

Stirred.

She didn't understand it. Her wolf had never spoken. Had never howled, never clawed at her skin, never surged to the surface like others claimed. She'd thought it dead. Or never there at all.

But now... it was awake.

And watching.

Her breath came in a sharp gasp. She clutched her chest, heart hammering as a soft growl whispered in the back of her mind.

"Mate."

No. No, no, no...

She shook her head slightly, backing into the stone pillar, trying to will the feeling away.

This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible.

Kaelen's expression didn't change, but his horse slowed. His hand tightened on the reins. His gaze hadn't moved from her since it landed there.

Was she imagining it?

Did anyone else feel it?

Her mind raced.

Surely not. Surely the Alpha King hadn't just felt the mate bond with her, a rejected omega who had no wolf and no title. This had to be a mistake.

Kaelen dismounted in one fluid motion, his boots hitting the stone with a thud that echoed across the courtyard. The warriors standing guard stepped aside as he approached Alpha Cillian, but his eyes flicked toward Liora again sharp and knowing.

Alpha Cillian bowed. "My King. Welcome to Nightshade."

Kaelen nodded curtly. "Where is the one called Liora?"

Every head turned.

Liora froze.

The silence was deafening.

"She's..." Cillian's voice faltered, uncharacteristically unsure. He turned, searching the crowd. "She was assigned to the healer's detail. She should be..."

"I see her," Kaelen said.

He walked forward each step deliberate, each movement carrying the weight of royalty and raw authority.

Liora's feet felt glued to the ground.

The crowd parted around him, eyes widening, murmurs beginning to stir like wind through tall grass.

Kaelen stopped three paces in front of her.

She looked up, trembling, unsure whether to kneel or run. Her body warred between awe and disbelief.

He lifted a hand slowly, as if not to startle her, and reached out to touch her chin just the barest graze of his fingers.

The moment his skin met hers, something broke open inside her.

Her wolf howled.

The bond snapped into place like a lightning strike.

Her breath left her in a rush as a warm, golden heat flooded her chest. Her knees buckled, and she caught herself against the stone wall.

Kaelen's expression didn't change, but his voice deepened, certain.

"This one," he said.

Louder now. Meant to be heard.

"This one is mine."

The court gasped.

Every eye turned to her. Every whisper ignited like wildfire.

"Impossible."

"She's an omega."

"She doesn't even have a wolf."

"She was rejected...wasn't she?"

The words blurred around her, but the looks didn't. They landed on her like stones-shock, disbelief, some even disgust. The Alpha King, the most powerful male in the realm, claiming her?

No one knew what to do.

Even Alpha Cillian looked stunned into silence. Liora's heart raced so fast she thought she might pass out. She pressed her back to the stone column, trying to find her footing, trying to make sense of what had just happened. But there was no sense to be found.The mate bond pulsed in her chest real. Alive... And utterly unwanted.