Mira’s POV
I never imagined fate would move this quickly.
Alpha Sirius had barely sent a raven to the Thorndike Pack when word came that their Alpha himself had responded—swiftly, decisively, almost as if he had been waiting. I didn’t know what to feel: fear, disbelief, or something colder and sharper curling in my chest.
“Thorndike doesn’t delay matters concerning the scroll,” Alpha Sirius told me that morning, his tone as cool as ever. “No pack dares to ignore it. Everyone in the capital knows the price of defiance.”
The price of defiance. My father’s life was proof of that.
Two days. That was all the time I had spent in Moonriver Pack, the pack of my blood. I had arrived as a stranger, and I was leaving the same way. I packed my meager belongings—a few clothes, a photo of my mother, and the Moonriver crest Elder Eden insisted I wear on my cloak.
When Elder Eden came to see me off, she rested her frail hand over mine. “Remember, child, whatever awaits you there, endure it. And live.”
Her words lingered like a prayer.
Alpha Sirius stood beside the waiting car, a sleek, black limousine with tinted glass and the Moonriver crest embossed on its door. “Thorndike’s messengers will be expecting you before sundown,” he said. “They sent their own escort to ensure your arrival.”
I nodded silently. We weren’t family in the emotional sense, just bound by blood and obligation. Still, I gave him a small bow. “Thank you, Alpha Sirius. For… everything.”
He regarded me with an unreadable expression. “Be careful, Mira. Thorndike Pack is powerful. And their Alpha…” He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “Their Alpha is not easily understood.”
I didn’t ask what he meant. I simply stepped into the car, my heart thudding with a mix of dread and determination.
The journey to Thorndike territory felt endless. Outside the window, the landscape shifted from open fields to dense forests and finally to wide, paved roads lined with towering black pines. The further we drove, the stronger the aura of dominance became. Even my wolf stirred uneasily in the back of my mind, restless but alert.
“Do you feel that?” she whispered.
Yes. The energy in the air was unlike anything I’d sensed before. It was heavy, ancient, and undeniably powerful, like walking into the presence of royalty.
By the time the limousine crossed the high, wrought-iron gates bearing the Thorndike crest, a crescent moon entwined with silver thorns, I understood what Elder Eden meant when she said they were once the royal wolves. The guards stood in perfect formation, their uniforms pristine, their eyes sharp and disciplined. Every inch of the territory screamed wealth and authority.
The streets were lined with stone villas, fountains shaped like wolves howling toward the sky, and lanterns carved from moonstone. Even the air smelled different, cleaner, laced with faint traces of cedar and silverleaf.
I swallowed hard, clutching my bag. “So this… is Thorndike Pack.”
When the car stopped before a grand mansion, I could only stare. The pack mansion was more of a palace, its marble walls gleaming under the sun. Wide staircases led up to massive silver doors adorned with ancient runes. Guards flanked every side, their eyes following me as the driver opened my door.
“Miss Mira Delaine Moonriver,” one of them announced, his voice echoing.
I stepped out, trying not to let my nerves show. Still, my palms felt cold.
A maid hurried forward, bowing slightly. “Welcome, Miss Moonriver. The Alpha has been informed of your arrival. Please, follow me.”
I nodded, forcing my feet to move. Each step up the marble stairs felt heavier than the last. My wolf was pacing now, her claws scraping at the edges of my mind.
Something’s wrong, she murmured. My chest feels—tight.
I frowned slightly. It’s probably the nerves.
But the moment I crossed the threshold of the mansion, everything changed.
The air shifted. It was faint at first—a strange pressure, like static crawling over my skin. Then came the scent. Powerful. Intoxicating. My breath hitched before I even realized I was breathing it in—cedarwood, smoke, and something darker that coiled through my veins like wildfire.
My heart began to pound uncontrollably. My vision blurred. My knees wobbled. I clutched the edge of a nearby pillar to steady myself as a sharp pain lanced through my temples.
“What’s happening to me…” I gasped.
The maid turned in alarm. “Miss?”
I could barely hear her. My wolf’s voice cut through the noise, fierce and trembling.
Mate.
The word hit me like a thunderclap.
No. That couldn’t be. I wasn’t supposed to—
Before I could even finish the thought, a ripple of energy swept through the hall. Every head turned toward the grand staircase.
And then I saw him.
He was descending the steps with slow, deliberate strides. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Power radiated off him in waves, so strong the air seemed to bend around him. His hair was dark, his eyes an intense gray that flickered almost silver under the chandelier light. Every movement spoke of authority—effortless, lethal, commanding.
When his gaze met mine, the world stilled.
I couldn’t breathe. My wolf whimpered in recognition.
He stopped at the last step, his eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to make sense of what he was feeling. For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. It was as if the universe itself had gone silent.
“Alpha Lucas,” the maid whispered, bowing her head.
The name tore through me like lightning. Alpha Lucas Thorndike. The current Alpha. The man I was bound by curse to marry.
