Damien POV:
I had felt it the moment I stepped out of my car.
A pull. A tug on my soul so violent it nearly brought me to my knees in the parking lot. It was a scent I had chased in my dreams for five years.
*Winter rain. White lilies. And blood.*
My wolf, usually a cold and dormant beast, was clawing at my ribcage, howling a single word.
*MATE.*
I destroyed the doors. I didn't care about the property damage. I needed to get to her.
When I saw her, surrounded by cowards, being manhandled by low-level security filth, my vision went red.
I gave the command. The guards fell like puppets with their strings cut.
I walked toward her. She was on her knees, looking up at me.
And then I saw it. Her eyes.
Gold.
Not the yellow of a common wolf. The pure, molten gold of the Royal White Wolf bloodline. A lineage thought to be extinct.
And the boy.
The boy clinging to her leg looked at me with eyes that mirrored my own. *He had my nose. He had my chin. And the aura radiating off him was undeniably of my bloodline. It was impossible-I had never met this woman before-but the magic in the air didn't lie.*
I fell to my knees. Not in submission, but in reverence.
"You," I breathed, reaching out a trembling hand.
My fingers brushed her cheek.
*Sparks.*
It wasn't just a spark; it was a lightning strike. A jolt of pure electricity surged through my body, welding my soul to hers. It was the confirmation. The undeniable proof of the Fated Mate bond.
The scent hit me full force now that I was close. It was intoxicating. It was home.
"Mine," my wolf growled, the sound vibrating deep in my chest loud enough for the room to hear.
Elena flinched, but she didn't pull away. "Damien?" she whispered.
She knew my name.
I looked at the bruise forming on her delicate wrist. The red marks of fingers.
The tenderness in my chest vanished, replaced by a cold, ancient rage.
I stood up, pulling Elena with me, tucking her into my side. She fit there perfectly. I scooped up the boy-my son-with my other arm. He didn't cry. He buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply.
I turned to face the room.
"Who touched her?" I asked.
My voice was calm. The calm before a tsunami.
Liam was shaking. He was on the floor, forced down by my passive aura, but he managed to look up.
"Alpha King," Liam stammered. "This is a misunderstanding. She is a Rogue... a nobody..."
"A nobody?" I repeated.
I focused my Alpha Command on him. Just him.
"Kneel," I whispered.
*Gravity obeyed. The sound of Liam's kneecaps shattering against the marble was sickeningly wet, like stepping on dry twigs.* He screamed, a high-pitched sound of agony.
"You stand before your Queen," I announced, my voice booming. "You stand before my Luna."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Luna?" Seraphina screeched from the floor, unable to rise. "But she has no scent! She's empty!"
"She is the White Wolf," I snarled. "Her power was sealed to protect you weaklings from being crushed by it. And you..." I looked at Seraphina, then at the guard captain. "You dared to lay hands on her."
I looked down at Elena. Her gold eyes were wide, tears brimming in them.
"Is it true?" she asked softly. "Mate?"
"Yes," I said. "I have searched for you for five years. Since the seer told me my other half was dying."
I leaned down. I needed to seal this. I needed everyone to know.
I brushed my lips against the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder. Her pulse hammered against my lips.
"Accept me," I whispered against her skin.
"I accept," she breathed.
I sank my teeth into the claiming spot.
It wasn't an act of violence; it was an act of creation. A mark of silver light erupted from the bite, swirling around us, blinding the onlookers. The bond snapped into place, a bridge of iron and fire connecting our minds.
*I can hear you,* she thought, her voice echoing in my head.
*I will never let you go again,* I replied through the link.
I pulled back, licking the mark that now glowed on her neck.
"Meet your Luna," I commanded the room.
Every wolf, from the highest Alpha to the lowest server, pressed their foreheads to the floor.
"Long live the Luna," they chanted in terrified unison.
I looked at Liam, who was sobbing in pain.
"And now," I said, my eyes flashing violet. "We discuss the punishment for treason."
