The moon hung low over Silver Moon Palace, its silver light spilling across the marble floors and towering spires. Kael Draven stood on the balcony, shoulders broad, amber eyes reflecting the pale glow. The night was silent, yet inside him, a storm raged.
"Cursed," he muttered under his breath, swirling wine in a crystal goblet. "Twenty wives, dozens of concubines… and still, nothing."
Behind him, Riven, his Beta, stepped silently, shadow-like. "Alpha," he said softly, voice calm, "you cannot fight a curse with anger. Strength is not measured by heirs alone."
Kael's jaw clenched, the muscles taut under his skin. "Do you think I don't know that, Riven? Every night reminds me of what I cannot have… what I have been denied since I was a child."
Riven's golden eyes were steady, unwavering. "And yet the pack follows you. The bloodline may be uncertain, but the Alpha's strength is undeniable."
Darian, Thorne, and Kieran, his elite guards, flanked him like silent statues, eyes alert for any sign of threat. Darian's voice was low, respectful. "Sire, the pack is safe under your rule. That is not in doubt."
Kael gave a humorless chuckle, swirling the dark liquid in his glass. "Safety… that is easy. It is desire that is cruel. It gnaws at me, Riven. It burns in my chest every time I see a mother with her child or a mate with her wolf."
Riven's hand rested briefly on Kael's shoulder. "And yet, you endure. That endurance… that is power."
Kael's amber eyes flicked toward the palace gardens below. In the shadows, someone moved. A figure delicate and lithe, dark hair catching the moonlight…
Lyria Selene.
Her steps were quiet, measured, elegant, yet there was something about the way she carried herself that drew eyes — and stirred the Alpha in ways he refused to acknowledge. Her dark eyes met his for a fraction of a second, and Kael felt the familiar stir of frustration mixed with… something else.
"Control yourself," he muttered internally. "She is a maid. She is… nothing."
Yet the heat that flickered through his veins told a different story.
Lyria walked past the balcony, oblivious to his gaze, though she felt the weight of eyes lingering on her. Why does he watch me like that? she thought. I mustn't let it show… yet my pulse races.
Riven's voice broke the moment. "Alpha, the council has requested your presence tomorrow. Elders from all regions will convene."
Kael's hand tightened around the goblet. "Very well. I will attend."
As the night deepened, Kael remained on the balcony, staring at the distant horizon. The wind whispered through the palace spires, carrying with it omens of desire, danger, and the impossible burdens of his bloodline.
And in the shadows, Lyria paused, feeling a strange pull toward him — a connection she could neither name nor resist.