His eyes squinted, and his nose twitched wide like a rat sniffing for cheese. He tilted his head, inhaled again, and then stopped suddenly.

Realization crossed his face. His lips pulled into a grin before he burst into laughter, the sound deep and sharp, echoing across the dining hall.The Nighthorns were known to be sneaky, conniving wolves, creatures who twisted truth until it served their own survival.

No pack had ever fully trusted them. No alliance with them had ever ended clean. Yet here they were, laughing in my father's dining room as though they owned the very air.

She's his Luna

The man in a dark cloak said to others who came with him, but only I could hear, still chuckling, though his face remained rigid.The words sank in my heart. For a second, silence held us all. My fingers tightened around the rim of my glass, and I took another sip of water, trying to hide the adrenaline surging inside me.

My heart thudded so loudly that I feared everyone at the table could hear it.

Whose Luna?

I thought to myself, though my face carried no emotion.

In our pack, we had no gifts, just another powerless pack. For centuries to date, the female wolves were never lucky enough to become the Luna of an Alpha.

All we had was survival, discipline, and the rule of one man: the leader of a pack or my father.One of the men leaned forward.

"What do we do now?"He asked, glancing at his companions as though expecting answers, and no one at the dining table except me heard this.

I gently set my glass down and sat straighter. I didn't want them to know I can hear their thoughts.

I hid my racing pulse beneath a calm face, my gaze sliding toward them only briefly, careful not to look too long.To my surprise, Father cleared his throat and gestured toward the long oak chairs.

"Please, sit," he said, offering them a seat.

It was the first moment of softness I had seen in him in weeks. That softness didn't comfort me, it unsettled me.

The Nighthorn leader smirked, showing off a row of teeth too white to belong to a man who lived a cunning life."It's good to see you back," he said, his words laced with mock warmth.I offered a tight smile in return, though the corners of my lips barely moved. Everything about their presence screamed danger.The leader reached forward without hesitation and took food directly from the platter Kendra had set before Father.

He chewed slowly, eyes locked on mine as if daring me to react.

Then he turned toward Father with casual arrogance.

"Now that she's out, does the plan still stand?"The room tensed. The other children glanced at each other, confusion thick in the air.

My chest tightened.What plan?

Father froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. He looked at the Nighthorn leader with hesitation in his eyes, hesitation I had never seen in him before.

"We can always talk about that later,"

Father said quickly, his tone clipped.But the man laughed, waving his hand dismissively.

"No, no. The earlier the better."Something inside me recoiled. I leaned back in my chair, deciding I wanted no part of this conversation. Whatever scheme they were weaving, it would not end well for me.The leader tilted his head toward me.

"Won't you say hello to your would-be husband?"The words cut through me like ice. I froze.

"Sir…" Father tried to interject, but the Nighthorn man overrode him effortlessly.

"I apologize," he continued, his voice smooth as silk and twice as dangerous."Your father should have told you about your wedding with my son, my only heir"

My entire body went still. The chair beneath me felt suddenly too small, the walls too close. My hands curled into fists beneath the table.Slowly, I turned my head toward the so-called heir, Elzar. He sat across from me, an evil smirk curling on his lips.

His eyes glinted with a cruelty that made my stomach twist.

What marriage?The Nighthorn leader leaned back in his chair, clearly amused by my expression."Now that you're awake, there will be many rumors."He said calmly, as though he were discussing the weather."Rumors that will damage your reputation. They will damage your father's business.

A union will silence them. A wedding will protect both families."I turned fully toward the heir, meeting his eyes with a glare that I hoped would burn through him. He only smirked wider, leaning back in arrogance.She will neverFather tried again, his voice heavy with something between anger and unease.

The heir leaned forward, his smirk unwavering.

Remember the prophecy, Father.

You cannot fight it. She belongs to him

Nonsense!!!!Give it time, and she'll be ours.

My breath caught.

"What prophecy?" and why am I the only one who can hear this?

The table went quiet.

The Nighthorn leader's smile sharpened.

"So, he never told you."He leaned in, his elbows resting on the table as though we were friends sharing secrets.

"It was written long before you were born.

The Pale would rise. The cursed king ......"

"Enough!!" Father said as his hand hit the Table

My father's eyes darted toward me, and in them I saw guilt, guilt he had never shown before. He knew. He had always known.

The heir reached out a hand across the table, his palm open as if expecting me to take it.

"You will be mine,"

he said, his voice low and filled with certainty.I didn't move. I only stared at that hand, then lifted my gaze back to his smirking face.

Over my dead Body

his smirk didn't fade. If anything, it grew.

Gasps circled the table.

Laurel's hand tightened around mine under the table, her grip trembling but strong. My siblings whispered to each other, fear lacing their voices.

The Nighthorn leader leaned back once more, satisfied.

His face was red, his jaw tight, his eyes blazing.

For a moment, I almost saw the man I once longed to impress.

"This conversation is over."

But the Nighthorns only smiled. They had planted their seed of fear.

They had spoken their truth. And nothing would undo it now.

The heir rose to his feet, his chair scraping against the floor. He leaned toward me, his voice low but meant for everyone to hear.

"You belong to me, Snow. Remember that."

I didn't flinch. I met his eyes with every ounce of coldness I had carried for years.

I belong to no one.His laughter rang out, sharp and cruel, before he turned to follow his father out of the dining room. The other Nighthorns rose with him, their footsteps echoing against the marble until the sound faded beyond the hall.

The moment they were gone, the room erupted into whispers. My siblings looked at me as though I had transformed into something they could no longer recognize. Laurel's hand still clung to mine, shaking.I pulled my hand free and ran up the stairs.