Alpha Lucien’s POV

“Alpha!!”

A loud voice pierced through the silence, dragging me violently from the depths of sleep. My eyes remained shut, my body refusing to move.

Morning already?

It felt like I had just closed my eyes moments ago. The stress from last night’s mating ceremony still clung to me like a heavy cloak, every bone in my body groaning in protest as I shifted beneath the sheets.

I rolled over, attempting to ignore the voice, but the persistent pounding at my chamber door made it impossible.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally responded, my voice hoarse and irritated. “Who is it?”

“Beta Andrea is waiting for you in the sitting room,” the guard replied respectfully from the other side.

I frowned.

Andrea rarely showed up at my chambers uninvited and especially not this early in the morning. If he was here now, it meant something important had brought him. No doubt it would be something that irritated me further.

Whatever it was, I would hear it. I didn’t have a choice.

I forced myself upright, only to be met by a sharp, stabbing pain in my temple. I winced and closed my eyes for a second, steadying my breath. Then, as it always did, my mind went straight to her.

Aria.

I let out a low, bitter chuckle.

“She’s truly her mother’s child,” I muttered to myself.

Arrogant. Defiant. Proud.

She had her mother’s fire, no doubt about that. But unlike her mother, she would not be allowed to roam wild and reckless. Whatever Aria planned to become in this life, whatever destiny she chose, it would be under my territory.

Under my rule. Under my watch.

As my mate.

I got up from the bed and dressed quickly, every movement stiff with lingering aches. The ceremony and Aria’s hard push had drained me more than I cared to admit.

The short walk from my bedroom to the sitting room felt longer than usual. Each step was a reminder of the weight I now carried, political alliances, past promises, old wounds, and now… Aria, my stepdaughter as my mate.

As I walked past the corridor, one of my Lunas bowed slightly.

“Good day, Alpha,” she greeted.

“Wife of the King,” I responded briefly without slowing my pace.

I didn’t stop to admire her, or to exchange pleasantries. There was no time for that. Andrea was waiting, and knowing him, he wouldn’t be patient.

As I entered the sitting room, I immediately spotted Beta Andrea sitting stiffly on one of the armchairs. He didn’t rise or bow. He simply met my gaze, his expression unreadable. The tension between us was as thick as ever.

As I approached, he motioned silently to the guards. They bowed and slipped out of the room, shutting the doors behind them.

Now it was just the two of us.

Betas were meant to be loyal to their Alphas, second-in-command, trusted advisors, allies. But not Andrea. Since the day his first daughter was mated to me, things had never been the same between us. It was as if something in him broke the day Aurora was claimed by the Moon Goddess for me.

Like it was my fault.

That was the Moon Goddess’s decision, not mine. And yet, he had never forgiven me.

“Good day, Alpha Lucien,” Andrea greeted at last, his voice stiff. His aged face was etched with deep lines, like a map of pain and disappointment.

Of course his face was wrinkled. He’d been with his only mate for decades. Love like that leaves marks, especially when you don't change the kitten you're eating.

“Good day, Andrea,” I replied coldly, lowering myself into the seat opposite him.

He didn’t waste time.

“Since Kael is back, I think this is the right time for us to make sure Gracie and Kael are mated,” he said, folding his arms and looking me dead in the eye.

I stared at him, unmoving.

“What are you saying?” I asked, pretending I didn’t hear him clearly. But I had. Every word.

“You heard me, Alpha,” he said, voice rising with restrained anger. “That’s the promise you made to me when you came to take Aurora as your mate.”

His tone was bitter now, a storm brewing just beneath the surface.

I sat back, slowly. The memory hit me like a wave.

Yes. I remembered. I had made that promise. In front of the Elders. In exchange for his support, I had vowed that when the time came, his younger daughter Gracie would be bonded to my son Kael, an alliance that would secure both bloodlines.

It had been a desperate move. Strategic. Calculated.

But I never thought it would come back to haunt me.

“Yes, I did say that,” I said, voice low, careful. “But things have changed.”

Andrea’s jaw clenched.

“Changed?” he echoed, eyes narrowing. “You made an oath in the presence of the Elders. You begged for my daughter’s hand and in return, you swore on your honor that you would bind our families together through the next generation.”

I gave him a cold smirk. “Aurora is no longer here, is she?”

His eyes darkened. The pain of her memory was still raw.

“You may have rejected her memory,” he said, voice trembling slightly, “but I haven’t. Kael is back now strong, trained, ready to lead beside Gracie. She is of age. There’s no reason for delay.”

I leaned forward slightly. My tone shifted, hardening.

“This isn’t about delays or promises, Andrea. This is about the will of the Moon Goddess. If Kael and Gracie are truly meant to be, then fate will take its course. I won’t force a bond that isn’t there.”

He stood abruptly, fists clenched. “You used the Moon Goddess to justify stealing Aurora from me. Don’t you dare use her now to break your word.”

I rose too, meeting his fury head-on.

“I didn’t steal your daughter. She was chosen. You gave her to me willingly. And as for Kael and Gracie, I will not orchestrate a mating out of guilt or nostalgia. If they’re destined, let the Moon speak. Until then, it’s not happening.”

Andrea glared at me, his body trembling with restrained rage.

“This isn’t over,” he hissed.

I gave him a slow, deliberate smile. “It never is.”

Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the room. The door slammed behind him, echoing down the hallway.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the space where he had been.

Yes, I knew a day like this would come.