I didn't sleep that night. How could I?

Marcus had shown me to a bedroom that was bigger than my entire house back home. It had a bed large enough for five people, furniture that looked too expensive to touch, and windows that overlooked mountains I couldn't name. He told me I would find clothes in the closet, food in the sitting room, and guards outside my door if I needed anything.

What I needed were answers. But those seemed to be in short supply.

I sat on the edge of the enormous bed and tried to process everything that had happened. Twelve hours ago, I had been Maya Williams, Omega and cleaning lady, planning to tell my mate that we were going to have a baby. Now I was Maya Williams, apparently the future Lycan Queen, already rejected by one mate and claimed by another.

It was too much. My brain couldn't hold it all.

I placed my hand on my stomach, where the tiniest bump was just starting to show. "What do we do?" I whispered to the baby who couldn't hear me yet.

My wolf stirred inside me, and for the first time in months, she felt strong. Powerful, even. She had been so weak after Derek pulled away from me. The broken bond had hurt her too. But now she was pacing inside my mind, restless and alert.

Mate, she whispered. King. Ours.

"He's not ours," I told her. "We don't even know him."

Strong. Safe. Mine.

"You're not helping."

A knock on the door made me jump. "Come in," I called, expecting Marcus.

But it wasn't Marcus who entered. It was a woman, probably in her fifties, with gray streaked through her dark hair and kind eyes that reminded me of my mother. She wore a simple black dress and carried a silver tray loaded with food.

"Good morning, Miss Maya," she said with a slight bow. "I'm Helena. I'll be looking after you during your stay here."

"I don't need looking after," I said automatically.

Helena smiled. "Nevertheless, those are my orders. His Majesty wants you to be comfortable." She set the tray down on a small table. "I brought breakfast. You didn't eat last night, and you need your strength."

The smell of bacon and eggs made my stomach growl loudly. I hadn't realized how hungry I was.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

Helena nodded and moved to open the curtains. Sunlight poured into the room, making everything glow. "It's a beautiful morning. Spring is coming early this year."

I walked to the window and looked out. Below, I could see gardens full of flowers that shouldn't be blooming yet. Beyond the gardens were training grounds where dozens of Lycans practiced fighting. They moved so fast they were almost blurs.

"This is all real, isn't it?" I asked. "I didn't dream last night."

"It's very real, dear." Helena came to stand beside me. "I know this must be overwhelming. But you're safe here. His Majesty will protect you."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I turned to face her. "Why would the king care about protecting me?"

Helena studied my face for a long moment. "He hasn't told you yet."

"Told me what?"

"That's not my story to tell." She patted my arm gently. "But I will say this. I've served King Raphael for thirty years. I've seen him fight wars, make alliances, punish traitors. I've never once seen him show interest in a woman. Not until you."

My heart did a weird flip in my chest. "That doesn't make sense."

"Love rarely does, dear."

"This isn't love. This is some mate bond thing that I don't understand."

Helena smiled like she knew something I didn't. "Eat your breakfast. The king wants to see you at noon. You'll need your energy."

She left before I could ask more questions.

I forced myself to eat, though the food tasted like sawdust in my mouth. My mind was spinning with too many thoughts. What did Raphael want from me? Why had he been watching me? And what was I supposed to do about the baby?

After breakfast, I explored the closet Helena had mentioned. It was full of dresses in every color imaginable. But they were all fancy, the kind of thing a princess would wear. I found a simple blue dress that didn't have too many ribbons or lace and put it on. It fit perfectly, which was strange. How did they know my size?

At noon exactly, there was another knock on my door. This time it was Marcus.

"Miss Maya," he said with a bow. "His Majesty is ready to see you."

I followed him through different corridors than the ones we had used last night. These halls had windows that let in sunlight and showed views of the gardens. We passed more guards, more servants, more Lycans who all stopped and stared as I walked by.

Finally, we reached a smaller room. It was still fancy, with leather chairs and a fireplace and shelves full of books, but it felt more comfortable than the throne room. More human.

Raphael stood by the window, looking out at his kingdom. He had changed from his formal clothes into dark pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His hair was tied back, and I could see the strong lines of his neck and shoulders.

He turned when I entered, and those gold eyes locked onto me.

"Thank you, Marcus," he said. "You may go."

Marcus bowed and left, closing the door behind him.

We were alone.

"Please, sit," Raphael gestured to one of the leather chairs.

I sat carefully, perching on the edge of the seat. Raphael took the chair across from me, close enough that I could feel his presence but far enough that I didn't feel trapped.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"I didn't."

"Understandable." He leaned back in his chair, studying me. "You have questions. Ask them."

There were so many questions that I didn't know where to start. I picked the most important one.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to be my mate," he said simply. "My queen. My partner in ruling these territories."

"But why? You don't know me."

"I know more about you than you think." He stood and walked to a shelf, pulling out a thick file. He dropped it on the table between us. "This contains every report I've received about you for the past twenty-three years."

I stared at the file. "You've been spying on me my whole life?"

"I've been protecting you." He opened the file and pulled out a photograph. It showed me as a little girl, maybe five years old, playing in my pack's common area. "This is the day I first saw you. I was visiting your Alpha on business. You ran up to me and gave me a flower you had picked. Do you remember?"

I shook my head slowly.

"You told me the flower was magic and would keep me safe." His voice softened slightly. "I've carried that flower with me ever since."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something dried and pressed flat. It was a small white flower, preserved perfectly after all these years.

My throat tightened. "That's impossible. I don't remember any of that."

"You were very young. But I remembered. I felt the mate bond snap into place the moment you touched my hand. I knew then that the moon goddess had chosen you for me." He put the flower away carefully. "But you were a child. I couldn't claim you. So I waited."

"For twenty-three years."

"For twenty-three years," he agreed. "I watched you grow up. I saw you struggle in your pack because you were an Omega. I saw you fall for Derek Matthews and knew it was a mistake. But I couldn't interfere. You had to make your own choices."

"You let me get hurt," I said, anger rising in my chest. "You watched Derek break my heart, and you did nothing."

"I did everything." His eyes flashed gold, and for a moment, I saw the power he kept controlled. "Derek's pack needed mine for an alliance. I made sure that alliance came with conditions. One of them was that Derek could not mark you. Could not complete the mate bond. Could not make you his in any permanent way."

I stood up, my hands shaking. "You manipulated my entire relationship?"

"I protected you from making a mistake you couldn't undo." He stood too, towering over me. "If Derek had marked you, the bond would have been permanent. You would have been trapped with a man who never truly wanted you. A man who was always going to choose status over love."

"That should have been my choice!"

"You're right," Raphael said quietly. "It should have been. But I am a king, Maya. I have responsibilities to my kingdom. And my kingdom needs a queen who is strong, compassionate, and brave. You are all of those things."

"I'm an Omega who cleans houses."

"You're an Omega who stood up to your pack's Beta when he was bullying a young wolf. You're an Omega who gives half your wages to families who have less than you. You're an Omega who has been beaten down your entire life and still finds reasons to smile." He moved closer, and I could smell pine and snow and something wild. "You are exactly what this kingdom needs. What I need."

I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him he was wrong. But a part of me, a small part I had kept buried for years, whispered that maybe he was right.

"I'm pregnant," I said, because that was the one thing he couldn't argue with. "With another man's baby."

"I told you last night. The child will be mine. I will love them as if they came from my own blood." He reached out slowly, giving me time to pull away. When I didn't, he placed his hand on my stomach, right where the baby was growing. "This child will be a prince or princess of the Lycan Court. They will want for nothing. They will be safe, loved, and protected."

Tears burned in my eyes. "Derek doesn't even know."

"Do you want him to?"

Did I? Part of me wanted Derek to know what he had lost. Wanted him to regret choosing Vanessa over me. But another part just wanted to be free of him completely.

"No," I whispered.

"Then he won't." Raphael's hand was warm on my stomach. "This can be a new beginning, Maya. For you and your child. You can leave behind the pack that never valued you. You can become something more."

"What if I can't do it?" I looked up at him, and this close, I could see gold flecks in his eyes. "What if I'm not strong enough to be a queen?"

"Then I will make you strong." His voice was fierce, protective. "I will teach you everything you need to know. And when you feel weak, I will be your strength. That is what mates do."

"We barely know each other."

"So let me change that." He stepped back, giving me space to breathe. "Stay here for one month. Let me show you what this life could be. Let me prove that I can be the mate you deserve. And at the end of the month, if you want to leave, I will let you go."

"Really?"

"I will never cage you, Maya. You will stay with me because you choose to, not because you have to."

I looked around the beautiful room, thought about the enormous bedroom upstairs, remembered the way every Lycan in this palace looked at me with respect instead of pity. Then I thought about going home to my tiny house, my judgmental pack, and Derek's new wife living in the territory.

"One month," I said.

Raphael smiled, and it transformed his whole face. He looked younger, happier, almost human.

"One month," he agreed. "And I promise, by the end of it, you'll never want to leave."