The next morning, I woke up to sunlight streaming through the windows and Helena bustling around my room.

"Good morning, Miss Maya!" she said cheerfully, pulling open curtains I was sure I had closed. "We have a big day ahead of us."

I groaned and pulled a pillow over my face. "What time is it?"

"Seven o'clock. The king wants to begin your lessons promptly at eight."

I sat up so fast my head spun. "Lessons? What lessons?"

Helena smiled in that knowing way she had. "You're going to be queen, dear. There's quite a lot you need to learn."

An hour later, I found myself sitting in a small classroom with Raphael across from me. A large table sat between us, covered in books, papers, and maps.

"Good morning," Raphael said. He looked different in the morning light. Less terrifying, more real. He wore simple clothes again, and his hair fell loose around his shoulders.

"Morning," I mumbled, still half asleep.

"We'll start with history," he said, opening one of the books. "You need to understand how the Lycan Court came to power and why the packs answer to us."

I expected the lesson to be boring. I had never liked history in school. But when Raphael talked, the stories came alive. He told me about ancient wars between Lycans and regular wolves. About the first king who united all the territories under one rule. About betrayals and alliances and moments that changed everything.

He made me understand that being queen wasn't just about wearing a crown. It was about understanding hundreds of years of complicated politics.

After two hours, my brain felt full. "Can we take a break?"

"Of course." Raphael closed the book and stood. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

He led me to a small dining room where Helena had set out lunch. We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Raphael spoke.

"Tell me about your family," he said.

I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth. "Why?"

"Because I want to know you. The real you, not just what's in the reports."

I set down my fork and thought about what to say. "There's not much to tell. My dad is a guard. My mom cleans the pack house. I have a younger brother, Sam, who's training to be a warrior. He's actually good at it." I smiled a little. "He'll probably end up being stronger than both our parents combined."

"Do you miss them?"

The question caught me off guard. Did I miss them? "I miss Sam. He's funny and kind and doesn't treat me like I'm weak. But my parents..." I trailed off.

"They weren't good to you."

It wasn't a question, and I didn't know how to answer it honestly. My parents had never hit me. They fed me and kept a roof over my head. But they had also made it very clear that I was a disappointment. That an Omega daughter was a burden they hadn't wanted.

"They did their best," I finally said.

Raphael's eyes told me he knew I was lying, but he didn't push. "Would you like to see your brother? I can arrange for him to visit."

"Really?" Hope flared in my chest. "You would do that?"

"Maya, I would do anything to make you happy."

The sincerity in his voice made my cheeks warm. I looked down at my plate. "Thank you."

After lunch, Raphael announced it was time for a different kind of lesson.

"You need to learn to fight," he said, leading me to the training grounds I had seen from my window.

"I already know how to fight. Sort of."

"Show me."

He took me to a practice area where no one else was training. Then he stood across from me and said, "Attack me."

"What? No."

"I need to see what you know."

"I'll hurt you," I protested weakly.

He raised one eyebrow. "I doubt that very much. Try."

So I tried. I rushed at him the way I had been taught in the basic defense classes our pack required. I threw a punch aimed at his stomach.

Raphael caught my fist easily and spun me around, pinning both my arms behind my back in one smooth movement. I was pressed against his chest, completely immobilized.

"That was terrible," he said in my ear. His breath was warm on my neck. "You telegraph your movements. You leave yourself open. And you rely on strength you don't have."

"Then teach me," I said, trying to ignore how good he smelled this close.

He let me go and stepped back. "I will. But first, you need to understand something. You're an Omega. You will never be as physically strong as an Alpha or even a Beta. That's just biology."

"Thanks for reminding me," I muttered.

"But," he continued, "that doesn't mean you're weak. It means you need to fight differently. Use speed. Use surprise. Use your opponent's strength against them."

For the next hour, Raphael taught me moves I had never seen before. How to twist out of holds. How to strike at weak points. How to move in ways that made bigger opponents lose their balance.

Every time I got something wrong, he corrected me. His hands on my arms, adjusting my stance. His voice in my ear, telling me to move faster, think smarter.

By the end, I was sweating and exhausted but exhilarated. I had landed two actual hits on him, and even though I knew he was letting me, it still felt amazing.

"Better," he said, handing me a bottle of water. "Much better."

"When do we do this again?"

He smiled. "Every morning, if you want."

"I want."

That night at dinner, I met some of the people who ran Raphael's court. There was Marcus, who I already knew. A woman named Isabel who managed all the pack relationships. A man named Thomas who handled security. And at least ten others whose names I immediately forgot.

They all treated me with respect. They called me "Miss Maya" and bowed when I entered. It was weird and uncomfortable and also a little bit thrilling.

After dinner, Raphael walked me back to my room.

"You did well today," he said as we stopped outside my door.

"I feel like my brain is going to explode from all the information."

"It gets easier." He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, just like he had done the first night. "You're stronger than you think, Maya."

I looked up at him, at this powerful king who had been watching over me my whole life. "Why me?" I asked for the second time. "Really. There must be hundreds of wolves who would be better queens."

"Because when you were five years old, you saw a scary stranger and gave him a flower." Raphael's voice was soft. "Because you have a good heart, even after life has tried to harden it. Because when I look at you, I see my future."

My breath caught. We stood there in the hallway, so close I could count his heartbeats. For a moment, I thought he might kiss me.

But he just smiled and said, "Goodnight, Maya."

"Goodnight."

I went into my room and closed the door, leaning against it. My heart was racing, and it had nothing to do with the training.

What was I doing? This was too fast. Too much for me to process. Just days ago, I had been in love with Derek. And now I was standing in a palace, learning to be a queen, and feeling things for a man I barely knew.

I touched my stomach, feeling the small bump that was growing bigger every day. "Your life is going to be so different from mine," I whispered to the baby. "You're going to be safe. Wanted. Loved."

My wolf stirred inside me, content for the first time in months.

Maybe this could work. Maybe I could be happy here.

Or maybe I was just fooling myself.