"Alpha Emerald Lycanis of the Western Shadow Fang Pack."
The hall fell utterly silent as Emerald stepped forward. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she kept her shoulders high, her expression cool.
Someone murmured, "A female Alpha?"
"She's Vale's daughter?"
Rick's jaw visibly clenched.
"Thank you all for coming," Emerald began in a calm and commanding voice. "I know some of you have questions. Some of you probably think this is a mistake."
Her eyes swept the room. Several murmurs stirred.
"I'm not my father. But I am his daughter. And everything I am—he prepared me to be."
"I stand before you not as someone seeking approval," she continued, "but as someone who has earned her place. My father taught me that being an Alpha isn't about dominance; it's about vision. About remembering who you are when the world tries to break you."
Her eyes swept the room. "Some saw me as weak. Power-hungry. Nothing more than a Luna who failed."
Her smile sharpened. "I see it differently."
"I see a Queen rising." She paused, letting the silence stretch. "I will lead this pack with strength… with cunning… also with love. And for those who've underestimated me…" Her gaze flicked once toward Rick, who stiffened. "…I promise you, I remember."
Applause broke out slowly, then louder. Nessa clapped with both hands above her head. Darius smiled, barely.
Rick didn't move.
Emerald felt his gaze on her the entire time, burning against the back of her neck, but she pretended not to notice.
She stepped down from the dais to thunderous applause and more shocked muttering. The mask slipped back into place as she descended into the sea of political sharks and fake smiles.
Nessa sidled up to her quickly. "He's staring holes into you. I don't think he's blinked once since you walked in."
"I know," Emerald murmured. "Let him look. Let him burn it into his memory."
"Because you're going to ruin him?"
"Oh, no." Her lips twitched. "I'm going to make him watch while I become everything he said I couldn't."
Nessa let out a low whistle. "Savage. Goddess-tier."
"I want him to soak up every inch of this." Emerald adjusted her cloak. "And wait."
"For what?"
"For the day I strike."
Nessa nodded once. "Hell yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, the buffet is calling my name."
She winked and vanished into the crowd.
—
Emerald had just slipped a glass of wine into her hand when Darius returned to her side.
"How much longer do I need to be here?" she asked under her breath.
He didn't get to answer.
Because a sudden shift in the air made the hairs rise on the back of her neck.
"Hello, darling," a smooth, velvety voice called from behind.
Emerald turned, and time… stopped as she locked gazes with him.
Adrien Vale.
Alpha of the Southern Crimson Howl Pack.
He stood before her, offering a slow, dramatic bow, as if the entire room were his stage. "We finally meet," he said, his smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I was beginning to think fate was toying with me."
His reddish-gold hair looked like he'd just rolled out of some rich noble's bed, tousled and unfairly perfect. His amber eyes burned like fire, locking onto her with a heat that made it hard to breathe.
And the mate bond slammed into her like a thunderclap.
Her glass nearly slipped from her fingers.
The world tilted. Her heart stuttered, then thundered. A warm jolt of recognition, instinctive and undeniable, lit through every nerve in her body.
Her wolf, Viola, howled so loudly within her that it rattled her bones.
"Mine," she hissed.
Emerald's knees wobbled. Her skin prickled with lightning. Her lungs forgot how to breathe.
"Gods," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
Adrien's smirk widened. He stepped closer, and every inch of space he claimed wrapped tighter around her ribcage.
But before she could find her footing—
"Step back, Vale," a deep, icy voice commanded, sending a chill through the room.
Emerald spun around, heart still crashing against her ribs, only to see Kieran Draven, the Alpha of the Northern Silver Claw Pack, stepping in from the other side of the hall.
He was tall and broad, dressed in frost-grey robes with silver lining. His piercing blue eyes zeroed in on Adrien's hand, which was intertwined with hers.
"She's my mate," he said firmly.
Emerald gasped softly as another wave slammed through her. A second bond surged to life, snapping tight like a tether of ice and moonlight.
Her breath hitched as Viola purred. "Ours. Again."
"No," she whispered, eyes wide. "No, no, this—this can't—"
Adrien raised an eyebrow, amused. "Yours? Bit presumptuous."
"I don't presume," Kieran replied coolly. "I know."
Then another presence slipped in, like a shadow falling over fire.
Lucian Voss.
Alpha of the Eastern Midnight Fang Pack.
He didn't speak at first; he just stepped into the light, wrapped in a midnight cloak that flowed like smoke, his silver eyes glowing with something dark.
He glanced at the other two, then sighed. "Oh, for Moon's sake. You two are already at it?"
Then he turned to her, and everything stopped again.
Emerald's heart gave a wild lurch as the third bond detonated inside her like an eclipse.
Lucian moved smoothly across the room and gently took Emerald's hand. She didn't stop him… couldn't stop him as he pressed his lips to her knuckles. "She's mine, too," he said softly, his warm voice sending a shiver through her.
The bonds locked into place.
The atmosphere was charged with tension, almost like you could feel it in your bones. The entire room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what would happen next.
Three threads of power, one of fire, one of ice, one of shadow, surged through her being.
She felt herself being torn apart and put back together all at once. Her wolf, filled with a mix of rage and relief, howled and trembled in response.
Then—
"My mates," Viola growled from deep within her.
Emerald, just like everyone else, stood frozen in disbelief.
Three men. Three Alphas. Three kings... all claiming her.
She stumbled back a step, heart pounding, barely able to breathe. "What kind of sick joke is this?" she whispered.