Chapter 4

Lucien’s POV

The air inside my chamber was thick with the scent of burnt sage, an old ritual my mother insisted on continuing long after I ascended as Alpha King. She claimed it kept the spirits of fallen enemies at bay, ensuring they would not haunt my rule. I never cared for such superstitions, but Lady Celestian wielded them as a weapon, just as she did with everything else in this palace.

I pushed the heavy silk sheets aside and stood from my bed, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension that never seemed to leave. The life of a ruler was not one of ease. Thirty-four packs bent the knee to me, their safety, their wars, their betrayals—all placed on my shoulders.

I had inherited this throne, but my mother had never truly relinquished it.

The golden morning light filtering through the high windows did little to warm the coldness in my bones as I made my way to the bathing chamber. I stripped, stepping into the steaming pool carved from black marble. The heat wrapped around me, loosening my muscles, but my mind remained sharp.

I thought of the war. Of Selassie’s pack.

The conquest had been swift, almost too swift. No battle should have been that easy, which meant one of two things—either Selassie had been too weak to hold his ground, or he had planned something I had yet to uncover.

And then, there were the prisoners.

I hadn’t seen them yet, but I knew they had been brought in last night. A group of Omegas, captured and paraded through Mooncroft’s gates.

My mother would be entertaining herself with them by now.

I stepped out of the bath, wrapping a thick robe around my body. A servant entered immediately, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the floor.

“My Lord, Lady Celestian requests your presence in the Great Hall.”

Of course, she does.

I said nothing, dismissing the servant with a flick of my wrist. Dressing quickly, I fastened my belt and strode out of my chamber, my boots echoing down the grand corridors of the palace.

As I neared the Great Hall, the sound of laughter—sharp, cruel laughter—reached my ears. My mother’s voice.

I stepped inside, and my gaze swept over the room.

A line of Omegas stood before the throne, some shaking, some crying. All blindfolds had been removed, their faces fully exposed. Most of them had the look of broken souls, their spirits crushed before they had even set foot in this palace.

But one did not.

Diane.

She stood straight, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, her expression a careful mask of indifference. But I saw it—the fire in her eyes. The same fire that had drawn my attention the moment I laid eyes on her.

She was different.

Lady Celestian moved toward her, her silk gown dragging across the floor. She reached out, grabbing a strand of Diane’s hair between her fingers.

“This one,” she mused. “She still thinks she has a choice.”

Diane did not react.

“She will learn,” my mother continued, turning toward me. “Won’t she, Lucien?”

I met Diane’s gaze.

“I suppose that depends,” I said, my voice even.

Lady Celestian chuckled. “Such defiance should be broken early. Or would you rather keep this one as a pet?”

The guards standing along the walls smirked at her words, their amusement evident.

Diane clenched her fists, and for a brief moment, I wondered if she would strike my mother.

My mother must have sensed it too because she let out a delighted laugh. “Oh, I do hope you try something foolish, little girl. It would make your punishment all the more enjoyable.”

A movement near the entrance caught my attention.

One of my warriors stepped forward. A man named Vikar. He was one of my mother’s favorites, a man who took too much pleasure in cruelty.

He walked toward Diane, his heavy boots loud against the marble floor.

“You,” he said, stopping in front of her. “Bow.”

Diane didn’t move.

His jaw ticked. “I said, bow.”

Still, she did not move.

A muscle in my cheek twitched. I knew what was coming next.

Vikar’s hand lashed out, grabbing Diane’s chin roughly. “You will obey.”

She still didn’t flinch.

I should stop this. I should step in. But something in me wanted to see how far she would push him.

Vikar’s grip tightened, and when she still didn’t move, he let go of her chin and reached for her arm, intent on dragging her down by force.

The moment his hand touched her, she moved.

A swift jerk of her arm, a twist of her body—and she was free.

The room fell into stunned silence.

And then, chaos.

Vikar’s expression twisted into rage. “You dare defy me?”

He reached for her again, but this time, he wasn’t going for her arm. He was going to strike her.

I stepped forward, my body tense—

But before I could intervene, the air in the room shifted.

A sharp gasp echoed through the hall.

A blade. A dagger.

Plunged straight into Vikar’s back.

His body jerked violently, his eyes wide in shock. Blood bubbled at his lips as he collapsed forward, his face smacking against the marble floor.

Dead.

For a moment, no one moved.

And then, all at once, the guards unsheathed their weapons.

The Omegas recoiled in horror.

Lady Celestian’s smile vanished.

And standing behind the fallen warrior was a cloaked figure, the hilt of the dagger still clenched in their gloved hand.

I took a step forward, my entire body coiled with tension.

“Who the hell are you?”

The figure lifted their head.

Their hood slipped back, revealing a mask covering the lower half of their face.

But their eyes…

Their eyes burned with something I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Rage.

Defiance.

And something else.

Something dangerous.

A slow, wicked grin curled at the edges of my lips.

Oh, this was going to be interesting.