Chapter 4

The grand hall buzzed with energy, the hum of conversation rising and falling in waves beneath the glittering chandeliers. Althea's hands shook as she carried a tray of wine glasses, her limp more pronounced after hours of running back and forth. The ache in her leg had settled into a steady throb, a reminder of her body’s limits, but she clenched her teeth and pressed on. There was no room for mistakes,not here, not tonight.

The sounds around her were almost too much. Laughter rippled across the room, bright and careless, while the sharp clink of glasses punctuated the low murmur of voices. The scent of roasted meats and spilled wine mingled in the air, thick and heady. It made her dizzy. Or maybe it was the nerves.

She had spent the last hour hiding in the kitchen, doing her best to stay out of sight. But Vera’s sharp voice had summoned her back, and now she found herself weaving through the crowd, praying she could deliver the drinks and disappear without incident.

Her head was down, her eyes fixed on the tray in her hands. The weight of the room pressed down on her, suffocating and overwhelming.

Just get to the table. Don’t trip. Don’t draw attention to yourself.

She repeated the chant in her mind, over and over, wheeling her body to obey. But her heart raced anyway, a nervous energy bubbling under her skin that she couldn’t quite explain.

Her eyes stayed glued to the tray in her hands, the polished silver trembling as she tried to steady her grip. The weight of the room pressed down on her, heavy and suffocating.

Her steps were slow, measured, but her heart was racing, a wild drumbeat that echoed in her ears. She felt exposed, vulnerable, as though every pair of eyes might suddenly land on her at any moment, judging, sneering.

She was so focused on the tray that she didn’t see him.

Heat collided with her first. a wall of it, unyielding and solid. Then came the impact, and the tray slipped from her fingers before she could even process what was happening.

The crash of shattering glass was deafening. It seemed to echo endlessly, cutting through the hum of conversation and silencing the room in an instant. Gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by a low murmur of shock. Althea stumbled backward, her balance faltering as she tried to recover, but her heart was already sinking.

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice trembling as she dropped to her knees. Panic surged through her as she reached for the broken shards, her fingers fumbling. “I wasn’t looking where I was going—”

“Stop.”

The word was low, commanding. It wasn’t loud, but it carried enough weight to freeze her in place. Her hands hovered above the broken glass as though she’d been physically restrained.

Althea’s breath hitched. Slowly, reluctantly, she lifted her head.

And her heart stopped.

It was him.

Alpha Kaden.

He stood over her like a dark tower, his broad shoulders blocking out the light behind him. His silver eyes pinned her in place, sharp and unrelenting, their intensity making the rest of the room blur and fade. His jaw was tight, the sharp planes of his face shadowed under the chandeliers’ golden glow. The power radiating from him was overwhelming, crackling in the air between them like the charge before a thunderstorm.

“I—I didn’t mean to—” she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Your name,” Kaden said, cutting her off.

Her eyes widened. “What?"

“What’s your name?” he asked again, his tone softer this time, but no less commanding.

Althea’s lips parted, but she couldn’t make herself speak. She couldn’t think. The weight of his gaze was too much, pinning her in place like a rabbit caught in a snare. She felt like her chest might explode from the pressure.

“Althea,” a sharp, familiar voice interrupted, slicing through the moment like a blade.

Vera.

Althea flinched, her gaze dropping to the floor as Vera swept forward, her emerald gown swishing behind her like a serpent’s tail. Her face was flushed, her eyes narrowed with thinly veiled fury, though she forced a strained smile for the Alpha.

“Her name is Althea,” Vera said quickly, her tone clipped as though she were discussing something unpleasant she couldn’t wait to discard. “Forgive her, Alpha Kaden. She’s clumsy. She’s always been clumsy. I assure you, she’ll clean this up immediately.”

Kaden didn’t respond. He didn’t even look at Vera. His eyes stayed fixed on Althea, who was trembling under the scrutiny. She kept her head bowed, her hands clutching the edge of her skirt like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Something was wrong. Or maybe something was right.

Kaden couldn’t explain it, couldn’t name the strange pull he felt toward her. His wolf stirred restlessly, pacing in the back of his mind, growling softly with a hunger Kaden hadn’t felt in years.

Her scent hit him again, faint but undeniable, and it wrapped around him like smoke. elusive, intoxicating, impossible to ignore. It wasn’t perfume or wine or the lingering aroma of food. It was something raw, natural, uniquely hers.

Mate.

The word surged through him like a thunderclap, and his wolf growled louder, more insistent this time.

No. It wasn’t possible.

But his wolf growled again, louder this time, more insistent.

Ours.

Kaden stiffened, his jaw tightening as he fought to rein in the sudden surge of emotion. He had spent years mastering control, learning to suppress the instincts that could betray him, but now they roared to life with a force that left him shaken.

Althea could feel his eyes burning into her, and it made her want to crawl under the nearest table and hide. The weight of his presence was overwhelming, suffocating, and yet…

There was something else.

Something strange.

Her chest felt tight, her pulse fluttering like a bird trapped in a cage. She didn’t understand it, didn’t want to understand it. All she knew was that she needed to get away.

“I’ll clean it up,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Leave it,” Kaden said, his tone sharp enough to stop her hands mid-motion.

“But I—”

“I said, leave it,” he repeated, his voice softer this time but no less commanding.

Althea blinked, her mind racing as confusion and fear warred within her. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. not with authority, but with something else. Something she couldn’t name.

Vera stepped in again, her voice tight. “Of course, Alpha Kaden. Althea, get up.”

Althea hesitated, her fingers still hovering over the shards of glass.

“Get. Up,” Vera hissed, her eyes narrowing.

Althea obeyed, rising slowly to her feet, her head still bowed.

Althea nodded quickly, her cheeks burning as she turned to leave. But as she took her first step, a strange sensation washed over her,a pull, faint but undeniable, as though an invisible thread was trying to anchor her to the spot.

Her wolf stirred, weak but present, a faint echo in the back of her mind. It had been so long since she’d felt it, she almost didn’t recognize the sensation.

She hesitated, her fingers gripping the edge of a nearby table for balance. The air felt heavier now, thicker, and every step she took felt like a monumental effort. She wanted to run, to hide, but her body betrayed her, moving sluggishly, reluctantly.

Behind her, she could feel Kaden’s gaze burning into her back, as though his very presence was pulling at her soul.

Vera turned to Kaden as soon as Althea disappeared through the kitchen doors, her strained smile snapping back into place. “I hope you’ll forgive her, Alpha,” she said quickly, her voice laced with false charm. “She’s not… accustomed to events like this.”

“Who is she?” Kaden asked, his tone quiet but firm.

Vera blinked, caught off guard by the question. “She’s… no one of importance,” she said after a brief pause. “She's my stepdaughter. Poor thing doesn’t have much to offer.”

Kaden's silver eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze sharp enough to make Vera shrink. “She’s a wolf, isn’t she?”

Vera hesitated, her smile tightening. “Well, yes, but she’s… defective,” she said, the word slipping out before she could stop it. She laughed nervously, waving a hand as though to dismiss the remark. “A poor choice of words, of course. What I mean is, she’s weak. She doesn’t shift. She’s nothing remarkable.”

Kaden jaw clenched. His wolf snarled in protest, the sound echoing in the back of his mind like a warning.

They don’t see her. They don’t know.

But Kaden knew. Even if he didn’t understand it yet, he knew.

In the kitchen, Althea leaned against the counter, her hands trembling as she tried to catch her breath. Her mind was spinning, her thoughts a chaotic tangle of confusion and fear.

Why did he look at me like that?

Her wolf stirred again, faint and hesitant, and the ache in her chest deepened.

“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The celebration continued around him, but the room felt smaller now, suffocating. He could still smell her scent in the air, faint but intoxicating.

It took everything he had to keep himself in check.

But as the night wore on, one thing became clear:

This was far from over.