Chapter 7
Chapter 6
SERENA POV
Then a figure entered the hall. His presence made my breath caught before I even fully registered him
He moved with a commanding presence, every step precise, deliberate, as if the entire world bent to his will. He looked familiar. His figure, it was identical to Jayden. The same posture, the same strength in the way he carried himself.
I almost called out his name, but I held my tongue.
Artemis stirred sharply inside me. “He looks familiar. His aura. I want to be near him, like he is ours. How is that possible?”
A chill ran down my spine. Something was definitely wrong.
And yet, the king was mesmerizing. The mask fit him perfectly, sleek and flawless, matching his royal attire as if it were crafted for him alone. I couldn’t see his face fully, but I knew he must be handsome. His physique was strong, commanding, and magnetic.
He exuded boldness, confidence, dominance, and control. Unreadable. Unyielding. Every wolf and Lycan in the hall seemed drawn to him, compelled to submit, a mixture of awe and fear in their stance. He screamed strength.
I felt drawn to him, like a tether I couldn’t resist. My chest ached. I wanted to run into his arms, to melt into him. Why?
Artemis growled softly. “Even I don’t understand it. I just feel drawn to him. I want him. His scent, intoxicating. It’s familiar.”
I looked around the hall. Some were openly admiring him, heads tilted, lips parted in awe. Others whispered, casting side glances, murmuring that he must be scarred ugly, that’s why he wore a mask.
Anger flared inside me. How dare they judge him? And why were the ladies looking at him as if they wanted to eat him up? My wolf snarled silently. What right did I have to feel protective? He is not my mate. Why am I like this?
The king approached the throne at the center of the hall. Every eye followed him, but my gaze was fixed at him. When he settled into his seat, our eyes met, and I felt it, a spark of recognition, like a current passing between us, faint but undeniable, tugging at the deepest parts of me.
His gaze was cold, hard, edged with something, hatred, or perhaps judgment. A flicker of awareness, like he knew me. I noticed the subtle flex of his jaw, controlled, deliberate.
Artemis hissed, claws scraping at my mind. “Mate, it must be Jayden.”
Impossible. My heart thudded painfully. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t possibly be here, now, disguised as the king. Yet my heart, my instincts, screamed at me that it could be. Perhaps it was the memory of Jayden, our bond, that made me feel this confusion.
Whispers spread around the hall.
“Why is he choosing a mate now? I hope he is gentle with her, he is cruel.”
“He destroyed anyone who displeased him. He might kill his queen in a fit of rage.”
The murmurs barely reached my conscious mind. My heightened senses picked them up clearly, each word slicing through the charged air.
Even without focusing, I could sense the crowd’s unease, their fear mixing with awe. Every Alpha, Luna, noble, all were watching, calculating, waiting.
“Silence!” His voice boomed across the hall, full of authority and power. The air seemed to shiver at the command, every instinct in me tensing. Artemis growled low, claws itching against the edges of my mind.
I clenched my fists, forcing my jaw to relax. My mask, polite, calm, composed, was required. But every fiber of my being, every instinct, screamed to bare teeth, to strike, to protect what I could not yet name but felt, rightfully mine.
The bond pulsed stronger. Hot, urgent, alive. It pressed against my chest, tugging at my mind, whispering his name in a language no words could capture. Artemis growled again, frustrated, eager. The scent, the aura, the pull, it was undeniable.
And in that moment, as the king’s gaze swept the hall with imperious dominance, I knew one thing: nothing, nothing, would ever be the same again.
“As you all know, it is tradition for the king to choose a mate if he has not found her by the age of thirty. I am twenty-eight. There is no need to rush, yet I see no reason to wait. That is why I have announced this ceremony,” he said, his voice calm but commanding.
“But before I proceed,” he continued, scanning the hall with piercing eyes, “I have heard many rumors about my face, some say it is ugly, scarred. I know you are all curious. You wish to see the face of your king, the one who rules you.”
A murmur passed through the crowd. My pulse quickened. I placed a hand on my chest, heart thudding. Artemis stirred sharply inside me, claws scraping at my thoughts, instincts screaming.
Why is my body reacting this way? This is not Jayden.
“I have decided to fulfill your wish,” he said, his hand moving to the edge of his mask. “You will see my face today.”
The hall fell silent. Every whisper, every movement froze. The air was thick with power, expectation, and tension. Artemis growled low, warning me of the storm building inside the room, sensing the pull that pressed against my chest.
It’s familiar, strangely familiar. Why?
He lifted the mask slowly. The moonlight from the windows glinted across his face, tracing the sharp planes of his mask, the strength in his jaw, the confidence radiating from every movement. My breath caught.
Everything inside me froze.
Artemis stiffened beside me, muscles taut, fur rising along her spine. A pull, subtle yet undeniable, pressed against my chest, the mate bond, long buried, silent for three years, was stirring again. My hand instinctively went to my heart. No. This isn’t possible. He cannot be.
I felt heat surge through me, confusion twisting with longing. My senses sharpened, claws itching, the urge to leap, to claim, to protect, coursing through me. Artemis snarled faintly, warning, Do not act. Observe. Wait.
Around us, the crowd shifted. Some gasped softly, others whispered. The scent of fear, awe, and submission floated through the hall. Yet all I could focus on was him, the pull, the familiarity, the sense that something I had thought lost was suddenly alive.
His eyes swept the hall and then locked onto mine. Cold, unreadable, and yet, there was recognition. A spark I couldn’t place. My chest tightened, every nerve screaming.
Artemis growled again, claws pressing at the edges of my thoughts, He feels like him, but he isn’t him. Something is wrong.
I swallowed hard, forcing my face into calm indifference, even as my pulse raced. This is the king. Not Jayden. It must be him.
Then, finally, he removed the mask.
Moonlight spilled across his face. Every feature sharp, commanding, impossibly captivating. My breath caught in my throat. Every instinct inside me froze. My heart thudded painfully.
Artemis tensed violently beside me, urging caution, yet unable to deny the pull that pressed against my chest.
I could not speak. I could not move. I could not look away.
I was stunned.
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