GIS

" I groaned tightly, dra

snapped right back, her tone

s ago, five years! and yet you still have no queen beside

led sh

to organize a mating ball, a ridiculous charade where every eligible she-lycan, she-wolf, or any other female creatu

fault that I haven't found my true mate yet?

ned but sa

e," I continued, my anger was

r paths will cross sooner or later. And when that day comes, I will not be bo

rt accepting the possibility that something could have happened to her. She may be dead, or worse. You must put the kingdom first, son. Your people need

raying her exhaustion and sorrow. But the

ffocating waves. Mother took an instinctive step b

taking another woman, someone not mine into my bed, and binding her with a mark that would have to be forcibly refreshed every d*mn week like

did... The chosen mate would have to kill my fated mate to keep her cr

"have you ever thought about who you would have been

falt

I completely understand your pain, and it saddens my heart each day that passes watching you leave the palace in search of your mate,

at her side before

your duty. This kingdom needs its Supreme Luna. It is not just tradition, s

ngs, feeling the war inside me rage louder. It all eventua

g grew restless on the stone floor of my private chamber. I was a beast caged between two impossible choices heart and crown. Frustration clawed at me until I couldn't take

y mother was right. I had a kingdom to run. A kingdom that needed a Luna, a queen, and

our way, Mother. Arrange the b

joy, as if she had just won a battle, but

his week. If by then I still haven't found her, I wi

aven't found her in five years.

intensity that would ha

want," I reiterated. "And that's the only w

I truly wish

footsteps echoed down the hallway

the weight of her words still press

-ceiling windows that framed the setting sun. The gold

and only heir to the throne of Khragnir. An apex predator. Th

rly, even with all my power, wealth, and influen

ure blooded one at that. Lycans, unlike werewolves, were destined to be with one person. The balance of the world itself depended on that pairing. A yin

, and so on. They had choices. They could fall in love with anyone, any speci

eped up my spine. If that were the case, I wasn't sure my beast could be contained. The rage, the need to possess her would consume me. I could feel it already, lurking

would not lose her to some other man. That thought alone was unbearable. But in the deepest corners of my soul, I feare

navigated politics, and still, there was no sign of her. I couldn't give up, though. Not yet. Not until the end of this w

me enforcer. He was more than just an enforcer, he was my most trusted right-hand man, and s

times before his de

highness,"

Make sure you're as inconspicuous as possible. I don't want

g is done, S

y, choosing a simple pair of joggers and a hoodie from the back of my closet. No need for royal attire today. I grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses and pulled a black mask from the dra

bowed low. His eyes never left mine as he opened the door to the car. Without a word, I slid inside the b

eat, and ignited the engine with practiced ease. The soft hum

in particular we're

d against the cool leather. I hadn't been

t to take a look around, see what it looks like now, get a feel of what my people are up to..

eyes briefly flicker toward me in the rear-view mirror.