The Lycan Prince's Silent Bride

lise

found me, lingering with something raw-guilt, regret, maybe both. "Annalise," he said, voice rough. "You...you shouldn't be here." The words were a knife. He had called me back. And now he wished me away again. I lifted my hands, signing quickly, sharp movements I hadn't used in years. Why am I here? He looked away, his mouth opening, closing. No answer. And then I heard it. "Gone." The word floated on a servant's breath, not meant for me. But I caught it, clear as a shout. My pulse stumbled as I realized what was happening . 'Gone?' I scanned the faces, searching. Judy's eyes flashed with panic before narrowing to ice. "Keep your face down," she snapped, as though I had spoken aloud. "Do not pry into matters that do not concern you." But the truth was already unraveling around us. Dahlia... my sister, their jewel, the chosen bride of the Lycan Prince-was missing. No... She ran away. I staggered back a step, breath caught in my throat. Dahlia had always had everything. Beauty. Voice. Favor. She had been chosen to marry the Lycan Prince, to unite kingdoms, to stand in a place I never could. And now she was gone. Leaving behind a house reeking of fear of the great unknown . Then the sudden thunder of boots outside shook the walls of the house. Deep, steady, unrelenting. BANG. The front doors slammed open. Two figures filled the threshold. The Alpha of SilverClaw, Ethan, entered first, his presence heavy as storm clouds. His dark eyes swept the hall, daring anyone to breathe wrong as the air bent around him, thick with power and anger. He knew.... Beside him walked his son. Nathan. Broader than my memory, his dark hair glowing under the dim light, his jaw sharp enough to wound. But it was his eyes that made me feel weird... they were green, startling, and unflinching. He looked once at my father, once at Judy, then stopped. Stopped on me. He stared curiously at me.. His gaze didn't flicker away. Didn't dismiss me as the others did. It pinned me where I stood, as if he had been searching for me all along. The room fell silent. The Alpha's voice cracked through the air. "Where is she?" No one answered. Not my father. Not Judy. Not the trembling servants pressed against the walls. Nathan's eyes still stayed on mine, and something in them made my stomach twist. Not pity. Not disdain. Something sharper. Something oddly dangerous. Alpha Ethan stepped closer to us, his voice low and lethal dripping with rage. "Do not keep silent Troy... and do not even think you can deceive me. Someone saw your dear daughter leave the city. If the Lycans learn of this betrayal..." His words trailed off, but the threat remained. Judy p