Oh," my mother said quietly. "She is far more than that."
The words settled over the dining room like ash after a fire.
No one spoke.
The aftermath of Samantha's power still lingered in the air, a pressure that hadn't fully dissipated, as if the room itself remembered being forced to bow. My lungs burned with each breath. My wolf was restless beneath my skin, pacing, unsettled, furious in a way I didn't yet understand.
I turned slowly.
Every pair of eyes was on me.
Not awed.
Not curious.
Disappointed.
It hit harder than Samantha's power ever had.
Callen stood rigid, jaw locked so tight I could see the muscle twitching. Enoch's shoulders were tense, his gaze averted like he couldn't quite look at me without saying something he'd regret. Cameran's face was thunderous—eyes sharp, nostrils flared, hands clenched at her sides like she was seconds away from detonating. Mayla didn't bother to hide it. She crossed her arms, weight shifted back on her heel, expression dark with unmistakable anger.
Even the servants lingering near the walls had frozen, unsure whether to flee or kneel.
"What?" I demanded, the word snapping out of me before I could temper it. "What is that look?"
No one answered immediately.
That silence—thick, judging—coiled around my spine.
"I didn't cause what just happened," I said sharply. "Whatever Samantha is…whatever power she unleashed…that wasn't my doing."
Mayla made a sharp, angry sound in the back of her throat, a scoff edged with fury.
Cameran's head snapped toward her, then back to me, eyes blazing. "Unbelievable."
I felt my temper flare. "Don't start."
"Oh, I'm abso-fucking-lutely starting," Cameran shot back, taking a step forward before Enoch could even think to stop her. "You don't get to stand there acting confused like you didn't just rip her apart without ever touching her."
I stared at her. "I did no such thing."
Callen exhaled slowly, deliberately, as if bracing himself. "That's why we're angry, Kieran."
I turned on him. "Then explain it to me. Because from where I'm standing, I acted exactly as I should have."
"That," Callen said, voice steady but tight, "is the problem."
My wolf snarled. Cade bristled, hackles rising. Not liking the confrontation.
"I am the King," I snapped. "Roxy is under my protection, whether we like her or not. She was injured. I ensured she received medical care. I didn't choose her over anyone."
Mayla uncrossed her arms and stepped forward, eyes flashing. "You did."
The certainty in her voice stopped me short.
"You did," she repeated. "Whether you meant to or not."
"That's insane," I shot back. "Callen suggested escorting her off the grounds. I refused because it would have escalated things politically and put us in a vulnerable position. I gave her a room because she was injured and unconscious. That's not tenderness," I pause thinking over my actions."It's responsibility."
"And yet," Callen said quietly, "that's not how it looked."
I turned on him again. "I don't care how it looked."
"You should," he replied. "Because how it looked was you barking down your Beta for suggesting her removal, then personally ensuring Roxy was tended to while your mate was still shaking from losing control of power she doesn't understand."
The words slammed into me.
"That's not fair," I said, heat rising fast. "Samantha left. I didn't chase her because—"
"Because you didn't think you had to," Cameran cut in, voice sharp as broken glass. "Because you assumed she'd understand. Or worse—you assumed she'd wait."
The accusation lodged deep.
Cade is furious, growling and scratching at our mental walls. 'HE IS RIGHT! GO TO HER!'
'No!' growling back, 'I did nothing wrong!'
"She attacked Roxy," I said, forcing the words out. "She broke her bones."
"And the fucking tramp deserved every ounce of what she got," Cameran snarled. "You just didn't know why."
My mother moved then.
Slowly. Deliberately.
The room shifted around her the way it always did when she stepped fully into her authority—not as Queen, but as Luna. She placed herself between us, one hand resting lightly on the back of a chair as she fixed me with a look that stripped me bare.
"You are forgetting something," she said calmly.
I clenched my fists. "With respect—"
"No," she interrupted, voice gentle but immovable. "You will listen."
Silence fell again.
"Before you are King," she continued, "before you are Alpha to this pack or any other, you are her mate."
The words struck with brutal clarity.
"Nothing," she said, eyes never leaving mine, "comes before your mate. Not politics. Not appearances. Not duty."
I swallowed. "She left."
"Because she was humiliated," my mother said softly. "Because she was frightened. And because Roxy ensured she would be."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
My mother's expression hardened.
"Roxy claimed you," she said, "more than once."
The room seemed to tilt.
"She what?"
"She used your name," my mother went on, voice steady despite the fury simmering beneath it. "She said Samantha could not be your mate because she is not Alpha-born. She implied that you knew this—that you were indulging Samantha for your own pleasures before eventually discarding her, despite being fated."
The words rang in my ears.
Cade stilled, an action far more frightening than his wrath.
No.
"She implied," my mother continued, "that Samantha was a temporary distraction. A toy."
Rage exploded through me, hot and violent. Cade roared in my head, fury shaking my bones. Nearly breaking down my barriers and taking over. 'SHE DARED.'
"I would never—" I started, then stopped.
Because Samantha didn't know that.
All she saw was me choosing to help the woman who had just gutted her with words.
Guilt hit like a blade between my ribs.
I turned toward the door.
I needed to see her. Now.
I took one step—and Cameran moved.
She planted herself directly in my path, chin lifted, eyes burning with lethal resolve.
"No."
I stared down at her. "Move."
"I don't give a single fuck if you're the King," she said flatly. "You're not seeing her right now."
My temper flared. "She's my mate."
"And she's my best friend," Cameran shot back. "And right now, she needs space more than she needs you, making things worse."
Mayla stepped beside her without hesitation. "She's right."
Even my mother nodded. "Let her breathe, Kieran."
Every instinct screamed against it. Cade raged, slamming against my control. 'GO TO HER. SHE IS OURS.'
I clenched my jaw until it ached.
Callen stepped forward carefully. "The Elders are expecting you. If you go now, it gives her time to cool off. Time to process. You chasing her in this state may only deepen the wound."
Growling at him, hating that he was right.
Cameran turned toward Enoch. "I'm going to see her."
Enoch stiffened. "Wait, will you be safe?"
The question barely left his mouth before Cameran whirled on him, fury incandescent.
"Power or no power," she snapped, "Alpha or not, I will always be there for her."
The room went still.
Mayla placed a hand on Cameran's shoulder. "I'll go with you."
Cameran nodded once.
They left without another word.
The doors closed behind them with a final, echoing thud.
I stood there, surrounded by my pack, my title, my duty—and felt like I had just lost something vital, and felt so powerless.
Cade's voice was quieter now. 'YOU HURT HER.'
"I know," I whispered.
And for the first time since I'd taken the crown, being King felt like the least important thing in the world.