Ashina stood outside the pack dining hall and seriously considered faking a sudden illness.
Through the doors, she could hear the rumble of hundreds of voices, the clatter of dishes, the occasional burst of laughter. Friday night pack dinner mandatory for high-ranking members, which apparently included unwilling Lunas.
"You've got this." Zara appeared at her elbow, resplendent in a deep green dress that made her auburn hair look like flame. "It's just dinner. You eat, you smile politely, you survive."
"There are hundreds of wolves in there."
"Three hundred and twenty-seven, to be exact." Zara looped her arm through Ashina's. "Which means three hundred and twenty-seven chances to make allies. Or at least to not make enemies."
"What if they hate me?"
"Then they're idiots." Zara squeezed her arm. "But they won't. Most of them are just curious. They've been waiting five years for Kendrick to find his mate. You're like a celebrity."
"A captive celebrity."
"A celebrity nonetheless." Zara's voice softened. "I know this is hard. But you're not alone in there. I'll be right beside you. And Kendrick" She gestured toward the doors. "He won't let anyone hurt you. Trust me on that."
"Okay," Ashina breathed. "Let's get this over with."
Zara pushed open the doors, and the noise hit Ashina like a wave.
The dining hall was enormous easily the size of Silverpaw's entire pack house. Long wooden tables stretched the length of the room, packed with wolves in various states of conversation and eating. The ceiling soared three stories high, supported by massive beams. Windows lined one wall, showing the forest beyond. A stone fireplace large enough to roast an entire elk dominated the far end and at the head of the room, elevated slightly on a dais, sat the Alpha's table.
Kendrick was there, of course. Impossible to misshe commanded attention even sitting down, his presence radiating power. Ryker sat to his right, and several other high-ranking wolves filled the remaining seats. There was one conspicuously empty chair to Kendrick's left. Hers.
"Don't panic," Zara murmured. "You don't have to sit there if you don't want to. I saved you a spot with me."
The moment they stepped inside, conversations stuttered and died. Hundreds of eyes turned toward Ashina some curious, some assessing, some openly staring at the mark on her neck. She felt naked under their scrutiny.
"Ignore them," Zara said cheerfully, leading Ashina toward a table in the middle of the room. "They'll get used to seeing you around and stop staring. Probably."
"That's not reassuring."
"I'm not very good at reassuring." Zara plopped down at a table already half-full of wolves, pulling Ashina down beside her. "Everyone, this is Ashina, our Luna. Ashina, this is everyone. We'll do proper introductions later when you're not about to pass out from anxiety."
The wolves at the table offered varying degrees of greeting. A young couple smiled warmly. An older man nodded respectfully. A teenager looked like she wanted to ask a thousand questions but was wisely staying quiet. And then there was the woman sitting directly across from Ashina.
She was beautiful devastatingly so. Long black hair, sharp cheekbones, dark eyes that assessed Ashina with undisguised disdain. She wore a dress that was more appropriate for a cocktail party than a pack dinner, and her posture screamed confidence and entitlement.
"So," the woman said, her voice carrying clearly. "You're the Alpha's forced mate."
The table went silent. Zara's hand clamped onto Ashina's knee under the table a warning to stay calm.
"I'm Ashina," she said carefully. "And you are?"
"Daciana Lupe. Ryker's sister." The woman's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I've been hearing so much about you. About how you rejected Kendrick publicl and how he had to force the mark. Must be quite the love story."
Several wolves shifted uncomfortably. The young couple looked horrified. Zara's grip on Ashina's knee tightened to painful.
Ashina spoke. "It's not a love story. It's a cautionary tale about what happens when powerful men don't hear 'no.'"
Daciana's eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting Ashina to engage. "How refreshing. Honesty. Most forced mates try to pretend they're happy."
"I'm not most mates." Ashina kept her voice level despite her pounding heart. "And I'm not interested in pretending anything."
"Well, at least you're self-aware." Daciana leaned back, examining her nails. "Though I have to wonder what did you do to drive him to such desperate measures? You must have really pushed him."
"Daciana," Zara's voice held a warning. "That's enough."
"Is it?" Daciana's gaze was sharp, calculating. "I'm just trying to understand. Kendrick has waited twenty-seven years for his mate. And when he finally finds her, she rejects him for some nobody from a minor pack then acts surprised when he claims what's rightfully his."
"She didn't do anything wrong," Zara said firmly. "And you know it."
"Don't I?" Daciana's smile was poisonous. "I think rejecting your mate publicly is pretty wrong. I think insulting him in front of hundreds of witnesses is wrong. I think..."
"Enough." The word came from the head table.
Kendrick had stood. His voice wasn't raised, but it carried through the entire hall with Alpha authority that made every wolf freeze. The dining hall fell into absolute silence.
He looked directly at Daciana, and even from across the room, Ashina could see the ice in his eyes. "Stand up," Kendrick commanded. Daciana stood, and Ashina saw the first flicker of fear cross her face.
Kendrick descended from the dais with predatory grace. Every eye in the hall tracked him as he walked toward their table. The silence was suffocating.
He stopped directly beside Ashina, and she felt his hand briefly touch her shoulder a gesture of claiming and protection combined. Then he turned his full attention to Daciana.
"You will show respect to your Luna," he said quietly, and the quiet was more terrifying than shouting would have been. "You will address her with courtesy. You will not question her choices, her past, or her place in this pack."
"Alpha, I was just...."
"Silence." The word cracked through the air like a whip. "I don't care what you were 'just' doing. You disrespected my mate. In front of the entire pack. That is unacceptable."
Daciana's face had gone white. "I apologize. I didn't mean..."
"Yes, you did." Kendrick's voice was flat, emotionless. "You've been waiting for an opportunity to undermine her since she arrived. To make her feel unwelcome. To drive her away." He leaned forward slightly. "Let me be perfectly clear this Ashina is your Luna. Mine to protect, to defend. And if you ever speak to her like that again, you will be removed from this pack. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Alpha." Daciana's voice shook.
"I didn't hear you."
"Yes, Alpha!" Louder now, with genuine fear.
Kendrick straightened. "Good. Now apologize. To her, not to me."
Daciana turned to Ashina, and the hatred in her eyes was barely concealed beneath the fear. "I apologize, Luna. I spoke out of turn."
Ashina didn't know what to say. "You spoke out of cruelty," Ashina corrected. "Not just out of turn. There's a difference."
"Yes," Daciana bit out. "Out of cruelty. I apologize."
"Apology noted." Ashina kept her voice neutral. "But not accepted. Yet."
Daciana's jaw clenched, but she nodded and sat back down, her face flushed with humiliation.
Kendrick's hand squeezed Ashina's shoulder once more a gesture that felt almost tender despite the public setting before he returned to the head table. The hall remained silent until he sat down, and only then did conversations slowly, cautiously resume.
Zara leaned close to Ashina. "Holy shit. That was amazing."
"Which part? Her attacking me or me refusing her apology?"
"Both. But mostly Kendrick defending you like that." Zara's eyes were bright with excitement. "I've never seen him use Alpha command that strongly outside of actual emergencies. He was furious."
Ashina didn't respond.
Dinner continued, though Daciana remained silent and sullen across the table. Other pack members approached Ashina throughout the meal most respectful, some overly curious, a few brave enough to ask about Silverpaw Pack or her family.
Zara ran interference expertly, steering conversations away from dangerous topics and keeping the atmosphere light. The young couple introduced themselves as Marcus and Jen, expecting their first pup. The older man was Horace, head of pack security. The teenager was Lily, Zara and Ryker's niece.
They were nice. Normal. Making Ashina feel even more surreal about the situation these wolves treated her like their Luna, with respect and warmth, completely unaware that she was there against her will. Or maybe they knew and chose not to acknowledge it. Maybe forced mate bonds were more common than Ashina had thought. The thought made her stomach turn.
As the meal wound down, wolves began dispersing some heading home, others gathering in conversation groups, still more helping clean up. Zara was pulled away by Ryker to greet some visiting pack members, leaving Ashina alone at the table.
"You handled that well, child."
Ashina turned to find an elderly woman standing beside her. She was small, barely five feet tall, with silver hair braided down her back and eyes that were sharp despite her age. She radiated a sense of calm authority that had nothing to do with rank and everything to do with lived experience.
"I'm sorry?"
"Daciana." The old woman settled into the seat Zara had vacated, moving with the careful precision of someone who knew their body's limitations. "You handled her perfectly. Didn't back down, didn't escalate. That takes wisdom."
"I don't feel very wise."
"The wise rarely do." The woman extended a weathered hand. "I'm Mira. Pack healer, elder, and general nuisance according to anyone under thirty."
Ashina shook her hand, feeling calluses and strength despite the woman's age. "It's nice to meet you."
"Is it?" Mira's eyes twinkled. "Or are you just being polite to the old woman who trapped you in conversation?"
Despite everything, Ashina smiled. "Maybe a bit of both."
"Honest. I like that." Mira leaned back, studying Ashina with an intensity that felt like being examined under a microscope. "We need to talk, child. Not here, not now. But soon."
"About what?"
"About your mate. About the prophecy." Mira's expression turned serious. "About what you are and what you're meant to become."
A chill ran down Ashina's spine. "What prophecy?"
"The one that's haunted Kendrick since he was born. The one that made him terrified of ever finding his mate." Mira stood slowly, using the table for support. "Come see me tomorrow. My cottage is at the eastern edge of pack lands anyone can point you there. We have much to discuss."
"Why not tell me now?"
"Because you're not ready to hear it yet. And because" Mira glanced toward the head table where Kendrick sat, "your mate is approximately three seconds from coming over here, and what we need to discuss should be private."
Ashina followed her gaze and saw that Mira was right. Kendrick was watching them, his body tense, clearly debating whether to intervene.
"Tomorrow," Mira repeated. "After lunch. Don't be late, child. Destiny waits for no one."
She shuffled away, leaving Ashina staring after her with more questions than answers.
Zara reappeared, slightly breathless. "Sorry! Ryker's aunt is visiting and she wanted to meet wait, was that Mira? What did she want?"
"To talk. Tomorrow." Ashina stood, suddenly exhausted by the evening's emotional rollercoaster. "I need to go. Is that okay? Can I just leave?"
"Of course. You're not a prisoner" Zara caught herself. "I mean, you can leave whenever you want. Do you want me to walk you back?"
"No. I can find my way."
Ashina headed for the exit, hyper-aware of Kendrick's eyes tracking her movement. She felt him want to follow, to ensure she made it safely back to her room but he let her go alone. And somehow, that affected her more than any grand gesture could have.
She climbed the stairs to her room, exhausted and confused and hating that Kendrick's defense of her had felt good. Hating that she was starting to see him as something more complicated than a simple villain.
The prophecy. Mira had mentioned a prophecy. Something that had made Kendrick afraid of finding his mate.
Ashina collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling, questions swirling through her mind.
Later, in the dim solitude of his chamber, Kendrick stripped off his shirt and boots, the fire's glow casting shadows over his scarred torso. The bed was vast, empty, but his mind filled it with her. He lay back, hand drifting to his belt, unbuckling it with deliberate slowness. His cock sprang free as he shoved his pants down, already half-hard from the day's pent-up energy and the way ashina looked when she was handling Daciana earlier.
He wrapped his fist around his thickening shaft, stroking from base to tip in firm pulls. Precum beaded at the head, slicking his grip as he imagined Ashina on her knees before him, those defiant eyes looking up, lips parting to take him in. His breath hitched, hips bucking slightly as he pumped harder, thumb circling the sensitive underside. 'Fuck,' he growled low, picturing her body arching under his, her pussy clenching around his cock as he thrust deep, claiming her fully. The bond amplified it, her phantom moans echoing in his head, her nails raking his back.
Sweat glistened on his chest, muscles coiling as pleasure built. He jerked faster, balls tightening, envisioning spilling inside her, marking her deeper than any bite. With a guttural groan, he came, hot ropes of cum shooting across his abdomen, pulsing in waves that left him shuddering. He milked every drop, chest heaving, but satisfaction eluded him
The bond hummed between them, and Ashina felt his release. She flushed, her own body aching in response. And somewhere in the space between hatred and understanding, something new was beginning to grow. Something Ashina was terrified to name.