Chapter 1
-Raya-
“We’re not supposed to be here!” Emma exclaimed.
“Shh!” I hissed, trying to calm my friends down as we sneaked through the dark and hidden passageways in the house. These passages had been built by my great-great-grandfather for protection in case of an attack, although they had never been used. It was always good to be prepared, but today we had a different purpose.
The alphas in the country, including my father, were gathering here at our house in Montana, and among them was none other than Prince Kay. From my vantage point, I could see them all in the room, encircling the prince. Unfortunately, the view of the prince was soon obstructed by an older alpha with an irritatingly large head.
Seated around a long table, they spoke in hushed voices, making it difficult to discern their conversation. Thankfully, I possessed keen hearing, allowing me to catch snippets of their discussion.
“It’s time we took action,” one of them declared, eliciting varying agreements and disagreements.
“Hey, is that him?” Emma grabbed my shoulder and pressed me down, obstructing my view.
“Get off!” I whispered, frustrated.
“Move your butt!” Cira chimed in, wedging herself between us and nudging me aside to get a better look.
I rolled my eyes as my friends jostled for a glimpse of the prince through the narrow crack. “Damn, he’s hot!” Emma remarked.
“He certainly is,” Cira concurred, glancing at me. “Though I wouldn’t mind settling for one of your brothers.”
I shook my head and covered my ears. I was well aware of my friends’ infatuation with my three older brothers, but I had no desire to hear about it.
“Move away! I came here for the meeting!” I said.
“And the prince,” Cira teased, winking at me.
“While I’m curious to see what the enigmatic prince looks like, he’s not my priority!” I whispered, pushing them aside.
“Hey!” they protested in unison.
I sighed and returned to my spot. Unfortunately, the view of the prince was still obstructed, but I could make out my father at the end of the table, lost in thought. Clearly, there was much to consider.
“We can’t risk the king causing further harm!” another alpha declared.
“The king has changed the game. He has ensured that all our voices hold no power anymore. He has altered the rules, granting himself all the power. We need to eliminate him,” a third one said.
“And how do we accomplish that? How can any of us even get close enough?”
“That is where you come in,” my father said, silencing all the conversation.
Everyone turned their attention to the prince, but I couldn’t read him since his face was obscured. The silence stretched on, and I feared the prince was planning to simply get up and leave, but then his voice finally broke the stillness, “He is my brother.”
Oh, that voice. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but it sent shivers down my spine. The low and dark tone felt like a caress over my skin. I had experienced nothing like it, and I shivered.
“What’s wrong?” Cira asked.
I glanced at her and shook my head. “Nothing,” I whispered because I truly didn’t understand what was happening.
“And he is your friend.”
I saw the prince turn his head, revealing the back of it as he looked at my father. I could make out his blond hair, but that was all.
“Once... Now he has become a threat to my family,” my father declared.
His green eyes locked with the prince’s, and it was as if a silent conversation was unfolding between them, yet I couldn’t decipher their exchange. My brothers sat around my father, all staring at the prince, emanating their usual deadly aura. Alphas always possessed that dark and dangerous energy. It came naturally to them, as they were not only leaders but also protectors.
“He is still your friend.”
“Why does he say that?” Emma inquired. “Doesn’t he want to ensure everyone’s safety?”
I shrugged, stealing a glance at my friend. It sounded as though Prince Kay was aligning himself with his deranged brother, and that was simply the worst possible scenario. Without Kay’s support, no one could get close enough to the king.
“I need to protect my family,” my father declared.
“And I need to protect mine,” Prince Kay said.
The tension escalated, and everyone grew increasingly nervous. Even from inside this dark and now quite warm closet, I could sense it so easily.
“Your brother is causing harm to people.”
“One pack is not equivalent to ‘people’,” the prince responded, as if those deaths didn’t matter.
“It is just a matter of time,” my father insisted.
“Or perhaps the prince is so confident that his brother will never come after him that he doesn’t care about the rest?”
A snarky comment emerged from one of the other alphas, clearly displeased with what the prince was saying. I couldn’t deny that I shared a similar sentiment. It truly seemed like the prince didn’t attach much importance to what was happening. Did he not care at all?
The prince turned his head, but I couldn’t see much. The alpha who made the comment wasn’t sitting far from my father, so the prince didn’t have to turn his head much. After a brief silence, the prince surprised us all by emitting a small laugh. What was so amusing?
“Is that what you think? That my brother and I are close? My brother doesn’t give a damn about me, and I certainly don’t give a damn about him. If you can’t handle him, that’s not my problem. You put him in power. Not me. Now deal with it.”
At that moment, the prince rose from his seat, and his men around him took a step back, clearly prepared to follow. However, my father also stood, instructing him to wait.
“Let’s not get worked up here. We’re not finished.”
“But we are. I don’t care about my brother’s actions, and he doesn’t care about mine as long as I don’t interfere. So, you deal with this little... circus and leave me the hell out of it,” the prince declared before turning to leave.
“No way in hell,” Emma whispered.
We all exchanged glances as boots struck the floorboards, causing them to creak. We retreated deeper into the darkness to avoid being seen, but we were all shocked by the prince’s behavior. How could he do this?
