Prologue – The Promised One
“Ladies and gentlemen, Alec Montagne.”
Octave Delaunay listened to the butler’s announcement, his jaw tightening hard. Nearly thirty and still without a bonded mate, he no longer had a choice. He had to accept the alliance contract signed years ago. To claim his status as alpha, he had to set an example for the pack that would soon be under his protection. A lone alpha had never been a good omen, and their people still honored the old customs. That was why, in a few days, Alec would officially become his fiancé.
Octave had met him only once, fifteen years earlier. It had been at the funeral of his godfather, Alec Montagne’s father. When his own parents had told him about the contract, Octave had felt trapped. To him, this alliance was a step into a loveless life. And yet, he had spent twelve years traveling the world and visiting several packs in search of his soulmate.
And nothing. Not a single extra heartbeat for one of his kind, not a single obsessive thought for anyone. Nothing. He had been forced to face the truth: he had no soulmate. And yet, his wolf howled from within that he did have one, somewhere…
Octave closed his eyes for a few seconds and stood up at the same time as his parents and siblings. His shoulders remained straight, his face neutral. He was an alpha in the making, even in the way he breathed.
When he opened his eyes, he saw him.
Alec stepped in lightly, stopped, then bowed his head in greeting. Dressed in dark trousers and a white shirt, the young man carried himself with an ease that drew every gaze. His black hair was neither short nor long, contrasted with his fair skin. Octave gave him a quick inspection before meeting his eyes. They were lagoon blue, almost unreal beneath the lights of the sitting room.
And suddenly, everything shifted. There was something in his aura he had never sensed before.
His heart raced violently, slamming against his ribcage with a force he couldn’t control. His wolf was awakening, as if recognizing him before he did. To his right, he felt his father’s gaze settle on him—heavy and piercing. He turned his eyes toward him for a brief second, and his father raised an almost imperceptible eyebrow. Octave was certain of one thing: an alpha always listened to such signs.
Octave swept his thoughts aside, because in his mind an image forced its way to the surface: that of a little boy, curled in on himself, cheeks wet with tears. His hands, far too small, clutched desperately at a worn rabbit-shaped plush toy, as if that scrap of fabric were the only thing keeping him from breaking apart.
“Octave?” his father called, as another memory overlapped the first.
He remembered vividly the strange presence of a little she-wolf he had encountered a few hours after the funeral. Her aura had been hollown marked by loss. His young wolf at the time had felt a visceral, incomprehensible need to protect her.
“Octave?”
“Yes, Father?” he finally replied, turning toward him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Alec had not moved and seemed to be waiting for what would happen next.
“Alec,” his father resumed, “I must remind you that you will be bound for one season. If either of you wishes not to proceed to marriage, it must be made known by signing the separation document.”
Octave had made his decision long ago: there would be no wedding.
“Very well,” his father added in the face of their silence. “We will leave you alone. Octave, as well as Alec, you must read each other’s conditions carefully, accept them aloud, and sign at the bottom of the page. You will find them on the table.”
Octave turned toward the piece of furniture. Two folders had been placed there: one blue—his—and the other red.
