THEODORE'S POV
I was ready to leave before the ceremony even started.
Silvermoon had lost. Their Alpha had surrendered, and my father was collecting what he believed Blackmoon was owed.
I had no interest in any of it. Never had. But my father has always made it a rule for his heir to always be present in the collection ceremony.
Below me, the captured women were dragged into the arena while Blackmoon warriors filled the stands.
Beside me, Dylan leaned forward. “Look at them,” he said, watching the Silvermoon women cry. “Pathetic. I'd give anything to see Alpha Aaron’s face right now”
As usual, he tried to start a conversation with me, but I didn't answer. I had seen enough defeated enemies to know what fear looked like. There was nothing entertaining about it.
I was about to stand up and return to my chambers when one of our warriors stepped into the arena and raised his whip.
A woman's scream of agony slicing through the arena. But immediately, another small voice cut through the noise. “Stop!”
I paused, my eyes traveling to the middle of the arena.
A girl had stepped out of the line. She stood between the warrior and one of the prisoners, her body tense but her head raised.
Dylan laughed beside me. “Is she insane?”
I narrowed my eyes. She was wearing Silvermoon's royal colors. At that moment, I realized who she was. One didn't need any soothsayer to point it to them.
She was Silvermoon's princess— Princess Alyssa.
Something about her didn't fit. She was smaller than I expected, and surprisingly, there was no wolf presence around her.
A princess from one of Silvermoon's strongest bloodlines should have had a wolf, but she didn't. Yet she had just placed herself in front of one of Blackmoon's largest warriors, to defend her friend.
“Leave her alone,” she said.
The warrior laughed. So did most of the crowd.
The girl was clearly afraid. I could see it in the way her body stiffened whenever the warrior moved. But she stayed where she was.
Interesting.
The warrior stepped closer, mocking her. She slapped his hand away when he grabbed her chin.
That was when his expression changed.
Dylan leaned toward me. “What the hell? She's going to get herself killed.”
The warrior raised his fist. Princess Alyssa moved back. All of a sudden, something happened.
Her hand came up. For a moment, I thought she had blocked his attack. But the look on her face told me otherwise. She looked just as surprised as everyone else.
A second later, her palm struck the warrior's chest.
He stumbled backward.
Dylan sat forward. “What was that?”
I didn't answer because I didn't know either. For someone without a wolf, where did such power come from?
She stared at her own hand, confirming my confusion. She didn't know what just happened either.
The sound of cracking bones filled the arena as his wolf took over.
I leaned back in my seat watching the scene before me.
A wolfless princess against a shifted wolf. How ridiculous! There was only one possible outcome.
She wouldn't survive.
The wolf attacked her in a split second. Its paw hit her chest and threw her across the arena.
My body went still as I watched her body hit the ground hard.
Blood ran down her forehead. She tried to get up, but couldn't. The wolf pinned her to the ground, as its claws sank into her skin.
Something tightened in my chest as I saw her helpless state, as if urging me to rescue her from the wolf, but I ignored it.
The girl had brought this on herself. She had challenged a Blackmoon warrior. No one ever does, especially not someone sent as a tribute gift.
Still, I found myself gripping the armrest in contained rage.
She closed her eyes as the wolf raised its claws, but she opened them again. I noticed a sudden change in her immediately. There was still fear in her eyes but she wasn't begging anymore.
Her hands tightened around the wolf's leg.
And instantly, a powerful force exploded from her body. The enormous wolf was thrown across the arena. He crashed into the stone wall.
The entire arena went silent.
Pressure filled the air.
Warriors around the arena staggered. Several dropped to one knee.
Dylan grabbed the railing to steady himself. “What the fuck is she?”
My eyes stayed fixed on the girl. She was still alive, but barely.
I froze as a strange scent hit me.
At first, I thought the scent was coming from somewhere in the arena. But when I inhaled again, my wolf suddenly stirred.
For years, he had been silent. He never spoke to me, never offered advice, and never reacted to anything around us. Most of the time, I only felt his presence when it was time for war—when bloodshed was coming and he wanted out.
But now, for the first time in years, he was awake. He slammed against my mind with such force that my chest tightened.
“Mate.” He snarled in my head. “Our mate.”
My brows drew together in confusion as I stared at the girl.
No fucking way! It couldn't be.
She was Princess Alyssa of Silvermoon, a surrender tribute. She doesn't have a wolf.
But my wolf didn't care. “Go to her. She's our mate.” He repeated.
My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. The scent grew stronger.
My eyes were fixed intently on her.
Dylan turned toward me. “She's incredible.”
I barely heard him. Can he just shut the fuck up?
Every instinct inside me was focused on the girl lying below.
Dylan suddenly stood. “I like her strength. I'll take her.”
My head snapped toward him. His lips curled into a tight smile.
“That power she has. Father will want to know what she is. But until then, I don't see why…”
“Don't you dare.” My voice came out higher than I intended.
Dylan paused. He stared at me. Then his eyes shifted toward the girl. A look of understanding slowly crossed his face. “No,” His expression changed. “You've got to be joking.”
I stepped toward the railing, but he grabbed my arm. “Theodore.”
I looked down at his hand. “Take your hands off me.”
His eyes narrowed as he slowly let go. “That Silvermoon girl is your mate?”
A growl rose in my throat. That was answer enough.
He looked back at her. Then he smiled. “I was thinking of claiming her.”
Rage hit me so quickly that I barely recognized it. I turned toward him.
“Touch her.” My wolf pushed forward, my eyes burning with anger. “And I'll tear you apart.”