Chapter 3: A Suitable Life Partner

Vanya woke feeling surprisingly refreshed. She’d spent the night dodging her parents’ questions and Selene’s relentless speculations, but she knew Ares must have told her father what happened in the woods. He never meant to get her in trouble, but the moment she did something reckless—like scouting alone, confronting a rotter, and getting hypnotized by the damn thing—Ares made sure to report it. Particularly to her father.

Oh, Ares. What am I going to do with you?

She caught her reflection in the mirror from where she lay in bed. Emerald-green eyes, heavy with exhaustion, stared back at her. Dark red hair spilled in every direction, wild and untamed. People had always told her she was attractive, but she never understood what had suddenly made Ares look at her differently. He was the pack’s zeta, their war general, son of Alpha Callum and Luna Beatrice. He could have anyone—someone striking, powerful, someone like Selene. Yet for years, he had chosen to remain unmated, secretly tangled up with her instead.

Should I feel flattered? Or just foolish?

She exhaled sharply and turned away from the mirror. There was no point in trying to anticipate what came next. Sooner or later, Ares would end whatever this was between them, and she would have to accept it. Move on.

She had already made peace with the fact that she would never be mated—she wasn’t a born-shifter, and that was that. Maybe she would find someone who saw her for who she was, a human who would cherish her. Maybe.

But her future husband would have to wait.

Right now, she had bigger problems. Like figuring out how to break Killian’s hold on her, catching him before he disappeared again, and—more pressingly—avoiding the Annual Royal Alliance feast altogether.

Why can’t I be excused from the fucking Annual Royal Alliance?

While preparations for the event consumed the rest of the household, Vanya stayed in her room. She could still sense what was happening around her if she wanted to, but for now, she kept her awareness locked down. She needed time to think, to strategize, and most of all, to breathe.

All hunters had superior hearing and smelling abilities compared to humans. But like any other non-gifted born-shifter, Vanya possessed no unique talents. Selene used to make sure she never forgot it.

"Face it, dear sister," Selene would say, her voice dripping with condescension. "You may have acquired some skills, but you could never compete with me. I’m special. You’re not."

Vanya had never argued. Instead, she had honed the art of cutting sarcasm. "Selene, you’re absolutely right. You’re not only a born-shifter with a face that could have been sculpted by Aphrodite herself, but you’re one of the moon goddess’ favorites. I’d never be able to compete with you. It’s something I could only wish for."

Whether Selene ever caught the sarcasm or simply absorbed the praise like a self-satisfied cat soaking in sunlight, Vanya never figured out. Not that it mattered.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Vanya flinched at the sudden noise, scowling at the door before groaning internally. The scent that drifted through the wood confirmed it—one of the pack’s omegas. She threw a glance at the alarm clock beside her bed.

13:00. Perfect. Right on schedule for absolutely nothing.

Dragging herself upright, she pulled the door open. "Yes, Gaston?"

"Beta Randall wants to speak to you."

Vanya lifted a brow. "What does he want?"

"He didn’t say. Just that you need to see him. Like, now."

She debated slamming the door in his face, but even that required more energy than she was willing to expend. "Fine. I’ll be there in a minute."

Gaston nodded and disappeared down the hall. With a resigned sigh, Vanya turned back to her closet, rummaged through the mess, and gave up almost immediately. Since she had no one to impress—not even Ares—she settled for a pair of old jeans and a white T-shirt. Skipping the shower was an easy decision. Hair went into a ponytail, and she was out the door.

When she entered Randall’s office, she found him seated at the table, sipping coffee and flipping through a newspaper like it was a perfectly normal afternoon. Except it wasn’t. Not for her.

Her stomach clenched.

“Dad?” Her voice came out steadier than she felt. “Mom?”

Seated next to Randall, Celeste barely looked up. And just like that, Vanya knew—whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good.

She still found it odd and unsettling to refer to Celeste as her mother. If it hadn’t been for her adoptive father’s request, she wouldn’t have called her "mom"—and she was pretty sure Celeste wouldn’t have wanted her to, either.

Celeste and Selene were practically carbon copies. Both had that classic blonde beauty thing going on. Randall, at least, was a brunette, but somehow all three of them shared the same deep blue eyes. When Vanya stood next to them, her red hair and green eyes made her look like an outsider, a glaring reminder that she didn’t quite belong.

"Vanya, how could you let yourself get hypnotized by a rotter?" Celeste’s voice was sharp, cutting straight to the point.

Here we go again, Vanya thought. She braced herself for the speech she’d heard more times than she could count.

"…You nearly gave your father a heart attack. How could you humiliate your own family? Especially your dad?…"

When Celeste finally finished her rehearsed rant, she turned to Randall, expecting his support. Right on cue, he sighed and leaned forward.

"Vanya, what happened?" he asked, giving her the go-ahead to explain.

"I don’t know how it happened, it just did. When Killian—"

"You know the filthy werewolf’s name? How? Did you ask him before trying to apprehend him? Have you two gotten to know each other well?" Celeste snapped. The way she and Selene thought and spoke alike was almost eerie.

Randall rubbed his temples. "Celeste, it doesn’t matter whether or not she knows the rotter’s name. What matters is figuring out how he was able to enthrall her." He turned back to Vanya. "Go on."

Vanya took a deep breath. "When he—Killian—" she made sure to say his name again, just to annoy Celeste, "—he just looked me in the eyes. Like a vampire would. I tried everything to break free, but it was impossible. It felt like I was chained in place by something invisible.”

"What else did he do?" Randall asked, leaning forward. "Did he say anything to you?"

Her mind flashed back to Killian’s words. Shall we pick up where we left off, Red?

Her stomach twisted. Should she tell them?

"He—uh…"

Randall’s gaze sharpened. "Yes? Did he say anything?"

Celeste scoffed before she could answer. "Oh, come on, Randall. Rotters don’t communicate. They attack, kill, and eat. That’s all they know."

"Mom’s right," Vanya heard herself say before she could stop. That was rare. She almost never agreed with Celeste.

"But it felt like Killian was trying to pry into my head," she went on, frowning. "That's how I learned his name. He was pushing thoughts into my mind—trying to talk to me."

Randall rubbed his chin. "Interesting. Rotters and rogues lose their minds. They don’t reason, don’t think. All they have left are their instincts, and most rogue werewolves I’ve come across can’t even shift back to human form."

"I know, Dad," she said, frustrated. "That’s why I was so thrown off. He wasn’t supposed to be able to do that. And I’ve never seen him in his wolf form, either. Ares was there. He saw what happened."

Celeste shot her a sharp look. "What are you getting at, Vanya?"

"That Killian isn’t just some mindless rotter," she said slowly. "He hasn’t lost himself completely. He might be something else entirely. And that could mean he’s an even bigger threat to the pack. We need to dig deeper."

Randall nodded. "We will. I’ll speak to Alpha Callum."

"Ares said he’d talk to his father, too," Vanya added. "I might be completely wrong, but what if I’m right? Better to be ready than caught off guard."

"I get what you’re saying."

"And I promise I’ll be more careful next time," she said, meeting his eyes.

"Of course, you will," Randall said, though there was something unreadable in his expression. "But Ares made a good point when I spoke with him this morning. So, I’ve agreed with him and Lachlan…"

Vanya’s jaw tightened. "Agreed on what?"

"You’ll be scouting with Rowan from now on."

"What?!" she burst out. "I don’t need a babysitter! I was fine on my own—Ares just swooped in and messed up my plan. He didn’t save me or anything. I had it under control!"

"Don’t be difficult, Vanya," Celeste said. "We just want to make sure you’re safe."

“But Rowan is…” Vanya tried to find the right words. “That guy doesn’t know how to shut up about Selene.”

Celeste smiled knowingly. “Because they’ve been friends since childhood. And Rowan is just a friendly pup, eager to build relationships. He means no harm, Vanya.”

“You can’t be serious,” she shot back, turning to Randall. “What’s next? Taking away my fucking phone privileges? I’m twenty-four years old, not some rebellious teenager.”

Celeste arched a brow but said nothing. She hated swearing. One of the few things she and Vanya’s mother had in common.

Randall exhaled slowly. “I know you prefer working alone, Vanya, but Killian got into your head. That’s not something I can just ignore. I won’t risk it happening again.”

She swallowed down the urge to argue. Probably best not to mention that this wasn’t the first—or even the second—time Killian had pushed into her mind. If they knew, they’d lose it.

“Yeah. I get it,” she muttered.

Randall nodded, then lowered his voice. “And no one else can know about Killian. Have you told anyone what happened?”

She shook her head. “No. I went straight to my room after I got back from the woods. Haven’t left until now.”

“Good,” he said. “Lord Alaric will be here in two days, and the Royal Council can’t catch wind of this—neither about Killian nor any other threats inside or outside our territory. Alpha Callum doesn’t want them intervening. If Killian is a threat, we handle it. No outsiders.”

Vanya nodded. “Understood.”

Celeste smiled again, but this time, something about it put Vanya on edge.

“And try to get along with Rowan,” Celeste said casually.

Vanya squinted at her. “Why?”

Celeste exchanged a glance with Randall before saying, “Since you weren’t born with a mate, your father and I believe it’s best if we find you a suitable life partner.”

“What?!?” Her blood practically boiled.

“Don’t worry, Vanya,” Celeste said smoothly. “Alpha Callum thinks it’s a brilliant idea.”

“Oh,I get it. And there’s nothing fucking brilliant about it, and you know it!”