Chapter 7: Her Secret

Wyatt's POV

"Alpha, the Sterling family has sent an invitation to their family celebration ball. Shall I send your regrets?" My Beta Logan walked in, holding a white envelope. Inside was a handwritten invitation from Duke Sterling.

The vast expanse of the Moonshadow Pack's territory rose in my mind. The corner of my mouth curved ever so slightly. "Tell the Gamma wolves to let them know I'll be there on time. I'll have important matters to discuss with Duke Sterling when I arrive." Logan's eyes lit up a little. He gave me a knowing smile.

"Wyatt, that she-wolf seemed to be heading in the direction of the Sterling family." Kael's voice drifted through my mind. I glanced at Logan and gestured for him to leave. Then I let out a somewhat weary sigh. "Come on, Kael. Stop chasing after she-wolves and losing your mind over some mate, man." I said dryly in my head. Kael went quiet after that.

The next few days, I threw myself into Alpha training. I tried to channel my full focus, but Kael didn't cooperate with me once. I figured he was genuinely angry this time. I felt a little awkward about it. Maybe I had overreacted — though I couldn't quite explain why, but every time he brought up that she-wolf, the memory of that hurried silhouette and the feeling of being drawn to her against my will left me inexplicably irritated. Kael seemed to have sensed something in her — a mate's pull. But my reason told me that was not a good thing. The Luna of the Darkridge Pack would come from the Sterling family. And judging by how threadbare she looked, she was probably some servant's child. I rubbed my hair in frustration. Whatever the case, she could not be the Luna of the Darkridge Pack. Unless — she had a hidden identity. A noblewoman of some kind...

I fixed my eyes on the Pack banner rippling in the wind in the distance, brow furrowing, eyes going distant. That she-wolf did carry herself with an uncommon quality — something aristocratic in the way she held herself. Had I seen her somewhere before?

"— Wyatt, what are you thinking about?" Logan's voice came from behind me. I turned to see him walking toward me, Serena following a step behind. She was wearing a mint blue halter top with a long white skirt, her toned, supple waist on full display. She had spent that summer vacationing in Hawaii and come back with a beautiful bronze tan, glowing now in the evening light like gold catching the last of the sun. I couldn't help but smile. Serena was genuinely exceptional — smart, beautiful, and well-bred. If the Darkridge Pack needed a Luna, she was nearly the perfect choice.

"Wyatt, I heard you're going to the Sterling family ball. Can you take me with you? You know you never go to these things — this is your first time. I absolutely have to dance the first dance with you." Serena said with a playful pout. I looked at the light in her eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry, dear. The Sterling family only extended the invitation to me. Logan won't be going either. But don't worry — I won't be dancing with any other she-wolves. I'm only going to discuss a Pack alliance with Duke Sterling." Serena pouted for a moment, then broke into a bright smile. I was even more pleased. "She really is well-suited to be Luna, isn't she?" I said to Kael in my mind. But Kael said nothing.

Time passed quickly. On the day of the Sterling family ball, the Darkridge Pack was in the middle of Gamma wolf assessments. By the time I rushed from the training grounds to the Sterling villa, the ball had already started. My arrival brought it to a brief halt — the butler announced Alpha Wyatt's entrance at full volume. Honestly, I was never particularly fond of having my status emphasized, even though I understood it mattered. Which was admittedly contradictory. Sometimes it did weigh on me. As the Alpha's heir, I had trained under the harshest conditions since childhood. A Pack needed an Alpha who was rational, resolute, and unsentimental. Steadying the Pack was the Luna's role. My purpose was to ensure the Pack never fell into chaos or found itself under threat. On that count, even the Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack — praised by the Alpha King himself as the most courageous — had failed in the end.

Kael let out a low, satisfied rumble in my mind.

"— Mate!"

My steps stopped. Mate? Her — the she-wolf from the full moon gathering. She was holding a tray with a few empty glasses on it, head down, quietly making a face to herself. I knew what she was doing. I had seen that kind of play too many times before. She looked up, her eyes met mine — confusion shifting into stubbornness — and then she turned away with a show of indifference. The hem of her skirt brushed lightly against the edge of my jacket as she passed. But I still caught it. A scent, faint and fleeting. Kael shuddered involuntarily in my mind. "Enough, Kael. Don't act like some lovesick pup." I warned the wolf in my head. But Kael was unmoved. "She wasn't playing you at all. If anything, Wyatt — what were you just grinning about? You're the lovesick one." I didn't bother continuing the argument. "Either way, Kael, stop distracting me. She can't be my mate. And right now, we need to go find Mr. Sterling and talk about the alliance."

I picked up a bottle of red wine and made my way toward Mr. Sterling, dealing with a few she-wolves who drifted over along the way. Cutting through the crowd, I spotted Alexander already standing at the entrance to Mr. Sterling's study. "So the Crimson Howl Pack is making moves too." I said quietly to Kael. "Alexander is like a hyena that's caught a scent. If Mr. Sterling hasn't lost his mind in his old age, he should understand who the stronger ally is." Kael murmured back, a dangerous edge in his voice. I put on a composed, courteous expression and gave Mr. Sterling a slight nod. "Wonderful event, Mr. Sterling." Alexander looked at me with a half-smile, leaned casually toward Duke Sterling's ear and murmured something, then walked off without so much as acknowledging me. I cast a measured glance at his retreating back.

"Alpha Wyatt, thank you so much for coming. I hope you're enjoying the ball — though I notice you haven't danced." Mr. Sterling said, unhurried.

"Oh, I've never been particularly good at it, as you know." He laughed at that immediately. "A Alpha as formidable as yourself, and yet so gracious and measured in manner — I can hardly imagine how powerful the Darkridge Pack will become."

"In fact, it's precisely the Pack's future that brings me here, Mr. Sterling."

Mr. Sterling seemed to have anticipated as much. He gave the butler a quiet look. "Alpha Wyatt, please wait for me in the upstairs study. I'll be right up." The butler stepped forward and extended a hand toward the staircase. "This way, Alpha Wyatt." I followed him up — and then, suddenly, I spotted a figure below, running forward. It was that she-wolf. What was she doing?

"Alpha Wyatt, is something the matter?" the butler asked, puzzled. "It's nothing. I apologize — I realize there's something I still need to attend to. Please let Mr. Sterling know I'll come by to visit another time." With that, I headed back down the stairs. I wasn't sure why, but I had the distinct feeling that this she-wolf was carrying a secret she was keeping hidden.