Chapter 4 Chapter four

Chapter 4

Ravenna's POV

The entire palace turned into a loud, messy madhouse before the sun even cleared the horizon.

Servants were running down every single hallway, carrying silver platters, heavy iron candelabras, and expensive silk banners.

I could hear the head cook shouting at the kitchen boys all the way from my small room, his voice echoing through the stone floors.

Everyone was rushing to prepare for the massive influx of high alpha lords arriving for the presentation ceremony.

I dragged myself out of bed, my whole body feeling heavy and exhausted from the lack of sleep.

I dressed quickly in my plainest servant tunic, making sure the fabric sat loosely over my left shoulder.

My fingers brushed against Julian's fresh mark through the cloth, and a tiny spark of comfort flared up in my chest.

He was going to be there, right at the front of the stage, waiting to claim me the second this day was over.

I picked up the heavy brass water basin from my washstand, balancing it carefully against my hip as I stepped out into the chaotic corridor.

My job this morning was to deliver fresh washing water to the royal parlor before my mother started her morning meetings.

I walked down the dark, narrow servant passages, using the secret wooden doors to avoid the busy main hallways.

When I finally reached the back entrance of the royal parlor, I stretched my arms out to push the hidden panel open.

But I froze completely when the sound of low, sharp voices drifted straight through the heavy wood of the door.

My heart dropped into my stomach, my breathing turning shallow as I recognized the cold tones.

It was my mother, Queen Valentina, and my sister, Princess Aurelia.

I stopped moving, my boots staying rooted to the floorboards as I carefully leaned forward to peer through the tiny crack in the panel.

They were standing right by the tall stained-glass window, the morning sun casting bright red and blue shadows across their faces.

Aurelia was playing with the lace trim of her expensive gown, while my mother paced back and forth with a dark scowl on her face.

They were talking about the three Lycan kings who ruled the northern wastes.

Caelan, Orion, and Sylas Draven.

Even the bravest alpha warriors in our kingdom turned pale whenever those terrifying names were mentioned in court.

"The northern savages are getting completely impatient, Aurelia," my mother stated, her voice tight with stress.

"Their messengers arrived at the border gates in the middle of the night, demanding our compliance."

"They are here to collect the royal bride promised to them under the old treaty and war debt, and they will not accept any more delays."

My blood turned to absolute ice in my veins as I listened to her words, the brass basin shaking slightly against my hip.

Aurelia let out a small, cruel laugh, her fake innocent eyes lighting up with a vicious smile.

"Let them take Ravenna then," Aurelia suggested carelessly, flipping a golden curl over her shoulder.

"She is practically a servant anyway. It is not like anyone in the court will actually miss her if she disappears into the ice."

My mother stopped pacing, turning her cold gray eyes toward my sister with a sharp, calculated look.

"That depends entirely on the sacred embers this afternoon, Aurelia," Queen Valentina explained, her voice dropping to a low hiss.

"If your sister turns out to be anything less than a dominant alpha during the presentation, her life belongs to the crown."

"I will not risk our kingdom's safety or your future for a defective child with a broken core."

"If she fails to present as an alpha, we will use her useless body as a political sacrifice to appease the Lycan court and satisfy the debt."

The discovery shattered my heart into a million jagged pieces, the pain so sharp I almost gasped out loud into the dark passage.

I felt like someone had just ripped the floor out from under my feet, leaving me hanging over a dark, empty abyss.

My own family.

My own mother and sister had spent weeks finalizing a dark, calculated plot to trade me away like a common slave.

They did not see me as a daughter or a sister; they just saw me as a worthless piece of meat to be thrown to the northern monsters.

They were completely willing to sacrifice my entire existence just to save Aurelia from ever having to face the northern beasts.

Aurelia’s smile widened, her teeth gleaming in the colorful light from the window.

"That sounds absolutely perfect, Mother," she purred, smoothing down her silk skirts.

"Either she becomes a tool we can control, or she becomes food for the savages. It is a win for us either way."

I could not take it anymore.

The air in the secret passage felt like it was turning to thick poison, suffocating my lungs until my throat burned.

I backed away from the wooden door as quietly as possible, my legs shaking so violently I thought I was going to collapse right there.

I turned around and stumbled back down the dark servant corridor, my vision completely blurred by hot, angry tears.

I barely managed to sneak back to my small room without dropping the heavy brass basin, my hands trembling with a terrifying mix of intense grief and boiling rage.

I slammed my door shut and set the water down, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps as I gripped the edge of my washstand.

I looked down at my reflection in the water, my teeth chattering from the sheer shock of what I had just overheard.

They wanted to break me.

They wanted to throw me away to the wild wolves of the north because they thought I was weak.

I reached up with a trembling hand, pulling the neck of my tunic aside so I could look at the faint, purple mark Julian had left on my skin.

The bite felt warm against my cold fingers, a physical reminder of the promises he had made me under the moonlight.

"Please," I whispered into the empty room, my voice cracking into a desperate prayer as I stared at the wall.

"Let the Oracle be right. Let my wolf wake up today."

I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching the mark on my

shoulder until my nails dug into my skin, praying with everything I had left for my alpha strength to show.