Chapter 4 Elian

• "Stand up straight, Seraphine," my mother whispers, adjusting the silver circlet in my hair. "And smile. You look like you’re marching to your execution."
• "Aren’t I?" I mutter, earning her sharp look.
• Beyond the doors, dozens of suitors from the kingdom’s thirteen packs wait, eager to claim the daughter of the fallen Beta. My mother preselected thirty of them.
• The “finest wolves.”
• To me, they’re just thirty reasons to wish I was training in the yard instead.
• "This is for our future," she insists. "Your father and brothers would want you happy, not drowning in war."
• My jaw tightens. Father trained me for war.
• The doors swing open, and she steps forward with Beta’s pride still in her spine. "Gentlemen," she announces, "you are in the presence of a Velkan. Behave accordingly."
• Alpha King Aldrich sits to the side, smirking as though the whole spectacle amuses him.
• “First suitor,” a servant announces.
• The first enters with a puffed chest. "My pack has the finest hunting grounds."
• "Do you actually hunt them yourself?" I interrupt.
• He stammers. "Well, I—"
• "Next."
• The second doesn’t even sit before boasting, "Our pups will be legendary,"
• "Already breeding me? Next."
• By the fifth, it’s all the same: lands, wealth, bloodlines. Emogen’s growls keep me sane. “Soft hands. Fear scent. Not one could last a round against us.”
• Then comes Thorne. Black hair slicked back, amber eyes sharp but evasive. He doesn’t strut. He studies.
• “I’ve heard of your prowess, Red Phantom,” he says smoothly. “Your wolf is said to be the most unique in centuries. Together, our lines could produce warriors fit for kings.”
• And there it is. I glare. "Is that all you see in me? A womb for your dynasty?"
• His mask slips for an instant. I dismiss him with a wave. "Next."
• By the time the twentieth suitor leaves, my mother storms in, her patience unraveling. "You’ve rejected every one. Please, Seraphine, at least try with the next."
• "Who is it?" I sigh.
• "Elian. Son of Beta Nathaniel from the Eastern Shadow Pack. Healer, not warrior, but his bloodline is strong."
• Her eyes plead with me. I nod. "Fine."
• The man who enters is nothing like the rest. Tall but not imposing, hazel eyes warm instead of hungry. He bows.
• “Seraphine Velkan. I’m honored.”
• “Are you?” I ask dryly. “Most only want the Red Phantom.”
• A small smile. “I’d rather meet Seraphine.”
• It disarms me. I gesture to the chair. “Sit. Tell me about yourself.”
• “I’m a doctor. Trained with the Moon Priestesses in the north. I patch up the heroes after battle.”
• I laugh despite myself. “Fair enough.”
• He mentions knowing Aiden once, treating him for a wound. My chest aches at the memory, but his words are gentle. Respectful.
• “Why are you here, Elian? You don’t seem like the others.”
• “Truthfully? My father insisted. I don’t expect anything.” His hazel eyes hold steady. “No thunder in my blood when I met you. Did you feel any?”
• “No,” I admit.
• “Then we’re not fated. And that’s fine. I’m here because you looked like you needed a friend, not another suitor. If you chose me, though—I’d be loyal, even without fate.”
• “Why give that up?” I ask.
• “Because sometimes choice is more powerful than fate.”
• For the first time all day, I’m speechless.
• A knock at the door. My mother beams in the doorway. “Well?”
• I glance at Elian. Koda’s words echo: Sometimes the best way to fight isn’t on the battlefield.
• “No need for more,” I say. “I’ve chosen.”
• Mother clasps her hands, delighted. “The wedding will be tomorrow.”
• When she leaves, Elian leans forward. “You don’t have to go through with it.”
• “No,” I say, surprising myself with certainty. “I made my choice.”
• Emogen stirs, grudging approval in her growl.
• “Not fated. But he sees us. Perhaps that’s enough.”
• I nod, both to her and to Elian. In a world that had taken nearly everything from me, perhaps this choice was the only victory I still had.
• Yet one question burns as the hall doors close:
• If I ever meet my true mate, will this choice survive?