KING ALDRIC KENSINGTON POV:

The mask hit the polished oak of my desk with a wet smack.

Rain lashed against the tall windows of my study in the royal palace, a pale imitation of the fury storming inside me. My inner wolf was snarling, demanding I hunt down that pathetic excuse for an Alpha, Bennett Carlisle, and tear him limb from limb.

I closed my eyes.

Her face appeared behind my lids. Those ice-blue eyes, filled with so much pain, so much humiliation, but still so stubbornly proud.

Celina.

Four years. I had waited four long years. I first saw her in the border forests, a flash of silver hair and fierce determination, and my soul had recognized her instantly. Mine.

But I was fighting for the throne then, my identity a weapon my enemies would have used against her. So I watched in silence as she was bound by that ridiculous political union to protect her pack.

I had to let it happen.

But I did not let it happen. On their wedding night, using means I must keep hidden, I ensured a sudden, urgent summons pulled Bennett from their marriage bed. It was all I could do then. I had to wait for the right moment.

"Playing your mysterious 'Ash' again?"

My Gamma, Gage Knight, strode into the room, his boots silent on the thick carpets.Gage was more than just a Gamma; he was my spymaster, a man raised in the shadows of the royal court whose network of informants spanned the entire continent. He bypassed me and poured himself a generous measure of my best whiskey.

"Is one married Luna really worth all this royal temper, my King?" he asked, his eyebrow raised in amusement.

I spun on him, letting the cold fury bleed into my gaze. "She is not just any Luna, Gage. She is my future Queen."

Gage's hand froze midway to his lips. The mockery vanished from his face, replaced by grim seriousness.

"Aldric, you need to think this through. Stealing a subject's wife... the Elders will never approve."

The Elders. A council of old wolves clinging to tradition.

A cold smile touched my lips. I walked to the massive window, looking down at my kingdom, sleeping under the rain.

"I don't need their approval," I said, my voice low. "I just need a reason. One that leaves them with nothing to say."

My gaze fell back to my desk, to a secret report on the Carlisle Pack's finances. They were drowning in debt, kept afloat only by Celina's dowry.

"Bennett Carlisle is a fool, and his mother, Betsey, is a greedy imbecile. They were given a goddess's treasure and have treated her like dirt."

Gage came to stand beside me, his eyes following my gaze to the report. Understanding dawned on his face. "So, you're going to destroy them?"

"No," I said, shaking my head slowly. The smile on my lips turned sharper, colder. "I'm going to let them destroy themselves."

I reached into my coat and pulled out a small square of silk. It was damp, carrying the faint, sweet scent of lilies that was uniquely Celina's. It was the handkerchief that had fallen from her sleeve. I had picked it up when no one was looking.

I brought it to my nose, inhaling deeply. Her scent was the only thing that could calm the beast raging inside me.

Gage watched me, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're completely insane."

I ignored him, carefully folding the damp silk and placing it in the inner pocket of my tunic, right over my heart.

Where my Luna belonged.

I turned back to him, the Alpha King once more, all emotion locked away behind a mask of cold authority.

"Gage."

"My King."

"I want eyes on the Carlisle estate. Especially on the Omega, Daisey, and her child."

"Want me to arrange an 'accident'?" Gage asked, making a crude slicing motion across his throat.

"No. Not yet," I commanded. "Celina will deal with them herself. My mate doesn't need me to fight her dirtiest battles for her."

My fingers tapped against the signet ring on my thumb, the royal seal of the Kensington line. A quiet, rhythmic sound in the silent room.

"What I need," I said, my voice dropping to a predatory whisper, "is to ensure that when she reaches for a sword, mine is the first one placed in her hand."

Gage understood. He gave a single, sharp nod. "As you wish."

He turned and left, leaving me alone in the vast study.

My eyes were drawn back to the window, my gaze traveling past the rain-slicked rooftops, toward the distant Carlisle estate.

Celina. My mate. Your humiliation will end soon.

I will lay this entire kingdom, and myself, at your feet.

But first, you must become the phoenix I know you are. You must rise from these ashes on your own.

CELINA BEAUMONT POV:

After a long and silent ride, the carriage stopped before the grand, imposing doors of Carlisle Manor. I took a deep breath, handing the mysterious stranger's cloak to Lana.

"Keep this safe," I ordered.

Then, with my spine straight and my head held high, I walked into the gilded cage.

I didn't go to my chambers. I walked directly to the great hall. I knew they would be there.

And they were. Bennett, Daisey, and his mother, Lady Betsey Carlisle, were gathered before the roaring fireplace like a happy family.

Lady Betsey, the former Luna who had driven the Carlisle pack to the brink of ruin through her lavish spending and vanity, now desperately clung to whatever societal power she had left. She viewed my dowry as her personal treasury.She was dangling a silver rattle in front of the baby while Daisey cooed at the infant in her arms. Bennett watched them with a sickeningly fond expression.

The moment I entered, a hush fell over the hall. The servants froze, their eyes darting nervously toward me. The butler bowed, a flicker of pity in his eyes.

Lady Betsey spoke first, her small, calculating eyes sweeping over my damp dress with disdain. "It is unbecoming of a Luna of the Carlisle Pack to return so late. What will people say?"

I ignored her. My steps were silent on the marble floor as I walked directly to Bennett. I met his gaze, my ice-blue eyes locking onto his.

"Bennett," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

A frown creased his handsome face. "Celina, watch your tone. Daisey and Wyatt have had a long journey. They need to rest."

Wyatt. He had named the child.

He was admitting to it all, right here, and demanding I show his mistress and bastard son consideration.

Daisey immediately adopted a frightened posture, shrinking behind Bennett. "Alpha Bennett, it's all my fault," she whimpered. "I shouldn't have disturbed the Luna..."

A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips. I turned my gaze on her. "Does a pack's business involve the opinion of an Omega mistress?"

Her face flushed a deep, blotchy red. Tears welled in her eyes, making her look pitiable and wronged.

Bennett's protective instincts flared. "Celina! That's enough! Daisey is Wyatt's mother, and he is my blood! A Carlisle!"

"Is he?" I let my voice rise, carrying across the silent hall to the servants who stood with their heads bowed. "As I recall, according to the laws of the packs and the kingdom, only a child acknowledged by the Luna—by me—can be entered into the family records."

I watched with satisfaction as Bennett's face went blank. He was a warrior, not a scholar. He didn't know the ancient laws as I, a Beaumont, did.

I seized the advantage, turning to the butler. "Arrange a room for our... guest... and her child in the west wing. A guest room."

The butler hesitated, glancing at Bennett, but my authority as Luna was absolute in household matters. "At once, My Luna," he bowed.

Lady Betsey shot to her feet. "Celina Beaumont! How dare you! Wyatt is my grandson! They will stay in the main house!"

"Oh?" I turned to her, my expression one of polite inquiry. "Lady Betsey, you seem to have forgotten who is the mistress of this estate. Are you questioning my authority in my own home?"

Her face tightened. The public threat to her pride worked, as I knew it would. The Carlisle Pack was a hollow shell, propped up by my family's wealth. The truth of it silenced her.

I walked until I stood over Daisey, looking down at the infant she clutched to her chest.

She flinched, pulling the baby closer as if I meant to harm him.

"Remember your place, Omega," I whispered, my voice low enough that only she could hear. "If you remain quiet and cause no trouble, you and your son might be allowed to live in peace. But if you start wanting things that do not belong to you..."

I left the threat hanging in the air. She shuddered.

Bennett had finally had enough. He grabbed my wrist, his Alpha's dominance washing over me in a wave of pressure. "Celina, don't push me."

I ripped my arm from his grasp, unafraid. My own Alpha blood, though I was female, gave me the strength to stand against him. "Push you? To do what? Perform The Rejection? Go ahead. I am waiting."

He was stunned into silence. He couldn't reject me. He wouldn't. Not when he needed my money and the influence of the Beaumont name.

I smoothed my dress, acting as if the entire confrontation had been nothing more than a tiresome interruption.

"Lana, let's go."

I turned my back on them and walked away. Lana hurried to my side, draping a dry cloak over my shoulders.

Behind me, I could feel three sets of venomous eyes boring into my back.

Back in the safety of my chambers, the facade crumbled. I sank onto the sofa, exhaustion washing over me.

Lana brought me a cup of hot tea. "My Luna, you did the right thing. You are a daughter of the Beaumont Pack. You cannot let them walk all over you."

I took her hand, my resolve hardening once more. "Lana, this is only the beginning. Find the contact information for my father's solicitor."

My counterattack would not be fought with shouting matches in the hall.

It would begin with a formal petition for an Annulment of Union.