Chapter 2

• Cielo POV.
• My father grins. "I heard your family will be there this year. Is Prince Ruben going to compete this year?"
• Exzel smirks proudly. "Ruben and Cain will be at the ball this year, but neither wants to take part in the Claiming."
• I exhale a silent sigh of relief. I am fine with werewolves. Lycans, on the other hand, are a completely different story. Lycans rarely find gifted mates, but they will almost always choose a lycan mate. It is not unheard of for them to take part in the Claiming. I do not mind if they want to participate next year, but not this year.
• My father accepts his response with a nod. "I am sure there will be a few disappointed she-wolves if that is the case. However, I believe you are putting all the men to sleep tonight."
• Exzel is staring at my brother. "How about your family?"
• My father sighs and shakes his head. "My two youngest have made mates. Xander is the only one that hasn't, and he will be participating this year, along with his sister Cielo."
• That piques the interest of the Lycan King. "I assumed Xander was the only one who had not found his mate. Why is she taking part?"
• I speak before the others and thus control the conversation. "My exclusion necessitates the presence of my mate." Every single male stiffens as I take this opportunity to leave. I take a step back and stare at them. "I am afraid I must depart from the current subject."
• My father has a scowl on his face. "Please notify your mother that you have returned home, Cielo."
• I nod, bend slightly to show my neck, and exit the suddenly quiet and solemn room.
• As I walk out, I hear my father apologize for my early departure. I am not in the mood to talk about my heartbreak. It is common knowledge among werewolves.
• It is one of the reasons I am considered cursed. Every single person I have fallen in love with has met a terrible end. It is one of the primary reasons I decided to live alone. However, as a she-wolf, this is easier said than done.
• "Cielo!" I hear a shrill shout out.
• I grimace and turn to my left, only to realize I have passed the grand hall. My mother has decked it out with glowing stars, trees, and rustic wooden tables.
• She is making an effort to appear to be outside. Why can not we just go outside?
• My mother is standing next to a woman with long, dark brown hair.
• I can tell who the woman is based on her golden eyes and incredibly warm smile. The woman is tall, standing at five feet ten inches, almost as tall as I am.
• My mother and father are both six feet tall, and I have her long onyx-colored hair, but that is about it. Her indigo eyes are caring, and she smiles at me with her pale pink lips.
• "Cielo, come over here," my mother says, extending her arm to me. I approach her and she quickly wraps me in a loving embrace.
• She rubs my back while sniffing me. "Can you tell me what happened?" She demands, grabbing my arm. She quickly pushes up the long sleeve I am wearing, making me grimace. I got it past Dad, but I was naive to believe I could get it past her. She pulls up her sleeve, revealing a long slash mark. It is about the length of my forearm and two to three inches wide.
• My mother exhales in horror. "Can you tell me what happened?"
• I turn to look at the amused Lycan Queen. "I apologize on behalf of my mother. My name is Cielo, and I am her eldest daughter."
• My mother ignores her and continues to examine my arm. The Lycan Queen smiles softly at me. "Hello, my name is Melia. We were just talking about security measures for the ball."
• "Cielo," my mother says, sniffing it and winced. "Wolfsbane?"
• I smile softly as I touch her hand. "Mother, it is only a few hours old. I discovered a rogue while we were investigating an attacked town. He charged at me, but I killed him before he could do much harm. We did not discover the Wolfsbane until after he died."
• "Why would a werewolf even come into contact with Wolfsbane?" While the queen examines my wound, my mother demands.
• Melia's eyes widen as I say, "I did not say the rogue was a werewolf."
• "Are you saying a Lycan did this?" My mother squeaks.
• "It is definitely Lycan," Melia says as she examines my wound more closely. "And that is definitely Wolfsbane," my mother yells, making the queen and I both wince. She drags me out of the room while I plead with Melia.
• "Marcus," my mother yells as she returns to the conference room. I am about to pass away from embarrassment. "Would you mind explaining to me why you let our daughter go somewhere so dangerous?"
• "Sandra," My father warns with a growl.
• "Look at her arm," my mother responds, pointing to mine. "You said you would not hurt her."
• "What are you on about? Its sole purpose was to assess the wreckage." When he looks at my arm, his eyes darken. "Who did this to you, Cielo?"
• "A Lycan rogue," I respond, bored. "You can, however, unwind. He is no longer alive."
• "You? Did you kill a Lycan?" The King demands, again scrutinizing me.
• "Is it supposed to be difficult?" I inquire, batting my lashes at him.
• "She is the Alpha King's daughter, Exzel," Melia says as she enters the room. "You can sense her strength as much as I do. The Wolfsbane is what worries me."
• My father grimaces as he smells my wound. "I have never heard of anyone using Wolfsbane in one of these attacks."
• "Never once have these attacks left a rogue behind," Exzel muses, looking at his wife. "Are you saying you think this was deliberate?"
• "If it was a rogue Lycan wielding Wolfsbane, he had to have one goal in mind. Capture."
• "Considering their target, it would make sense to make a Lycan do it," Exzel says, looking at me. "I suspect their motivation if they wanted the Alpha King's unmated daughter."
• My spine tingles, and my father's eyes darken. "Did someone try to mate my daughter forcibly?"
• "It is just a theory," Exzel reassures. "You need to calm down before your temper takes over."
• I tuck my arm behind my back, removing it from his line of sight.
• "I am going to take a nap. I am a little tired from the day's events," I say with a pained smile.
• He nods absentmindedly as my mother goes to comfort her colleague. I nod to the lycan king and queen, leaving them to mull over what they have just learned. It is not like I was not going to tell them about my assault. I intended to tell them when my parents were alone. I had not counted on the Lycan King and Queen taking their time when I arrived. The fact that they have arrived completely surprised me. What brings them here?