Chapter 4

• Cain's point of view.
• I discover my father conversing with my mother. They are having a low conversation and seem deeply disturbed by something. They look up long enough for their golden eyes to show concern. Something is bothering them to the point where their beasts are approaching the surface. When my father notices who is following me, he immediately conceals his concern. I swivel my head. Curious.
• "Cain," my mother says, reaching out for me and pulling me into a hug. I hug my mother, my chin resting on her head, while she hugs me a little more tightly than usual. I have only been in this embrace since a member of the lycan family died unexpectedly.
• A throat clearing causes me to turn around, revealing slightly unkempt silver ringlets.
• He bares his neck to me, his ocher eyes seeming tired of this formality. Given that he is a king, I would be as well. Marcus is Alpha King. His Luna, Sandra, is looking around the room, rather than at the people, as if she is looking for something. She is nearly as tall as her companion, but she is still on her tiptoes looking for someone.
• Xander places his hand on his mother's shoulder. "Cielo is in her room, Mom. Lucas texted me just now. He is standing outside her door, under orders to keep an eye on her."
• "Is Lucas,"
• "Yes Mom, he is mated," sighs the soon-to-be Alpha King, irritably. "Relax now. She is jet-lagged because her plane just landed. She is doing just fine." So their unmated daughter is the source of the Luna's anxiety. I would be concerned about my daughter as the Claiming Ceremony approached.
• Her concern, however, will be in vain. A female rarely emerges unmarked.
• The Alpha King clears his throat once more, bringing the conversation to a halt. "King Exzel, have you decided what action you want to take against the rogue lycans?"
• That piqued my interest. "Lycans? Are you certain they are involved?"
• My father gives me a nod. "Unquestionably, Cain. There was even a rogue lycan who used Wolfsbane to attack the Alpha Princess. Her arm bears a lycan mark. She also captured it on film."
• "Did she?" Marcus inquires, piqued. "Nothing caught my eye."
• My father grins, "Your eyes would have missed it, but did not you see it in that last picture?"
• Marcus shakes his head, irritated. "It was just hazy."
• "Exactly. When the lycan attacked her, she dropped it."
• Marcus pulls out his phone and looks through some pictures, still irritated with my father. My father picks up the phone and points to an empty wall. He quickly pulls out a thin device and connects it to Marcus' phone, projecting the image on the empty wall. He hands my mother the phone and walks over to the picture.
• "This was before her attack." I examine the image. It is just outside the burned-out pack house. It is now just rubble. Only a few walls remain, but there are charred pieces of broken glass, burnt wood, and ash. When I notice something behind the shattered window in the corner, I stiffen. A man with blonde hair is staring at her, as if he is looking for her.
• He has a feral grin on his face as he stalks her silently. In the opposite corner of the image, I notice a man with pale blonde hair. He can not possibly be the man in the window. He is wearing the Alpha King's colors, so I am assuming he is her escort.
• My father gives me a smile of approval. "Do you see it, Cain?"
• "See what?" Xander demands, clearly annoyed.
• "The man in the window," I say almost reluctantly.
• "Man?"
• My father takes command and points to him. "In this image, you wolves are too close to the source of pain. Lycans can stare down destruction without even flinching, making abnormalities stand out even more."
• My father changes the image to a completely blurry mess. I stare at it, intently studying it. In the dead center, I can see the colors of the previous windowed man's hair. His jaw is open, and another oddity strikes me.
• His claws have a slight purple tinge to them. " Wolfsbane. During the assault, she photographed her attacker." I look at my father while the others stare, trying to see what I see. This man is well-known to both my father and me. Has he informed them yet? "How is she still alive?"
• My father grins. "She killed him," my entire body tightens like a springboard.A werewolf assassinated a lycan? "How badly is she hurt?" Is this the true reason Luna Sandra appears to be concerned?
• "She got a scratch and Wolfsbane poisoning," my mother explains quickly.
• She looks at the mother of the girl, then at me.
• She is telling me to keep my cool, but I am having trouble doing so.
• "H-how?"
• "She is the Alpha King's daughter," my father says solemnly, pressing his aura against me to force me to submit.
• Sandra's face is filled with horror as she realizes what has happened. She blinks several times before speaking after a few seconds. "Was he stalking my daughter? He intended to attack her?"
• "Yes, Sandra," my mother says as she approaches her. She cradles the upset Luna in her arms, allowing her to wail.
• "What do these scumbags want with my daughter?" Marcus roars, his Alpha aura astounded us. It is powerful and makes my beast nervous. I soothe him, assuring him that the Alpha's sudden hostility is out of confused anger, and not means of an attack. "My guess is that being the Alpha King's only unmated daughter has something to do with it."
• "What are you trying to tell me?" He demands, his rage uncontrollable.
• "I believe the rogue werewolves and lycans intend to depose both of us, and they are attempting to secure that position by enlisting the world's most powerful werewolf female as their mate."
• "They are going to use my daughter as a breeding pig," Marcus screams, his claws extending. His aura and voice are enough to make the entire room tremble.
• "Dad," Xander says as he grabs his father's arm.
• "My daughter will not mate with some pathetic piece of trash," Marcus roars. "And I will break every pathetic rogue neck that tries." He is on the verge of losing control of his wolf. His words echo his voice, blending into two tones.