The Lycan King's Arrival

Corbin’s POV

I adjusted my tie in the mirror, letting out a harsh breath. It had been exactly one month since my father died. That meant today was the day I marked Sloane Mercer as my mate and took over as Alpha of the Bloodstone Pack. I stared at my reflection, feeling nothing but dread. My life had spiraled downhill, and I hated knowing this numb misery was my new reality.

I pushed the dressing room door open and stepped into the grand hall. The loud chatter instantly died down. Hundreds of eyes locked onto me.

My mother stepped up beside me, smoothing out the lapels of my dark suit. "Give them a smile, Corbin. Just a small one."

I forced the corners of my mouth up.

She patted my chest. "Good. Congratulations in advance, son."

I walked toward the altar. Elder Whitman’s deep voice echoed through the silent room.

"Today, we gather to witness the mating of Corbin Lowell and Sloane Mercer. This union will solidify our pack’s alliances and secure our future."

I turned my head to look at Sloane. Her eyes sparkled with undisguised excitement. But my mind betrayed me. My thoughts immediately drifted to Valerie. I remembered the raw pain on her face and the tears streaming down her cheeks when I broke her heart. Where was she right now? Had she moved on? A bitter taste coated my tongue as I recalled the night she returned home reeking of another man’s scent. Regret gnawed at my chest.

Elder Whitman pulled my attention back. "Corbin Lowell, do you accept Sloane Mercer as your mate, promising to protect and cherish her?"

I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat. "I do."

Sloane’s bright smile wavered for a split second before she masked it.

"Sloane Mercer, do you accept Corbin Lowell as your mate, promising to stand by his side as Alpha?"

"I do." Her voice rang out clear.

The elder pronounced us mated. The grand hall erupted into deafening applause. I leaned in and pressed my lips against Sloane's for a brief, perfunctory kiss. There was no spark. Just duty. I was seconds away from officially wearing the Alpha title, but the cost felt unbearable.

Valerie’s POV

I stood near the back double doors of the grand hall, watching the ceremony with a heavy ache in my chest.

Victor leaned in and whispered close to my ear. "Corbin does not look happy at all. Tell me I am not the only one seeing this."

I nodded slowly. Corbin’s smile looked stiff and fake. The natural warmth he usually carried was gone. As Elder Whitman officially pronounced them mated, a sharp pang hit my heart. Why did this still hurt? The crowd broke into loud cheers. I forced myself to clap along, trying my best to blend in.

The applause died down. A sudden, chilling hush swept over the hall. The air grew thick with raw power. The heavy doors at the far end of the hall swung open. A towering figure stepped inside. I could not see his face through the crowd, but a strange shiver ran down my spine. That dark, overwhelming aura felt familiar. Had we met before?

The sheer dominance rolling off the man forced every wolf in the room to submit. Every head bowed down instantly. I dropped my chin to my chest. The silence was suffocating. The rhythmic, heavy thud of King Maverick’s boots against the marble floor echoed loudly. I assumed he was walking straight to the altar.

Instead, the heavy footsteps stopped right in front of me. Large, dark leather boots filled my vision.

The deep, gravelly voice echoed through the room. "Rise."

I lifted my head along with the rest of the pack. I blinked, and the breath vanished from my lungs. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. The man standing before me was the stranger. The man with the piercing blue eyes from my wet dreams. The mysterious savior who pulled me from the alleyway. The man I threw up on. He was standing right here, oozing terrifying power.

Our eyes locked. A massive jolt of electricity shot straight through my veins.

I stuttered out the words. "You are the Lycan King?"

Black dots danced across my vision. The room spun, and the ground disappeared beneath my feet as I collapsed.

"Valerie! Wake up!"

The panicked voices echoed through the fog in my mind. I groaned and fluttered my eyes open. Victor wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. We were sitting on a plush sofa in a quiet side room off the grand hall. My mother paced near the closed door.

Victor pulled back and checked my face for injuries. "Why did you faint like that?"

I shifted my gaze between Victor and my pacing mother. Panic gripped my throat. How could I explain that I vomited all over the most powerful Lycan in the world? He was definitely here to punish me. Until this exact moment, I had secretly craved seeing him again. Now that I knew his true identity, I regretted ever crossing paths with him.

I swallowed hard and forced a weak smile. "I am fine. I just felt a little overwhelmed by the crowd."

My mother stopped pacing and narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you sure the Lycan King did not do anything to you? I have heard terrifying rumors about his temper. Maybe he did something."

I shook my head quickly. "It is nothing, Mom. I promise he did not touch me. You both should head back out to the party."

Victor grabbed a wooden baseball bat and placed it across his lap. "No way. I am not leaving you in here alone. What if he comes back and tries to hurt you?"

I let out a nervous giggle. "He will not do that."

My mother sighed and returned to the grand hall to handle her Beta duties. Victor stayed firmly glued to his seat beside me, refusing to move. I sat in silence, my mind racing with terrifying thoughts of the King.

Two agonizing hours passed before the heavy door finally opened. My mother walked back into the room. Her face was pale, and her expression was unreadable.

I sat up on the edge of the sofa. "What is wrong, Mom?"

She kept her voice low. "King Maverick is in the boardroom right now. He is meeting with the board of Elders, the former Luna, and Corbin."

I pushed for more, knowing there was something worse. "And?"

My mother took a slow, shaky breath. "He wants to see you…"