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“That’s because she used magic to heal you when fever set in,” Tannin said, his eyes widening meaningfully. “You were almost dead. Literally.”

My pulse spiked, furious heat exploding in my chest. “She’s a Wielder?! A Wielder and the princess, and you still let her live!”

He shushed me loudly, holding up both hands. “Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “She saved your life—both our lives! Like it or not, we owe her a life debt. Only a mongrel bites the hand that feeds it, and we are not mongrels.”

I didn’t like his chiding tone, but he was right. The laws of our pack were ironclad, and as the Alpha, it was my solemn duty to uphold them flawlessly. We couldn’t kill her after she’d saved our lives, no matter who or what she was. And that posed a unique problem.

“What do you propose we do with her then?” I asked behind gritted teeth, folding my arms obstinately over my chest.

He sighed, a hint of resignation in his eyes. “We continue as planned. When the moon rises tonight, you can call the pack and invite them to come. When they do, we take the princess as a prisoner.”

A strange reluctance darkened his tone when he said the last part, and I narrowed my eyes on him in suspicion.

“You don’t seem very pleased with that outcome,” I said accusingly.

This time, he did shirk, but only slightly. “She has been nothing but kind to me—to us—since the moment she opened that door. She’s an innocent, and if she weren’t the princess, this wouldn’t even be a problem.”

Righteous anger cracked inside me like a whip. “Innocent? She’s the descendant of the very monarchs who betrayed and slaughtered our people, who banished us from this kingdom and forced us into the wastelands. And if she knew what we were, do you really think she wouldn’t use that magic of hers to do the same?”

He frowned and looked down at the carpet. “I don’t know.”

The tension in my shoulders loosened as I looked at him, my anger cooling. Tannin always was a more compassionate wolf than most, and I admired that about him, but now wasn’t the time for it.

I walked up to him and put a comforting but firm hand on his shoulder. “I understand your moral struggle, brother. But we must consider what’s best for the pack before all else. Justice will prevail, one way or another. The right path will make itself known.”

He nodded.

“In the meantime, I think I’ll explore the castle, get myself acquainted with our new home.” I patted his back and strolled toward the stairs.

Despite the layers of dust that coated every surface, this palace was even more beautiful than the stories I grew up on suggested.

White marble floors with gold veins. The walls were smooth cream-colored plaster with embossed coffers and crown molding along the vaulted ceiling and bordering the archways between rooms. And the grand staircase to the upper level was truly stunning, with rails of thick, polished cherry wood, and each step was layered in the same marble as the floor.

Every inch of this place had been lovingly crafted with expert craftsmanship for the highest of royalty, and as I walked up the stairs, for the first time in my life, I felt like I was home.

For too long, my people had been living in shabby huts in the farthest reaches of the northern forest, scrounging for food and living like humble savages. No more. Never again.

After I made my moon song tonight, it would only be a matter of days before the pack came in droves to live in the luxury that had been stolen from them all those generations ago. Soon, the streets of Varinya would be filled with frolicking pups, and I could hardly wait.

I took my time venturing through the castle and inspecting each room, making mental notes of which of my highest-ranking pack members might reside in which bedroom. There were so many.

Honestly, my entire pack could live in the castle comfortably, but it would be wrong to let the surrounding homes go unoccupied, and I had to leave room for the ranking families to grow.

Plus, there were also guestrooms to consider. Once we established ourselves as the new kingdom, there would be trade opportunities with neighboring kingdoms, and we’d need places for those dignitaries to stay.

In the upper levels, where the royal chambers were situated, I found the girl in one of them, hastily making the massive canopy king bed. I leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

I couldn’t deny that she was beautiful. The tight purple dress she wore flattered her body perfectly, sinching around her thin waste and giving way to the wide curves of her hips below and pushing up her supple breasts above.

If she had only been a villager, or a handmaid perhaps, we could have offered her asylum, maybe even wed her to one of my generals.

Or I could take her for myself.

Potent desire flared inside me at the thought, even as I recoiled in disgust. She was the blood of my enemy, no more worthy of sharing my bed than the lowest omega. Why would such a loathsome notion even occur to me?

And why did the idea of her in the arms of another man fill me with murderous rage?

She turned and startled at the sight of me. “Oh! Sorry, you scared me.”