THE SILVERLIGHT HEIR

A DarkFyre Prequel

Emma Cole

About The Silverlight Heir

Mariana is the Silverlight Heir and has journeyed to a gathering where she will choose her mate. Unfortunately, other individuals have their own agendas and she is the one to suffer the consequences of others’ actions. Find out how Mariana fits in the DarkFyre story coming soon!

Content Warning- Readers Discretion Advised

Prologue

20 years ago - Mariana

"You're my mate. It's humiliating for me that you took another. I'll challenge the little harlot and rip her throat out!" A slap of skin on skin drifted over to my hiding place along with the whine of the Alpha's mate. The new Alpha anyway, the previous one didn't even know he no longer held the position.

I pushed myself further into the shadows of the balcony and prayed the wind stayed in my favor. If either of them came out now, through the open glass doors, I'd be caught.

"You will not threaten me or Mari again; do I make myself clear, Katrina? If there's a next time, I'll dust the marks in silver, then everyone will know of your disobedience." Another whimper and I imagined Katrina cowering in fear.

The threat of permanent disfigurement to a female was the ultimate punishment, right above the implications of a second mate. She would never live down the stigma of it. I tried to feel sympathetic toward her, but I had my own issues after being hijacked before meeting my own mating candidates. She was more than welcome to keep the former Alpha's younger brother. I hadn't asked for him to mark and mate me.

I rubbed the constant reminder that took form in the scarred imprint of a bite on my nape. The former Alpha and a regiment of soldiers had been forced to meet and thwart an attack by the Shadow Clan led by the Vae himself. The leader of the elite vampire kiss was intent on stopping the binding of the Starlight Heir to any of the wolf shifter families, and it had left an opportunity the previous Beta couldn’t resist.

In every generation that an Heir was born, the vampires went into a frenzy to steal her power for their own agenda. Not that the wolves didn't have one as well but tradition dictated that one of the firstborn sons of the seven ruling families would mate with her, while the other six males would become her personal guard, and the Alpha seat was passed on to the next in line.

The birth of the Heir, the female who bore the mark of a star and crescent moon, was always marked by the males, her potential mating candidates, born in the same year. The vampires claimed they had a similar birthing portent, but as far as I was aware, it was always dismissed as rumor and ignored.

Hence one very irate vampire bent on capturing me before the ceremony. And the absence of my mating candidates.

The slamming of a door caught my attention, and I listened to the silence that followed for long moments. I was sure the room was empty, and this was the chance to make my escape. The new Alpha hadn't had time to indulge in rutting me as more than a few of the pack members had risen concerns over the arbitrary claiming of me by a second son, the former pack Beta. They took it as an omen of dark times ahead, and he had had to lock me in a room to deal with the situation. I’d used the opportunity to sneak out the window and jumped to the balcony next to it. Thankfully, the traveling contingent sent had instructed me to wear boots and sturdy pants with the explanation that I could change when I arrived since I needed to be in functional clothing until we reached the safety of the pack lands the ceremony was being held on. Not a fancy dress and high-heeled shoes. The hosting location of the ceremony was always changed, but the vampires still found out and always attacked.

Throwing a leg over the balcony railing, I worked my way down until I was left with no choice but to drop to the ground. As a shifter, the distance wasn’t an issue, but looking down at any drop from a height more than twice my own made my stomach flip. Pampered and protected, I wasn’t as in tune with my nature as others. At least the guards were watching for intruders to get in, not pack members trying to escape. Which is probably why I’d made it as far as I did. Being small, I made it through the gardens and crawled into the underbrush leading into the woods undetected. I didn't have to cover my scent as the guards would most likely ignore it and assume I was another soldier positioned in defense against the vampires.

I made my way painfully, slowly collecting scratches that healed rapidly and snags in my clothing and hair from sticks and twigs on the forest floor. Eventually, I’d made it far enough that I thought I could get up to make quicker time. By the time the forest gave way to empty fields, I’d realized my folly. My path had led me parallel to the road I’d come in on and also the direction the Shadow Clan was trying to infiltrate from. It was my bad luck to get the attention of one of the more powerful members of the kiss.

His tall form melted from the shadows—hiding where I’d only just passed. He was on me with his fangs sunk in my neck before my feet obeyed the urge to run. The smell of the blood attracted two others nearby, but the assailant tucked around my body refused to share. I scratched and kicked to no avail, but the rushing of the two other males made him withdraw from my neck and push me down to the ground so he could face them.

The instant he was engaged, I ran. And of course, they gave chase.

By now we had the attention of both sides, and from the yelling and advancement of the shifter soldiers, they knew who I was. I didn’t want to go back there, but death didn’t appeal to me either. The decision was removed from my hands as another vampire male melted into being directly in my path. This one was different from the others, and he didn't instantly attack. He glared at the wounds in my neck before tossing me over his shoulder and employing his speed to cross well behind the lines of fighting and into vampire territory.

My wolf attempted to surface, but another entity made itself known and prevented my shift. She slunk off with a whine while I attempted to push the thing out of my head.

"You cannot remove a part of yourself, Mari."

I was so surprised that it spoke to me that I momentarily forgot I was over the shoulder of a vampire and being kidnapped. Again.

Choosing to ignore whatever it was, I struggled, kicking and hitting my captor. Other than a tightening of his arms over my legs, he mostly ignored as we sped farther away from pack lands. My hair was coming loose from the bun I'd put it in, and long blonde pieces trailed after me like a banner. Eventually, the male slowed and set me on my feet but kept a hold of my arm. We were in someone's barn, and it didn't appear to have been in use for some time.

"Let me go! You have no right to take me!" I pulled against the vampire's grip, not understanding why strength had failed me. I was as weak as a human and becoming more terrified by the second.

The male’s eyes swirled with silver around his pupil while his fangs descended. Ignoring the side of my neck with the punctures, he dragged his nose up the other, inhaling my scent. Until he encountered the Alpha's bite on my nape.

"They couldn't have claimed you! I have them busy at the edge of the territory. Whose mark is this, girl?" He let go of my arm abruptly, and as I was still pulling away, my bottom promptly hit the dusty floor.

Unsure of what else to do for the moment, I answered him. "The Alpha's brother. The prior Alpha, I mean."

I may not have answered as far as the vampire standing over me was concerned. His head was cocked to the side, his gaze distant. With a snarl, his eyes focused, and he pounced on me.

"They're closing in. It's now or never– I refuse to lose this opportunity." The vampire unhooked his pants and shoved them down far enough to expose his semi-erect penis, and I knew what he had planned.

Scrambling back until I hit a stall door did me little good as he yanked at my pants. He didn't bother with my boots or even getting my pants down all the way, just flipped me over amid my struggles where he pinned me to the floor.

"I apologize that it has to be this way. Please forgive me and know I will make it up to you." With his last word, he sunk his fangs into my neck before withdrawing them to suck at the wounds they’d left.

His length hardened against my rear end, trying to slip between my legs only to find it completely dry. With a huff, his mouth left my neck, and his bloody wrist appeared in my vision. I tried to turn my head, but he held my head pinned with his other hand as he crushed my back to the floor with his chest.

"Drink." He smeared the blood across my closed lips, pressing until my teeth threatened to break through them. Only then did I surrender.

I was lost. His blood was like an inferno of desire washing through me.

"If our mating were not possible, my blood would not affect you so." The whispered words only added to my confusion and helplessness.

But the entity that had chased off my wolf perked up at the blood. I could feel it becoming stronger inside even as the smell of my arousal filled the air around us. The vampire bit me again, this time eliciting a soft moan from my throat, and found purchase with his dick between my thighs. He slid home, taking my innocence as he tried to seal the bond. Except the mark I'd already received from the Alpha was interfering, burning me from the inside out. My wolf appeared, snarling at the now-sated entity, but the damage was done. I climaxed as the vampire shot his seed deep inside me where he remained buried until the sounds of others approaching intruded.

Scrambling away when the vampire’s weight left me, I pulled my underwear and pants up as I ignored the commotion outside the barn. I was ruined. Had I stayed out in the pack compound, at least I wouldn't be in the situation I found myself in now. I wiped my eyes and nose in the sleeve of my shirt and tried to ignore the throbbing between my legs and in my neck. Escape from the vampires was all that mattered now. If the pack or my kin would even have me back after being defiled by one of the monsters.

Mind in disarray, I scanned the barn for a way out that didn't involve facing my captors. As I was trying to pry a loose board open enough to slip through, the noises outside changed. The snarl of a wolf, followed by several more, filtered in through the walls, and I knew the soldiers had arrived. I gave up on the board and braved the entrance to the barn. I wouldn't let them fight alone while I hid with my shame pooling in my underpants.

My wolf was at the forefront, and the entity was buried. The she-wolf was pissed and out for retribution. My fingertips lengthened into claws as I faced the unprotected back of the vampire that had defiled me, standing guard in front of the barn as he watched the skirmish between forces. At a glance, the wolves appeared to have the upper hand, but I didn't care about that. I was going to shred the bloodsucker in front of me.

Pushing off the ground with all my shifter strength behind me, I leapt at the vampire. He turned as if he'd known I was there all along, yet I still managed to land a swipe across his face, my claws opening furrows from his cheek to his jaw. I'd aimed for his neck, but he'd tucked his chin at the last moment. With satisfaction, I noted that they were deep enough to likely scar even as his hand clamped on my wrist to prevent further attack.

I screamed in his face as I swung with my other hand, but he caught that one too, and I resorted to kicking him to gain my freedom. Our scuffle brought the attention of both sides, and soon we were surrounded by shifters and vampires, each jockeying to reach me and my assailant who I continued to evade.

When it became apparent the wolves were going to overpower their foes, the male gave up, and at some unseen signal, the vampires began to disappear. He was the last to go with a forlorn look on his face directed at me as he melted into the shadows.

Now that the fight was over, I would have to face the consequences of my flight from the compound, and from the looks of horror and disgust on the faces of my nearest rescuers, they weren't going to care that I'd been running from the new Alpha.

Chapter One

"Quickly now, ma'am," the female attendant urged me from outside the shower door.

I couldn't even have the luxury of processing in a hot shower alone. No, mating candidates were all down in the meeting room, waiting to confront me for...well, everything.

After quickly washing, I opened the stall door to step into the towel the attendant held. I kept my stare fixed past her to avoid the disapproval written all over her demeanor. It wasn't like I'd chosen any of this, yet somehow it seemed I was the one to blame.

"You can go; I can dress myself." I didn't care to have the woman and her attitude around.

"Sorry, ma'am. Alpha's orders not to leave you unattended."

Of course. "Then you can wait by the door while I get myself ready." The woman started to protest, but I cut her off. "It wasn't a request," I gritted out. I could feel my wolf shining through my eyes, and that, more than the words, was probably the reason for her acquiescence.

I tried not to waste any time, quickly plaiting my hair back, exposing the savagery my neck had suffered in the last day. Let them all face what I had been forced to endure. The mating mark wouldn't fade, and the vampires had apparently been from one of the bloodlines that caused their venom to scar even with my rapid healing. I couldn't have had the luck to get bitten by one that wouldn't leave a mark. At least the soreness between my legs had already abated.

When I was ready, clothed in proper attire of dress and flats, I motioned the attendant to lead the way. Two flights of stairs and several turns down hallways, the cacophony of raised voices, more than there would have been with only the mating candidates, filtered out of a door.

The elders had arrived. I was sure they'd been waylaid by the same attack the suitors had gone out to deal with. I wondered if my parents were in attendance then mentally kicked myself. Of course, they were. They were the proud lower class that had birthed the Starlight Heir. After this, however, I didn't doubt they'd be mortified and ready to shun me at a moment's notice.

The attendant halted me in front of the meeting room door before knocking for admittance. A manservant stationed inside opened it and ushered me in while blocking the attendant. She seemed disappointed to be excluded from the proceedings, and I guessed she was hoping to have a front-row seat for gossiping later on. She could likely dine out for a month on it if she were to get all the information firsthand.

The room went silent as I hesitantly stepped inside. The new Alpha, Larimer, got up from his spot and started in my direction, but at his plain intent to stake his claim, I squared my shoulders and quickly made my way to one of the empty seats at the table. He may have arbitrarily claimed me, but I hadn’t been willing and was going to make that very clear. Several of the men near me stiffened as their nostrils flared and they took in the story of the scents on me regardless of the shower I had taken. Others blatantly stared at the marks on my neck, faces set in furious lines.

These men were to have been my suitors, and I would have picked the one most compatible with my wolf. Now that was an impossibility. The elders, not all old but the leaders of our species, sat at one end of the rectangular table. I needed them on my side as theirs would be the final say in my fate.

The one at the head of the table spoke first. “Mariana Crayton. Thank you for joining us after your ordeal. As the Starlight Heir, you should not have been in such a position. This meeting is to determine what, if anything, can be done to rectify matters.” He thanked me for coming as if it were a choice. At least I’d rather be present for whatever was decided.

“Thank you for allowing me to speak on my behalf, Elder Martin.” With my position, I’d had multiple occasions to meet the seven elders and had learned their names over the years.

“That is not quite how this is going to be conducted, Mariana. We will ask questions, and you will answer them.” Elder Balfor was a cranky bastard that had always rubbed me the wrong way, and the dislike seemed to be mutual.

“Technically, she’s my mate, and anything she needs to impart will go through me.” Alpha Larimer pounded a fist on the table, several seats down from me. From the glare aimed at him by a man who shared some of the same features, he wasn’t the only one who wanted to hit something.

Elder Balfor had a gleam in his eye I didn’t like. He pointedly asked Alpha Larimer his next question. “So as her mate you take full responsibility for her, no matter what?”

The Alpha gulped a bit nervously now, but he couldn’t back down without losing face. Well, more than he already had. “Yes, of course, Elder.”

The Elder in question nodded his head at his colleague, giving a terse, “Proceed.”

It seemed Elder Martin was going to be the one conducting the interview while the others observed.

“Mariana, when you arrived at the Silversbane compound, who were you escorted by?”

I wasn’t sure why that was relevant but answered him anyway. “Two guards sent out to meet our party and three female attendants I had traveled with. The rest of my retinue were guards, and they were directed to go assist forces already engaged with the vampires.”

Elder Balfor cleared his throat, pointedly looking at Elder Martin who nodded then steeled his expression before addressing me.

“Thank you, dear. From now on, keep your answers concise. If we need clarification, it will be addressed then.” I was taken aback by the rebuke from a man I’d been somewhat friendly with on prior occasions but again just nodded my agreement. “Upon entering the manor itself, who was present?”

“Larimer. Alpha Larimer.” I received a raised brow and pointed look at my elaboration but no comment otherwise.

“There were no other witnesses when you allowed the second son of the Silversbane Pack to claim you without a ceremony or meeting your other mating candidates?”

“What? No! That’s not what —” Elder Balfor held up a hand, halting my denial. Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to shed them in their presence. They were doing this on purpose. Quietly, voice thick with emotion, I answered, “No, there were no witnesses.”

“And when you were confined to your room, did you not disobey a direct order from your Alpha?” The men around me shifted uncomfortably. They knew what was happening too. And they were allowing it.

“Yes.” I glared at Alpha Larimer. This was all his fault.

“Did you flee the compound and attempt to escape pack lands to avoid the consequences of mating with Alpha Larimer, resulting in being attacked by vampires and having to be rescued at the detriment to the soldiers?” Even Elder Martin looked ashamed to ask the question.

“Yes, but—”

Elder Balfor interrupted. “You will be removed without further input on the decision if you do not cease trying to have your excuses heard.” I hated Elder Balfor. Dislike was no longer a strong enough word to describe what my wolf and I felt for the man. I grappled with her, trying to keep her calm when she wanted to retaliate against him. Shifting now would only give them more ammunition.

Elder Martin didn’t even look at me with the last question. “You received a mating bite from Alpha Larimer. Are you still a virgin?”

“No,” I choked out. Alpha Larimer’s head snapped in my direction. Surely they could smell the vampire on me and had gotten the account of the soldiers that found and escorted me back.

“It’s settled then,” Elder Balfour announced. “The Starlight Heir is bound to the Silversbane Pack, and Larimer is the new Alpha. As the ceremony and rituals were not observed, the covenants do not apply. Mariana will be second mate. The prior Alpha as well as all the Alpha mating candidates will be remanded into the ranks for the Elders. The second-born sons will all be promoted as the new Alphas as they have prepared for years for the ascensions and were not at fault here. All further responsibility for Mariana will be provided by Alpha Larimer. May the next cycle not be as disastrous as this one. Alphas, report to Elder McAvoy by morning and be prepared to leave. Dismissed.”

My wolf won the struggle. Fingernails and fangs elongated, and a roar came from me as I lunged through the departing men to attack my new mate. I scored a gash in his neck and must have hit my mark as blood fountained from the wound. Hands latched onto me, avoiding my kicks and lethal claws. I managed to bite one and got clubbed in the temple for my trouble. My wolf receded as did reality. Still in denial, my mind screamed as blackness overtook me.

I awoke in an unfamiliar room with sunlight streaming through a window. My body lurched upright in the bed as the events of yesterday bombarded me. At least I thought it was yesterday. By the lack of pain in my head and neck, it had been at least overnight. My healing abilities wouldn’t have worked any faster than that with the vampire bites.At the thought of the bites and the ruling of the Elders, my breathing became rapid. My wolf whined in commiseration in my head, and I felt the immediate urge to run, to escape. The room wasn’t small, but I needed to be outdoors.

As I slipped from the bed, I had to take in my state of dress. Or rather undress. Someone had put me in a nightgown with only panties underneath. Frantically, I dashed to the wardrobe on the wall, yanking open the doors to find more nightgowns and dresses. Leaving the doors open, I began pulling out the drawers underneath, coming across underthings and finally some basic tops and drawstring pants. They weren’t the serviceable clothing I had had before, but they would do. I hastily threw them on and found a bathroom behind a curtain as I searched for shoes. There weren’t any as far as I could tell, but I made use of the facilities and straightened out my hair that had been braided and tied off. I’d just have to go barefoot.

To my consternation, and my wolf’s, the door to my chamber was locked. A growl rumbled through my chest as I tugged on the handle. Abandoning that, I beat on the door.

“Someone open the door!” I yelled. Surely, I hadn’t been left alone.

After several minutes, my hope that someone would answer my pleas dwindled as did the strength in my legs. I slumped to the floor in defeat. There wasn’t a clock in the room, but by the movement of the sun across the window, I knew some time had passed.

“The window!” I jumped from my place on the floor to cross the room, and thankfully, the window was fully operational. My jubilance only lasted a moment when I registered that I was in one of the towers of the manor. Even with my wolf, a four-story jump likely wouldn’t turn out well. But people were visible. “Hey, someone let me out of here!”

Faces turned up in my direction, and finally, I had someone's attention. A guard yelled for me to get back in while another ran for the front of the manor and out of my sight. I pulled back in and went to wait at the door after closing the window.

It wasn’t long before footsteps were audible, followed by the sound of a lock being turned by a key. A guard and the Alpha stood on the other side of the door when it opened.

“Thank goodness. No one came, and I can’t stay in here a minute longer. Why am I locked up again?” The words poured out my mouth with the anxiety I still couldn’t dispel.

The Alpha didn’t look pleased though. “You’re locked in because I ordered it so. And you will not be leaving this room anytime soon.”

My face fell along with my stomach at the Alpha’s decree. “But why? The Elders said I was your mate, not your prisoner.”

“Do not think to defy me in my own home.” In the blink of an eye, the Alpha went from outside the door to inside and gripping my neck. I froze in fear in the face of his anger. “I’ll explain as I’m feeling lenient, but make no mistake I will have your obedience. My first mate was not pleased with your addition, and with the transition of a new Alpha, it seemed prudent to cede to her wishes on the matter. Apparently just the sight of you is humiliating for her. Besides, I want you here for when I have need of you. Do you understand?” His eyes dropped down, tracing along my curves to reinforce his meaning.

I nodded my head, unable to get enough air to speak. The Alpha seemed to realize my predicament and abruptly let go, leaving me to stumble and catch myself unassisted. After a few breaths punctuated with coughing, I rubbed at my bruised throat and blinked back tears.

“How long?” The whispered rasp hurt to push out, and I hoped it wouldn’t take long to heal. The Alpha hadn’t been exactly pleasant before, but now he was outright hostile.

“As long as it takes my first mate to become pregnant. That was her request to keep my household running smoothly. You can thank her for your accommodations as well since she wanted you out of sight. The perks normally afforded the mating of the Heir were not permitted. You’re destitute and now my responsibility. The exchange won’t be taking place either.” He appeared most put out by the second issue, and I knew why. The ceremony that completed the mating and heralded the exchange was to strengthen the entire pack and unlock the potential I carried.

Except there was one small problem with that, making the forfeiture of the exchange a blessing in disguise. I hadn’t felt the power, or what I now suspected was an entity inside me, since the incident in the barn. My silence must have been suspicious as the narrowed eyes of the Alpha honed in on the rapid pulse in my neck. I covered my realization by rubbing my throat again. It really was still bruised. Despite it all, I tried one more time.

“Please, can I go outside? I can’t stay in here; I’m going stir-crazy.” Even the guard, who had studiously pretended to ignore the scene, looked sympathetic at that. Locking a shifter indoors was usually reserved as a punishment or for protection in rare instances. I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Until further notice, you will remain in this room. A maid will be sent with meals and to clean the chamber.” The Alpha left, pulling the door shut behind him, and the sound of the lock engaging signaled the release of my tears.

I was a prisoner. A commodity. No longer the Starlight Heir. No longer did I have a future to look forward to. I collapsed face-first on the bed, sobbing at my situation.

That night was the first of many that I had one other visitor besides the maid. Every time after the Alpha left, for I'd never call him my mate, I'd glimpse the guard staring stoically at the opposite wall if I chanced to look. Then I'd scrub myself raw in the shower.

Chapter Two

Five weeks into my personal hell, I began having vivid dreams of blood, often starring the gushing neck of the mousy attendant that visited my room thrice daily. I'd wake up sweating and partially shifted only to run to the bathroom to throw up my dinner.

One night later that week the woman was doing her cleaning while I ate. Apparently, there had been an announcement earlier in the day that had kept her noon visit to a lunch drop-off only. The Alpha's first mate was finally expecting.

It was during her excited explanation that bloodlust consumed me, and I snapped, only to resurface hours later as the Alpha entered for his nightly visit to discover me covered in blood and the maid mauled.

"She's gone feral," came from the guard as I registered the copper tang suffusing my mouth, making it water for more.

I ignored the guard and the cold congealed blood of the dead maid as I eyed the pulse in the Alpha's neck. While he stood frozen in surprised horror, I launched myself at him, intent on getting to the liquid in his veins that sent a siren’s call to me. At the last moment, he came back to himself and batted me away even though the guard had been a second behind him in action. I landed in a crouch on the floor near the bed, growling and uncaring about the sight I must have made.

"Get the bindings." The Alpha never took his gaze off me as he gave his command to get the special silver-laced ties used to subdue unruly shifters. Or, like me, those lost to bloodlust. The words registered, but again I didn't care.

The Alpha approached slowly, and this time when I lunged at him, he caught me. He wrestled my flailing body to the floor, covering me with his larger frame and pinning my head to the ground with one hand while the other held both wrists above it so tightly that the pain from the grinding together of my bones briefly pulled me from my haze. Moments later, the smell of the blood in the room dragged me right back into my delirium.

The need for blood only got worse. To the point that I only vaguely noticed pressure lifting off and burning on my arms and legs then eventually something shoved in between my snapping teeth. Cognizant of being moved, I couldn't tell where I was going, but a short time later, a cold rush of fluid in my overheated neck gave way to a blissful floating.

Snippets of conversation occasionally intruded my serenity, but I couldn't make sense of them. Until suddenly, I could.

A woman's voice reached me, distorted but understandable. "She's definitely carrying. I performed the test twice and ran a sonogram. I'd estimate six weeks give or take a few days. I'm hypothesizing that her condition is a direct result of the fetus. She's highly anemic and should have a better diet as well as supplements. You know our females have a high risk from the short pregnancies as just yesterday I explained this to your mate. Uh, first mate. Apologies, Alpha." The voice sounded scared at the mistake.

"Find out what she needs and speak to no one of this. Do you understand?" There was a brief pause in which I imagined the woman nodding. "Keep her here and if my first mate shows up, do not let her find this one. Gods, she was supposed to conceive first." I finally found the will to crack my eyes open in time to see the Alpha rubbing at his forehead.

"Yes, Alpha, I understand. One last thing though. It was odd, but in addition to the anemia, she appears to have suffered blood loss. I couldn't find any source of internal bleeding or bruising, and once the IV was started with a transfusion, she calmed further. Pregnant women, shifter or not, should have a larger blood volume than normal, nearly double." The woman, who I assumed was a doctor, chose that moment to glance my way and stopped speaking on the matter. "Well, how are you feeling, Mari?"

After a quick look at the Alpha, I answered with a brief, "Fine." I tried to shift my slowly-waking body but found a band around my chest holding my torso to the bed. Matching ones held my wrists, and when I tugged on my legs, I found my ankles secured as well. My wolf was whimpering at being further restricted, and I had to agree with her. This was torture.

"How much did you hear? Wait, Anna, you're dismissed. I'll have a guard fetch you when I leave." He waited until she departed, leaving the exam room to us alone. I was fairly certain we were still in the manor as the area smelled the same under the antiseptic odor.

I warily answered his question. "I know I'm pregnant, and likely that it's well ahead of your mate’s." I didn't recognize myself as his mate and wouldn't acknowledge it either.

He understood my slight if the thunderous expression was anything to go by. "You will keep this information to yourself, Mariana.” I scowled but nodded anyway. “The maid has been disposed of, and your room will be set to rights by the time you return.”

“What are you going to do about the baby?” I didn’t want to be pregnant with his child, but it was mine too, and I’d tear anyone apart that tried to take it from me. He must have seen the warning in my eyes as he answered carefully.

“For now, you will receive the care you need, and everyone involved will remain silent on the matter until I come up with a solution. I will not have chaos in my home.”

I nodded again and turned my head away from him, closing my eyes as I did so. For whatever reason, the normally cruel Alpha let my behavior go and left the exam room. I slipped back into a fitful rest; this time unaided by any drugs.

***

“I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND it. There isn’t any trauma or bleeding that I can find, yet you have needed two blood transfusions and a double dose of iron over the last three days. I have to be missing something.” The doctor was talking, mostly to herself, as she tried to puzzle out what was going on with me. “I want to try another internal sonogram; maybe the answer lies with the pup.” And thank goodness it was only one. Apparently, the Alpha’s mate was carrying a litter of three. No thank you.

I submitted to the exam, getting into position and ignoring the probing until the doctor started tapping rapidly on the screen and pushing hard enough on a spot inside to be uncomfortable. A look at the blobs on the screen didn’t reveal anything to me, but it apparently made sense to her. Or maybe not from the puzzled expression she had.

“Is something wrong?” My question snapped her out of her daze.

“Well, I’m not sure.” At my palpable fear, she clarified, “The fetus appears fine, but what it is doing isn’t normal, and it looks like there is a second, smaller umbilical cord wrapped around the other.” I peered closer at the screen, trying to understand and push down my fear. “See how there are these small gaps indicating space between the cords?” I nodded even though it didn’t look like anything except varying shades of white and gray with red and blue spots showing up and disappearing. “The red and blue are the blood flow. The fetus, I think, is absorbing the blood, but the volume is too much for the size. I need to call someone in for a second opinion.” She removed the wand, and the image on the screen disappeared. After helping me get settled back in the bed, she excused herself.

A short while later the Alpha appeared, less than pleased, followed by the doctor. “What is so important that you interrupted me in the dining hall? The entire point of this setup is to avoid my mate who is now suspicious.” The doctor screwed up her courage and proceeded with her request anyway. “I need a second opinion. I don’t understand what I’m seeing on the scans or the bloodwork. Nothing like this has ever cropped up in my career.”

“Absolutely not. No one else is to even know she is carrying yet. Tell me what the issues are.” The doctor relayed everything from over the last few days. “Are there any other tests you can perform to figure it out? Or would it be better to terminate?” The doctor's gasp echoed mine. Shifters did not abort. If there was something wrong with the baby, my wolf should have detected it and expelled it already. He had to know that. At the threat, a sensation moved through me. One I hadn’t felt in weeks.

“He will not harm the infant. I will not allow it.” The entity spoke in my head, and my wolf cowered from it. White light, tinged in black began to glow around my still-flat belly. It got brighter, catching the attention of both the Alpha and the doctor until a halo surrounded it.

"What is that?" The Alpha pointed at the glow. The doctor was just as surprised.

"It said you won't hurt the baby. It won't let you." My answer was fierce.

"Alpha, I believe this may be something peculiar to being the Heir. I would need to consult the Elders—" The doctor was cut off by the hand around her throat.

"You will not be contacting them or anyone else. The Elders already denied my right to the transference; I won't let them take a second chance. Monitor her and report any changes immediately." The Alpha dropped the doctor and stormed out of the room.

The doctor took a moment to catch her breath and met my terrified stare. I didn't know how, but I wouldn't let him hurt my baby.

The next three months passed much the same; stuck in my room, blood transfusions — and conversations with the entity.

It reassured me that the baby would be fine but wouldn't tell me how it knew or what the anomalies meant. I had been permitted a monitor so I could ring the doctor for any concerns or changes even though she monitored me with daily visits.

There was one perk to it all. The nightly visits from the Alpha stopped. Seemed he was wary of what the entity might do to him.

It was in the middle of the night when a gush of hot fluid woke me from another uncomfortable rest. I'd only just gotten asleep, it seemed, and I was annoyed that my bladder had finally given up to the pressure on it. I heaved myself out of bed, huffing with irritability, and on that heavy breath realized it wasn't urine that I smelled. The cramping that soon followed heralded the realization that I was in labor. It wasn't unexpected as wolf shifter pregnancies were much shorter than humans, but still, I wasn't ready to face my baby being outside my body and unprotected. The entity had already explained it couldn't transfer to it.

I grabbed the monitor off of the bedside table and pressed the button that would alert the doctor I needed assistance. Hopefully, she responded quickly as she knew my time was near. The guard wouldn't open the door for me as had been proven time and again when being contained in the room had driven me to the brink of sanity, and I'd begged to be let out.

Using the time in between the cramping, I managed to shower and strip the bed before I heard a key turning the lock. The doctor entered followed closely by Alpha Larimer. The fitted sheet was halfway on, and she rushed to help finish it, directing the Alpha to get towels from the bathroom.

"How far apart are the pains?" she asked as she helped me onto the pile of towels.

I hesitated to expose myself under the scrutiny of the Alpha. Besides being highly uncomfortable, I'd taken out a sanitary napkin in my underwear to catch the fluid that continued to come out.

"Mari!" The doctor snapped her fingers in front of my face. "How far apart?"

Focusing on only her, I gave my best answer. "Ten minutes or so? Sometimes longer or shorter? I'm sorry, I wasn't keeping track while I cleaned up."

"No, that's okay. As long as they're not back to back, we can move you down to the clinic." She only had to do a brief check to see my water had broken and shielded me from the Alpha as she did so. "Let's get a robe on and move you downstairs."

"Wait, I need the basket from the wardrobe." The Alpha crossed the room to get it, annoyance in his manner despite his lack of complaint. When the doctor saw the contents, she glared at him before giving me a look of pity.

I didn't understand why she would be concerned about baby clothes. I'd handmade several gowns and blankets in white and yellow from the supplies I'd begged the maid for. I wasn't sure when the Alpha had planned to get supplies for the baby, and it had helped occupy my time.

"Okay, slow and careful. The delivery room has been set up all week, so it’s ready. It'll only be me and the Alpha unless something goes wrong." Her warning was blunt, but at least she was prepared.

"We will not be calling for assistance. As soon as she delivers, my first mate will need to be hurried along. It's the only way to ensure this pup isn't my heir." The doctor was appalled.

"You want me to induce your mate prematurely? Do you know the risks? Of course, you don't." She didn't even give him a chance to talk. "It's dangerous enough with Mari. She's been allowed no exercise, has had issues that still require transfusions and higher doses of iron, and I have no assistance if she or the pup go into distress." The Alpha glared until she cowered in submission under his dominance, baring her neck to him.

"You will handle it. All of it." The doctor nodded her head at his decree. It was then I realized I'd never felt the urge to submit to him. Meaning he wasn't dominant over me and couldn't force me in that manner. My musing didn't last as another cramp hit, and I had to brace myself when my legs didn't want to work

"Yes, Alpha. We need to get her to the clinic."

We made our way past the guard who played dumb. They all did. There was no way the entire pack wasn't aware of what was happening, but there wasn't anyone brave enough to address it.

***

SEVERAL GRUELING HOURS later, a baby's cry rang out. Followed momentarily by a gasp from the doctor.

"Her eyes!" The doctor shakily placed the towel-wrapped infant on my chest. "Alpha, the child—" A sharp motion from the Alpha silenced her. I held my arms out, wanting to see her myself.

"It's a girl?" I ignored the answer if she gave one as I checked the tiny body. She was definitely a girl, and she even had the same moon and star marking I had. Except hers was on her ankle. My finger traced it while the doctor bustled around and mumbled to herself.

She did something to the umbilical cord, and I was able to snuggle my baby girl better, and that's when she opened her eyes for me. They swirled with silver around her pupils before settling down to be solid.

"So, you fornicated with the Vae himself." The Alpha was furious, and I clutched her to my chest. "There will be no need to accelerate my first mate's pregnancy. If the half-breed lives, it won't be eligible to rule anyway. The plan still stands. See that it's carried out." The last was directed at the doctor who paled but nodded anyway.

"What did he mean?" I dared to ask after he'd gone.

The doctor didn't answer, continuing to finish the birthing process and clean-up. She avoided my eyes even as she helped the baby latch and got me settled before she left, promising to come check after she’d handled a few things.

***

"STYLIANA ETHARI. THAT's her name," I informed the doctor when she came back. "Stella for short. It means luminous star. Well, it's a bit backward but close enough. My little Stella." I stroked my daughter’s soft cheek even as her little lips pursed in reflex, searching for food.

"Mari. I have some people I'd like you to meet." The audible strain in the doctor's voice had my hackles rising and my wolf growling. I resisted when she tried to take Stella. "I need to check her over." Reluctantly, I relinquished her even as I eyed the strangers, a man and a woman, standing just inside the door.

My attention was split between the doctor checking Stella and making sure the strangers stayed away. They appeared to be a couple, and I wasn't sure why they would be here when I'd been in isolation all this time.

"Anna, who are these people, and why are they here?" I asked the doctor. I wasn't interested in being polite; my wolf was upset, and I was inclined to agree with her.

The woman's expression soured, and the man looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. He vaguely reminded me of one of the guards outside my room, and I inhaled to better catch his scent. Yes, he'd definitely been in the vicinity of my room before. It wasn't like I’d seen their faces often.

"We people are the ones that have been directed to care for your abomination of a whelp. I would advise you to watch your tongue." The woman didn't know she'd just enraged not only myself and my wolf but the entity that hid inside me as well.

"You will not touch my daughter. Leave. Anna, give me Stella back." When the doctor hesitated, I darted to her and snatched my daughter off of the warming station where she'd been examining her. "She is mine!" The snarl was punctuated with a partial shift, and I checked to make sure I hadn't hurt the baby.

The guard interrupted while I edged to a corner of the room furthest away from them all.

"Anna, has she not been informed?" Anger resounded in his voice.

"It's a delicate situation, and I followed our Alpha's orders. Just like you do," the doctor pointed out.

"Informed about what? Someone explain!" I was rapidly losing the struggle with my wolf who wanted me to put Stella down and attack the occupants of the room.

The doctor sighed. "Mari, this is Angela and Corbin Ambrose. The Alpha has decided it would be best if the baby was cared for by them." Her gaze was sympathetic, but she didn't appear inclined to disobey the Alpha.

My heart rate picked up until I felt it would crash through my chest, tearing a hole through flesh and bone.

"No, they can't! She's mine! There's no reason to take her from me. Tell them, Anna, tell them I haven't done anything wrong." Tears coursed steadily down my flushed cheeks as I tried to find a way out of this.

The woman ran out of patience and crossed the room with her intention plain. "For heaven's sake, girl. We all know you're the Alpha's concubine, and no man wants a crying baby getting in the way of his time with his whore." She reached out as if she fully expected me to hand Stella over.

Before I could react, the glow that had surrounded my belly weeks ago bloomed to life, encompassing me and the baby. The woman, Angela, fell back with a screech as her fingertips touched it. The doctor and her mate rushed to help her, wary of the glowing nimbus. Angela let the doctor pull her hand out to examine it, revealing already-healing burns.

"Filthy witch," Angela accused, glaring in my direction from between the other two. "The Alpha will hear of this!" Not letting the doctor examine her further, she swept from the room in righteous indignation.

The guard, Corbin, looked between me and the door, worry evident in his mien. "I'm sorry, but we weren't given a choice either, little Heir." He followed his mate out the door, leaving me with the doctor.

"Mari, you know—"

"No, they can't have her." I wasn't budging on my stance, and the doctor only nodded her head and followed the couple through the only exit to the windowless room in the heart of the manor. Which I was sure was blocked by another guard.

I eventually settled down, as did the glow, and moved back to the bed to nurse the baby.

***

SOMETIME LATER, THE Alpha showed up with the doctor. We had the same standoff, and he had no choice but to relent. He wasn't letting me stay in the clinic any longer, instead ordering me returned to my room.

Dressed in one of the sleeping gowns and wrapped in a blanket I had made, I packed the baby up to go back to my room. At least now I knew why the doctor had given me that look when I asked for the basket; it had already been decided to try to steal my Stella. My little star.

We were taken back up through the servants’ stairs and avoided almost everyone except a few stray staff who kept their eyes averted and necks partially bared as the Alpha passed with us.

He left me at the door, and the doctor followed me in to assure me a maid would bring supplies for the baby when she brought my dinner. I only then noticed night was falling through my window. Time had been a fluid thing over the last couple of days.

I made a roll out of sheets at the head of my bed for Stella to rest in and laid down beside her to get some myself.

***

THE TURNING OF THE key in the lock woke me immediately, and I faced the door, hovering protectively in front of Stella. I wasn't stupid enough to think they wouldn't try again.

It was only the maid coming in with a bag of diapers and wipes and other infant supplies as well as a tray of food for me. She didn't speak, just dropped the items off on the floor inside the door before retreating.

Warily, I inspected everything. The baby stuff seemed okay, and I couldn't smell anything in the food. Deciding to chance it because going without wouldn't help me feed Stella, I tried a few bites and waited. When nothing happened, I finished the meal and changed and fed Stella before climbing under the covers.

***

A FITFUL NIGHT'S REST punctuated with a baby who woke up every few hours and the worry nagging me left me exhausted the next morning. Several days followed in the same manner, and no one except the maid came by.

My milk came in, and with the more frequent diaper changes, the smell began to bother my wolf. Needing fresh air as it would be hours before the maid did her afternoon cleaning, I laid Stella down for a nap and opened the window.I'd frequently, over the time I'd been kept in the room, hung out the window to help the crazy from taking over.

Apparently, it was the chance the Alpha had been waiting for. A quick movement from the adjacent tower, and pain spread through my chest, followed by full-on paralysis. My legs gave out, and I slumped to the floor in a heap, hitting my head on the sill on the way down. On my side with my legs bent awkwardly under me, I watched as the door opened.

"Get up! Get up, now!" The entity screamed its demands in my head, but I couldn't so much as twitch an eyelid.

The guard Corbin entered, followed by the Alpha and Angela. While Corbin tried to stay stoic, his eyes strayed to me more than once, pity in his gaze. The Alpha backed off when I lit up, but the glow couldn't reach far enough to encompass the bed where my Stella laid. He watched as Angela bundled the baby up and turned to leave the room.

I managed to get a noise past my throat, and alarm filled their eyes. My healing was burning through whatever had been in the dart that was still stuck in my chest. I was sure the entity was helping as well.

The woman scurried from the room without waking my Stella, and the Alpha only lingered long enough to give yet another demand.

"Stop this nonsense and learn your place, Mariana. You're lucky I don't have it destroyed." He left as rage suffused my body at the threat to Stella.

I could move my fingers now, and the guard was quick to notice.

"I'll protect her with my life, little Heir. I promise. And I'm sorry." He shut the door, and the lock clicked into place before I could do much more than straighten my legs.

It took several more minutes before I could remove the dart and get up, but when I did, I raged. The room was destroyed, the only things still intact the baby items left behind. And what I had made for Stella. I curled up in a corner of the room, clutching them as I sobbed.

No one could get near me unless I was asleep. Not even for food. I alternated between trying to break down the thick door to screaming from the window. I eventually gave that up after the third time I was shot with a dart. At those times, the Alpha and a maid would come in, and he would berate me for disturbing the pack while the maid cleaned my mess and left a meal.

I wasn't even allowed to express milk into a bottle for the baby. For all I knew, she was already dead. Those thoughts sent me spiraling, but the entity was sure she wasn't. I begged it to go to her. Tried everything to set it free but nothing worked.

Finally, it explained to me that while I lived, it could not leave me. I was still the Starlight Heir, and without the ceremony to free its binding, it couldn't do more than protect the host.

I began to suspect it had known something of what events would unfold when it forced my wolf down and allowed the Vae to capture me. It wouldn't confirm my accusations, but it didn't deny them either. It had planted the seeds for a plan to grow, and a week after my Stella was stolen from me, I knew what I had to do.

My wolf didn't agree as what I considered was anathema to her and any shifter. As soon as she understood what I meant to do, she took over, and I spent the next two days shifted into my wolf form. I wasn't sure if the entity couldn't, or wouldn't, force her like it had done before, but for whatever reason, he didn't.

It did take over and push her down as soon as she was too exhausted to hold on any longer, and maybe it was a kindness for her not to witness it.

"You will protect her, right? None can harm her?"

"Nothing will happen that should not."

"That's not good enough. I want your vow to protect her. Guide her and not let my fate befall her." It wasn't giving me what I wanted, and I felt its worry that I might back out. "What are you hiding?"

"There are things you cannot know. I promise to help her find happiness and protect her from what I can. I can assure you she will reach adulthood, and her mates will come for her."

It would have to be enough. I could sense that it told the truth about not being able to leave me.

"Please, tell her about me? Make sure she knows I love her to pieces, always."

"Of course, Mari. I will keep a part of you when I go and use it to shower her with your love and comfort. You will be able to watch over her, always."

I knew I had to be quick; the guard would stop me otherwise, even if it were inadvertently with the darts. Throwing open the window, I darted back to the side. A dart sailed in, missing its mark. Backing up for a full run since it would take more effort than usual with my wolf subdued, I gathered my courage.

"I love you, my Stella, my little star. Shine bright, darling," I whispered as I launched myself from the window. A dart hit me even as I managed to turn head down, but the entity stole my consciousness before the end.

Chapter Three

Present Day - Stella

"Mad Mary, Mad Mary,

Locked in her Bower.

Mad Mary, Mad Mary,

Leapt from her tower."

It was always the same thing. You'd think as the children who’d teased me grew up it would have stopped. But no, even at twenty years old the chant still followed me through the younger generation. And they couldn't even get my mother's name right. It was Mar-ee not Mary.

Normally, I avoided anything to do with being around others if at all possible, but with the celebration coming with the Elders’ visit, I needed blood from the kitchen. I couldn't go hunt for it with the Alpha's decree that I not leave the village that surrounded the manor. So the kitchens it was, where hopefully there would be fresh blood from all the butchering that had been done in preparation.

Besides the horrid nursery rhyme, whispers of dhampir and half-breed followed wherever I encountered those who didn't care for my existence or the fact that I remained in the pack. Which was most of them. It hadn't been as bad when I was little, but around the time I hit puberty, the cravings started. Snack on one bratty girl and suddenly the pitchforks and torches came out in force. Thankfully, my glowy buddy came to the rescue.

Taking the servants’ entrance, I slipped into the halls and down to the kitchen. One of the helpers got the attention of the cook, and a hush settled over the room.

"Umm..." I didn't want to ask out loud, but the cook knew what I was after.

"You'll have to come back in a few hours, girl. Everything was already used or disposed of. Somebody took it upon themselves to decide what is and isn't needed." A pointed glance at a servant I knew to be friends with my adopted mom, Angela, didn't even try to look contrite. She'd probably done it on purpose.

I sighed but nodded and left anyway. I'd be in so much trouble if I got caught showing my face while the Elders were here. Last time I'd been young enough to have a sitter while Angela and Corbin attended the feast.

Deciding to find a new book to occupy my time, I made my way to the small library in the village. I'd seen others with electronics they could read on like phones and tablets, but I'd never been permitted to have one. Angela didn't think educating the half-breed was necessary. Corbin helped where he could, but he was usually on-duty and couldn't police her every move. At least he did stick up for me. It was okay though, the smell of the books was almost as good as the stories themselves.

I'd gotten three new books that had just come in. The librarian was one of the few who didn't have an issue with my presence and ordered books I liked often. More intent on the books than my surroundings, I ran into one of the people I'd have liked to avoid the most.

Malachi. The Alpha's son was as pleasant as the Alpha himself, puffed up with his self-importance.

"Stella, my dear. Looking forward to our mating?" The creep loved to remind me I'd been promised to him since his birth.

As soon as we turned twenty-one we'd be mates, and the supposed vast power I held would be given to the pack. Power, my big toe. If I had anything besides an imaginary friend and a tendency to glow in self-defense, surely it would have been apparent by now.

"Go away, Malachi. Shouldn't you be getting ready for the Elders’ visit anyway? Or did Daddy kick you out while he handled the adult things?" I smirked as I watched him turn red, his wolf flaring in his eyes.

It didn't matter; neither he nor anyone else could touch me unless I allowed it. I wiggled my flowing fingertips just in case he needed a reminder. It worked as it usually did, and he stalked off, mumbling about bitches knowing their place. I ignored him and got back home, sneaking to my room to avoid Angela who was getting ready in hers.

***

BY THE TIME I DEEMED it long enough to go get the blood, I was nearly starved. Regular food was still needed, but so was blood several times a week. Animal blood wasn't quite satisfying, but it worked.

I crept through the streets and into the back of the manor, retracing the same route I'd taken earlier. I made it into the kitchen and got what I needed without a hiccup. Until I was almost past the door that led to the dining hall.

I'd been so thirsty, and the hall was deserted, so I'd thought it would be okay to take the edge off.

Wrong. The door opened, and the servant bringing a tray full of empty dishes ran directly into me. Spilling the blood and glassware everywhere. The servant and I went down in a tangle and landed in front of the open door in direct view of the table.

The servant raised a hand to slap me, but my trusty glow kicked in and burnt her everywhere it touched. Her shrieks brought more attention, and then the yelling started. I had to consciously pull the light back as others tried to assess what was happening. They didn't catch at first that the blood was from a deer and not either of us sitting amid the sea of broken glass.

That would have all been bad enough except we'd caught the attention of the Elders. Or one of them at least.

"Alpha Larimer you said the Starlight Heir was dead!"The shout came from a man I didn't recognize. He had some gray strands in his dark hair, so I knew he was older. The aging process was very slow and made it hard to figure out unless you knew the person.

The Alpha glared in my direction, and I saw Corbin rushing toward me with a panicked expression on his face.

"This is not Mariana. She did indeed pass on." The Alpha conveniently left out that he was the cause.

Corbin reached for me while other servants helped the girl and started to clean the mess.

"Come on, Stella. You know you shouldn't be here." He spoke low enough that his voice wouldn't travel in the room of wolves with their excellent hearing.

I nodded and let him lead me out, booking it back to the house and leaving him to go back in and face the crowd alone.

Angela was going to kill me. Or try anyway.

***

RIDDICK

The shock of Elder Balfor's accusation only echoed my own at the revelation. There was obviously something very shady going on with Alpha Larimer and my former pack. It was already surreal to be here after losing my place at the Starlight Heir's side, be it as her mate or her guard. The former Alphas, the Elders, and I had been here twice since the debacle with the vampires and being relegated as the Elders’ lackeys.

Taking matters into my own hands after a glance at my fellow Alpha knights, I questioned Larimer.

"Then who exactly was that? And why was she rushed out of here, brother?" I raised a dark brown in his direction.

Eyes darting from person to person, Larimer finally settled his irate gaze on mine. "She is Stella. Mariana's daughter."

The hall erupted into a cacophony of questions and accusations.

I only had one.

"If she's her daughter, and she has the Starlight, is she not now the Heir and one of the Alpha knights’ mates?" I couldn't include myself as I was her uncle, and even our culture, as backward as it could be, wasn't that bad.

Silence fell over the dining hall as everyone zeroed in on the Elders.

"This is highly unexpected, but Riddick is not wrong. Why have you hidden her, Alpha Larimer?" Elder Martin was polite, but he held himself rigidly, and his wolf peeked from his eyes.

Larimer started and stopped several times before he got his explanation out.

"She's tainted. I am not her sire." My hope soared. She isn't related to me.

Elder Balfor was the first to recover. "And who is her sire?" The Alpha paled and looked around at his pack members in attendance. They all had a variation of guilt when faced with us and the Elders. "Wait. I would prefer to move to a meeting room." The Alpha nodded and stood from his seat, waiting while the rest of us followed suit.

Chapter Four

When we were seated around the meeting room, deja vu struck. We'd all been in a similar setup two decades ago, and now the wrongs from that day might be righted.

The Elders didn't even have to ask again before the Alpha of the Silversbane Pack spilled.

"The Vae is her father? In what scenario did you think you had the authority to hide that information? Not to mention the pregnancy should have been terminated. Crossbreeds are forbidden, you know this!" Elder Balfor was irate. The rest of us, I think, just realized one of us would be mating a dhampir.

Larimer continued that the Starlight had interceded and prevented any harm to the baby or Mariana. But upon her birth, she had fits of rage and had to be tranquilized with darts that could withstand the light long enough to work. Then she'd jumped from her tower, leaving the child an orphan. The Starlight had seemed to have transferred.

His story was plausible for the situation except something wasn't ringing quite true. Elder Martin picked up on it as well and further questioned the Alpha.

"So, Mariana killed herself for no apparent reason, and then you decided not to inform the Elders that she had borne a child? A female at that? And your entire pack kept the secret for twenty years and multiple visits from us? I think you'd better elaborate, Alpha Larimer."

The Alpha, seeing no one was coming to his rescue, admitted his part in it. He even bared his neck slightly in the wake of so many in the room who held more dominance than he did.

"Katrina, my first mate then, had more support than I did after my actions, and I caved to her desires to keep my pack running smoothly. Mariana was never permitted out of her room other than check-ups with the doctor and when she gave birth. She never set foot outside after the day she arrived here." He paused and jutted his chin out in defiance for the rest as if that hadn't been bad enough. "My mate refused to have Mariana in the public, shaming her, and since Mariana wasn't allowed to complete the binding ceremony... she was relegated for one use."

The Alpha winced at the berating he received. That was not what was supposed to have happened. It was done as a punishment, yes, but even the Elders looked contrite now for the results of their decree from years ago. Anger was mixed in their expressions as well toward him and his mate— there was a reason females weren't supposed to run things.

"Alpha Larimer," Elder Martin addressed him, quieting the group, "you should be stripped of your title and position at the least. I'm reading between the lines that you thought to keep the girl for yourself?"

Quietly, the Alpha answered, "She's betrothed to my son."

"Not any longer, she's not," snapped Elder Balfor, causing the Alpha to wince. "Does she bear the mark?"

"Yes, on her ankle."

"Then it's settled. Fetch the girl, and we'll have the choosing done here. Make arrangements for her belongings to be packed and ready by morning. We'll depart before midday. You will make the announcement tonight to your pack." The Alpha winced again at Elder Balfor's words, but frankly, he was getting off easy with a bit of public humiliation.

"Yes, Elder." The Alpha went to the door and spoke with the guard there about finding the girl, Stella, immediately. He came back and resumed his seat. "She'll be here shortly."

***

A COMMOTION COULD BE heard in the corridor. Two irate females and a male were arguing about the "half-breed". Sighing, I got to my feet to pull the door open to find the Alpha's mate, Katrina, and another woman trying to stop the girl who had been glowing in the dining hall from entering. The guard was berating the woman with Katrina.

"Angela! Cease immediately and return home. We're no longer responsible for Stella. And don't think I won't deal with you later for interfering." A tall woman, who would be pleasant to look on were it not for her features being pinched in an unbecoming manner, gaped for a moment at the guard until she realized I was staring at her from the meeting room. At that point she paled and scurried off, abandoning Katrina. The same guard addressed Alpha Larimer's mate.

"Mistress, please return to your quarters." She wasn't cowed until the Alpha barked at her to leave. "My apologies, Elders, Alphas, my mate and I have raised Stella here, and one of us is obviously more fond of her than the other." The man turned to the girl and spoke in a softer tone to her. "Go on now, Stella. It'll be okay. I promised your mama that I’d protect you, and I won't break it now."

The man was brave, I'd give him that. At least someone had tried to help Stella's mother. I tried to distance myself from thinking it was Mariana that one of us had been intended for and how much older we were than Stella.

The girl hesitantly entered, eyeing the Alpha as she stepped through the door but squeezing the guard’s hand in affection as she went. I'd most likely need to request a change of packs for him if he were amenable. Alpha Larimer didn't look too pleased with the revelation that his guard might be more loyal to her than him.

The girl, Stella, stepped up to an empty seat at the table and nervously sat down. I was momentarily stuck by the door, transfixed by the scent I had picked up as she passed. She smelled divine, and my wolf clamored for me to touch her. I regained my equilibrium and retook my own seat. Several down from her while the guard closed the door.

"Stella," Elder Martin began, "you are the daughter of Mariana Crayton, the previous Starlight Heir?" Stella nodded at the Elder. "Can you show us your marking, please?"

Staying nonverbal, Stella rose from her seat to place a foot on the chair and pulled up her pant leg to reveal the sickle moon and star on her skin. Except instead of pure white, it was edged in black, almost as if it were a tattoo.

The Elder must have had the same thought. "Is this a joke, Alpha Larimer?"

The Alpha shook his head. "I told you she is tainted. Girl, show them your Starlight."

Stella complied, and a steady glow emitted from her, but it too was edged with black. It had to be from the vampire of her parentage. I reached out to touch it only for Larimer to yell for me to stop.

"It will burn you if you touch it."

I shrugged. "And how else should we prove this isn't some elaborate ploy?" I stretched my hand out, pressing my fingers into it. While there was a sensation, it wasn't unpleasant. "It doesn't hurt. Maybe the burning is in defense?" The girl's eyes widened at my perception. It had been fairly blatant with the girl not lighting up at the collision in the dining hall but only when the servant girl attempted to hit her. Plus, she had drawn it back before the guard outside the door had touched her and helped her from the floor.

"It's DarkFyre," Elder Matthew spoke in awe. He rarely voiced his opinions, and I think it shocked everyone in the room, besides Stella maybe, that he’d voluntarily opened his mouth. "The legend. I need to get back to the Citadel and find it. Something about the light meeting the dark and mating." We all realized at that point, though he stared at Stella, he was talking to himself.

The other Elders appeared concerned, but I couldn't remember anything about a legend, and from the baffled expressions on my fellow Alpha knights, they hadn't either. I didn't bother counting Larimer.

Elder Balfor clapped his hands together. "Good enough. My dear, please state your full name for us."

"Styliana Ethari Crayton." Her voice was soft yet carried around the room.

"You do not carry your sire’s name?" Elder Balfor asked.

"I– I do not know, Elder."

"Hmm... for the best, I suppose. Would only be more stigma to deal with. Anyway, please stand back so the Alphas may come around you. Not you, Larimer. You won't be interfering again, or I'll call for a vote for execution." The Alpha paled at the threat and fell back into his seat. "Now, I want you all to touch her skin. The Starlight, or DarkFyre, should handle the rest. We'll know when it works."

That was it? We just had to all touch her at the same time? I glared at my younger brother for his selfishness in the past.

I was the first to reach her and gripped her arm lightly above the elbow. My grip spanned her arm almost double, and she looked so fragile against my size. The other six all got into position, and soon her arms were covered in hands encircling them.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then several of us cried out in surprise at the burning sensations on our necks. I watched as a single white star edged in black appeared on my nearest fellow Alpha. Then, glancing from him to the next and so on, I noticed they all had the star.

"Congratulations, Alpha Riddick. The light has chosen you," Elder Martin proclaimed. One of my fellow Alphas helpfully took out his phone and snapped a picture of my neck.

In addition to the star, I sported the same sickled moon as Stella. I swallowed hard and felt the dread in my bones.

"Seems history is always bound to repeat itself, my dear Stella." Elder Balfor was entirely too jovial for the situation as he informed her of the news. "While the others are your guardians, Riddick here will be your mate. Except he's only just petitioned one of the seven families to take one of their daughters as a mate, and he has received our approval. This was to be his last trip as a knight before his mating ceremony next week. Maybe the female and her family will bow out with recent developments." The girl was nearly as pale as her hair as she stared at me with accusation in her eyes. "Riddick, be sure to let me know of the outcome. You all will need to set up living quarters somewhere. The Citadel would be happy to have you on a permanent basis."

I'd only just escaped their greed. I couldn't go back to that. Following through with the original mating agreement not only freed me but also my fellow knights as they now went where Stella did. If I did not follow through with the original, prior set-up, we would all be living with and at the mercy of the Elders. All I could do was hope Stella understood.

The End

***

THANKS FOR READING! If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review.

DarkFyre will be coming in late 2020!

***

About the Author

Emma Cole is an indie author that writes across the genre board. Nothing is off limits, so that means mature audiences only. From light and fluffy to down and dirty—if it strikes her fancy and has a story to tell she’s on it.

Want to stalk the author? You can catch her on most platforms here: Stalk Emma

***

Other Works by Emma Cole

Remington Carter Series

Echoes and Entanglements

Requiem

Clarity

(coming August 2020)

The Dark Duet

Lark

Nightingale

(coming April 2020)