Derek’s eyes flicked down to her, expression blank as ever. But before he could say anything, the sound of sharp heels clicking down the hallway made him freeze. Instead of grabbing her waist again, he simply took her hand in his, firmly. Kira blinked in surprise as all three men, Derek, Declan, and Connor, went completely still, eyes fixed on the entrance.
A moment later, an older woman appeared. She had short, silver-blonde hair cut in a sharp bob, and she wore a perfectly tailored red suit with a matching pencil skirt that screamed power and money. She walked like she owned every room she ever entered. Kira’s heart picked up speed. This woman looked exactly like the kind of matriarch who could make or break empires.
The woman’s face lit up the second she saw them. “Is this her?” she asked, voice warm and excited as she hurried over.
“Nana,” Derek said calmly, “meet my wife, Chloe Thornclaw.”
Nana reached Kira in three quick steps and cupped her face gently with both hands. “Oh, darling, you are beautiful, aren’t you? I always knew Drek had excellent taste. Welcome to our world, Chlo.”
Kira sucked in a quick breath and forced a smile. Relief washed through her, grateful that this elderly woman did not turn out to be the older version of Luna Lydia, her stepmother.
“This is my grandmother, Lady Genevive Wolfe,” Derek added, sounding completely bored.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Genevive,” Kira said politely.
Nana waved one elegant hand. “Oh, please, call me Nana. You’re family now.” She dropped her hands from Kira’s face and grabbed both of her hands instead. “Come, come. We need to get you ready for the ceremony. Drek, you and the boys go get changed; the guests are already arriving.”
Kira’s brows scrunched together. “Ceremony?”
Nana looked at her like she’d asked something adorably silly. “Your wedding reception, of course! There’s no way my grandson is having some tiny little thing. He’s a king, darling. I’ve invited the absolute crème de la crème, the one per cent of the one per cent, you know.” She leaned in with a conspiratorial wink. “Don’t worry about a thing. Everything is organised. You just need to freshen up and look gorgeous. You’re already stunning, we won’t make you stress.”
Before Kira could protest, Nana was already pulling her gently but firmly down the corridor. Kira threw one quick glance back at Derek over her shoulder. His face gave nothing away. No apology or explanation. Just that same blank, unreadable stare.
Derek, Declan, and Connor watched the two women disappear around the corner, the sound of Nana’s heels and Kira’s softer footsteps fading away.
Connor shook his head with a small smile. “Nana will never change.”
“She finally got what she wanted,” Derek said quietly. “At least now I can breathe.”
Declan’s expression stayed serious. “Are you sure about this, Derek? She’s a werewolf.”
Derek placed a hand on Declan’s shoulder and gave it a brief, firm squeeze. “That’s exactly why I chose her. There’s zero chance of feelings getting involved. No risk of weakness. No risk at all.”
Declan nodded slowly, but he still looked doubtful. “I hope it stays that way for the full twelve months. Just… remember why you picked her. Their kind can’t be trusted. They’re cunning.”
Connor clapped his hands together, voice suddenly bright. “Okay, enough serious talk. Can we please focus on the fact that His Grace is about to host the fanciest wedding reception of the decade? The one per cent of the one per cent are waiting.”
Derek shot him a look that could have frozen fire. Connor just shrugged and grinned wider. Before any of them could move toward the hallway, the front door burst open with a dramatic whoosh.
A tall, handsome man strolled in wearing a perfectly cut navy suit, hands tucked casually in his trouser pockets, and a smug little smirk on his face. “I hope I’m not late for the party,” he drawled. “Did anyone miss me?”
All three men turned at once and fixed him with identical glares.
“Brian,” Derek growled low.
“Young Coz,” Brian replied cheerfully, pulling one hand free to give a lazy wave. “Looking thrilled to see me, as always.”
“Who invited you?” Declan asked, voice flat.
Connor sighed and shook his head. “Nana, obviously. This is going to be… interesting.”
The wedding reception was buzzing with people who looked like they belonged on magazine covers. Everyone was dressed to impress-sparkling jewels, sharp suits, flowing gowns that shimmered under the chandeliers. The air felt thick with expensive perfume, quiet laughter, and the low hum of power. Different kinds of shifters, different levels of importance, all mixed together in one glittering room.
Kira felt tiny in the middle of it all. No familiar faces. No friends from university. Just a sea of Lycans who stared at her like she was some rare animal on display. She kept her back straight anyway, fingers wrapped tightly around Derek’s arm. He was still terrifyingly tall, silent, and radiating that icy calm, but at least he was the one person here who had brought her into this chaos. Her back throbbed with every step, the whip marks burning under the fancy dress. She told herself she just had to get through tonight. Then she could collapse into bed and sleep like she’d been hit by a truck.
As she and Derek stepped down from the small podium where they’d been announced, people immediately closed in around them like water around a stone.
Nana appeared first, her face glowing with happiness. “Welcome to the dynasty, Chloe,” she said as she squeezed Kira’s free hand.
Kira managed a real smile and nodded politely. A little stab of guilt twisted in her chest that she was lying to Nana about this marriage. Nana was the only person who had been kind to her since she arrived. No cold stares or whispered comments about her being a werewolf or wolfless. The maids who dressed her earlier had been super judgey, their eyes full of “eww, a werewolf,” but Nana treated her like a queen.
“Congratulations, Your Grace,” came a smooth voice next.
A stunning redhead in a deep emerald gown glided up. She smiled perfectly at Derek, then flicked her eyes toward Kira, just one quick glance. That glance alone said more than words could say.
Kira pretended not to notice.
Then a younger man approached, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four, tall and broad like the rest of them, with a cocky grin that screamed trouble in the best way. “Hello, cousin,” he said to Derek.
Derek’s expression didn’t change at all. “Kai. What are you doing here?”
“I invited him,” Nana said cheerfully from beside them. “It’s your wedding, darling. Everyone’s invited.”
Kai’s eyes slid to Kira, and his grin grew wider, slow and appreciative. “I heard she was pretty. But nobody told me she was goddess-level beautiful.” He held out his hand. “Hello, beautiful.”
Heat rushed to Kira’s cheeks. A tiny, surprised smile tugged at her lips as she placed her hand in his. Kai bent low and pressed a light kiss to the back of her knuckles.
“I see why you managed to steal His Grace away from all the other females,” he murmured, voice teasing, “especially Ru-“
Connor moved like lightning. He grabbed Kai by the collar and yanked him back with a friendly-but-firm shove. “Take your goofiness somewhere else, man.”
Kira’s smile stretched a little wider. Okay, she already liked this guy. He was cheeky and fun in a room full of frozen statues. But she couldn’t help wondering-who was “Ru”? She glanced sideways at Derek. His face was stone-cold again. No flicker of amusement, or any hint of jealousy. Just that blank mask he wore so well. The only sign anything had touched him at all was a tiny muscle ticking along his jaw.
Kira couldn’t resist teasing him. She tilted her head toward him, voice sweet and polite, but with the tiniest spark dancing in her eyes. “Does your cousin always introduce himself with quite so much enthusiasm, Your Grace?” she asked. “Or is it a family tradition saved for special occasions, like weddings, perhaps?”
Whatever reply Derek might have given died on his tongue the moment a middle-aged man stepped into their path. This man gave off such a bad vibe that Kira felt sick to her stomach. Derek’s fingers tightened on her arm, just a small squeeze, but enough to make her glance sideways at him. Who was this person? Why did Derek’s whole body go stiff? A younger man walked beside the older one, dressed in a sharp navy blue suit. He had the same smug look, but his was sharper, more dangerous, like a blade hidden behind a smile.
“Your Grace,” the older man said, completely ignoring Kira’s existence.
“Uncle Crane,” Derek answered, voice flat and empty.
They looked alike in a way that made Kira’s skin crawl; same thick brown hair, same piercing amber eyes that seemed to cut right through you. She silently prayed that was where the similarities ended. This Uncle Crane already gave her the creeps.
“I suppose congratulations are in order,” Uncle Crane said, turning a smile toward Kira. But the smile felt fake, oily, like it had been painted on. “My nephew is a very lucky man to have you in his life.”
Kira had no idea how to answer that. The words felt wrong coming from him. She could sense the thick tension crackling between the three men, something ugly and old simmering just under the surface. She dipped into a small, polite bow and said nothing. Uncle Crane clapped a hand on Derek’s shoulder, then moved on without another word. The younger man stepped forward next.
“Hello again, young coz,” he said, stretching out his hand with a lazy grin. “I never thought I’d live to see the day Derek Wolfe actually got married-“
“Save the performance for the cameras, Brian,” Derek cut in, voice low and sharp like a warning growl.
Brian chuckled, not at all bothered. “Solid advice from the man putting on the biggest show of the night. We all know how sudden this wedding is. Makes a person wonder if it’s even real.”
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