THE ALPHA KING’S SON SCREAMED AT EVERY TOUCH—UNTIL A POOR OMEGA MAID FOUND A SILVER NEEDLE HIDDEN IN HIS FUR, REVEALING THE HORRIFYING TRUTH BEHIND HIS “CURSE”
Chapter 5
The next council meeting changed Thorn Ridge forever.
Theron stood before the elders with Meera beside him and Ash holding her hand.
“The truth of Prince Ash’s birth has been verified.”
Whispers spread.
Theron continued. “Meera is his biological mother.”
Shock erupted. One elder stood. “An Omega?”
Theron’s aura slammed across the chamber. “Choose your next words carefully.”
The elder sat.
Meera stepped forward. “I was chosen because Packbinder blood can carry and protect Alpha lineage.”
Another elder protested. “Tradition—”
“Tradition allowed a five-year-old child to be poisoned for four years while everyone called him cursed.”
The room went silent.
Meera’s voice remained calm. “I am not interested in preserving traditions that protect pride better than children.”
Theron looked at her. Pride filled his face.
The council bowed. Not because Meera demanded it. Because Ash walked forward.
No shaking legs. No cloudy eyes. No feral growl.
He stood before them and shifted.
A powerful gray wolf pup appeared — larger than anyone expected, his golden eyes blazing. The supposedly broken heir was not weak. The poison had hidden extraordinary strength.
Ash shifted back.
“I am Prince Ash Blackthorne,” his child’s voice echoed across the chamber.
“And Meera is my mother.”
Nobody challenged him again.
Meera’s elevation happened slowly. She did not become Luna simply because she was Ash’s mother.
She refused.
Theron respected that.
“You owe me no bond,” he said.
“I know.”
“You owe me no crown.”
“I know.”
“You nearly executed me.”
Pain crossed his face. “I know.”
Meera stepped closer. “If this bond becomes real between us, it happens because I choose you.”
Theron bowed his head. “As it should.”
Weeks passed. They learned each other.
Theron began spending every evening in the nursery. Ash taught him how to play again. Badly. Meera laughed when the terrifying Alpha King allowed his son to build a blanket fortress over the royal desk.
Theron discovered Meera hated extravagant dresses. So he stopped sending them. She preferred simple clothes with deep pockets. He had royal seamstresses make them.
Meera discovered Theron slept badly. Years of war. Years of guilt. Years believing his son was cursed.
Sometimes she found him standing beside the nursery at two in the morning.
“You can sleep.”
“So can you.”
“I was checking Ash.”
“So was I.”
“He has three guards.”
“I don’t trust guards anymore.”
“Fair.”
Eventually they began sitting together. Not king and servant. Not Alpha and Omega. Two exhausted parents.
One night, Theron said, “I’m afraid.”
Meera looked at him. “Of what?”
“That you will wake one morning and realize everything tied to this castle has only hurt you.”
She was quiet. “And?”
“And leave.”
“Would you stop me?”
Theron’s answer came immediately. “No.”
That mattered.
Meera leaned her head against his shoulder. “Then maybe I won’t.”
The mate bond grew. Not with possession. With trust.
Three months after Isolda’s fall, Theron asked Meera to walk with him through the courtyard. No council. No ceremony. Snow had begun to fall. Ash ran ahead, chasing flakes.
Theron stopped beneath an old pine.
“I have a question.”
Meera smiled. “The Alpha King looks nervous.”
“I am discovering this happens around you.”
“Good.”
He laughed quietly. Then became serious. “I cannot undo what happened.”
“No.”
“I cannot return the years you lost with Ash.”
“No.”
“I cannot give Lyra back.”
“No.”
“But I can promise what comes next will never be built on lies.”
Meera looked at him.
Theron knelt. The Alpha King. In the snow. Before an Omega who had entered his castle as a maid.
“Meera.” His voice shook. “Not because you’re Packbinder.” He took her hand. “Not because you’re Ash’s mother.” His golden eyes held hers. “Not because my wolf says fate chose you.”
A pause.
“Because I know you now.”
Meera’s eyes filled. “And?”
“And I love you.”
Ash stopped playing. His eyes widened. “Dad!”
Theron closed his eyes. “Ash.”
“Are you asking Mommy to marry you?”
Meera began laughing.
Theron sighed. “I was trying.”
“You have to ask properly.”
“I am literally kneeling.”
Ash considered. “Good point.”
Meera laughed harder.
Theron looked up. “Well?”
She crouched in front of him. “You once ordered me executed.”
“I remember.”
“You were extremely unpleasant.”
“I remember that too.”
“You’ll spend years making up for it.”
“I was hoping for centuries.”
Meera smiled. “Then yes.”
Ash howled so loudly three guards came running.