Knotting His Rejected Breeder

Dane woke before sunrise with the eastern forest still in his head.

He lay on his back for a moment, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling of the room Silvercrest had given him. The palace was quiet at this hour. He should have been thinking about the royal gathering, the next test, and the negotiations Ramon expected him to handle. Instead he saw blood on a broken branch, smaller footprints disappearing into the trees, and the girl from the market standing in front of him with broken jars at her feet, looking more annoyed than frightened when he asked if she was hurt.

He sat up and rubbed both hands over his face.

He still did not know her name. That irritated him more than anything else.

A knock sounded. Henrik opened the door before Dane could answer and walked in carrying two cups of coffee.

"You look terrible."

Dane took one of the cups. "Good morning to you too."

"I was being generous."

Henrik dropped into the chair opposite the bed, looking far too rested for someone who had spent half the previous day in the eastern forest. Dane drank. The coffee was bitter enough to make him wince.

"Did you sleep?"

"A little."

Henrik raised an eyebrow. Dane ignored it.

"You’re thinking about the girl."

"No."

"You are."

"I was thinking about the forest."

"Of course."

Henrik’s expression made it clear he did not believe him. Dane set the cup down.

"Someone was chasing her."

"We don’t know that."

"We found blood, smaller footprints, and signs of a struggle in the same direction she traveled."

"That sounds like someone was chasing someone."

"Exactly."

Henrik leaned back. "You still don’t know it was her."

Dane did not answer immediately. He remembered her face again. There had been something about her that did not fit the chaos around her. She had looked like someone who wanted nothing to do with the crowd, the merchants, or the people pushing past them. Yet she had been there when the hooded man attacked. She had seen something. Or someone had seen her.

"I don’t like unanswered questions," he said finally.

Henrik smiled faintly. "That’s unfortunate. You’re an Alpha now. Your entire life is going to be unanswered questions."

Dane gave him a flat look.

"Just trying to prepare you."

"You’re doing a terrible job."

"I’ve been told that before."

Another knock cut him off. A Silvercrest guard entered and bowed.

"Alpha Dane. Beta Henrik. The King has requested your presence."

"About the forest?"

The guard hesitated. "Partly."

That was enough. Dane reached for his coat.

The palace was already waking when they stepped into the corridor. Servants moved quietly between rooms. Guards changed positions at the end of every hall. The royal gathering had transformed the place overnight. Every corridor seemed occupied by people carrying their own ambitions.

The Lycan King waited in the eastern wing with two royal scouts. Neither looked pleased.

"What did you find?" Dane asked.

The King glanced at the scouts. "Tell him."

The older scout stepped forward. "We searched the area again this morning. We found no body."

Dane’s shoulders loosened slightly. "Then the person survived?"

"We can’t say that for certain. The blood trail stops near the old farming road."

"Stops?"

"There are too many wagon tracks there to follow anything clearly."

"Any sign of the hooded man?"

"No."

"Any sign of the girl?"

The scout met his eyes. "No."

The answer should have closed the matter. Instead it left a weight behind.

The King stepped closer. "We will continue searching the forest, but I don’t want the candidates wandering Silvercrest territory. You are here for the gathering, Dane. Your responsibilities are elsewhere."

Dane understood the warning. "Yes, Your Majesty."

As they turned away, Henrik fell into step beside him.

"You heard him."

"I did."

"You’re going to listen?"

Dane glanced at him. "I said I heard him."

Henrik sighed. "I knew that was what you meant."

In the main courtyard the candidates were already preparing for the day. The atmosphere had shifted since the previous evening. There were fewer easy smiles now that everyone understood the gathering would not be a simple introduction followed by a formal selection.

Adrian stood near the training grounds surrounded by several noble sons, laughing at something one of them said. Lucien watched from farther away without joining them. Dane noted both groups and kept walking.

"You’re staring," Henrik said.

"I’m observing."

"Of course."

The next test would not begin until afternoon, so the candidates had time to train. Dane stepped onto the practice ground because he needed the movement. The first opponent lasted less than two minutes. The second lasted longer. By the time he lowered his blade, sweat had soaked through his shirt and his breathing had finally settled into something steady.

Henrik handed him a cloth. "You’re taking your frustrations out on everyone today."

"I’m training."

"You nearly dislocated that man’s shoulder."

"He shouldn’t have left it open."

Henrik shook his head. "Sometimes I miss the old you."

Dane wiped his face. "You knew me when I was sixteen. You can’t possibly miss that."

"I do."

"You’re lying."

"I am."

Dane laughed despite himself. For a moment the forest left his mind.

Then someone called his name.

Aurora stood a few steps away. She was not wearing the formal gown from the night before. A simple training dress. Hair tied back. Without the crown and jewelry she looked younger, more approachable. Her eyes were still difficult to read.

"Alpha Dane."

"Princess."

Her gaze moved briefly toward the training area. "You don’t seem to enjoy these tests."

"I don’t enjoy being watched while I train."

"Yet you came."

"I didn’t have much choice."

That faint almost-smile appeared again.

"You really don’t like this gathering."

"No."

"Then why stay?"

Dane glanced toward the palace. "Because leaving would affect more people than me."

Her expression shifted slightly. "Your pack?"

"My people."

She nodded slowly. "Most of the candidates I’ve spoken to have talked about what Silvercrest could give them."

"And you?"

"I haven’t decided what I want."

Dane looked at her more carefully. "That makes two of us."

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Aurora’s eyes narrowed a fraction. "Are you still thinking about the girl from the market?"

Dane did not bother pretending.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because someone was looking for her."

"And you think she matters?"

"I think anyone being chased through a royal territory matters."

Aurora looked toward the eastern side of the palace. "Be careful."

The warning landed harder than he expected.

"About her?"

"About assuming you understand what you’re walking into."

He waited for more. She gave him nothing.

"Do you know something?"

Her gaze returned to him. "I know that people rarely run without a reason."

Then she walked away.

Henrik waited until she was out of earshot. "She likes speaking in riddles."

Dane watched her disappear through the palace doors. "She knows something."

"Probably. I’ve spent enough time around royals to know they collect secrets like other people collect jewelry."

"That’s disturbingly accurate."

"I try."

The afternoon passed without incident. The next test involved negotiation. Dane answered carefully, refused promises he could not keep, and ignored Adrian’s attempts to provoke him. By late afternoon the candidates were released.

He was halfway across the courtyard when a man approached carrying a bundle of papers. One of the farming-territory representatives.

"Alpha Dane."

Dane stopped. "Yes?"

The man bowed slightly. "I heard you’re asking about the market incident."

Dane’s attention sharpened at once. "I am."

The man glanced around before lowering his voice. "I may have seen the girl you’re looking for."

Henrik stepped closer. "Where?"

"At the market. Not during the attack. Earlier."

"She was with an older couple. Her parents, I assume."

Dane remembered them at the edge of the crowd when the chaos began.

"What did they look like?"

The man described them carefully. Then came the part that caught Dane’s attention.

"They didn’t behave like ordinary travelers. The father kept watching the road. Even before the attack."

"Did you speak to them?"

"No. But I remember the girl."

"Why?"

The man smiled faintly. "She helped an old woman who dropped her basket. Everyone else walked around her. The girl stopped."

Dane’s mind returned to the market. Broken jars. Her hands gathering the pieces. The irritation in her voice when he asked if she was hurt. The way she had looked back toward the crowd before leaving.

"Did you learn her name?"

"No."

"Where did they go?"

"Toward the farming territories."

Dane nodded. "Thank you."

When the man left, Henrik spoke quietly.

"You’re going to look for her."

Dane looked toward the road beyond the palace walls. "I’m going to make sure she’s alive."

"That isn’t what I asked."

Dane did not answer.

Before Henrik could push further, a Bloodmoon scout crossed the courtyard at speed.

"Alpha."

The scout stopped in front of him, breathing harder than usual.

"We found something."

Dane’s expression tightened. "What?"

"The wagon."

His heart gave one hard beat.

"Where?"

"About an hour east of here. Off the old farming road."

"Was the family there?"

The scout shook his head. "No."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing at first. The wagon looked abandoned." The scout reached inside his coat. "But there was something caught beneath the seat."

He pulled out a small piece of fabric.

Grey. Simple.

Dane took it.

The material was rough under his fingers. He knew it. He had seen it in the market when the girl stood in front of him with broken jars scattered at her feet.

His eyes lifted slowly.

"Where is the wagon now?"

"We secured the area."

"Any tracks?"

The scout hesitated. "Some. We couldn’t tell whose."

Dane looked down at the grey cloth again.

She had been traveling with her parents. Now their wagon had been left behind. She was missing. And somewhere beyond Silvercrest, someone had already been looking for her hard enough to make her run.

Henrik stepped closer. "We’ll find her."

Dane folded the cloth carefully and closed it in his palm.

This time he did not correct him.

He looked toward the darkening road beyond the palace walls. He still did not know her name. He did not know where she had gone. But one thing was certain now.

She had not simply disappeared.

Someone had taken enough interest in her to force her off the road.

And Dane intended to find out why.

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