POV Devon
"She didn't run away!" Nina's voice cracked like a whip across my office. "Syrena wouldn't just disappear without telling anyone!"
"Wouldn't she?" Mira stood near my desk, arms crossed, her warrior's stance aggressive. "Your precious friend couldn't handle the competition. Couldn't bear watching Devon choose women who could actually give him heirs."
"You venomous bitch—"
"Am I wrong?" Mira cut her off, holding up a familiar phone. "We found this in the eastern woods. She left it behind like she left everything else. What kind of Luna abandons her pack, her responsibilities?"
Celia and Jasmine pressed against the wall near the door, watching the confrontation with wide, frightened eyes. They'd come for afternoon training but walked into a war.
"Maybe she was taken!" Nina lunged forward, but I caught her arm. "Maybe something happened to her!"
"Or maybe she's exactly what we always suspected—weak." Mira's smile was razor-sharp. "A Luna who can't breed, can't lead, can't even face her husband taking the wives he needs."
"Enough!" My Alpha command shattered through the room. All four women froze, their wolves cowering under the weight of my authority.
The silence stretched taut as I moved to the window. My chest constricted with each breath. Syrena was alive—she had to be. If she were dead, if something had truly happened to her, I would know.
Six years together, choosing each other every day despite a world that expected me to take multiple mates—that created a connection deeper than any fated bond.
We weren't destined mates pulled together by the Moon Goddess. We chose each other, fought for each other, built something real. Even fractured by our quarrels and my betrayal, I would feel her absence like losing half my soul.
The movement below caught my eye. Elder Leon approached the house with unusual urgency, his ancient frame moving faster than I'd seen in years.
"Everyone out," I commanded, not turning from the window.
"Devon—"
Mira started.
"Alpha—"
Nina protested simultaneously.
"I said OUT!" I spun to face them. "Except Nina. She stays."
"Why does she—"
Mira's face flushed with indignation.
"Because she's Syrena's best friend, and my Luna would want her to know whatever Leon's about to tell me." I met Mira's furious gaze. "You have a problem with that?"
"No, Alpha." The words came through gritted teeth.
"Good. Leave. All three of you."
Celia and Jasmine practically ran from the room, relief evident in their quick escape. Mira stalked out slowly, her offense radiating with every step.
The door had barely closed when Leon entered without knocking, his face grave.
"Alpha Devon. Nina." He shut the door firmly behind him. "I've gathered information about Luna Syrena."
"Where is she?" I gripped the desk edge. "Is she safe?"
"One of our patrol wolves, Mike, witnessed something three hours ago." Leon's weathered hands trembled slightly. "He saw Luna Syrena being dragged unconscious to a black vehicle near the eastern border."
Nina gasped. "Kidnapped? She was kidnapped?"
"Mike memorized the license plate. We ran it through our contacts." Leon met my eyes directly. "It belongs to the Lycan King's fleet."
"The Lycan King Magnus?" I stared at him. "Why would the King take my Luna?"
Leon sighed deeply, suddenly looking every one of his centuries.
"There's something I need to tell you both. Something I've hidden for twenty-six years."
"What are you talking about?"
"Syrena isn't who you think she is." Leon moved closer, his voice dropping. "Her real name is Princess Odette. She's the Lycan King's daughter."
The words hit me. Nina sank into a chair, her face pale.
"That's impossible," I managed. "I know everything about her. She's from a minor pack family, orphaned at three—"
"All lies I was ordered to tell." Leon's confession came steady, rehearsed. "The King brought her to me as a toddler, begged me to hide her, protect her. She was promised in marriage to another royal bloodline from birth—a political arrangement he couldn't bear for his only child."
"You're saying my wife—my Luna—is royalty?" My voice cracked. "And you knew this entire time?"
"I gave her a normal life, Devon. I let her choose her own mate, find her own happiness. She chose you."
"And now her father has stolen her back!" I slammed my fist on the desk. "Dragged unconscious from our territory in broad daylight, and no one could stop it!"
"The King has that authority—"
"I don't care about his authority!" I roared. "She's my wife! Princess or not, she's mine!"
Leon raised his hands placatingly. "Devon, you must think strategically. The council has already approved your marriage to the three she-wolves. Complete that ceremony first, secure your position as Alpha, then address the situation with Syrena."
"Are you insane?" I stared at him in disbelief.
"Your power is vital to this pack. Without heirs, without proving your virility, you'll lose the Alpha position. Syrena is safe with her father—"
"There will be no wedding without my Luna!" The words erupted from my chest. "I don't care what the council wants!"
Nina laughed, harsh and bitter. "The council's pathetic provocations mean nothing now, Leon. Don't you see? Devon's mate is a princess. The Lycan King's daughter. That changes everything."
"It changes nothing about her inability to conceive," Leon said carefully.
"It changes everything about what matters!" I moved around the desk, facing him directly. "You want me to marry three women while my wife—my true wife—is being held by a father she never knew existed?"
"I'm trying to protect this pack—"
"Get out." My voice went deadly quiet.
"Devon—"
"Leave. Now. I need to think about what I've learned today."
Leon looked between Nina and me, his ancient face creased with concern. "Don't do anything rash, Devon. The political implications—"
"The political implications can burn." I turned my back on him. "My wife was stolen. That's all that matters."
Leon left without another word. The office fell silent except for my ragged breathing.
"She was taken," Nina said softly. "Unconscious. Devon, what if she's hurt?"
"She's not." I pressed my palms against the window, the cool glass grounding me. I laughed bitterly. "I pushed her away for three women who mean nothing to me, and now she's gone. Taken by a father who abandoned her for twenty-six years."
"You'll get her back." Nina stood, moving beside me. "The Devon I remember—the one who defied tradition to promise monogamy to one woman—that Devon would move heaven and earth for Syrena."
"That Devon was a fool."
"That Devon was in love." She touched my shoulder gently. "Still is, unless I'm wrong?"
I thought of Syrena's face the night she caught me looking at the girls in lingerie. The betrayal in her eyes. The way she'd stood among scattered flowers, watching me choose desire over devotion.
"I'm going after her," I said quietly. "Princess or not, King's daughter or not, she's mine."
"What about the council? The three wives?"
"They can wait." I straightened, decision crystallizing. "Everything can wait. I'm bringing my Luna home."
Nina smiled, the first real smile I'd seen from her in weeks. "Now that's the Alpha I remember. The one worth following."
As she left, I stared at the darkening sky. Somewhere beyond my territory, Syrena was learning truths that would shatter everything she believed. But one truth remained constant—she was my mate, my Luna, my wife.
And I would get her back, crown or no crown.