Chapter 3

Aurelia’s POV

“Who called you that?” Regaleon’s voice thundered through the silent hall.

“I… I didn’t mean anything, Your Highness!” I stammered, my heart hammering against my ribs as his large hand stayed firmly on my waist. “You don’t have to do this. I’m nobody.”

“You are not nobody,” Regaleon growled softly, his eyes burning into mine. “Answer me, my Lady. Who dared to call you a stick?”

Before I could force a word past my dry throat, a high-pitched voice broke through the quiet.

“Your Highness! Please, there must be some kind of huge mistake!”

Alyssa pushed her way out from behind the punch bowl, her face red as she almost tripped over her own dress to step closer. Sienna and Delilah scurried right behind her, while Garrick hung back, looking like he was about to vomit from terror.

“A mistake?” Regaleon turned his head slowly, his glare dropping onto Alyssa.

Alyssa swallowed hard, forcing a bright smile to her lips as she pointed a manicured nail right at me. “Yes, My Prince! That girl—she’s just my cousin, Aurelia! She isn’t anyone special! Look at her!”

“Look at her?” Regaleon repeated, his voice dangerously calm.

“She’s tall, flat, and awkward!” Alyssa blurted, gesturing wildly at my body. “She doesn’t even fit into pack standards! She came here tonight looking like a starving twig! If you’re looking for a suitable partner for the gala, she is definitely not the one!”

“She’s right, Your Highness!” Sienna piped up, taking a shaky step forward. “Aurelia spends all her time hiding in corners! She’s completely ordinary! She isn't beautiful like the other she-wolves in our district! You clearly meant to approach someone else!”

“We were actually just trying to help her realize she doesn't belong here!” Delilah added quickly, flashing a sweet, fake smile. “We were saving her from embarrassing herself in front of high-ranking males!”

I shrank back against Regaleon’s side, the burning shame flaring up all over again. Every cruel word hit me like a fresh whip crack.

They’re right. He made a mistake. He’s going to realize it any second and walk away.

Regaleon didn't walk away. Instead, his broad hand tightened on my waist, pulling me so close that my hip pressed flush against his thigh.

“Ryss,” Regaleon commanded, his voice slicing through the air like a blade.

“Standing by, My Prince,” Beta Ryss replied instantly, stepping forward with his hand resting on his side blade.

“Which family sired these three females?” Regaleon asked, his gaze locked onto Alyssa with disgust.

“That is Alyssa, daughter of Lady Rosalind of Backwells,” Ryss stated clearly, his voice echoing for the entire room to hear. “Beside her are Delilah Riverton and Sienna Roberson, daughters of local council elders.”

Alyssa’s eyes lit up with hope, thinking her family name would save her. “Yes! My mother is Lady Rosalind! We are a respected family, Your Highness! If you need a proper dance partner—”

“Shut your mouth,” Regaleon snarled, the command hitting the room with enough power to make Alyssa gasp and stumble backward into Garrick.

“My Prince,” Garrick stammered, stepping in front of Alyssa with a terrified bow. “Please, she didn't mean—”

“You were laughing with them,” Regaleon cut him off coldly. “I heard every single word of your pathetic jokes from outside those doors.”

Garrick went dead pale, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. “I… I was only—”

“You called my mate a dry twig,” Regaleon growled, stepping forward and taking me right along with him. He towered over Garrick, his broad shoulders blocking out the ballroom lights. “You dared to stand in this hall and mock the female chosen by the Moon Goddess to rule by my side.”

Gasps erupted across the entire room.

“Mate?” Alyssa shrieked, her voice cracking in disbelief. “No! That’s impossible! How could a Royal Alpha’s wolf choose a stick like her?!”

“My wolf chose her because she is flawless,” Regaleon said, his tone dropping so cold that everyone in the room froze. “And because her soul carries more elegance and beauty than every single one of you combined.”

He turned his full attention back to Ryss.

“Ryss, take down their names,” Regaleon ordered sternly. “Garrick is removed from his post in the local guard effective immediately. As for Alyssa, Sienna, and Delilah—their families will answer to the royal council tomorrow morning for disrespecting the future Queen of this kingdom.”

“No! Please!” Delilah cried out, collapsing onto her knees.

“Your Highness, have mercy!” Sienna sobbed, ducking her head behind her hands.

Alyssa stood frozen, staring at me with hatred. I couldn't move. My breath was stuck in my chest as I looked from my hysterical cousin up to the imposing, incredibly handsome Prince who was holding me like I was made of gold.

“Aurelia,” Regaleon murmured softly, his voice shifting instantly from terrifying Alpha to gentle protector as he looked down at me.

“Prince Regaleon…” I breathed, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it ringing in my ears. “Are you… are you serious? Me?”

“Only you,” he whispered. He slid his long fingers down to catch my hand, lacing his fingers securely through mine. “I am done letting these fools look at you like you are anything less than breathtaking. We are leaving.”

He didn't wait for my response. Regaleon turned on his heel, pulling me right beside him as he began striding toward the massive double doors of the ballroom. The crowd parted instantly, wolves scrambling over each other to bow low as we walked past.

I looked back over my shoulder for a single second. Alyssa, Sienna, and Delilah were still on their knees by the punch bowl, surrounded by whispering wolves, their social status completely destroyed in a matter of seconds.

We stepped out into the cool night of the courtyard, where a massive black royal carriage guarded by heavily armed warriors was waiting.

“Wait!” a harsh, shrill voice shouted from the grand archway behind us.

I froze, turning my head.

Running down the marble steps with her face crunched in fury was Aunt Rosalind.

“Stop right there!” Aunt Rosalind screamed, pointing a shaking finger directly at me.

“Aurelia, get your skinny behind back over here right now!” Aunt Rosalind’s voice shrieked across the courtyard, her heels clicking furiously against the marble steps as she marched toward us. “You are not going anywhere with him!”

I stiffened, my fingers automatically tightening around Regaleon’s hand. The familiar spike of panic slammed into my chest, making my throat close up instantly.

Regaleon paused, turning his head slowly toward her. His eyes narrowed, and the royal guard surrounding his carriage shifted into formation, their weapons glinting in the moonlight.

“Aurelia!” Aunt Rosalind panted as she skidded to a halt in front of us, her chest heaving, her eyes wild with rage. She didn’t even look at the armed guards. She grabbed my free wrist, her long nails digging into my skin. “Have you lost your mind?! You get back inside the hall right now and apologize to your cousin! You’ve embarrassed this entire family with your pathetic little stunt!”

“Aunt Rosalind, please—” I gasped, trying to pull back, but her grip was like an iron vise.

“Release her,” Regaleon growled, his voice dropping so low, it made the cobblestones beneath our feet vibrate.

Aunt Rosalind finally looked up at him, flinching at his imposing height and broad frame, but her arrogance quickly overwhelmed her fear.

“Your Highness, with all due respect, this is a private family matter!” she demanded, puffing out her chest. “This girl is my responsibility! Her father gave her to me when he died, and I know what is best for her! She is completely unfit to stand beside someone of your stature!”

“Is that so?” Regaleon asked, his tone dangerously flat.

“Yes!” Aunt Rosalind insisted, looking back at me with contempt. “She’s a broken, fragile girl who spends all day hiding in libraries! She has no posture, no presence, and certainly no physical beauty to represent royalty! The mate bond must be a mistake! The Moon Goddess wouldn't give a grand Alpha, a female so defective!”

My head dropped. The words stung, cutting deep into wounds I had carried for years. ‘Defective.’ ‘Fragile’. ‘Unfit.’

Regaleon gently reached down and placed his large hand over Aunt Rosalind’s fingers, squeezing her wrist with just enough pressure that she gasped and immediately let go of me. He pulled me slightly behind his broad shoulder, using his entire body as an impenetrable wall between us.

Then, Regaleon turned his head to look down at me.

“Aurelia,” he murmured softly.

I looked up, my eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Yes, Prince Regaleon?”

“Do you want to go back with her?” he asked cleanly.

The entire courtyard fell into a dead silence.

Aunt Rosalind froze, her jaw dropping open in utter disbelief. “Your Highness! What kind of question is that?! She is a child under my roof! She doesn't have a say in—”

“I didn't ask you,” Regaleon cut her off without even glancing her way, his eyes remaining locked entirely on mine. “I asked my mate.”

My heart hammered wildly against my ribs like a trapped bird.

No one had ever asked me what I wanted. Not when Aunt Rosalind threw away my mother’s old dresses, not when Alyssa forced me to clean her room, and not when they decided I was too ugly to be seen in public. My entire life had been decided for me by people who viewed me as nothing more than an inconvenient shadow.

I looked at Aunt Rosalind. Her face was twisted in a silent threat, her eyes screaming at me to obey, to bow my head, to fall back into my designated place as the family shame.

Then, I looked at Regaleon.

His hand was open, waiting for mine. His expression wasn't demanding or commanding. He was giving me the power to choose.

I took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill my lungs. My spine, which had been bent under the weight of their shaming for years, slowly straightened.

“No,” I whispered.

Aunt Rosalind’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you say?!”

I took a step out from behind Regaleon’s shoulder, looking my aunt straight in the eyes for the very first time in my life.

“I said no,” I spoke louder, my voice trembling, but echoing clearly through the crisp night. “I am nineteen years old, Aunt Rosalind. I am not going back to your house. I am done letting you make me feel small.”

A bright smile tugged at the corner of Regaleon’s lips. The pride in his eyes was so warm, so overwhelming, that it made my heart soar.

“You heard her,” Regaleon said, turning back to my aunt, his voice turning back to solid stone. “Lady Rosalind of Backwells, your guardianship over Aurelia ends tonight. Step away from my carriage.”

“You can’t do this!” Aunt Rosalind shrieked, taking an aggressive step forward. “She has nothing! No money! No status! You’ll realize how useless she is in three days!”

Before she could take another step, Ryss slid his blade three inches out of its sheath with a sharp clink.

“Step back, Lady Rosalind,” Ryss warned, his eyes icy cold. “Or your family will lose more than just a niece tonight.”

Aunt Rosalind stumbled backward, her face turning pale as paper as she realized she had completely lost. She stood on the marble steps, trembling with fury as the royal guards surrounded her, cutting off any further path toward us.

Regaleon took my hand, lacing his long fingers through mine, and led me up the small steps into the royal carriage.