Arya's POV

The night air was mild and soothing against my skin, setting the perfect tone for my eighteenth birthday and mating ceremony. The great hall buzzed with low chatter and the clinking of glasses echoed throughout. I wore my carefully chosen pure white gown, knee-high with a bold split at the side, revealing my thigh. I had meticulously planned this dress for quite some time.

"You look breathtaking and intoxicating." A guest remarked, and heat rushed to my face.

"Thank you."

I moved around the hall in high spirits, giggling and toasting with the guests. That evening was going to be the most memorable night of my life when I was going to be married and mated to my long-time crush and betrothed. I wasn't supposed to meet him, not until we were through with the ritual; we were to plant the seeds and sing the moon song.

Suddenly, the happiness in the air was poisoned as the lights in the halls flickered on and off, and a cold, chilly wind blew in. The giant doors of the hall flung open as two figures casually walked in. The low light highlighted the details of their faces. A sinister smile was etched on the figure that looked brooding and masculine.

"Good morrow, esteemed guests. Did I miss anything?"

The guests looked pale and motionless. I sensed a spell. When it came to anything related to magic, spells, or curses, Wolves are very keen and sensitive. My eyes drifted to the feminine figure beside the intruder. A witch. I was surprised to find myself still about to move.

His rhetorical question met no answer as the guests were frozen in place. He whizzed to face Dinah standing behind him. "Come on, Dinah. Why did you do that? I wanted to speak with the guests."

She shrugged. "I simply did my side of the bargain. That wasn't part of it. We are here for Marcello."

Huh? They were here for my father? I wanted to seize the opportunity to go warn my father, only to see him walk up to meet the man.

They seemed to be in a conversation, I strained my sensitive ear to catch something. I couldn't hear clearly, I presumed it would be the doing of the witch. From my observation, their interactions looked hostile. Steeling my resolve, I stormed in their direction to demand answers for myself.

"Hey!" I was mere inches off.

They ignored me.

"Hey!" I poked again. They still ignored me but the man cast a momentary gaze at me before returning to his discussion.

I felt stupid and embarrassed. Good thing, the guests were under a spell because I would have lost some of my face and dignity as an Omega. Relentless, I moved in, and my presence was noticeable.

"Hey!!!" I made sure they paid attention to me this time.

Of course, It worked. They stopped talking and the stranger slowly turned to meet my eyes. The resolve and courage I summoned to walk up there deserted me and I was overwhelmed. By the seven gods and the moon goddess, I had never set my eyes on a man this gorgeous. He made cruelty and villainy look beautiful. His golden eyes dilated and looked into mine.

I lost my voice and coordination, the more those eyes stared into mine. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut through by a blunt knife.

"Arya!" My father shook my shoulders, bringing me out of my reverie. "Go to your room, I have this under control, okay?"

I cocked my head to take a look at the man again. His face said otherwise and I looked back at my father. "Well, I don't think you have it under control."

Courage found me again and confronted the man. He was so tall, so it appeared like he was looking down on me, I mean, he made me look small.

"First, you crashed my party and hypnotized my guests, thanks to your pet witch," I heard the witch growl, but I couldn't care less. "And now, you choose to speak to my father the way you deem fit, regardless of his position. He is an Alpha, speak to him with respect, Mr... What is your name again?"

The man's thin lips cracked into a smirk, and the flames in his eyes flared brighter. "Apologies my lady. The name's Karl."

I gulped. It was the first time I'd seen one man emanate lust, bloodlust, and aura so much and cold, all at the same time. The reputation I've heard about this man wasn't as accurate as I've seen firsthand today, but much worse than they described. He was worse than cruel and heartless; he was something much more terrible than evil.

My father jumped in between us and apologized to Karl. "I'm so sorry, Alpha Karl. She is always this brave and something quick and rash with words, forgive her outburst, please. I'll see her to her room."

I was puzzled by my father's words. Despite what this man did to him, he was still apologizing, even for my confrontation.

Before I could make another wild comment, my father silenced me with a warning side-eye but Karl was already an inch in front of me. He grabbed me by the chin, my face puckering as his hands held me firmly in place, my eyes staring into his and his, mine.

He lifted my head to meet his face. "I am very sorry for crashing your petty party. It was an urgent business that I spoke with your father as the issue on the ground requires his immediate attention. Forgive my partner, Dinah; she's sometimes intemperate, and I vouch for her. Happy?"

I breathed in sharply and exhaled slowly to hide the fear that crawled under my skin. He struck fast and left me with nothing to say.

My father intervened. "I'll see her to her room and I'll be back for us to speak in private in the garden."

Karl nodded with a sly smile and let me go. "Let the guests go, they have nothing to do with this," I added.

"With pleasure." He said and motioned to Dinah who broke the spell. She didn't look happy with me and her eyes could tell.

The guests, now free, fled in different directions, hoping to escape the presence of the fearsome duo before they changed their minds. Soon, the large hall was completely deserted and in a total mess.

My father dragged me off and brought me to my room. As soon as he closed the door behind him, then came the chiding. I was prepared.

"What in the seven hells made you act rashly like that? Do you know who you spoke to that way?" His hands were shaky, he was nervous and angry.

I felt my actions were justified, so I wasn't concerned. "I know who he is, and I don't care."

My father paused and laughed. "You know who he is? And You don't care?"

I shrugged in response. That man wasn't scary to me. Besides, he was the first to crash my party, and I had to find a way to get back at him for doing that.

My father sighed, seeing I wasn't bulging or repentant. "You have no goddamned idea of who he is. Trust me, you are lucky that you're alive. Not many people are that lucky."

I raised a brow. My father settled beside me. "I am so sorry that tonight ended the way it did. I had no clue that he would show up suddenly and spoil things. I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"What is he here for? If that man is here, he's up to nothing good. I could feel it." I nestled into my father's embrace, the only place I could find comfort at the moment.

My father sighed again, stroking my hair. It did the trick, I found it soothing and comforting. "It's pack business, you shouldn't be concerned about it."

I countered. "I should, father. It's my pack as well."

"It's alright," My father chuckled. "I don't know why exactly he's here but there's one way to find out."

I relaxed a bit but I was still compressed on the inside.

"I'll speak with him and tomorrow, I will let you know about everything. Promise me you won't do anything reckless?"

I nodded against my will. "I promise."

"Excellent. Remember to plant the oak seeds in the high gardens to complete your moon ritual. So sorry about how today ended."

"Alright. I will, Father." He kissed my forehead and made his way out of the room. I was left alone to wonder what could go wrong because the presence of Karl here in our pack meant nothing good.