Burn in the Alpha Princess's Wrath novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39 The Claw Oath

Leslie’s POV – Moon Bar

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After my performance, Eric escorted me back to our booth.

Astrid and Amala greeted me with warm, crushing hugs.

“Darling, you were incredible!” Astrid beamed.

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Finished

I shot her a smug smile before accepting a half–filled beer from Amala and downing it in one go. Then I turned to Eric with a playful arch of my brow. “When did you get here?”

Eric put on his most exaggeratedly wounded look. “What, I wasn’t supposed to come?”

His theatrics made us all laugh.

“Eric came with me,” Amala chuckled. “He made me promise not to tell you–wanted it to be a surprise.”

I rolled my eyes at them both–but I had to admit, it had been a nice surprise seeing him earlier.

Though Eric was technically a boy, he’d grown up playing with us girls. That changed when he returned to Northfrost Pack for Alpha training, and we hadn’t seen much of him since. I still remembered the day he left–sniffling and begging me to come with him as his Luna.

His sudden reappearance brought back all those childhood memories. We teased him relentlessly, laughing until tears ran down our cheeks. The booth buzzed with joy.

But the moment didn’t last.

Leiss approached, trailed by several Crimson Moon Pack cronies, all of them carrying drinks and fake smiles.

Still stinging from the scandal and the humiliation he’d suffered before Kirby, Leiss clearly came seeking payback.

He reeked of cheap liquor and petty bitterness. He slammed a glass onto our table,

“Governor,” he said with a syrupy, mocking smile, “who would’ve guessed you were hiding such talents? That performance? Sounded like something from a Pack celebration. What was it? Your old job? Singing for scraps?”

His insult was sharp, deliberate.

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Chapter 39 The Claw Oath

35

Finished

Astrid shot to her feet, table rattling as her Alpha presence burst forth like a sudden storm. “Say one more word, Leiss, and I’ll rip that foul mouth off

your

face.”

“Oh?” Leiss sneered. His cronics immediately flared their pheromones in response. Shadows of snarling wolfs shimmered behind them. The tension crackled like dry branches in flame.

“Leiss,” I said calmly, halting Astrid with a glance. “Did you come over just to show off your bark?”

“Not quite.” His smile twisted. From his belt, he unsheathed a gleaming knife–its blade honed from moonstone–and slammed it into the table. “I came to play. Ever heard of the Claw Oath? Let’s see who’s got the real guts.”

The Claw Oath. An old, brutal test of nerve and skill once used to resolve disputes between Packs. You placed your hand flat on the table and stabbed the knife rapidly between your fingers. The faster, the braver. Miss, and you could cripple your hand–or lose fingers entirely.

Eric frowned, voice cutting through the thickening tension. “Leiss, this is Moon Song, not your back–alley arena. Don’t bring your garbage here.”

“Just a game,” Leiss said lightly, though his gaze was fixed squarely on me. “So, Governor Leslie. What’s the matter? Too scared to join? Or are those delicate hands of yours only good for harps and microphones?”

I laughed quietly. “Fine. I’ll play. But what’s the wager?”

Leiss’s eyes gleamed. “Simple. If I win, you confess–publicly–that you broke the mate bond with Kirby. That you’re an unfaithful woman. Then you step down from your post as Westview’s Governor. But if you win–do what you like to me.”

Astrid slammed her hand on the table. “I’m taking this for her. If you lose, Leiss, you strip. You destroy the hand you used. Then you crawl–naked–like the broken Omega mutt you are, all

back to Crimson Moon Pack.”

the

way

“Done!” Leiss barked, eager and certain of himself.

I smiled at him. He thought I was just some decorative Alpha with a good voice and a famous

name.

He had no idea that back in Rogue Pack’s royal training, the Claw Oath was something we practiced at six years old. Before breakfast.

Across the room, Kirby stood silent. Watching. His eyes locked on me–deep, unreadable.

He was searching for my limits.

Good.

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13:14 Mon, Sep 15

Chapter 39 The Claw Oath

Let them all see. Let them all learn.

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