The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 11

POV: Selene

The fragile peace of my secret planning was shattered by the arrival of the pack Elders.

They were three ancient, powerful wolves, their faces like maps of a long and brutal history.

Their presence in the manor was a rare and solemn occasion, signaling a matter of the highest pack importance.

We were all assembled in the grand sitting room.

I stood near the back, by the doorway, trying to make myself as small and invisible as a shadow.

Roman and Seraphina sat on the velvet sofa, their expressions formal and attentive.

Zane stood by the massive stone fireplace, a figure of immense, coiled power, his face an unreadable mask.

He hadn't looked at me once since I entered the room, but I felt the heat of his awareness like a brand on my skin.

Elder Gideon, the oldest of the three, cleared his throat, and the room fell into an even deeper silence.

“Alpha Roman, Alpha-in-waiting Zane,” he began, his voice a low, gravelly rumble that held the weight of centuries.

“The council has met.”

He paused, his shrewd, dark eyes sweeping across the room.

“Zane, your twenty-seventh birthday approaches. It is the age at which your father took the mantle of Alpha, and the age at which you will begin your final trials for ascension.”

My heart began to beat a little faster.

I knew his birthday was coming, but the mention of a coronation ceremony sent a chill through me.

“As is tradition,” Elder Gideon continued, “your pre-coronation period must be a time of unity and strength.”

“To that end, the council has been in communication with the Laurent pack.”

My stomach plummeted. I knew where this was going.

“It is our unanimous decision that the union must be solidified before the ceremony begins.”

Elder Gideon’s gaze settled on Zane.

“Your fiancée, the Lady Isabella, will be arriving to take up residence here at the manor in one week’s time.”

A gasp escaped my mother’s lips, a sound of pure, aristocratic delight.

A female who would be watching Zane, and by extension, everyone around him, like a hawk.

She would see me.

She would sense the secret I was carrying.

“She will stay for one month, through the birthday and the pre-coronation rites,” the Elder finished, his voice sealing my fate. “It will be a perfect opportunity for the young couple to cultivate their bond and for Isabella to familiarize herself with her future duties.”

I looked at Zane.

He stood motionless, his expression unchanged.

He simply inclined his head in a gesture of silent, regal acceptance.

He had agreed.

Of course he had.

My time had just run out.

I had to be gone before she arrived.