The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 78

POV: Zane

The effect of Selene’s power on me was staggering.

For a few blissful, silent moments, the storm inside me had ceased.

The constant, raging battle between my wolf and my guilt, my love and my hate, had simply… stopped.

It was a peace so profound, so absolute, it was more addictive than any drug.

And it terrified me.

Her power was immense, far greater than the ancient texts had described.

Isabella hadn’t just been lying about a curse; she had been trying to suppress a force of nature.

And now, her brother was coming for it.

The invitation arrived two days later.

It was not a letter, but an envoy.

Three of Ryker Laurent’s elite guards, their silver-and-black uniforms a stark contrast to our own pack’s colors, were granted entry to the estate.

They carried no weapons, but their powerful, disciplined auras were a clear message of strength.

Their leader, a tall, scarred wolf with cold, dead eyes, presented me with a formal, sealed scroll in my study.

Kael stood at my side, his hand resting casually near the hilt of the blade he now wore at all times within the manor.

“A message from our Alpha, Ryker Laurent,” the envoy said, his voice a respectful but firm rumble.

I took the scroll. The parchment was thick and expensive, sealed with the Laurent pack’s sigil of a snarling panther.

I broke the seal.

The script inside was elegant, precise, and cold.

It was an invitation to a parley, a formal negotiation, to be held in three days’ time.

The location was a neutral territory, a barren stretch of land known as the Grey Valley, which sat on the border of our two territories.

It was a traditional meeting place for Alphas to resolve disputes without bloodshed.

But it was the final lines of the invitation that made the blood in my veins run cold.

“To resolve all outstanding matters between our great packs, including the status of my sister, Isabella, and the future of our alliance.”

“It is imperative that you come with your full authority. And you must bring the heir of the Silvermoon bloodline with you.”

He didn’t use her name.

He didn’t call her the mother of my son, or my runaway mate.

But I saw it for what it was.

An opportunity.

Ryker was a snake, but he was a predictable snake, driven by ambition.

And he held information that I needed.

Information about the Silvermoon pack, about the so-called curse, and about the enemies who had destroyed her family.

“Tell your Alpha,” I said, my voice the cold, hard command of a king, “that we accept his invitation.”

The envoy bowed and retreated.

The moment the study door closed, Kael turned to me, his face a mask of concern.

“Zane, this is a mistake,” he said. “He’s using her as bait. It’s a trap.”

“I know,” I replied, my gaze distant, my mind already working, calculating the risks, the angles.

I walked to the door, my decision made.

“Prepare the jet,” I commanded Kael.

“And go and tell Selene she is coming with me.”