Aire sat rigidly in the backseat between the monsters who wore crowns.
The car smelled like leather, steel, and dominance, an oppressive mix that pressed into her lungs with every shallow breath she took.
Xanden sat on her left, his arm draped lazily along the back of the seat, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his body without him ever touching her.
Alaric sat to her right, perfectly straight, with his eyes fixed forward as though she didn't exist at all. Nate was in the passenger seat, with one elbow resting against the window, jaw tight, with his aura sharp and restless.
She hadn't protested.
She hadn't even had the chance.
One moment she'd been in the ballroom, dizzy and disoriented, and the next, guards had surrounded her.
Hands gripped her arms, firm but not rough, like she was cargo rather than a person. Her uncle's voice had faded into the background, drowned out by the pounding in her ears as she was ushered out, down stone steps, and into the waiting car.
Now the doors were locked.
And the road stretched endlessly ahead.
The silence wasn't awkward, it was deliberate. Like a punishment, and a reminder of where she stood.
Aire clasped her hands together in her lap, with her fingers twisting until her knuckles went white. She kept her gaze fixed on the floor of the car, refusing to look at them. Looking at them felt dangerous.
She was painfully aware of every inch of space she occupied. Aware of how small she felt between them. Aware that, despite being pressed between three bodies, she had never felt more alone. She would have preferred dying tomorrow to this.
The car slowed.
Her breath caught as the iron gates came into view.
They were massive ancient metal twisted into snarling wolves and crescent moons, qith their eyes glowing faintly as the vehicle approached. The gates parted silently, anf reverently, as though sensing who was inside.
Beyond them stretched the Alpha territory.
Aire's chest tightened.
She had heard stories, of course. Everyone had. But nothing had prepared her for the sheer scale of it. The stone buildings rose from the earth like relics of an old world, their walls scarred and darkened, as though they had seen war and survived it. The land itself felt heavy, steeped in power and old blood. Even the air was different here. The air felt thicker, and charged.
The car rolled to a stop at the foot of the main hall.
Aire's pulse thundered in her ears.
Through the tinted windows, she saw everyone. Dozens, and hundreds of wolves stretched far
The pack stood in neat rows, perfectly aligned, with their heads bowed, bodies still.
The doors opened.
Nate stepped out first, followed by Alaric, then Xanden. Their presence alone shifted the atmosphere. The pack straightened instantly, spines stiff, heads lowering further in reverence.
Aire hesitated.
The guard nearest her gestured sharply.
She stepped out, and the world changed. Every gaze snapped to her like a kill order. Every gaze judged her.
She felt it immediately—the weight of their eyes, sharp and assessing. They were not curious. Neither interested.
They were condemning.
Some of them stiffened in visible shock. Others narrowed their eyes. Whispers rippled through the crowd, low and venomous, before dying under the oppressive weight of the Alphas' presence.
Aire swallowed.
Her throat felt too tight, her chest felt too small to hold the breath she needed. She stood there, painfully aware of herself.
'So this is it,' she thought bitterly. 'This is how they see me.'
She had endured stares before.
As a cursed child of the Moon Goddess, she had learned early how to survive scrutiny of fear, disgust, and superstition. She had seen it all.
However, these stares were beyond rejection.
The pack bowed.
"For the Alphas," they said in unison.
Xanden acknowledged them with a slight nod. Alaric inclined his head. Nate didn't bother responding at all.
The pack straightened, and then they looked at her again. If possible, their gazes hardened further.
Aire's hands trembled at her sides.
Instinct took over before pride could stop it. She stepped closer to the Alphas.
Not because she trusted them. But because their massive frames blocked the worst of the hostility. Standing behind them, even slightly, felt safer than standing alone under that much hatred.
No one commented. They simply… ignored her as if she weren't there at all.
The Beta approached.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and his expression was carefully neutral. He stopped a respectful distance away and bowed deeply to the triplets.
"Alphas," he greeted.
Xanden gave a lazy nod. "Torak."
Alaric's gaze flicked briefly over the pack's formation. Nate said nothing.
The Beta straightened and began delivering his report about security updates, patrol rotations, and minor disputes within the territory.
He did not look at Aire. Not once, nor accidentally.
It was as though she were invisible.
Aire stood there, burning.
Every word that passed between them felt like another dismissal, and another reminder that she did not belong here. The pack followed the Beta's lead, with their eyes skirting around her, deliberately avoiding her presence.
She felt smaller with every passing second.
Finally, Xanden sighed.
"Enough," he said. "We're done here."
The Beta nodded. "Of course, Alpha."
He turned, already moving to signal the pack to disperse—
"Wait."
The Beta froze immediately, waiting for an order.
Xanden's eyes slid, unhurried, toward Aire.
For the first time since they'd arrived, he spared her a glance.
Aire's breath hitched.
His gaze was sharp, assessing, and cruel in its indifference. Alaric and Nate also rested their gaze on her, obviously bored…. and displeased.
Then he turned back to his Beta.
"Take her to her room."
The Beta blinked, just once. His eyes hesitated, but he didn't. "Yes, Alpha."
Xanden's lips curved faintly.
"We planned to sleep with our mates in the same room," he continued coolly. "Since she's cursed, and mated to all three of us, she should sleep in the guest wing."