Rikae's hand froze mid-air. The gold in his eyes bled into a dark, dangerous amber. His wolf was snarling, a sound so loud in his own head he was surprised the entire ballroom didn't go silent.
Lies. The mark is a lie. She is ours, his wolf howled.
But the mark wasn't a lie. It was a jagged, raised scar on the delicate curve of her neck—a claim-bite. It looked deep. It looked permanent. And most of all, to Rikae's expert eyes, it looked forced.
"Who did this to you?" Rikae's voice was no longer a velvet rumble. It was a whip-crack.
Lisra didn't answer. She pulled the collar of her midnight-blue dress higher, her fingers trembling so violently she could barely grip the fabric. She looked around the room with wide, panicked eyes, as if searching for a shadow that was waiting to swallow her whole.
"Lisra," he said, stepping into her personal space. The scent of jasmine and rain was overwhelming now, mixing with the metallic tang of her fear. "I am the Lead Beta of the Silver-Claw. I don't care who marked you. If you are my mate, that mark is a crime against the Moon."
"Stop," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Please, just... go away."
What do you mean?" He countered instantly. His strategist's mind was already cataloging her reactions.
She flinched. "Everyone knows the Gold Standard. Everyone knows the perfect Beta who is too good for a partner. Just... stay perfect. Leave me alone."
"I can't leave you alone," Rikae growled, his hand finally closing—gently but firmly—around her wrist. The contact was like an electric shock. A spark of pure, fated energy bolted through both of them. Lisra gasped, her knees buckling for a split second before she righted herself.
"The bond is there, Lisra. You felt that. You can't tell me you belong to someone else when your soul is reaching for mine."
"Feelings don't matter," she snapped, a flash of bitterness crossing her beautiful face. She tried to pull her arm away, but Rikae was a mountain. He wasn't moving.
"They matter to me. Who marked you? Was it a political arrangement? Was it your Alpha?"
Lisra's eyes went stone-cold. The fear was still there, but a wall of iron had slid into place behind it. "It doesn't matter who he is. He owns the breath in my lungs and the blood in my veins. If you touch me again, you aren't just starting a fight, Rikae. You're starting a war that my pack can't win."
"I'll win it for you," Rikae promised, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Tell me his name."
"No."
"Is he here tonight?"
Lisra tightened her jaw, her lips pressed into a thin, white line. She looked him dead in the eye, and for the first time, Rikae saw the strength that made her his match.
"I am a mated female, Beta Rikae. Your 'fated' delusions don't change the law. Now, let go of me before someone sees."
She wrenched her arm back, and this time, stunned by the sheer coldness in her voice, Rikae let her go.
He watched her disappear into the crowd, her dark hair swaying like a funeral shroud. He was the smartest man in the territory, but he had no answers. Only a name, a scent, and a burning need to tear the world apart until he found the man who had put his teeth in Rikae's mate.