Rikae didn't follow her. His wolf screamed at him to hunt, to tackle her to the marble floor and shield her from the world, but his human mind was colder. If he followed her now, he'd alert her "owner."
Instead, he retreated to the shadows of the balcony, his fingers flying across his encrypted phone.
"Jax," Rikae murmured into the receiver when the line clicked open. "I need a full biometric sweep of the Moon-Glow guest list. Specifically the Southern delegates. Dark hair, jasmine scent, midnight-blue dress. Name is Lisra."
"On it, Beta," Jax's voice crackled. "Give me ten minutes."
Rikae leaned against the stone railing, his knuckles white. Ten minutes felt like ten years. He watched the ballroom floor, his eyes tracking the dark blue of her dress as she drifted toward the back exits. She didn't dance. She didn't eat. She stood like a ghost among the living.
His phone buzzed. A file appeared.
Name: Lisra Thorne
Pack: Black-Ridge (Vassal pack to the Iron-Fang Empire)
Status: High-Ranking Omega / Consort
Mate Status: Marked. Claimed by Alpha Valerius of Iron-Fang.
Rikae's blood didn't just boil; it turned into acid. Valerius. The Iron-Fang Alpha was a brute—a man who had expanded his territory by force and "collected" beautiful wolves from smaller packs like trophies. The "Vassal" status meant Lisra's pack had likely traded her for protection or to pay off a debt.
"Rikae?" Jax's voice was hesitant. "Sir, there's a note in the hierarchy archives. The mark wasn't a ceremony. It happened three years ago during the 'Red Treaty.'
"Thank you Jax." Rikae said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
He looked back at the ballroom. Valerius wasn't at the summit—he was too arrogant to attend multi-pack meetings. He had sent Lisra as a representative, a silent message that he owned even the most beautiful things in the room.
Rikae's mind, the sharpest in the north, began to spin.
Fact one: Lisra is his fated mate.
Fact two: She is marked by a tyrant.
Fact three: If he kills Valerius, the feedback from the broken bond might kill Lisra, too.
He needed a way to sever the mark without stopping her heart. He needed ancient pack law, and he needed it now.
"Jax, get the Elders on the secure line. Tell them the Lead Beta is invoking the Right of Reclamation."
"But Rikae," Jax whispered, "that hasn't been used in a century. It's a death sentence if you fail."
"Then I won't fail," Rikae snapped, his eyes locking onto Lisra as she stepped into a black sedan outside the hall. "She's mine. The Moon said so. Valerius is just holding her for me, and his time is up."