SERENA POV

Then a figure entered the hall. His presence made my breath caught before I even fully registered him

He moved with a commanding presence, every step precise, deliberate, as if the entire world bent to his will. He looked familiar. His figure, it was identical to Jayden. The same posture, the same strength in the way he carried himself.

I almost called out his name, but I held my tongue.

Artemis stirred sharply inside me. “He looks familiar. His aura. I want to be near him, like he is ours. How is that possible?”

A chill ran down my spine. Something was definitely wrong.

And yet, the king was mesmerizing. The mask fit him perfectly, sleek and flawless, matching his royal attire as if it were crafted for him alone. I couldn’t see his face fully, but I knew he must be handsome. His physique was strong, commanding, and magnetic.

He exuded boldness, confidence, dominance, and control. Unreadable. Unyielding. Every wolf and Lycan in the hall seemed drawn to him, compelled to submit, a mixture of awe and fear in their stance. He screamed strength.

I felt drawn to him, like a tether I couldn’t resist. My chest ached. I wanted to run into his arms, to melt into him. Why?

Artemis growled softly. “Even I don’t understand it. I just feel drawn to him. I want him. His scent, intoxicating. It’s familiar.”

I looked around the hall. Some were openly admiring him, heads tilted, lips parted in awe. Others whispered, casting side glances, murmuring that he must be scarred ugly, that’s why he wore a mask.

Anger flared inside me. How dare they judge him? And why were the ladies looking at him as if they wanted to eat him up? My wolf snarled silently. What right did I have to feel protective? He is not my mate. Why am I like this?

The king approached the throne at the center of the hall. Every eye followed him, but my gaze was fixed at him. When he settled into his seat, our eyes met, and I felt it, a spark of recognition, like a current passing between us, faint but undeniable, tugging at the deepest parts of me.

His gaze was cold, hard, edged with something, hatred, or perhaps judgment. A flicker of awareness, like he knew me. I noticed the subtle flex of his jaw, controlled, deliberate.

Artemis hissed, claws scraping at my mind. “Mate, it must be Jayden.”

Impossible. My heart thudded painfully. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t possibly be here, now, disguised as the king. Yet my heart, my instincts, screamed at me that it could be. Perhaps it was the memory of Jayden, our bond, that made me feel this confusion.

Whispers spread around the hall.

“Why is he choosing a mate now? I hope he is gentle with her, he is cruel.”

“He destroyed anyone who displeased him. He might kill his queen in a fit of rage.”

The murmurs barely reached my conscious mind. My heightened senses picked them up clearly, each word slicing through the charged air.

Even without focusing, I could sense the crowd’s unease, their fear mixing with awe. Every Alpha, Luna, noble, all were watching, calculating, waiting.

“Silence!” His voice boomed across the hall, full of authority and power. The air seemed to shiver at the command, every instinct in me tensing. Artemis growled low, claws itching against the edges of my mind.

I clenched my fists, forcing my jaw to relax. My mask, polite, calm, composed, was required. But every fiber of my being, every instinct, screamed to bare teeth, to strike, to protect what I could not yet name but felt, rightfully mine.

The bond pulsed stronger. Hot, urgent, alive. It pressed against my chest, tugging at my mind, whispering his name in a language no words could capture. Artemis growled again, frustrated, eager. The scent, the aura, the pull, it was undeniable.

And in that moment, as the king’s gaze swept the hall with imperious dominance, I knew one thing: nothing, nothing, would ever be the same again.

“As you all know, it is tradition for the king to choose a mate if he has not found her by the age of thirty. I am twenty-eight. There is no need to rush, yet I see no reason to wait. That is why I have announced this ceremony,” he said, his voice calm but commanding.

“But before I proceed,” he continued, scanning the hall with piercing eyes, “I have heard many rumors about my face, some say it is ugly, scarred. I know you are all curious. You wish to see the face of your king, the one who rules you.”

A murmur passed through the crowd. My pulse quickened. I placed a hand on my chest, heart thudding. Artemis stirred sharply inside me, claws scraping at my thoughts, instincts screaming.

Why is my body reacting this way? This is not Jayden.

“I have decided to fulfill your wish,” he said, his hand moving to the edge of his mask. “You will see my face today.”

The hall fell silent. Every whisper, every movement froze. The air was thick with power, expectation, and tension. Artemis growled low, warning me of the storm building inside the room, sensing the pull that pressed against my chest.

It’s familiar, strangely familiar. Why?

He lifted the mask slowly. The moonlight from the windows glinted across his face, tracing the sharp planes of his mask, the strength in his jaw, the confidence radiating from every movement. My breath caught.

Everything inside me froze.

Artemis stiffened beside me, muscles taut, fur rising along her spine. A pull, subtle yet undeniable, pressed against my chest, the mate bond, long buried, silent for three years, was stirring again. My hand instinctively went to my heart. No. This isn’t possible. He cannot be.

I felt heat surge through me, confusion twisting with longing. My senses sharpened, claws itching, the urge to leap, to claim, to protect, coursing through me. Artemis snarled faintly, warning, Do not act. Observe. Wait.

Around us, the crowd shifted. Some gasped softly, others whispered. The scent of fear, awe, and submission floated through the hall. Yet all I could focus on was him, the pull, the familiarity, the sense that something I had thought lost was suddenly alive.

His eyes swept the hall and then locked onto mine. Cold, unreadable, and yet, there was recognition. A spark I couldn’t place. My chest tightened, every nerve screaming.

Artemis growled again, claws pressing at the edges of my thoughts, He feels like him, but he isn’t him. Something is wrong.

I swallowed hard, forcing my face into calm indifference, even as my pulse raced. This is the king. Not Jayden. It must be him.

Then, finally, he removed the mask.

Moonlight spilled across his face. Every feature sharp, commanding, impossibly captivating. My breath caught in my throat. Every instinct inside me froze. My heart thudded painfully.

Artemis tensed violently beside me, urging caution, yet unable to deny the pull that pressed against my chest.

I could not speak. I could not move. I could not look away.

I was stunned.

SERENA POV

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t even blink.

The world narrowed to a single point, to the man standing before the throne, to the face I had carved into my memory so deeply that no amount of time or pain had ever erased it.

Jayden.

My mate.

The one I rejected.

The one I shattered.

The one I buried alive with my own words.

Except this wasn’t the Jayden I remembered.

This man stood tall, broad shoulders squared with authority, his presence filling the hall in a way that made even the strongest Alphas stiffen and bow their heads.

Power rolled off him in waves, thick and suffocating, ancient and overwhelming. It pressed against my skin, sank into my bones, wrapped around my wolf until Artemis whimpered inside me.

He was no longer the quiet rogue who stood at my side.

He was no longer the man who looked at me with soft eyes and gentle devotion.

This Jayden radiated dominance.

Royalty.

Danger.

The strongest Lycan I had ever felt.

Artemis trembled, torn between instinct and terror. It’s him, she whispered, voice breaking. It’s our mate. Our king.

My chest burned. No.

This wasn’t possible.

I had watched him leave.

I had watched the bond tear and bury itself inside my chest.

I had convinced myself that he survived because he was strong enough to endure my cruelty.

But this?

This was something else entirely.

The hall erupted into chaos.

Gasps. Whispers. Shocked murmurs that rippled like wildfire through the crowd. “He looks so handsome,” one of the ladies said. “I never thought the king would be this stunning. I was expecting a scarred man,” another said.

“That’s” “Isn’t that” “The rogue” “The rejected mate of Serena” Every word slammed into me like a blow. My parents said the word and went rigid beside me.

I felt it instantly, the shift in them, the horror, the disbelief, the dawning realization that something had gone catastrophically wrong.

My mother’s fingers tightened painfully around my arm.

“This is impossible,” she whispered through clenched teeth. “That rogue should not be here.” I flinched.

Jayden’s eyes, no, the king’s eyes, lifted again, scanning the crowd with cold detachment.

And then they found me.

The moment our gazes locked, something inside me snapped.

The bond screamed. Pain lanced through my chest, sharp and vicious, stealing the air from my lungs. Artemis cried out, claws scraping desperately at my mind, her instincts raging, her longing and fear colliding violently.

He feels it, she said. He knows.

Jayden’s gaze hardened.

There was no warmth there. No confusion.

No longing.

Only coldness.

Hatred so sharp it cut straight through me.

He remembered.

Every word.

Every rejection.

Every cruel sentence I had forced past my lips to save his life.

And he hated me for it.

Good. I deserved that.

The king rose slowly from his throne.

The movement alone commanded absolute silence. Even the most powerful Alphas stiffened, their wolves bowing instinctively to his authority.

He descended the steps with measured steps, boots echoing against the marble floor.

Each step closer felt like a countdown to my execution.

When he stopped, he stood only a few feet away from me.

Close enough that his scent wrapped around me.

Gods.

It was intoxicating.

Stronger than before. Richer. Darker. Laced with Lycan dominance and something feral beneath it. It hit me like a drug, sending my instincts into chaos, making my knees weak.

Artemis strained violently.

Mine, she snarled. Our king. Our mate.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms, grounding myself in pain.

I wasn’t allowed to want him.

Not anymore. Not after rejecting and breaking him with my words.

Jayden tilted his head slightly, eyes raking over me with clinical detachment.

As if I were nothing.

As if I were beneath him.

The humiliation burned worse than fire.

“So,” he said, his voice low, controlled, carrying effortlessly across the hall. “The candidates for my choosing ceremony.”

His gaze never left me.

“I see familiar faces.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd, nervous and uncertain.

My throat tightened.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

The attendant stepped forward, bowing deeply. “Your Majesty, if you wish, we can proceed with the presentation of the candidates.”

Jayden nodded once. “Call them forward.”

The words slammed into me.

Candidates.

I was just another option.

Just another woman standing in line to be judged.

The attendant raised his voice. “All unmated females contesting for the king’s choosing, step forward.”

The hall seemed to tilt.

My parents nudged me sharply.

“Move,” my mother hissed. “Do not embarrass us.” Aren't they scared that Jayden will not choose me or worse eject our family from being the Alpha of the pack.

Artemis recoiled, wounded and furious.

He’s ours. Why are we stepping forward like this?

Because I no longer had a choice.

I stepped out from beside my parents, my movements stiff, mechanical, as if my body no longer belonged to me.

Dozens of women stepped forward with me.

Alpha daughters. Princesses. Nobles. Warriors.

They stood tall, confident, dressed in elegance and power.

I felt exposed.

Jayden circled us slowly.

Not like a king.

Like a predator.

His presence loomed, heavy and oppressive, forcing every wolf in the line to submit instinctively. Some of the women trembled. Others lifted their chins defiantly.

He stopped in front of the first candidate.

She smiled brightly, confidence radiating from her posture. “Your Majesty, it would be an honor”

He didn’t even let her finish.

His gaze flicked away dismissively.

She paled.

He moved on.

Another woman spoke of loyalty.

Another spoke of ambition.

Another spoke of strength.

Jayden listened with cold indifference, his expression unreadable.

Then he stopped in front of me.

The air between us thickened.

I couldn’t look away.

I wanted to sink into the floor.

“Serena,” he said softly.

The sound of my name on his lips shattered something inside me.

The hall went deathly silent.

I swallowed hard. “Your Majesty.”

His eyes darkened.

“So formal,” he murmured. “After everything.”

Heat rushed to my face.

“I—”

He lifted a hand, silencing me instantly.

“I am aware of who you are,” he said calmly, his voice sharp enough to draw blood. “And I am also aware of our history.”

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

My parents stiffened in horror.

Jayden’s gaze burned into me. “Allow me to make one thing very clear.”

He leaned closer, his voice dropping just enough that it felt personal. Intimate. Deadly.

“I do not take back rejected mates.”

The words crushed me.

Artemis screamed.

Pain exploded in my chest, so violent I nearly collapsed. I bit back a gasp, my vision blurring as the bond convulsed painfully, twisting and recoiling as if wounded all over again.

Whispers erupted.

“She rejected him?” “She rejected the king?” “Is she insane?”

Jayden straightened, his voice rising so all could hear.

“She made her choice,” he said coldly. “And I accepted it.”

His gaze flicked over me one last time, dismissive and final.

I had never felt smaller.

He resumed his circle, continuing his inspection as if I no longer existed.

Every step he took away from me felt like a blade dragging through my ribs.

The women spoke again.

Ambition.

Power.

Desire.

None of it mattered.

Jayden stopped at the center of the line.

He turned slowly, surveying the hall, his presence dominating every corner.

“The time has come,” he said evenly, “to choose.”

My heart stopped.

The hall held its breath.

Artemis trembled violently inside me.

What is he doing?

Jayden’s gaze swept the candidates once more.

Then it locked onto someone.

A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips.

“I have made my decision.”

The world blurred.

And then.

He opened his mouth to speak.