Phoebe took Kaixo’s hand. He looked up at Alena, his attempt at a brave face touching yet fragile. She gave him a reassuring nod as he left with the Amazon and Apollo.
The white wolf and the small grey one pressed close, nudging her legs—they’d caught Katell’s scent inside the palace.
A sharp pang of anger twisted in Alena’s chest. Katell was here.
“Omega, I am General Danaos,” the officer announced, his voice shifting abruptly from warmth to cold authority. Every word was edged with command, cutting through the fragile calm. “If you have come for your sister, I regret to inform you that she is our prisoner.”
Alena frowned. If he thought to stop her from seeing Katell, he was mistaken. “Where is she?”
From the side, Leukos shook his head. “Alena, you won’t change her mind?—”
“I’m not here for that,” she cut in, sharp before he could say more. Her focus snapped back to the general. “Unless you want my wolves tearing through your palace, you’ll tell me where my sister is.”
The shift was instant. The atmosphere, once light with celebration, soured. Around her, conversation faltered. Gueststensed. Even the queen, radiant and serene a moment ago, now looked wary—her gaze flicking to the wolves flanking Alena like living threats.
Danaos didn’t answer. His lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line, the look of a man unaccustomed to being challenged.
Then Leukos spoke. “She’s being held on the east side of the palace. Locked in a room.”
Danaos shot him a sharp look, full of silent reprimand, but Leukos ignored it.
Alena exhaled through her nose, pulse still high. She gave Leukos the smallest grateful nod, then strode up the palace steps.
A wave of unease rippled through the onlookers. Nobles scattered from her path, their silks and sandals whispering against the stone. The wolves bounded ahead, noses low, tracking Katell’s fading scent.
“Stop right there, Omega,” General Danaos barked. “You have no right to interfere. The prisoner’s fate will be decided by the queen—not you.”
Alena didn’t break stride. Her patience was fraying. Through her bond, she sent the wolves ahead, directing them towards the eastern wing. “Decide all you want,” she called over her shoulder. “You won’t stop me from seeing her.”
“My guards will.”
That stopped her cold.
At the top of the steps, she turned to face him. Silence fell over the courtyard. The wedding guests froze, the air heavy with held breath. All eyes locked on her.
Her heart raced, but she didn’t let it show. Her gaze swept the courtyard below and found the palace guards still huddled beneath the wooden staircase, weapons abandoned.
“You mean the ones still cowering in fear?” she shot back, her voice edged with challenge.
Pelagios and Nik snorted, while Leukos struggled to suppress a grin.
General Danaos flushed crimson, humiliation flashing across his face as he followed her gaze. “Soldiers!” he roared, storming down the steps. “On your feet!”
Alena barely spared him a glance. “Thought so,” she muttered, stepping inside the palace.
The entrance hall loomed ahead, its sandstone pillars etched with faded carvings of gods and mythical creatures—winged horses, sirens, centaurs. The floor was laid with broad stone tiles worn smooth by centuries of passing feet. Her steps rang sharply, the sound swallowed by the hall’s vastness.
Behind her, rushed footsteps caught up.
“Alena, wait!” Leukos called.
She kept walking. “Don’t try to stop me, Leukos.”
“I won’t,” he said quickly, closing the distance. “We’re coming with you.”
She glanced over her shoulder, finding both him and Nik now flanking her. “Fine,” she muttered. “Just don’t get in my way.”
Leukos hesitated, then asked, “Why? What are you planning to do?”
