Winter walked in the big dining room, the king and his advisor already took their seats. The king sat at the head of the table with Hex on his left side. Roderick pulled back the seat on the right side for her to sit.

Winter took a deep breath and sat down. She watched how Roderick took the seat next to her. Wine was already served as Winter looked at the table.

"I don't drink."

She simply stated as she looked Hex death in the eye. He was the reason after all. One of the servants quickly changed her glass of wine into water. She noticed that they all seemed to be afraid of the king.

"Now that we are all here together, I want to share some news with you."

The king started he rose his glass to held a toast. Winter felt how her wolf got on edge with every word he spoke, this was bad.

"I found my mate. She is here with us. I found my queen."

Winter's glass slipped from her hand and clattered into a million pieces when colliding with her plate. She looked startled at the king, but he simply continued with his speech, describing how he had found her, how she was the most beautiful wolf on the planet. Winter's glass was replaced and cleaned up before the end of the speech.

"I have no desire in being queen. And besides there is a small problem."

Winter started as they all took a sip.

"I am a mated she-wolf." she smirked.

They whine flew across the table. Winter dodged everything that flew around, not getting her outfit stained.

"You are not." the king said stern.

And then Winter removed her collar, making all eyes land on her neck.

The king stood up and smashed his fist on the table.

"I am the king, a simple mark won't stop me." he screamed.

Roderick immediately rose from his seat.

"Brother, think about the consequences." he tried to calm the king.

"I'll mark you over that mark and everything is solved." he roared.

Winter looked challenging at the king. She knew her wolf would never let him do that.

"At what cost?" the prince tried again.

"You will stay paranoid, because you will always know that she is in love with someone else. And forcing your bond on her will drive her nuts."

He tried to reason with the king.

"I don't care." the alpha command roared through the room.

"He is the king and she is the most powerful alpha out there. It is destined to be." Hex added oil to the fire.

"So, it would be fitted that I mated the most powerful alpha?" Winter asked.

Hex nodded his head.

"I have done just that." She replied.

The king looked startled at her.

"Alpha Arsen Storm is my mate."

The room fell deathly silent. Winter needed to play her cards right.

"Arsen isn't more powerful than me." The king roared.

"No?" Winter asked him challenging.

"He hadn't any trouble in finding or claiming me." She replied.

"Is that what you want? Because I'll claim you here and now." The king smirked.

Winter growled her canines surfaced.

"You can always try."

The king looked amused at her.

"Hex, Roderick out now." He commanded.

He looked intensely at Winter, she blushed under his gaze.

"You are breath-taking but don't think for a second that that's a free pass for insulting or challenging me." He roared.

"Command me and see what happens." She added.

"Winter I am too old to play games. Without a mate, I can feel how everything is slipping through my fingers. With you by my side I could have it all."

The king looked at her, studied her for a reaction. But Winter didn't say a word.

"Has Arsen told you his big secret?" the king curiously asked.

"Yes, he has."

Winter didn't know what the king was referring too but she wasn't letting him come between Arsen and her.

"And you don't mind having no pups?" the king asked.

Winter looked startled at him for a second.

"I guess he shared another secret with you." The king smirked.

"What are you saying?" Winter asked.

"Maybe it's time for a little bit of a history lesson."

The king started as he stood up and left the table. Winter quickly followed.

The king walked through the castle halls until he stopped in front of the throne room. He took a deep breath as he walked in side. Winter studied the portraits along the walls as they walked over towards the throne.

The king stopped right in front of the throne and looked up, Winter followed his line of sight and her breath faltered for a second. Above hang a portrait of the spitting image of the king next to the spitting image of Arsen.

"Our fathers" the king started.

"Arsen's father was my father's beta."

"Arsen is a royal?" Winter asked.

A loud laugh boomed through the room.

"No." the king smirked.

"But I thought that the position of the king's beta was only for royals" she said.

"It was until my father's only brother got killed in war. It was Arsen's father who tried to save him. As a token of appreciation my father made the young man his new beta. Many years everything went well, until a new war started. A war with lots of casualties, entire villages were destroyed. Conflict arose between our fathers." The king was silent for a second.

"And then they collided with the village of a witch. She cursed them both; one's offspring would never be able to find a mate, the other would never be able to produce pups. My father had already found his mate and had two healthy pups, so he thought nothing of it. Arsen's father was more concerned, Arsen was just born but they wanted to have more pups, they never came." The king looked around the throne room.

"Arsen's father abdicated and left to start a new pack. But he carried the curse with him, almost no new pups were born inside the opal storm pack." The king looked at Winter.

"And your family?" she asked.

"Me, my brother and my sister haven't found our mate. And believe me we all tried."