It took a lot to surprise a woman training to take over for alpha. She had to be unsuspecting, pessimistic when the time permitted it, and always on guard in case the worst happened. She trained physically and mentally for it five days a week because she had to prove how ready she was to her father when he deemed her fit enough to take over his position. Rayne had to be controlled, focused. If she focused hard enough, she'd rarely be surprised. Therefore, an attentive alpha.

For the most part, Rayne lived by those rules. She trained her body, learned to control her mind when she needed to concentrate, and mastered the art of suspecting almost everything.

But no amount of training could have ever prepared her for the half-bare man with alabaster wings being dragged forward by her father. Much to her shock, he was bound in chains of iron that burned bloody bruises into his wrists and ankles, his beautiful, intricate wings beating weakly like thin glass. Swirls of liquid gold wrapped like a serpent around his upper right arm in tribal designs and shimmering glitter coasts underneath the mossy strap crossing over his well-defined chest. What further pushed her surprise was the loathing settling in the fog of his misting, almond-shaped eyes. There was no pupil nor iris in the white haze, but by the firm set of his jaw and the furrow of his eyebrows, she knew a glare when she saw one.

Rayne could tell that strange man was exhausted and obviously hurt from whatever had just transpired between her father and him. She also found that she hated the thought of her dad hurting another person like that. They were supposed to set good examples for the pack, just like he taught her. She knew he was getting desperate with Tʋnʋp coming, but that still wasn't anyway to act out of character.

Rayne found her gaze back on the newest member of their pack—their prisoner.

That time, she noticed a woven crown of silver resting on top of the cascading ripples of chestnut hair that fell down his back. She tilted her head in confusion. The crown . . . the moss . . . the shimmers on his body . . . the wings—

She knew exactly who he was before her father could make the announcement.

"Halito!" Alpha Nashoba Vance greeted. Though everyone else answered with a booming halito back, Rayne said nothing. The large man, who was on the brink of collapsing right in front of them, distracted her as they heaved his body to a stop. "I'd like you all to welcome the newest member of Moonshine. Jarrah, the King of Fae."

Jarrah's eyes sparked with rage; his lip curled in a snarl. The pack laughed and cheered Alpha Vance on while Rayne bit back a rumble of disgust. Ronan and Ezra sensed her bubbled annoyance and pushed towards her for physical comfort. Ronan's fingers drifted over the smooth skin of her arm in a soothing motion that did nothing to calm her nerves. It should have, but it didn't.

"Why is he here?" Rayne demanded to Ezra.

"Because we need him," he said, shrugging.

"Ezra, this is . . . this is kidnapping!"

Ezra snorted, ignoring Ronan and Amira's low growls of warning. "Hardly."

"Why? Because he's of another kind?" Rayne hissed.

"No," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Because he came willingly."

"Why am I finding that hard to believe?"

"He's the King of Fae, Rayne. Think about it. If we kidnapped him, wouldn't his little fairy friends be after us?"

Rayne frowned, and Ezra moved back, satisfied. "Exactly. Dad needs him for a reason. It doesn't matter how he got him. He did," he said.

"Then why is he chained up with iron if he's here willingly?" Rayne taunted.

"He's still one of them. Would you trust your enemy to walk around your pack? Who knows what his kind is capable of."

Rayne's frown deepened further, but before she could get another word in, her father called her forward. Snapping her head forward, her gaze clashed with her father's dark eyes, and he held a bronze hand towards her. His hair was pulled away from his sharp features that resembled her own, with their almond-shaped eyes and high cheekbones. The only difference was that she was darker than her father and took on her mother's sepia skin tone, which wasn't uncommon in their land, and her body shape.

"Rayne," her father called, his eyes shining with love and pride for his successor. "Miti!"

Rayne froze. She didn't want to go up to him while his actions still baffled her, but by the slight nudge from Ezra, she knew she couldn't publicly resist. So, bottling up her courage and smoothing out her face, she avoided looking at the King of Fae and moved to stand beside Alpha Vance. The pack hollered for her affectionately, blessing her future reign as alpha and hooting her full name; Rayne Leighann Vance.

She searched for her mother among the crowd. If there was anyone who'd feel the same way she did, it would be her. Her kind nature was Rayne's achilleas heal, and the only thing that stopped her from going too deep into the stoic, future alpha territory. Though her father loved her, he expected the best from his future alpha as well.

But her mom was nowhere to be found.

Damn it.

"Your reign will begin with prosperity, daughter," Nashoba grinned, wrapping a muscular arm around Rayne's shoulder. "Starting with a powerful alliance that'll lead us through Tʋnʋp!"

The cheering wasn't enough to drown out her burning curiosity for the presence behind her. So, before she could talk herself out of not looking at him again, she turned her head and made eye contact with the King of Fae.

♡ halito - hello

♡ tʋnʋp - war (ta-nap)

♡ miti! - come!