The Lycan King's Rejected Tribute

Chapter 1

The Great Hall of the Crescent Valley Pack was suffocatingly warm, thick with the scent of roasted meats, spiced pine, and the musky pheromones of three hundred shifting wolves. Garlands of winterberry and frosted ivy hung from the massive timber rafters, celebrating the Winter Solstice.

From her shadowed corner near the kitchens, Lyra kept her head down, rhythmically grinding willow bark into a fine powder.

"You're missing the festivities, little healer," a mocking voice sneered from the doorway.

Lyra didn't look up from her mortar and pestle. She already recognized the arrogant drawl of Jax, one of the pack's elite border guards. "Someone has to prepare the hangover remedies for tomorrow, Jax. Unless you'd prefer to suffer through your morning patrols with a splitting headache?"

Jax stepped into her space, snatching a piece of dried fruit from her worktable. "Snarky as ever. You'd think an unshifted outcast would learn to show a little respect to her betters."

"Respect is earned," Lyra replied, her voice cool and guarded. She finally looked up, her amber eyes locking onto his. "Now, did you need a salve for that bruised ego, or are you just here to block my light?"

Jax scowled, tossing the fruit back onto the table. "Enjoy the shadows, Lyra. It's where you belong."

As he swaggered back into the noisy hall, Lyra let out a slow, steadying breath. She was used to the cruelty. Twenty years old, and her inner wolf had yet to make an appearance. In a culture that prized physical strength and primal dominance above all else, being unshifted made her less than dirt. She was the pack's charity case, the resident healer only tolerated because she had a preternatural gift for botany and mending broken bones.

But tonight, everything was supposed to change.

"Don't let them get to you," a warm, familiar voice murmured near her ear.

Lyra turned, and her guarded expression instantly softened. Caleb stood there, looking impossibly handsome in his ceremonial dark tunic, his golden hair catching the flickering firelight. He was the future Alpha of the Crescent Valley Pack, the man every female in the room was currently swooning over.

And he was hers.

"It's hard not to let it get to me when it's all I hear," Lyra whispered, glancing nervously toward the bustling hall to ensure no one was watching them. "You shouldn't be back here, Caleb. Your father will be looking for you. The ceremony is about to start."

Caleb stepped closer, his charming smile melting away the last of her anxiety. He reached out, his fingers lightly tracing the curve of her jaw. "Let him look. I only care about looking at you."

"Caleb, stop," Lyra breathed, though she leaned into his touch. "If anyone sees us—"

"Let them see," Caleb interrupted, his voice dropping to a persuasive, velvety murmur. "Tonight is the Solstice. The night the future Alpha announces his chosen mate. I'm tired of hiding, Lyra. I'm tired of sneaking into the infirmary just