Chapter 29 The game has begun

Chapter 29 The game has begun
~Sage~

I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Damon's face turning gray, and heard the sound of him hitting the floor. The marks on my neck wouldn't stop burning, the constant throb kept getting worse as the hours passed.
When morning finally came, I was exhausted. Natalie brought breakfast, but I couldn't eat. The whole palace was on edge. I could hear it in the rushed footsteps outside, the hushed conversations that stopped whenever someone passed my door.
"The Alpha King's awake," Natalie said quietly, setting down fresh tea. "He's been summoning people all morning. Beta James, the doctors, even Elder Marcus. Everyone's walking on eggshells."
"Has he asked for me?"
"Not yet. But it's coming." She gave me a look that was almost sympathetic. "Keith's been by three times already, asking if you need anything. Marcus keeps sending him away."
Around noon, there was a knock at my door. I expected Marcus or maybe another summons, but instead, an old woman walked in. She was little, her white hair braided down her back, her dark eyes sharp despite her age. She was the same woman who had given me the elixir to drink.
"Luna Sage," she said, closing the door behind her. "I'm Mara. The pack seer."
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"Because what happened last night has never happened before," she said, settling into a chair without being invited. "An Alpha King rejected by a bonding ceremony? His wolf turning on him? The elders are panicking."
"I didn't do anything," I said quickly. "I drank the elixir like I was supposed to—"
"I know what you did," Mara interrupted. "That's not why I'm here. I'm here because of what you are."
"A wolfless disappointment whose father sold her for status?" The words came out bitter.
Mara studied me with those sharp eyes. "You're not wolfless, child. Your wolf is just... delayed. Dormant. I've seen it twice before in my ninety years."
"What?"
"Some wolves don't wake at sixteen or even eighteen," she said. "They wait. Usually because they're stronger than normal, they need more time to develop. Or sometimes..." She leaned forward. "Sometimes they wait for their true mate to trigger their awakening."
"That's not possible," I said, but my hand went to my neck where the marks still burned.
"The burning you're feeling? That's her trying to surface. Your wolf. She's been sleeping, but what happened last night with the Alpha King trying to force a bond that goes against nature started waking her up."
I sank onto my bed. "You're saying that I truly have a wolf? That she's been there all along?"
"Listen," Mara said simply. "Not with your ears. Listen inside."
I wanted to argue, but something made me close my eyes. I tried to focus past the burning on my neck and the troubled thoughts.
That was when I felt it. Not a voice exactly, but a presence. It was faint, like something stirring deep under water, but definitely there…and stronger than ever.
My eyes flew open. "Oh my god."
"There she is," Mara said, looking satisfied. "She's weak. But she's there."
"Why didn't anyone tell me this could happen?"
"Because it's so rare most healers don't even know to look for it. They test for a wolf at sixteen, don't find one, and that's that." She stood up, smoothing her skirts. "Your wolf will get stronger over the next few days. Being near your true mate will help."
"But I don't know who—" I stopped, not wanting to voice my suspicions about Keith.
Mara gave me a knowing look. "The Alpha King collapsed because his wolf knew you weren't his. Wolves can sense these things. They know their true mate's scent, even through dormancy." She headed for the door. "Be careful, child. The Alpha King won't accept this easily. He paid for you, and he's not one to lose his investments."
“Why are you telling me all these?” I asked. “You seem to have a particular interest in me. Why's that?”
She smiled mischievously, that same smile she gave me on the marking ceremony. Then without a word, she pulled the door open and walked out.
After she left, I sat there trying to process everything. I had a wolf. After all these years of being the defective daughter, the wolfless girl my father had to practically give away, I actually had a wolf.
Another knock interrupted my thoughts. This time it was Keith, and Marcus didn't stop him.
"My father wants to see you," he said formally, but his eyes were intense, worried. "He's in his study."
"Now?"
"Now." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Sage, whatever he asks, be careful. He's... not himself. The doctors say the rejection from the ceremony did something to him. He's a bit unstable."
"Keith," I whispered, glancing at the door. "The pack seer was just here. She said I have a wolf. That she's just dormant."
His eyes widened. "What?"
"She's trying to wake up. That's what the burning is." I touched my neck again. "Keith, what if we're right? What if we really are—"
"Then we deal with it," he said firmly. "But not now. Not with my father like this." He looked like he wanted to touch me but held back. "I'll walk you to his study."
The walk felt endless. Servants scattered when they saw us, and I could feel everyone staring. Keith stayed professionally distant, but I could sense his tension.
Damon's study was dark, curtains drawn against the afternoon sun. He sat behind his massive desk, and even from across the room, I could tell something was wrong. His skin had a grayish tint, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Leave us," he told Keith without looking at him.
Keith hesitated. "Father—"
"I said leave."
Keith's jaw clenched, but he left, giving me one last worried look.
Once we were alone, Damon stood. He moved in a jerky way, like his body wasn't quite under his control.
"Come here," he ordered.
I walked forward slowly, stopping a few feet from his desk.
"Closer."
I took another step.
"The healers say there's nothing wrong with me," he said, his voice rough. "No poison, no curse. Just my wolf, rejecting the bond." His eyes locked on mine. "Why would my wolf reject you, Sage?"
"I don't know," I said, proud of how steady my voice came out.
"You drank the elixir. You participated in the ceremony." He moved around the desk, stalking closer. "Your father swore you were untouched and unclaimed. Was he lying?"
"No," I said quickly. "I've never... no one's ever claimed me."
"Then why?" He was right in front of me now, and that burning in my neck flared hotter. "Why did my wolf turn on me the moment I tried to mark you?"
"I don't know," I repeated.
His hand shot out, gripping my chin, forcing me to look up at him. "You're lying."
"I'm not—"
"I can smell it on you," he snarled. "Something's different. You smell different than you did yesterday."
The burning spread down my spine, and I heard or felt something growl deep inside me. My wolf, weak as she was, didn't like him touching me.
Damon's eyes widened. "What was that?"
"What was what?" I asked, though my heart was pounding.
He leaned closer, inhaling near my neck. Then he jerked back like he'd been burned. "Impossible."
"Your majesty—"
"You have a wolf," he said, staring at me like I'd grown a second head. "Yesterday you didn't, and now you do. How?"
"The seer came to see me," I said quickly. "She said sometimes wolves are dormant. That the ceremony, the stress of it, might have triggered—"
"No." His grip on my chin tightened painfully. "That's not how it works."
"She said it's rare—"
"Get out," he said suddenly, releasing me and stumbling back. "Get out of my sight."
"But—"
"GET OUT!"
I ran. I ran all the way back to my room and slammed the door behind me. Keith was already there, pacing.
"What happened?" he asked. "I heard him yelling—"
"He knows I have a wolf," I gasped out. "He could smell her or sense her or something. Keith, he looked terrified."
Keith pulled me into his arms, and the moment he did, the burning changed to warmth. That presence inside me, my newly awakened wolf, practically purred.
"We need to be careful," he said against my hair. "If he figures out we might be mates..."
"He'll kill you," I finished.
"Or you." His arms tightened around me. "I won't let that happen."
"What's happening to him?" I asked.
"I don't know," Keith admitted. "But his wolf rejecting you that violently, and now discovering you have a wolf after all... something's very wrong."
But without Keith tasting my blood, we couldn't be sure. And with Damon growing more unstable by the hour, trying to confirm it might get us both killed.
The game had suddenly become much more dangerous, and I had no idea how any of us would survive it.