Chapter 23 Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Chapter 23
The man smiled, the expression never reaching his cold eyes. "An old friend of the family. I've been looking for the Lancaster heir for quite a while. My promised mate. Of course, her father backed out at the last second, and let's just say my father wasn’t too pleased.”
"Promised, mate?" My voice came out as a strangled whisper. The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet, reality shifting like sand. "That's not possible."
The man's cold smile widened. "Your father didn't tell you? How fascinating. I wonder what other secrets died with him."
Kyle growled, the sound vibrating through his chest. "You're lying."
"Am I?" The man's gaze never left my face. "Ask her grandmother. Ask her about the betrothal contract between the Lancaster and Silverclaw packs. Ask her why they've been hiding all these years."
Memories flickered at the edges of my consciousness, hushed conversations that stopped when I entered rooms, the way Grandmother always tensed when anyone asked about our past, her insistence that we keep my bloodline secret.
"Silverclaw," I repeated, the name tasting like ash on my tongue. Something about it triggered a visceral reaction in my wolf, a mixture of fear and recognition.
"My pack," the man confirmed. "And I am Xavier Silverclaw, rightful Alpha and your contracted mate since you were born." He took a step forward, and all three Williams brothers tensed. "A contract written in blood cannot be broken, little princess. Not even by death."
"Stay back," Caspian warned, his voice carrying that unmistakable Alpha command.
Xavier laughed, the sound echoing through the empty gym. "You think you can order me, boy? I was hunting Alphas when you were still suckling at your mother's breast."
I felt sick. The pieces were falling into place. Why Grandmother had been so insistent we hide, why we'd joined the Williams pack, where we'd be protected by one of the strongest Alphas in the region.
"The contract died with my father," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt.
"Blood oaths don't work that way, princess." Xavier's eyes gleamed with something dark and possessive. "And now that you've shifted, now that your wolf has emerged, the magic is binding once more."
I could feel the Williams brothers' confusion and rage pouring through our bond, their protective instincts flaring so strongly it almost burned.
"She's our mate," Kyle snarled, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Our bond is already formed."
Xavier's eyebrows rose slightly, genuine surprise flickering across his features before his mask of cold amusement returned. "Three mates? How... inconvenient for you all." His gaze hardened. "But ultimately irrelevant. My claim predates yours by eighteen years."
"I don't care about your claim," I said, finding my voice at last. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"You misunderstand," Xavier replied, his tone almost gentle. "This isn't a negotiation. You're coming with me, willing or not. The others outside, my elite guard, will ensure it."
Through the windows, I saw movement, “Like I give a fuck what you think, and like hell I’d go with my parents’ killers.” I said as my eyes began to glow and as I raised my hands to the sky, “I, Imogen Jewel Lancaster, last heir of the Lancaster pack, here by reject any claim that was signed by my late father, Alpha Dominic James Lancaster, had agreed to before or during his death. I reject the blood magic used to bind me, the Alpha Xavier Silverclaw, in the eyes of the Goddess herself. With these new powers following through me, I hereby break the agreement without you having to agree.”
Power crackled through me, white-hot and electric. The words tumbled from my lips with an authority I'd never felt before, ancient and primal, drawing on magic I hadn't known existed within me until this moment. The air around us shimmered, distorting like heat waves rising from summer pavement.
Xavier's face contorted with rage and disbelief. "You can't..." he started, but his words cut off as a visible shock wave rippled outward from where I stood, making the gym lights flicker.
"I just did," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
For a moment, something like fear flashed across Xavier's face. Then his expression hardened into cold fury.
"You have no idea what you've done," he snarled. "The power you've just rejected."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," I said, though in truth, I had acted purely on instinct. Something deep inside, perhaps my Alpha blood, perhaps my wolf, had known exactly what words would break the ancient contract. "I'm choosing my own fate."
Through our bond, I could feel the Williams brothers' shock and awe washing over me in waves. None of them had expected this, least of all me.
Xavier's eyes narrowed to slits. "This changes nothing. Contract or no contract, you belong to me. To my pack. Your father stole what was rightfully mine, and I will reclaim it."
"My father stole nothing from you," I said, though I had no way of knowing if that was true. The past six years had clearly been built on secrets I was only beginning to uncover.
"You know nothing of your heritage," Xavier spat. "Nothing of the power you carry in your blood." His gaze flicked to the Williams brothers, contempt etched in every line of his face. "And these boys can't protect you from what's coming."
Kyle stepped forward, placing himself more firmly between me and Xavier. "We're not boys," he said, his voice dropping to that dangerous Alpha tone that made my wolf sit up and take notice. "And you're trespassing on Williams territory."
Xavier smiled, the expression chilling in its emptiness. "Not for long."
Outside, a howl rose, long and eerie and nothing like the warm pack songs I'd heard at bonfires. It was answered by another, then another, until the air vibrated with their calls.
"My elite guard," Xavier explained, almost conversational now. "Former Alphas, every one of them. Wolves who chose to follow me rather than lead their own packs. That's the kind of loyalty I command."