To Rule the Alpha's Heart

13. The Moon Goddess' Seer

CALLA VORONÍN

Almost as soon as the Alpha King turned his attention toward her, Calla knew that he would not yield easily. She witnessed the desire burning in his slate gray gaze– so similar to the eyes of Alpha Einarr, but colder. Empty.

She had also seen the women lounging across the furs at the feet of the Alpha King's throne. Human women with vacant eyes, dressed in mere scraps of clothing and forced to give their bodies to the brute that now wanted Calla to join his ranks.

She would sooner take a blade to her own throat.

Desperate to avoid a lifetime of servitude to the Alpha King, Calla mustered every last drop of courage in her body and stepped away from Einarr's protection.

"Alpha Einarr will claim me this eve. The Moon Goddess has demanded it," Calla commanded, holding the Alpha King's dark eyes. Adrenaline alone kept her voice from shaking.

"The Moon Goddess?" the King challenged, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

"Yes," Calla breathed. "I am a Seer. A vessel that the... otherworldly use to prophesize and offer visions. Visions of life and omens of death. And divine orders."

Silence settled over the dome, and Calla took the opportunity to survey the crowds. The surrounding shifters watched her with skepticism, but there was something else in their eyes. Fear.

It did not matter that Calla had never received a vision from the Seven or any deities during her time in training. It did not matter that she held not even a scrap of belief for this Moon Goddess. She certainly had not received a vision from the Nortend goddess.

Calla simply needed the savage Alpha King to believe that she'd communicated with the Moon Goddess.

She returned her gaze to the Alpha King, heart palpating in her chest. "The Moon Goddess came to me on the first night aboard Alpha Einarr's longship. She has ruled that I will unite with the Alpha of the Onyx Craven Pack, but our first joining must be on Nortend soil... To– to strengthen our mate bond."

The words fell from Calla's lips faster than she could truly process her own claims. She wished she'd been given the chance to craft a more believable story, but the Alpha King's threats had caused her to panic.

"Why would the Moon Goddess choose you?" he grumbled, disbelief coating his words.

Calla took a deep breath, forcing her features into a mask of haughty indifference. "It is not for me to convince you of the Moon Goddess' decisions. But she will punish those who dare to interfere with her will. I have seen it."

Silence settled over the dome again, and the Alpha King narrowed his eyes, considering her words. Calla inhaled again, praying that the deep intake of oxygen might slow the rapid pace of her heart. The Alpha King could hear its pounding in her chest. He could undoubtedly scent her fear, as well.

Sensing that the Alpha King remained unconvinced, Calla prepared to launch a final defense. Before she could open her mouth, however, a familiar voice penetrated the quiet.

"It is the truth, Alpha King," Lucia said, pushing through the ranks of shifters to draw nearer to Calla. "The Eatrelan Seers are c-considered the divine messengers of the gods. By uniting Calla with Alpha Einarr, the Moon Goddess has blessed your people..."

Calla's breath caught in her throat. Lucia's words were brave, but the fourteen year old should not have drawn attention to herself. The Alpha King's eyes snapped toward Lucia, whose fingers trembled at her sides.

Calla quickly stepped forward again, eager to steer the King's interest away from the young beauty. "This girl is my acolyte and under my protection."

Before the Alpha King could respond, there was a rustle at the curtains of the dome's entrance.