Chapter 240: Chapter 240

I was about to drift off to sleep when it hit me, a sudden, sharp burn along the crescent tattoo on my back. My eyes shot open, heart thudding. What the hell...?

The pain was strange, different from anything I had ever felt. It wasn’t just pai, —it was power. Something ancient and raw surged through me, spreading through my veins like fire. I gasped, clutching my back, feeling energy I hadn’t known existed.

Then I smelled it. A scent, sharp and strange, pulling at something deep inside me. My wolf instincts flared instantly. It wasn’t normal, not like anything I’d tracked before. Something, or someone, was calling to me.

I swung my legs off the bed, standing as the power continued to pulse through me. "Damn... what is going on?" I muttered, voice low, rough with the strain of the sensation.

I didn’t have time to think. I pulled on my clothes quickly, the energy inside me refusing to calm. My soldiers noticed the sudden urgency.

"Your Majesty? Are you all right?" the head of soldiers asked, concern in his voice.

"I’m fine," I snapped, though my voice trembled slightly. "Get dressed. We’re moving."

"Moving? Where?" another soldier asked.

"Follow my lead," I said, ignoring their questions. I could smell it stronger now, the scent. Someone... something... calling me. It led me to the palace of the ruthless triplets. Rowan, Damon, and Kael. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁

I slowed as we reached the gates, the scent intensifying. It was coming from inside. I frowned. Why here?

A memory flashed, one of the maids I had seen the last time I was there. I felt the scent that day too but not this strong. Could it be connected? I had to know.

I approached the guards at the gate. "I need to see the Alphas," I said firmly. "It’s urgent."

The guard hesitated, bowing slightly. "Alpha Thorne... this is highly unusual..."

"Do it," I said sharply. "I will not wait. It’s urgent."

He nodded quickly, disappearing inside. After a few tense minutes, another guard returned. "Alpha Thorne... we will lead you to the Alphas’ meeting room. Your soldiers will have to wait right here. Please, follow me."

I glanced back at my men, their faces tense, eyes sharp. "Stay alert," I told them quietly. "I don’t know what’s waiting inside, but something isn’t right."

They nodded, their hands resting near their weapons, ready if needed. My chest tightened as the strange scent pressed harder against me, filling my lungs, tugging at me like an invisible chain. It wasn’t just any scent, it was powerful, strange, unlike anything I had ever tracked before. My wolf was restless, pacing inside me, urging me forward.

The guards at the palace gate had done as I asked, and now one of them walked me down the long, dim corridors. His boots echoed against the marble floor, his posture stiff with duty. He stopped at a tall door, bowing respectfully. "Alpha Thorne," he said, "this is the meeting chamber. Please wait here. The Alphas will join you soon."

I nodded, but my body wouldn’t stay still. That scent, so strong now it almost burned in my chest, kept calling me. I couldn’t ignore it. I barely even heard the guard leave as I pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The room was empty. Silent. But the scent was everywhere, thick and heavy, like whoever it belonged to had just been here. My wolf snarled low, impatient. My heart hammered.

I moved back into the corridor, nose lifted slightly as I traced the path. Every step pulled me deeper into the palace, away from my men, away from where I was supposed to wait. I didn’t care. Something was here, someone, and I had to find them.

I turned a corner and stopped dead.

I froze the moment my eyes landed on her. Hidden away in the corner of the palace, crouched low, her body shaking. Her hair clung to her sweaty face, her lips pale. She looked fragile... but there was something powerful in her too. Something I could feel deep in my bones.

For a second, I couldn’t move. My wolf stirred inside me, growling low, not out of anger but recognition.

"I... I finally found you," I whispered without meaning to.

Her head snapped up, her wide eyes locking onto mine. Fear filled them instantly. She tried to pull herself back further into the shadows. "Stay away," she rasped, her voice trembling. "Leave me alone."

I blinked, surprised. "I’m not here to hurt you," I said quickly, my hands raised in peace. "I promise you that."

She shook her head violently, wrapping her arms around herself. "No... no. You don’t understand. You’re not supposed to be here. You shouldn’t have found me."

Her words stung, but I pushed them aside. I could feel the pull between us, stronger than anything I’d ever experienced. "Listen," I said softly, stepping a little closer. "I didn’t choose this. I felt you. The power, the scent, it dragged me here. I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to."

Her eyes narrowed, though her body still trembled. "That’s exactly why you should leave. If you stay, you’ll regret it."

"Or maybe," I countered, my voice low but steady, "I’ll regret leaving. You’re suffering. I can see it. I can feel it. Let me help you."

Her lip trembled. She turned her face away, hiding her expression. "No one can help me," she whispered.

Something broke in me at that. I crouched lower, trying to catch her eyes again. "Then let me at least try. If you push me away, fine, I’ll walk. But you can’t sit here alone, shaking, dying inside. I can’t walk away from that. Not tonight."

She finally looked at me then. Tears glistened in her eyes, her chest heaving with uneven breaths. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, almost angry. "You don’t even know who I am."

"You’re right," I admitted. "I don’t know your name. I don’t know your story. But I know you’re not supposed to be here, broken and hiding . And something in me, my wolf, my blood, my very bones, is telling me I was meant to find you."

Her mouth opened slightly, as though she wanted to argue, but no words came. She looked exhausted, torn between fear and something else... something softer.

Slowly, I reached out my hand toward her. Not touching, just offering. "Come with me," I said gently. "I won’t hurt you. I won’t let anyone else hurt you either. Please... trust me, just for this moment."

She stared at my hand, her whole body stiff. For a long time, she didn’t move. My heart pounded, each second stretching painfully.

Then, finally, her trembling hand lifted. Hesitant. Shaking. She placed her palm in mine.

The moment our skin touched, a jolt of energy ripped through me. My wolf roared inside, not in anger but in recognition, like I had been missing a piece of myself, and suddenly it was back.

Her eyes widened, the same shock flashing across her face. And then we both froze.

Because as we stared at each other up close, we saw it. The resemblance. Mad and undeniable. The same sharp jawline. The same shape of eyes. Even the same faint scar near the brow.

Her lips parted, her voice a faint whisper. "No... this can’t be..."

My throat went dry. "What the hell..." I breathed, stunned. "You... you look like me."