Chapter 13 – A Declaration of War
The message from the Wolfhart Pack lay open on Hunter’s desk, its wax seal broken in two.
Return Wren Wolfhart immediately. Failure to comply will be treated as an act of war.
The room was silent.
Beta Clay looked toward his Alpha cautiously. “The Wolfhart elders are gathering warriors at the border. They expect us to surrender her.”
Hunter let out a cold laugh.
“They cast her out as a rogue.”
“Now they suddenly want her back?”
His golden eyes darkened with suspicion.
“This isn’t about Wren.”
“It’s about whatever secret they’re trying to keep buried.”
Across the room, Wren stood quietly beside the window. She recognized the Wolfhart crest on the letter. Even without reading it, she knew exactly what it contained.
Her former family had never wanted her.
Why now?
Hunter walked over and gently placed the letter into the fireplace. The flames quickly reduced it to ashes.
“You’ll never have to answer to them again.”
Wren looked at him in surprise.
He wasn’t asking for permission.
He was making a promise.
Just then, the palace guards rushed into the hall.
“Alpha!”
“A delegation from the Wolfhart Pack has arrived.”
“They’re demanding to see Lady Wren.”
Hunter’s expression hardened.
“Bring them inside.”
Moments later, three Wolfhart envoys entered the great hall. Their leader glanced at Wren with open contempt before turning to Hunter.
“Alpha Silver, you’ve taken property that belongs to the Wolfhart Pack.”
The word property echoed through the chamber.
Hunter’s aura exploded across the room.
Every envoy instinctively took a step backward.
“Wren,” Hunter said calmly, “is not property.”
“She is my mate.”
The declaration stunned everyone present.
Even Wren’s eyes widened.
The lead envoy forced a smile.
“Then perhaps you don’t know the truth.”
He slowly produced an old parchment bearing the former Alpha’s royal seal.
“Before his death, Wren’s father left behind a will.”
“And that document changes everything.”
Hunter narrowed his eyes as the mysterious parchment was placed on the table between them.
For the first time, the secrets surrounding Wren’s birth were about to come to light.
