Seven women entered Kane Croft’s private wing after midnight. None made it to sunrise.

By noon, the news had spread through Blackwood Keep like wildfire.

The eighth candidate had not only survived the night with the mad Alpha King; she had cured his rage, destroyed the debt of the Cascade Pack, and taken up residence in the royal suite on the top floor.

I sat in the sunlit breakfast room of the private wing, eating a plate of fresh fruit and toasted bread.

Kane sat across from me, reviewing a thick stack of financial ledgers that his loyal head of security, a giant gray-furred wolf warrior named Commander Vance, had brought up from the lower archives.

"Silas has been skimming millions," Vance reported, standing at attention near the doors. "He set up six dummy corporations in the Northern Territories. He was planning to declare you permanently incapacitated by the end of the year, Sire, under the Royal Regency Act."

"And who was slated to become Regent?" Kane asked, his pen hovering over a forged signature on a bank draft.

"Silas himself," Vance replied grimly. "Backed by the High Council of Alphas."

Kane let out a low, dangerous growl. The air in the room vibrated, but this time, he didn't lose control. He looked up at me, his golden eyes softening instantly as our gazes met.

The mate bond between us was humming beneath our skin like a gentle, warm current. We hadn't spoken of it openly yet—we couldn't, not with snakes lurking in every corner of the estate—but the unspoken connection was undeniable. When I was near him, his mind was completely quiet. My presence acted as a shield, absorbing the painful mental noise of the royal pack and giving him absolute peace.

"Harper," Kane said softly, setting his pen down. "Your father arrived at the main gate an hour ago. He heard rumors that you were held hostage and came with twenty Cascade warriors, ready to tear down the front doors."

I gasped, setting my tea down. "My father is here? Is he okay?!"

"He's fine," Kane smiled faintly, a genuine, breathtaking sight that completely transformed his rugged face. "Vance escorted him to the grand parlor. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes! Please!"

Five minutes later, I rushed down the grand staircase into the formal parlor.

My father, Thomas Hayes, was pacing frantically across the velvet rug, his weathered face tight with worry, his hands clutched around a leather riding crop. When he saw me step through the doorway, unharmed, dressed in a soft cream silk dress provided by the estate staff, he dropped the crop and ran forward, pulling me into a ferocious bear hug.

"Harper!" my father sobbed, kissing the top of my head. "Thank God! Thank God! When the debt cancellation notice arrived this morning, I thought... I thought he had killed you and sent the money as a bribe!"

"I'm fine, Dad," I laughed through my tears, pulling back to look at his face. "I'm completely fine. Alpha Croft didn't hurt me."

"He's a monster, Harper!" Thomas whispered urgently, glancing around the room to make sure no guards were listening. "The stories about him—"

"The stories were manufactured by Silas Mercer," a deep, commanding voice interrupted from the doorway.

My father instantly spun around, pushing me behind his back, his body dropping into a defensive combat stance.

Kane stepped into the parlor. He was wearing an immaculate charcoal suit, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, his aura radiating pure, regal majesty.

"Alpha Hayes," Kane said, inclining his head in a gesture of profound respect—a gesture an Alpha King rarely offered to a regional pack leader. "Welcome to Blackwood Keep."

Thomas blinked, stunned by Kane's respectful greeting and his terrifyingly calm demeanor. "Your Majesty... I don't understand. Silas Mercer said—"

"Silas Mercer is a traitor to the crown," Kane stated coldly. "He manipulated your pack's contract, lied about your timber yields, and attempted to use your daughter as a sacrificial pawn to drive me insane."

Kane stepped forward, looking my father dead in the eye. "Your debt is erased, Thomas. Your timberlands are safe under royal protection. And as of this moment, Croft Industries is investing five million dollars into the Cascade Pack's infrastructure."

My father gasped, clutching his chest. "Five... five million? Your Majesty, why would you do this for us?"