The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 212

Alexander

The Grand Ballroom thrummed with even greater energy than the night before, packed tighter as the Gala advanced and the competition among prospective matches intensified. Tradition dictated that I should be refining my choices, spending more time with those I deemed most appropriate. Yet, I moved through the required dances with mechanical precision, my mind far away, wandering in a quiet forest clearing beside a woman whose touch had once calmed the storm within me.

“Your Highness seems distracted this evening,” Lady Mirella remarked as we concluded our formal dance. She was the daughter of a powerful Alpha from the Western territories, her tone polite but laced with subtle calculation.

“Apologies,” I replied automatically. “There are many pressing matters demanding my focus with the coronation so near.”

She smiled demurely, but I caught the sharp glint of assessment in her eyes. Everyone here was watching, measuring, and plotting—everyone except Selene. She stood across the room, engaged in conversation with my father, her posture flawless, yet her gaze kept drifting to me.

I had managed to avoid her so far, offering diplomatic excuses to other partners, but I knew the inevitable confrontation was drawing closer. As the music shifted, she glided toward me, her silver-gray gown shimmering under the ballroom lights with every graceful step.

“Prince Alexander,” she greeted with a flawless curtsy. “I missed your company today.”

“Princess Selene,” I said with a slight bow, extending my hand to invite her into the dance. “Urgent matters required my attention. I trust you enjoyed your tour of the palace grounds with my mother?”

“Very much,” she replied softly as we began the formal dance steps. “Though I had hoped our conversation from the garden might continue.”

Her pale blue eyes locked onto mine with an intensity I remembered from our first encounter, as if she was trying to peer beneath my carefully guarded exterior to uncover some hidden truth.

“The resonance between us,” she began when I remained silent. “I’ve been researching in your library. There are historical accounts of compatible bloodlines forming powerful bonds, even without true mate connections.”

I forced an outward calm while turmoil churned inside me. Only hours ago, I had stood in a forest clearing with my true mate, a connection so deep it defied explanation. Now, I was expected to explore a pale imitation with a woman whose people might be hunting healers for reasons unknown.

“Such cases are exceedingly rare,” I said cautiously.

“As rare as true mates,” she countered, a subtle sharpness in her voice. “And perhaps more relevant to fulfilling the prophecy.”

There was something in her tone—a flicker of desperation beneath her composed facade—that caught my attention. “You sound very certain about your role in the prophecy, Princess.”

“My entire life has been shaped by it,” she admitted, and for a brief moment, her carefully maintained mask slipped, revealing genuine emotion. “Just as yours has.”

It was the most authentic I had ever seen her, and despite my suspicions, I found myself drawn to that glimpse of the woman beneath the perfect princess.

“What do you know of the ritual mentioned in the prophecy?” I asked, watching her closely. “The division the heir must face?”

Her step faltered for a heartbeat before steadying. “Our scholars interpret it as a spiritual trial—a choice you must make to fully embrace both sides of your nature.”

“And the ‘true bond restored’?”

“A union of compatible bloodlines,” she answered without hesitation. “A balance of powers that complements rather than mirrors your own.”

“Not a mate bond, then?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “True mate bonds are incredibly rare, especially among royalty. Your parents were an exception, not the norm.”

“Yet such bonds, when they do occur, are considered sacred among Lycans,” I noted. “To deny one would be… unprecedented for an heir.”

A flash of alarm crossed her face before she masked it. “Has something happened, Alexander?”

I realized I had revealed more than intended, exposing doubts I had meant to keep hidden. “Just a theoretical discussion,” I deflected. “The prophecy has been on my mind.”

The music ended, sparing me further questions, but Selene didn’t immediately release my hand. “Something has changed since yesterday,” she said softly. “I can feel it.”

Before I could respond, a sudden commotion at the ballroom entrance drew everyone’s attention. Lord Harrison, head of the royal council, entered with urgency, heading straight to my father. They spoke in low, intense tones while whispers rippled through the crowd.

“Excuse me,” I said to Selene, grateful for the distraction. I moved toward my father’s side, noting the grim set of his jaw. “Father? What’s happened?”

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