The Lycan King’s Second Chance Mate by Sumi

ASHANTI'S POV.

Eerie, pin-dropping silence has been the state of this office ever since Rhea, Conrad and I walked in and greeted the Beta of the Lunar Crescent Pack.

Everyone is well-behaved, including my stepmom who never knows when to shut up. Even my father doesn't have the right to say a word unless permitted by the Lycan Beta. Everyone acts respectfully in the presence of him and the other Lycan soldiers he came along with.

The tension in this room is suffocating.

"Alpha Anderson." The Beta's thunderous voice sounds throughout the room and everyone looks at him. My heart starts beating fast.

"Yes, Beta Ronald." Father bows to him and I cringe.

It feels weird to see my father acting like a subordinate and not a leader to a Beta.

"Is everyone who's supposed to be part of this meeting, present?" His voice is calm, but carries so much power and authority.

If the Lycan Beta makes me tremble as such, I'm surely going to faint the day I'll meet face to face with their Alpha.

I hope that day never comes.

"Yes, Beta. We are all present." Father replies humbly.

"Good. I'm going to go straight into introducing the purpose of my visit." He looks around with searching eyes. I keep making sure my eyes never meet with his. "I am here to enforce the Concordat Ritual." He announces and my mind goes into a frenzy.

The Concordat Ritual.

few years, Lycans would go to various packs to pick out girls for their Harem, but that ritual stopped when their previous Alpha, the father of their present Alpha, died. Everyone thought

young maidens for the ritual." I

hell does

speaks up, startling me "we will be willing to offer you our eldest daughter, Ashanti. She will be the perfect candidate because she is an intellectual and a very brave fighter. What I mean is, she always has very high grades in school and takes first position in her class every academic year. She has won many academic awards and competitions Everyone in our pack knows she's a brain

at her in awe, completely amazed by her ability to lie through

is an amazing

I feel all of this funny. She was basically telling

the truth already hurts my poor little sister. They had been ignoring my achievements all the time. My stepmom always tried to prove Rhea is the smarter one through her own fabricated narratives

Beta so he can choose me and she'll finally get rid

even though people are too afraid to admit it. When a girl is picked from a pack, the pack receives a fortune and protection from Rogues and other enemies from the Lycans. However, the chosen girl will be serving the men in Lunar Crescent Pack and we all know what that means. Any girl who refuses to go with the Lycans will bring a lot of trouble

Ashanti between these two?" The Beta demands and my step mother quickly stretches her index finger in

She's my beautiful Ashanti." I nearly fall over when the Beta makes eye contact with me. I feel like

breath when he looks away from me. His eyes

direction. All the color drains from my

to look at my father, but he kept his eyes on the Beta

shock. I snap my head to look in her direction and the serious look she's wearing ignites fireworks in my body. What

not mated to

Yet!

quietly, giving her an intense look

there." She points over to Conrad. My soul walks out of my body. "His name is Conrad and he's my mate." The office is filled with gasps and murmurs from other elders who are aware of the fact that I'm the

done so many daring things before, but this tops

the Lycan Beta. That is an offense punishable by death

over to Conrad and for a millisecond, I see a flicker of nervousness in his eyes. The expression on my stepmother turns from worried to relieved, and