The Alpha King's Broken Omega

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE HIDDEN ENEMY

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE HIDDEN ENEMY

Lila

I never thought I would wake up one day and want to stay somewhere.

For most of my life, every place I lived felt temporary.

Black Moon Pack was never home.

It was a place where I existed.

A place where I worked, obeyed, and tried not to be noticed.

But the Northern Kingdom...

The palace was different.

Here, people looked at me.

Not through me.

They spoke to me.

They smiled at me.

They treated me as though I was a person.

And that scared me more than I wanted to admit.

Because every time I start feeling safe...

A small voice inside my head reminded me that happiness never lasted.

I stood beside the balcony of my room, watching the kingdom below.

The morning sun painted the rooftops gold.

The streets were alive with people preparing for another day.

Yet beneath the beauty, I could feel the tension.

Warriors still patrolled the walls.

Guards stood at every entrance.

Everyone was preparing for an enemy that was coming because of me.

My fingers tightened around the balcony railing.

"I wish I knew why."

Why did Black Moon Pack want me?

Why were they willing to start a war?

Why did everyone seem to know something about me except me?

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Lady Lila?"

I turned.

Martha stood at the doorway holding a tray.

"Breakfast."

I smiled slightly.

"You don't have to keep bringing it yourself."

She walked inside.

"And you don't have to keep acting as though accepting kindness is a burden."

I looked down.

She always noticed everything.

"You are thinking too much again."

I sighed.

"Is it that obvious?"

"To me? Yes."

She placed the tray on the table.

"You carry every problem as if it belongs to you."

I remained silent.

Because she wasn't wrong.

Before I could answer, another voice came from the doorway.

"Which is why I have decided she needs a distraction."

Serafina entered with a bright smile.

I laughed softly.

"You always appear suddenly."

"It's a talent."

Martha shook her head.

"More like a habit."

Serafina ignored her.

"Come with me."

"Where?"

"The training grounds."

My smile disappeared.

"The training grounds?"

"Yes."

I looked uncertain.

"I don't think I belong there."

Serafina walked closer.

"Lila."

She placed her hands on my shoulders.

"You keep saying you don't belong everywhere."

I looked at her.

"But what if you do?"

Her words surprised me.

"You are here for a reason."

I lowered my gaze.

"I don't feel strong."

Serafina smiled.

"Strength doesn't always look like holding a sword."

"Sometimes strength is surviving things that should have destroyed you."

My heart tightened.

Those words sounded familiar.

Because Alcaide had said something similar.

---

Alcaide

"The spy is real."

Xander's words filled the room.

I stared at him.

"You are certain?"

He nodded.

"Too many things line up."

He placed several reports on my desk.

"Every time we change patrol routes, Black Moon Pack adjusts their movements."

"Every time we move supplies, they already know."

My jaw tightened.

"Someone inside the palace."

"Yes."

The thought angered me.

The palace was supposed to be the safest place in the kingdom.

Especially for Lila.

"Have you found a name?"

"Not yet."

I looked toward the window.

Below, I could see the training grounds.

And there...

Lila.

Standing beside Serafina.

My attention immediately shifted.

Xander noticed.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"You know, for someone who claims he barely knows her, you spend a lot of time watching her."

I looked at him coldly.

"Be quiet."

He laughed.

"I'm just saying."

"You're saying too much."

But he wasn't wrong.

I didn't understand what was happening to me.

I had spent years being a king.

Making decisions without hesitation.

Putting the kingdom before everything.

Yet one frightened omega had entered my life...

And suddenly every instinct inside me wanted to protect her.

Not because she was important politically.

Not because Black Moon Pack wanted her.

Because she was Lila.

---

Lila

The training grounds were louder than I expected.

The Warriors moved across the field with confidence.

They looked fearless.

I wondered what it felt like to have that kind of confidence.

Serafina introduced me to a female warrior named Aria.

"This is Aria. She trains some of the palace guards."

Aria smiled.

"It is an honour to meet you, Lady Lila."

I looked surprised.

"Me?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

I still wasn't used to people treating me with respect.

Serafina smiled.

"Aria has agreed to teach you something."

My eyes widened.

"Teach me?"

"Self-defence."

Immediately, my body became tense.

"No."

The word escaped before I could stop it.

Everyone looked at me.

I lowered my head.

"I'm sorry."

Aria's expression softened.

"You don't have to apologize."

I looked away.

"I can't fight."

"Why?"

I didn't answer.

Because the truth was embarrassing.

Weapons were never meant for omegas like me.

In Black Moon Pack, if I touched anything belonging to warriors...

I was punished.

"You don't have to become a warrior," Aria said gently.

"But everyone deserves the ability to protect themselves."

Slowly, she held out a wooden training sword.

My hands trembled.

I stared at it.

For a moment, I wasn't in the training grounds anymore.

I was back in Black Moon Pack.

Back when they laughed at me.

Back when they reminded me I was weak.

"Lila."

Serafina's voice pulled me back.

"You don't have to do this if you're not ready."

I looked at the wooden sword.

Then at the people around me.

No one was laughing.

No one was judging.

Slowly...

I reached for it.

My fingers wrapped around the handle.

It was heavier than I expected.

But I held on.

A small smile appeared on Aria's face.

"Good."

"Now stand like this."

She adjusted my position.

"Balance first."

I followed her instructions.

One step.

Then another.

It wasn't much.

But for the first time...

I wasn't running away.

I was learning to stand.

---

From the balcony above the training grounds...

Alcaide watched silently.

Xander stood beside him.

"She surprised you."

I didn't answer.

Because she had.

Not because she learned quickly.

But because after everything she had suffered...

She was still willing to try.

"She is stronger than she believes."

Xander nodded.

"She is."

A strange warmth filled my chest.

Then suddenly...

My wolf reacted.

Danger.

I immediately looked toward the palace.

Something was wrong.

"What is it?" Xander asked.

I narrowed my eyes.

"I don't know."

But my instincts were screaming.

Protect her.

---

That night, the palace was quiet.

Too quiet.

Lila lay awake in her room, staring at the ceiling.

For the first time in years, she had experienced something she thought she would never have.

A normal day.

She smiled faintly.

Maybe...

Maybe this place could really become home.

A strange sound suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

A footstep.

Her eyes opened.

Someone was outside her door.

Slowly, she sat up.

The hallway was silent.

Another step.

Closer.

Fear returned instantly.

The old instincts came rushing back.

Hide.

Run.

Survive.

The door handle moved.

Lila froze.

Before the door opened completely...

A loud crash echoed through the hallway.

Voices shouted.

Guards.

Then a familiar voice.

"Lila!"

Alcaide.

The door burst open.

He stood there with Xander and several guards behind him.

His eyes immediately found her.

Relief flashed across his face.

Then anger.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"No."

He stepped closer.

"You were supposed to have guards outside your room."

"I..."

Before she could answer, Xander picked something up from the floor.

A silver pendant.

His expression changed.

"Alpha."

Alcaide looked at it.

The symbol engraved on the metal made his face darken.

The crest of Black Moon Pack.

Silence filled the room.

"They were not trying to kill her."

Xander whispered.

Alcaide's eyes turned cold.

"No."

He looked toward the open doorway.

"They came to take her."

Outside the palace walls...

A shadow disappeared into the night.

The attack had failed.

But the message had been delivered.

The war had begun.

Lila

The room felt colder after Xander revealed the pendant.

I stared at the silver object in his hand, unable to look away.

The symbol engraved into the metal was familiar.

Too familiar.

I had seen that crest countless times in Black Moon Pack.

It was carved into the gates.

Painted on the banners.

Worn proudly by warriors who looked down on me.

My stomach twisted.

"They came here..."

My voice barely worked.

"They came here for me."

Alcaide immediately turned toward me.

"Lila."

I looked at him.

The anger in his eyes was not directed at me.

But I couldn't stop the guilt from returning.

"They risked entering your palace because of me."

"No."

His answer was immediate.

I shook my head.

"But it's true."

"Lila."

His voice became softer.

"You are not the reason cruel people make cruel choices."

I looked away.

"But if I wasn't here—"

"They would find another reason."

His words were firm.

"People like them do not need a reason to hurt others."

I swallowed hard.

I wanted to believe him.

I wanted to stop feeling like a burden.

But years of being blamed were difficult to erase.

Xander stepped forward.

"Alpha."

Alcaide looked at him.

"The intruder escaped before we could capture him."

My heart sank.

"Someone came into the palace and escaped?"

Xander nodded.

"He knew the layout."

A dangerous silence followed.

Alcaide's expression darkened.

"Which means..."

"Someone helped him."

The room became still.

The same thought crossed everyone's mind.

The spy.

The enemy wasn't only outside the kingdom.

They were inside.

---

Alcaide

I hated uncertainty.

As a king, every decision I made affected thousands of lives.

But this...

This was different.

Because the person in danger was standing in front of me.

And every instinct inside me screamed that I was too late.

I looked at Lila.

She was trying to hide her fear.

Trying to appear strong.

But I could see the truth.

She was terrified.

Not of the intruder.

Of being the cause of pain again.

"Lila."

She looked at me.

"From this moment forward, you will not walk anywhere alone."

Her eyes widened.

"I don't want to trouble anyone."

"You are not trouble."

The words came out sharper than intended.

She immediately went quiet.

I softened my tone.

"Your safety matters."

She looked down.

"I don't understand why."

The honesty in her voice caught me off guard.

"Why do you keep protecting me?"

I froze.

Because you're my mate.

Because my soul recognised you before my mind did.

Because losing you feels impossible.

But I couldn't tell her yet.

Not while she was still learning to trust.

So I gave her the only answer I could.

"Because you deserve protection."

Her eyes filled with emotion.

No one had ever told her that before.

And somehow...

That hurt more than anything.

---

The rest of the night was spent increasing security around the palace.

Guards were placed at every entrance.

Warriors searched every hallway.

The council was informed of the attack.

But one thing remained hidden.

The possibility of a traitor inside the palace.

I didn't want panic to spread among the people.

Fear was dangerous.

Especially when the enemy was waiting for weakness.

Later that evening, I stood in my office with Xander.

"You will investigate quietly."

He nodded.

"I'll start with the palace staff."

"Everyone."

He looked surprised.

"Even the old servants?"

"Everyone."

My gaze moved toward the window.

"I won't underestimate anyone."

Xander was silent for a moment.

Then he smiled slightly.

"You really have changed."

I looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You used to think with only the kingdom in mind."

He folded his arms.

"Now you think about one person first."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Careful."

He laughed.

"Just an observation."

---

Lila

I couldn't sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the open door.

The unknown figure.

The fear.

I hated feeling helpless.

For so long, I had accepted being weak because everyone told me that was what I was.

But today...

Something changed.

I remembered holding the training sword.

I remembered standing there.

Trying.

Maybe I wasn't strong yet.

But maybe...

I could become strong.

A soft knock came from my door.

I sat up.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Alcaide stood there.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

"You should be resting."

I smiled faintly.

"So should you."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"I suppose we are both terrible at following orders."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

The sound surprised both of us.

The tension in the room disappeared slightly.

He walked closer but stopped a respectful distance away.

"Are you afraid?"

I hesitated.

Then nodded.

"Yes."

He didn't tell me not to be.

He didn't dismiss my feelings.

He simply said:

"That's okay."

I looked at him.

"It is?"

"Being afraid doesn't make you weak."

His eyes softened.

"Continuing despite fear is what makes someone brave."

The words stayed with me.

I looked down at my hands.

"I want to change."

His expression shifted.

"Change?"

"I don't want to spend my whole life running."

A silence passed between us.

Then he smiled.

A proud smile.

"I think you already started."

My heart warmed.

For a moment, I forgot everything else.

The war.

The danger.

The past.

There was only him.

And the strange comfort I felt whenever he was near.

---

Far away from the palace...

A dark room was illuminated by candlelight.

A figure stood before a large table covered with maps.

"The first attempt failed."

A deep voice spoke.

The palace maid lowered her head.

"Yes."

The figure's fingers tapped against the table.

"Then we change our plan."

"The Alpha is more protective than expected."

A cold smile appeared.

"That was always expected."

The maid looked confused.

"Then why attack?"

"Because we needed to confirm something."

"What?"

The figure turned toward the window.

"The bond."

Silence.

"The Moon Goddess chose him."

"And she chose her."

The maid's eyes widened.

"So the rumours are true?"

The figure smiled.

"Yes."

"The omega is not just important because of what she carries."

"She is important because she is the Alpha King's weakness."

The candle flames flickered.

"And every weakness..."

"Can be used."

---

Back in the palace...

Lila stood at the window watching the moon rise.

She didn't know what secrets surrounded her.

She didn't know why Black Moon Pack wanted her.

She didn't know why Alcaide looked at her like she was something precious.

But for the first time...

She wasn't facing the darkness alone.

And somewhere deep inside her...

Something sleeping began to stir.

Something powerful.

Something she had never understood.

But not yet.

Not tonight.