The Wolfless Healer-Claimed by the Alpha King

Chapter 2

"Kneel."

Dion stood in the center of the Moon Goddess Hall, the stained glass windows casting fractured, blood-red light across the marble floor. He spoke the command with the casual arrogance of a master scolding a dog.

I didn't move.

Whispers broke out among the hundreds of pack members gathered in the circular gallery. The hum of their voices felt like insects crawling over my skin.

Selena stood by Dion's side, draped in a pure white, heavy fur cloak. Her eyes were perfectly rimmed with red, making her look fragile and innocent.

"Jenna, it’s just protocol for an interrogation," she cooed, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "Please, don't make this harder for Dion than it already is."

My gaze dropped to the thick fur wrapped around her shoulders. My throat burned.

"That cloak you're wearing," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. "That was my mother’s coming-of-age gift to me."

Selena blinked, looking down at the hem as if noticing it for the first time. "Oh, is it? Dion said letting old things gather dust was a waste. I assumed you didn't want it anymore."

Dion let out a harsh, impatient breath. "It's just a damn cloak, Jenna. Selena gets cold easily. Why are you being so difficult over a piece of fabric?"

My nails bit into my palms. "That is the crest cloak of the Alpha’s daughter of the Frost Pack."

He rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to use your dead father’s title to intimidate me. If you truly had the blood of the Frost Pack running through your veins, you wouldn't be a wolfless cripple."

Someone in the crowd chuckled.

The sound wasn't loud, but it cut deeper than the winter wind outside.

"She used to run the pack's business well enough," one of the Elders muttered from the front row, not bothering to lower his voice. "Shame. A wolfless female is still just a wolfless female."

"What good is balancing books?" another female scoffed. "A Luna needs to birth strong pups. Look at Selena—she clearly has the Goddess's blessing for fertility."

Selena flushed, dipping her head shyly. "Please don't say that... Jenna will feel terrible."

She took a hesitant step toward me, dropping her voice so only I could hear. "You see?" she whispered, a poisonous smirk playing on her lips. "They all know who the real Luna is."

My eyes flicked to the silver bell bracelet chiming softly against her wrist.

Ash hadn't spoken a single word since we stepped into the Hall. He was hiding completely behind my legs, his tiny fists gripping the fabric of my dress so hard his knuckles were stark white.

Rowan stood near the High Priest’s altar, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was a mask of cold fury, but he hadn't intervened.

I knew why.

This was a formal trial. Under the ancient laws of the Moon Goddess, the Royal Court had to follow protocol.

And Dion knew exactly how to twist those laws to his advantage.

Dion pointed a sharp finger directly at me. "The day after I rightfully banished Jenna from this pack, she supposedly 'found' a stray wolf pup. By the third day, she manipulated that pup into leaving a three-layer scent mark on her neck. Is there a single adult werewolf alive who doesn't know the sacred meaning behind a neck mark?"

I lifted my chin. "I didn't know."

Dion barked a sarcastic laugh. "You grew up in a werewolf pack, and you expect us to believe you didn't know?"

"No one ever taught me," I replied, my voice echoing clearly in the massive hall.

"Because you have no inner wolf!" Dion shouted, throwing his arms wide. "Teaching you pack rituals is a waste of breath!"

Another wave of cruel laughter rippled through the gallery.

My chest felt hollow, hollowed out by the very people I had bled to protect. But I didn't take a single step back.

"I only knew that he was covered in blood," I said, staring Dion dead in the eyes. "He collapsed in the snow. He shivered uncontrollably. He had night terrors where he screamed, begging someone not to bring the silver chains."

Behind me, Ash flinched violently.

Selena instantly clutched her chest, looking horrified. "Silver chains? Jenna, that is a vile accusation! You know silver is forbidden among our kind. How could you invent such a sickening lie just to frame us?"

Dion turned his predatory gaze onto the little boy hiding behind my legs. "Little Prince," he coaxed, his voice sickeningly sweet. "Tell everyone. Did Jenna force you to say those things?"

Ash bit down on his lower lip. He refused to speak.

Dion took a slow step forward. "Just nod your head, and I'll have my guards escort you safely back to the Royal Court. She will never bother you again."

Ash’s golden pupils dilated into thin, terrified slits.

I sank to my knees right there on the cold marble, ignoring Dion, and wrapped my hands warmly around Ash’s trembling fists. "You don't have to say anything," I murmured to him. "Not if you don't want to."

Selena walked forward, her face the picture of maternal concern. "Little Prince," she crooned softly, "are you scared she'll abandon you? Jenna was kicked out of her own pack. She doesn't have a home to give you. Come to me. I'll make sure Dion gives you the biggest, warmest room in the pack house."

Ash slowly lifted his head.

"You're a liar," he whispered.

Selena’s gentle expression cracked. "Why would I lie to you, sweetheart?"

Ash’s eyes locked onto the silver bell dangling from her wrist. His voice was a fragile, broken thread in the massive hall.

"You told me," the little boy said, "that as long as I didn't cry... you wouldn't heat the chains."

Absolute, deafening silence slammed into the room.

Selena stumbled back a half-step, her hand flying to her throat. "I—I didn't! Dion, I swear to the Goddess, I never said that! Jenna must have coached him!"

Dion’s face contorted with rage. He turned on me, his canines flashing. "Enough, Jenna! Using a traumatized child for your sick revenge... you disgust me!"

I stood up, my posture rigid. I looked straight at the High Priest. "Let the Priest examine his scars."

"No!" Selena shrieked.

Realizing how guilty she sounded, she immediately softened her tone, tears welling in her eyes. "He’s just a little boy. Stripping him in front of hundreds of strangers to look at his wounds... it’s too cruel. It will strip him of his dignity."

Rowan finally moved.

He stepped down from the altar, his boots echoing like gunshots against the marble. "His dignity," the Alpha King said, his voice dropping the temperature in the room by ten degrees, "is not yours to manage."

The High Priest descended the steps, his robes brushing the floor.

Ash pressed his face against my stomach, his small hands clutching me desperately. "Sister," he whimpered. "I don't want to."

Tears pricked the back of my eyes. A fierce, protective instinct roared to life in my chest.

"Then we don't," I declared fiercely, wrapping my arms around him.

Dion let out a triumphant scoff. "Guilty conscience, Jenna?"

I shot him a glare so icy it could have frozen his blood. "Not every truth is worth reopening a child’s wounds for."

Rowan paused. His storm-gray eyes locked onto my face. For a fraction of a second, the cold, impenetrable mask of the Alpha King slipped, and something profound shifted in his gaze.

But Dion wasn't done. He stepped closer, towering over me.

"Fine. We skip the examination," Dion sneered. "Get on your knees and confess, Jenna. For the sake of the three years we spent together, I'll show mercy. I'll just exile you for good, instead of executing you for k********g a royal."

Before I could formulate a reply, Selena suddenly gasped.

She doubled over, clutching her stomach with both hands. "Dion!" she cried out, her face twisting in agony. "It hurts..."

Dion’s smug expression vanished. Panic seized his features as he caught her falling body. "What's wrong? Selena!"

Selena leaned heavily against his chest, peering up at me through tear-soaked lashes. "I... I think I was just too terrified by Jenna's threats..."

Dion whipped his head toward me, his eyes burning with lethal intent.

"If anything happens to Selena's child," Dion snarled, his Alpha aura exploding outward, "I will rip you apart with my bare hands."