Chapter 5: The Alpha King
1127 Words
The word echoed in my head long after he said it.
Alpha King.
Not just an Alpha.
Not just powerful.
But the ruler.
The one others feared.
The one even Damian…
Would bow to.
My throat went dry as I stared at him really stared this time. Everything about him made sense now. The dominance in his presence. The way the guards didn’t just respect him… they feared him.
And I had followed him here.
Alone.
“You look like you’re about to run,” Kael said, his voice calm, almost amused.
“I should,” I admitted.
“But you won’t.”
It wasn’t a question.
And that unsettled me more than anything.
“You don’t know that,” I said, trying to steady my voice.
His gaze dropped briefly to my stomach again.
That small movement sent a sharp wave of panic through me.
“I know enough,” he replied.
My heart skipped.
“You keep saying that,” I snapped. “What exactly do you think you know?”
Instead of answering, he stepped down from the throne platform.
Slow.
Controlled.
Every step deliberate.
Until he stood right in front of me.
Too close.
My breath hitched, but I refused to step back.
I wouldn’t show weakness.
Not here.
Not in front of him.
“You’re carrying a secret,” he said quietly.
Ice slid through my veins.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A lie.
And we both knew it.
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
My pulse raced.
He couldn’t know.
There was no way.
No one knew.
No one could know.
“Even if I was,” I said, forcing defiance into my tone, “it’s none of your business.”
A dangerous silence followed.
Then
“It became my business the moment you stepped into my territory.”
Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.
Possession.
Control.
Power.
“I didn’t ask to be here,” I shot back.
“No,” he agreed. “But you chose to stay.”
Because I had no choice.
Because the alternative was worse.
Because I was alone.
I hated that he knew it.
“I can leave,” I said quickly.
“Then go.”
The words came so easily, so coldly, that it caught me off guard.
I blinked.
“What?”
“You said you can leave,” he repeated. “So leave.”
My chest tightened.
He stepped aside slightly, gesturing toward the doors behind me.
Freedom.
Right there.
All I had to do was walk away.
But my feet didn’t move.
Because we both knew the truth.
If I left…
I wouldn’t survive.
Not out there.
Not with rogues.
Not with Damian
My thoughts stopped abruptly.
Kael was watching me closely now.
Waiting.
Measuring.
“You won’t make it past the borders,” he said quietly.
“I can try.”
“You can die.”
The bluntness of it stole my breath.
Anger flared.
“You don’t get to decide that for me.”
“No,” he said. “But I can see it.”
My hands curled into fists.
“I’m not weak.”
“I never said you were.”
“Then stop treating me like I am.”
A flicker of something passed through his eyes.
Approval?
Interest?
I couldn’t tell.
“Strength,” he said slowly, “is knowing when you need protection.”
“I don’t need yours.”
“Everyone needs something.”
I shook my head. “Not like this.”
Silence fell between us again.
Heavy.
Unspoken.
Then
“Fine,” he said.
The word surprised me.
“What?”
“You don’t want protection?” he continued calmly. “Then let’s call it something else.”
My brows furrowed.
“Call it what?”
“A deal.”
My heart skipped.
“I’m not interested.”
“You haven’t heard the terms.”
“I don’t need to.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Yes, you do.”
Before I could respond, he stepped closer again.
Close enough that I could feel the weight of him.
The heat.
The danger.
“You stay here,” he said, voice low, controlled. “You follow my rules. And in return…”
He paused.
Just long enough to make my pulse spike.
“You live.”
The simplicity of it sent a chill down my spine.
“And if I refuse?”
His expression didn’t change.
“You already know the answer.”
My throat tightened.
Because I did.
I really did.
But something still didn’t make sense.
“Why?” I asked quietly. “Why go through all this for me?”
For a moment
Just a moment
His gaze softened.
Then it hardened again.
“Because,” he said slowly, “you’re more important than you realize.”
A chill ran through me.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, his eyes dropped once more
To my stomach.
My breath caught.
No.
No, no
“You keep looking there,” I said, my voice unsteady now despite my effort to stay calm. “What do you think you see?”
Silence.
Then
“I don’t think,” he said.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
“I know.”
Everything inside me went cold.
“That’s impossible,” I whispered.
“Is it?”
Panic surged.
He couldn’t.
He couldn’t.
“I’m not”
“Pregnant?” he finished for me.
The word shattered the last of my control.
I froze.
Completely.
Because in that moment
There was no point denying it anymore.
He already knew.
“How?” I breathed.
His gaze locked onto mine.
Unyielding.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
“That child,” he said slowly, “is not just Damian’s.”
My heart stopped.
“What are you talking about?”
A long pause followed.
Then
The words that changed everything:
“That child,” Kael said quietly, “carries royal blood.”
The world tilted beneath my feet.
Royal… blood?
“No,” I whispered. “That’s not possible.”
His expression didn’t change.
“It is.”
My head spun.
Nothing made sense.
Nothing
“Which means,” he continued, his voice dropping slightly, “you were never meant to be just a Luna.”
My breath came uneven.
“Then what am I?”
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I couldn’t look away.
“Something far more dangerous.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
And then
His next words sealed my fate.
“If Damian finds out,” Kael said, his voice turning cold, “he won’t ask for the child.”
A pause.
Then
“He’ll take it.”
- Writer
