Mine to lose
1331 Words
Chapter 7
Mine To Lose
The corridor went deathly silent.
Kael slowly lowered his hand from my face, every muscle in his body tightening as he turned toward Draven.
The Alpha king stood calmly near the stone archway at the far end of the hall, one hand tucked behind his back like he had all the time in the world.
Like he hadn’t just shattered the last fragile moment between mates.
His dark eyes moved from Kael to me.
Lingering.
Possessive awareness simmered beneath the surface of his expression now, no longer fully hidden.
And terrifyingly—
my wolf noticed.
She moved restlessly beneath my skin every time he looked at me that way.
Kael noticed that too.
Rage darkened his face instantly.
“You’re pushing boundaries you’ll regret.”
Draven remained unimpressed.
“You mistake observation for interference.”
“You’ve been interfering since the moment you arrived.”
At that, Draven’s gaze returned to me slowly.
“No,” he said quietly. “Your neglect started long before I stepped into this territory.”
The words landed like a blade.
Kael’s dominance exploded violently through the corridor.
The pressure slammed into the walls hard enough to crack stone.
My wolf flinched painfully.
Several passing warriors immediately froze before retreating in silence.
No one wanted to be near two dominant Alphas seconds away from bloodshed.
Kael stepped in front of me protectively.
Territorially.
Mine.
The gesture should have comforted me.
Instead, exhaustion washed through me.
Because now he remembered how to protect me.
Now.
Draven’s eyes narrowed slightly at Kael blocking his view of me.
A predator denied access.
“Careful,” Draven murmured softly. “You’re beginning to act like a male afraid.”
Kael smiled then.
But there was nothing pleasant about it.
“Afraid?” he repeated quietly. “Of you?”
“No.” Draven’s gaze shifted toward me again. “Of losing something you stopped valuing correctly.”
Silence crashed through the corridor.
Even breathing felt dangerous.
Kael’s wolf surged violently beneath the mating bond, emotions slamming painfully into my chest.
Jealousy.
Possession.
Fear.
Real fear.
And suddenly I understood something devastating.
Kael truly believed I would never leave him.
No matter how lonely I became.
No matter how invisible I felt.
He thought the mating bond guaranteed my loyalty forever.
Draven, however—
Draven looked at me like a choice.
That difference changed everything.
“Enough,” I whispered.
Neither Alpha moved.
My pulse pounded painfully.
“I’m tired of standing between the two of you like territory being negotiated.”
Draven’s expression shifted slightly at that.
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“You are not territory.”
“Then stop treating me like something to defend only when another male notices me.”
The quiet honesty of the words stunned all three of us.
Kael looked almost wounded.
Draven looked furious.
Not at me.
At him.
The Alpha king took one slow step forward.
“If she were mine—”
Kael snapped instantly.
“She isn’t yours.”
The growl that ripped from him echoed violently through the corridor.
Several distant wolves immediately went silent.
My heart raced painfully.
Draven remained terrifyingly calm.
“No,” he agreed softly.
“Not yet.”
The world stopped.
Every instinct inside me locked violently into place.
Kael’s face went deadly.
My breath caught.
Draven had not spoken casually.
That wasn’t flirtation.
That was intent.
The Alpha king fully intended to pursue me.
A mated female.
A rival Alpha’s Luna.
Madness.
Absolute madness.
Kael moved before I could think.
One second he stood beside me.
The next he slammed Draven hard against the stone wall.
The impact cracked marble instantly.
Dominance burst through the corridor so violently nearby windows shattered.
Warriors shouted somewhere nearby.
Draven grabbed Kael’s throat immediately, eyes flashing pure wolf-gold.
The air became suffocating.
Murderous.
“Stop!” I shouted.
Neither male listened.
Kael snarled viciously. “You will stay away from my mate.”
Draven’s voice came low and lethal.
“Then start acting like she matters.”
Kael hit him again.
Harder.
Draven retaliated instantly.
The corridor erupted into chaos.
Stone cracked.
Dominance roared.
Power shook the walls.
I had never seen two Alphas this strong fight at close range before.
It was terrifying.
Beautiful.
Deadly.
Warriors finally rushed into the corridor, but none dared interfere directly.
Not with Draven Mordaine.
Not with Kael Ashford.
One wrong move could start a territory war.
“Alpha!”
“Stand down!”
“Enough!”
No one could stop them.
Because this was no longer political.
This was primal.
Two dominant wolves fighting over instinct.
And horrifyingly—
part of that instinct centered around me.
Draven slammed Kael backward into one of the stone pillars. The entire structure cracked under the force.
Kael shifted partially, claws slicing from his hands.
My wolf panicked instantly.
If either fully transformed inside summit territory, bloodshed would follow.
“Kael!”
My voice finally reached him.
Barely.
His eyes flicked toward me for one single second.
And that moment was enough.
Draven released him first.
Not because he lost.
Because he chose control.
The Alpha king stepped backward slowly, chest rising heavily beneath his dark coat while blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it away casually.
Kael looked ready to kill him anyway.
Several warriors immediately moved between them.
Too cautiously.
Too late.
The corridor smelled of blood, dominance, and fury.
Draven’s eyes found mine once more over the shoulders of warriors.
The intensity there nearly stole my breath.
No male had ever looked at me with such consuming certainty before.
Not even my mate.
Especially not my mate lately.
Kael followed his gaze instantly.
Jealousy ripped through the mating bond so violently it hurt.
“Get her out of here,” one of the elders barked sharply.
Finally, movement returned to my body.
I stepped backward shakily.
Kael immediately reached for me.
Instinctively.
I flinched.
The reaction was tiny.
Barely noticeable.
But Kael saw it.
And the devastation that crossed his face nearly broke me.
Because I hadn’t meant to recoil from him.
Not consciously.
But my body had done it anyway.
Silence spread again.
Draven noticed too.
His expression became unreadable.
Something dangerous settled behind his eyes then.
Not victory.
Worse.
Patience.
Like a predator realizing wounded prey had finally stopped pretending it wasn’t hurt.
Kael’s voice turned rough.
“Lyra…”
I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t think.
Everything hurt.
The bond.
The attention.
The humiliation.
The terrifying pull toward another Alpha.
“I need air.”
Then I turned and walked away before either male could stop me.
The summit halls blurred around me as I moved quickly through crowded corridors toward the outer gardens.
No one stopped me.
Everyone had seen enough already.
Whispers followed behind me instantly.
The Luna.
Did you see Draven?
Kael almost shifted—
The king wants her—
Moon Goddess…
I wanted to disappear.
Cold wind hit my face the moment I reached the garden terraces outside.
My breathing shook violently.
This was spiraling out of control.
I gripped the stone railing tightly, staring out across the snowy mountains while panic clawed through my chest.
How had everything changed this quickly?
Days ago, my biggest pain was being ignored.
Now the most feared Alpha in the North looked at me like something he intended to claim.
A soft voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts.
“Luna?”
I turned sharply.
One of Black Hollow’s female attendants stood several feet away holding a folded black cloak respectfully in both hands.
“I was asked to bring this to you.”
Confused, I looked down at the heavy fabric.
Dark wool.
Silver stitching.
The scent of winter smoke.
Draven.
Heat rushed instantly through my body.
The attendant lowered her eyes politely.
“The king said the gardens become cold after sunset.”
My chest tightened painfully.
Such a small gesture.
Yet somehow…
more care than I’d received in months.
- Writer
