The alphas runt

Taken

Something felt wrong the moment Kael left that morning.

Lyra stood near the massive bedroom windows watching snow fall softly across Silver Fang territory while unease twisted low in her stomach. The estate below bustled with movement as warriors trained in the courtyard beneath pale winter sunlight.

Normally the sight calmed her.

Today it didn’t.

Kael had been called to the northern border before sunrise after reports of rogue wolves crossing pack lines. He hadn’t wanted to leave her.

Not even slightly.

She could still remember the tension in his silver eyes while he fastened weapons beneath his coat earlier that morning.

“Come with me,” he’d said immediately.

Lyra blinked sleepily from the edge of the bed.

“You’re going to the border.”

“And?”

“You can’t take your pregnant mate into potential danger.”

“I can if she stays beside me.”

That had almost made her laugh.

Almost.

Because the bond between them had become frighteningly intense since discovering the pregnancy.

Kael barely let her out of his sight anymore.

The alpha touched her constantly now.

Her waist.

Her hand.

Her hair.

Always grounding himself against her presence like distance physically hurt him.

Maybe it did.

The completed mating bond between alpha and luna was powerful enough already.

But now she carried his pup.

And Kael’s wolf had become unbearably possessive because of it.

Lyra wrapped her arms around herself near the window now, trying to ignore the strange anxiety crawling beneath her skin.

The bond still connected them despite the distance.

Kael felt restless.

Irritated.

Protective.

He hated being away from her.

Mine.

The possessive pulse brushed softly through her chest again.

A knock sounded against the suite doors moments later.

Lyra turned slowly.

“Come in.”

One of the estate servants stepped inside nervously.

“My luna.”

The title still startled her every time.

The young omega lowered her gaze respectfully.

“Elder Magnus requests your presence in the south garden.”

Lyra frowned slightly.

“Magnus?”

“Yes.”

Unease deepened instantly.

Since the Blood Moon Gathering, Magnus had become strangely calm around her.

Too calm.

Too polite.

The elder no longer openly insulted her or challenged Kael publicly. Instead, he smiled warmly whenever they crossed paths.

That somehow frightened her more.

Still…

Refusing a council elder outright would only create more problems for Kael.

Lyra hesitated briefly before nodding.

“Alright.”

The servant bowed quickly before leaving.

Silence settled again.

Lyra glanced toward the bond instinctively.

Kael still felt far away.

Too far away.

A sharp wave of nausea rolled through her suddenly.

Pregnancy.

Mira said the first weeks would be difficult.

Carefully, Lyra slipped on a warm cream-colored coat before leaving the suite.

The estate halls felt unusually quiet today.

Many warriors remained stationed near the borders with Kael.

Others trained outside.

The farther Lyra walked toward the south gardens, the emptier the estate became.

Snow crunched softly beneath her boots as she stepped outside.

Cold winter air immediately bit against her skin.

The gardens stretched beautifully across the southern side of the estate grounds, filled with frozen fountains and snow-covered hedges glittering beneath pale sunlight.

But something felt… off.

Too quiet.

Lyra slowed slightly.

“Elder Magnus?”

No answer.

Only wind.

Her pulse quickened uneasily.

Then—

Pain exploded across the back of her neck.

A gasp escaped her lips as the world tilted violently sideways.

Wolfsbane.

The scent hit her instantly.

Strong enough to weaken supernatural healing.

Lyra stumbled forward, dizziness crashing through her body.

A massive hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream.

“Easy now.”

Male voice.

Unfamiliar.

Panic exploded through her chest.

Lyra struggled instantly, claws partially extending while terror flooded the mating bond.

Kael.

The bond screamed for him automatically.

But another sharp sting pierced her shoulder.

Needle.

Drugged.

Her vision blurred almost immediately.

“No—”

“Hold her still.”

More hands grabbed her.

Three wolves.

Maybe four.

Too strong.

Too fast.

Lyra kicked desperately, panic intensifying when one hand shoved painfully against her stomach.

“Careful!” another voice snapped sharply. “The elder said unharmed.”

Elder.

Magnus.

Cold horror spread through her instantly.

The world spun harder.

The drug burned through her bloodstream frighteningly fast.

Lyra tried reaching for the bond again.

Kael.

Please—

Darkness swallowed her before the thought finished.

—

Kael felt it instantly.

The exact second something went wrong.

One moment he stood beside Damien near the northern border listening to scout reports.

The next—

Agony ripped through the mating bond.

Kael froze violently.

Every instinct inside him exploded.

Fear.

Pain.

Lyra.

The alpha’s face drained of all color instantly.

Then rage followed.

Pure devastating rage.

“Kael?” Damien frowned sharply.

The bond snapped again.

Terror.

His mate’s terror.

Kael’s wolf erupted instantly beneath his skin.

Mine.

Danger.

The sound that tore from his throat wasn’t human.

It was monstrous.

Every warrior nearby froze immediately.

Alpha command pressure slammed violently across the forest.

“WE’RE GOING BACK.”

Kael shifted before the sentence even fully finished.

Massive black wolf.

Terrifying.

The alpha launched through the snow-covered forest with enough speed to blur between trees.

Panic consumed the bond now.

Then suddenly—

Nothing.

Complete silence.

Kael nearly collapsed mid-run.

No.

No no no—

The bond hadn’t broken.

But it had gone distant.

Weak.

Drugged.

His mate was unconscious.

Rage exploded harder.

By the time Kael reached the estate, the entire territory already felt wrong.

Cold.

Empty.

Like something vital had been ripped out.

Warriors scrambled frantically through the courtyard as Kael shifted back into human form mid-stride.

“WHERE IS SHE?”

Silence.

Fear.

Then Mira stepped forward pale-faced.

“She vanished nearly an hour ago.”

The world went deadly still.

Kael’s silver eyes glowed violently now.

“Vanished?”

One warrior swallowed hard.

“The south garden guards were found unconscious.”

Another stepped forward shakily.

“There was wolfsbane.”

The entire estate trembled beneath the force of Kael’s rage.

Windows cracked.

Several wolves physically dropped to one knee beneath the crushing alpha pressure.

Damien arrived seconds later and immediately went pale.

“Oh gods.”

Kael looked feral.

Actually feral.

The mating bond howled with panic and fury inside him now.

Find her.

Find her.

FIND HER.

“Seal the borders,” Kael snarled.

Every wolf moved instantly.

“No one leaves this territory.”

His gaze swept murderously across the courtyard.

“If any wolf here knows something…” His voice dropped terrifyingly low. “Pray I never discover it.”

The entire pack felt it then.

The absence.

Because without Lyra—

Everything darkened.

The calming warmth she unknowingly spread throughout the territory had vanished completely.

Tension consumed the estate within hours.

Warriors snapped at one another.

Omegas grew anxious.

Even the air itself felt colder somehow.

And Kael…

Kael became terrifying.

Not weaker because of her.

No.

Weaker without her.

Because Lyra had become the thing balancing the monster inside him.

Without her calming presence, the ruthless alpha everyone once feared returned tenfold.

Perhaps worse.

The realization spread quietly through the pack by nightfall.

She hadn’t weakened Silver Fang.

She had softened it.

Healed it.

And now that she was gone—

Everyone finally understood exactly what she meant to them.

—

Lyra woke slowly to pain.

Her head throbbed violently while rough ropes bit against her wrists.

Cold stone pressed against her cheek.

Darkness surrounded her.

The scent of damp earth and wolfsbane filled the air.

Fear crashed through her instantly.

Her eyes flew open.

Nothing looked familiar.

Small underground room.

Stone walls.

Single dim lantern.

Chains bolted near the far corner.

Panic surged immediately.

Kael.

The mating bond still existed.

Faint.

Distant.

But there.

Relief nearly made her cry.

Until the door creaked open.

Lyra flinched violently.

A large unfamiliar wolf entered carrying a tray of water.

“You’re awake.”

She pressed herself backward instinctively.

“Where am I?”

The male ignored the question.

“Drink.”

“I want Kael.”

Something almost sympathetic flickered across the wolf’s face.

Then vanished.

“That’s not happening.”

Fear tightened painfully around her chest.

“Please…”

The wolf set the tray down roughly.

“You should cooperate.”

Lyra’s hands instinctively moved toward her stomach protectively.

The male noticed.

His expression shifted uncomfortably.

Good.

At least Magnus had warned them about the pregnancy.

That might keep her alive.

For now.

The male eventually left again without another word.

The heavy door slammed shut behind him.

And silence returned.

Cold.

Terrifying silence.

Lyra curled tightly against the stone wall as tears finally slipped down her cheeks.

Everything hurt.

Her head.

Her body.

Her bond.

Kael’s emotions slammed faintly through the distance in violent waves.

Rage.

Panic.

Desperation.

He was looking for her.

She knew he was.

But the bond felt too weak now.

Too blocked by wolfsbane and distance.

Fear consumed her completely then.

Because for the first time since meeting him—

Kael wasn’t there.

And elsewhere beneath the freezing northern night, Alpha Kael Draven stood in the center of Silver Fang territory surrounded by frantic warriors and terrified advisors.

Snow fell heavily around him.

But the alpha barely noticed.

His silver eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond the forest.

Listening.

Waiting.

Hunting.

Yet every trail ended cold.

Every scent vanished.

Every hour without her slowly drove him closer to madness.

Mine.

The broken desperate pulse echoed endlessly through the bond.

And for the first time in years—

The mighty alpha of Silver Fang looked completely lost.