OBSESSED ALPHA

Chapter3

I stepped into the council hall, and the heavy wooden doors thudded shut behind me. My heart slammed against my ribs. Kane sat at the head of the long table, his gray eyes locking onto mine like a predator spotting prey. The other pack elders turned to stare. Their whispers scraped against my skin.

I kept my chin high and took the empty seat at the far end. Not next to him. Never again.

"Elara," Kane said, his voice low and rough. "Glad you could join us."

The words were polite. The look he gave me wasn't. Heat burned in his stare, mixed with that new edge of obsession. My lips still tingled from earlier. My body remembered every press of his hands, every growl. I hated how my core tightened just from his scent hitting me across the room, pine, smoke, and pure alpha male.

One elder cleared his throat. "Alpha, the border reports are concerning. Shadow Pack scouts were seen again."

I listened but kept my face blank. Five years from now, these same threats would grow into a full attack. Kane would lose warriors. His rule would crack. In my old life, I would have jumped in, offered strategies, fought beside him. Not this time. Let him bleed.

Kane leaned forward, muscles flexing under his shirt. "Suggestions?"

The elders talked in circles. I stayed silent, tracing a crack in the table with my finger. My wolf whined inside, pulling toward him. The mate bond felt like chains around my chest, squeezing tighter the more I fought it.

"Elara." Kane's voice cut through. "You trained with the warriors this morning. What do you think?"

All eyes turned to me. He was forcing me into it. Pulling me closer even as I pushed away.

I met his gaze. "Not my place to speak, Alpha."

His jaw ticked. "It is if I say it is."

Anger flared hot in my belly. This was the same man who would frame me one day. Watch me die. Call me traitor while his mistress smiled. I dug my nails into my palm to stay grounded. The pain helped.

"Fine," I said. "If Shadow Pack is testing borders, they're looking for weakness. Show strength. Double patrols. No mercy if they cross."

Some elders nodded. Kane's eyes darkened, pleased but hungry. Like my words fed something twisted in him.

The meeting dragged, but I felt his stare the whole time. Every shift in my seat, every breath. By the end, my skin crawled with awareness. When the elders filed out, Kane stayed seated.

"Stay," he ordered.

I stood anyway. "I'm tired."

He moved fast, blocking the door before I reached it. His big body crowded mine. Heat poured off him. "You're avoiding me again. In my own hall."

"I'm not yours." The words came out steady, but my pulse raced.

Kane's hand shot out, gripping my waist. He pulled me flush against him. Hard muscle met my curves. "You are. The bond doesn't lie. I can smell how much you want me right now."

Shame and lust twisted together. I did want him, my body betrayed me with wet heat between my legs. But my mind screamed the memory of the rope, the drop, his cold eyes.

I shoved at his chest. "Let go."

He didn't. Instead, he backed me against the table, lifting me onto it in one smooth move. Papers scattered. His mouth claimed mine, rough and demanding. Tongue pushing past my lips. I bit him again, tasting blood, but he only groaned and kissed harder.

His hand slid under my tunic, palm hot on my bare stomach. Fingers inching higher. My n*****s tightened before he even touched them. Five years of secret nights flooded back, him taking me hard against walls, in hidden corners, never claiming me publicly.

I tore my mouth free. "Stop. I said no."

Kane's breathing was ragged. His eyes looked wild. "You don't get to say no to this." He pressed his hardness against my thigh, showing exactly how obsessed he was becoming. "You've been mine since the first shift."

Tears stung my eyes, but not from weakness. From the raw pain of knowing how this ended last time. "You don't own me, Kane. Not my heart. Not my future."

He froze for a second. Something like confusion crossed his face. Then it hardened into pure possession. "I'll make you change your mind."

His fingers found my breast, rolling the n****e. Pleasure shot through me, sharp and unwanted. I gasped, arching despite myself. My wolf howled in triumph. Traitor.

I slapped him hard across the face.

The sound cracked through the empty hall.

Kane pulled back, cheek red, but his lips curved in a dark smile. "There she is. The fire I've been missing."

"Get away from me." My voice shook. I jumped off the table, fixing my clothes. My body throbbed with need and rage. "Touch me again without permission and I'll reject you publicly. In front of the whole pack."

He stepped closer anyway. "You won't. Because deep down you still feel it."

I did. The bond pulsed like a living thing, aching in my chest. But I turned and yanked the door open. "Watch me."

I stormed down the corridor, legs unsteady. Mia found me near the stairs. "Elara, you look wrecked. What happened?"

"Nothing." I kept walking toward my room. "Just pack business."

She didn't believe me, but she let it drop. Inside my room, I locked the door and sank onto the bed. My hands shook as I touched my swollen lips. Kane's scent clung to my skin. I wanted to scrub it off. I wanted to drag him back and finish what he started.

No. I couldn't fall again.

Night fell fast. I barely slept, memories mixing with new fears. The platform. His voice. Lila's laugh. My death.

Morning came with another knock. Not Kane this time. A servant.

"Alpha requests you join him for breakfast. He won't take no."

I dressed in plain clothes again. Armor against him. When I entered the small dining room, Kane sat alone. Food spread out. His eyes lit up the second I appeared, dark, intense, obsessed.

"Sit," he said.

I sat but didn't eat. "Why am I here?"

"Because I want you here." He reached across, grabbing my hand. His thumb stroked my wrist, right over my pulse. "Last night... you hit me."

"You deserved it."

He chuckled, low and rough. The sound sent unwanted shivers down my spine. "Maybe. But it only made me want you more. No one's ever fought me like this."

The mate bond tightened. I saw the future in his eyes, he wouldn't let go easily. The more I pushed, the tighter he'd pull.

I pulled my hand free. "I won't be your secret anymore. And I won't be Luna."

His fork paused. "Who said anything about secrets? Or Luna?"

I laughed bitterly. "You will. Then you'll throw me away."

Confusion flickered again. He didn't understand yet. How could he? He hadn't done it in this timeline.

Kane stood and came around the table. He knelt in front of my chair, hands on my knees, spreading them slightly. His face level with mine. "Tell me what's changed. One day you were warm in my bed. Now you look at me like I'm your enemy."

Because you become one.

I stayed silent.

His hands slid higher up my thighs. Slow. Teasing. "Let me remind you how good we are together."

Heat pooled instantly. My breathing hitched. He leaned in, kissing my neck, teeth grazing. I gripped his shoulders, fighting the moan rising in my throat.

A door creaked open.

Lila stepped in, her perfect blonde hair shining, smile freezing when she saw us. Kane between my legs, his mouth on my skin.

"Alpha," she purred, but her eyes shot daggers at me. "I brought the reports you asked for."

Kane didn't move away. If anything, his grip tightened on my thighs. Possessive. Making a point.

Jealousy and old betrayal burned through me. This woman would help frame me one day.

I shoved Kane back and stood. "Enjoy your breakfast. Both of you."

I walked out, but Kane's voice followed. "Elara. We're not done."

His tone promised more. Darker. The obsession grows with every rejection.

My heart raced as I left the pack house. The enemies were coming in a few years. I wouldn't warn him. Wouldn't save his throne.

But as his scent stayed on my thighs, I wondered if I'd survive the war he was starting inside me.

Outside, a messenger ran up, out of breath. "Shadow Pack attacked the outer border. Casualties. Alpha Kane is needed immediately."

My stomach dropped. The threats were starting earlier now. Because of me? Because I was changing things?

Kane appeared behind me, hand brushing my lower back. "Come with me."

I should say no. Let him handle it alone.

But his touch burned, and the bond screamed.

I nodded once.

As we rode out together, his eyes never

left me. Obsessed. Dangerous.

This path I'd chosen was already twisting. And I didn't know if I could stay strong when the real blood started flowing.