The Blackfang Alphas and Slaves

Chapter 8

Kai’s POV

I wake up to the pounding of fists on my door. My body aches from last night’s battle, but the knocking doesn’t stop.

“Kai!” Lucan’s voice filters through the wood. “Get up. Your father has called a family meeting.”

I groan, sitting up and rolling my shoulders. Here we go.

I already know what this is about. I led a war without consulting my father. Big deal. It was necessary. The Thorns Pack attacked, and I handled it. Efficiently, I might add.

Still, I can already picture my father’s stormy glare and hear the disapproving murmurs from the elders. Rules, rules, rules. I swear, they suffocate more than the enemy’s blade.

I throw on my black tunic, strap my belt, and open the door. Lucan stands there, looking grim.

“They’re pissed,” he mutters.

I smirk. “What’s new?”

We make our way to the council hall, but before I can enter, my mother steps into my path.

Her eyes pierce into mine, a mixture of concern and frustration in her gaze. She always feels more than she says, and right now, her eyes scream at me to be careful.

“Kai,” she says in a low, urgent voice. “Do not challenge your father today.”

I scoff. “You already know how this is going to go.”

She grabs my arm, nails digging slightly. “Just listen for once.”

I roll my eyes. “Did you listen when they treated you like a slave? When the other wives tried to tear you apart?”

Her lips press into a thin line, but she doesn’t look away.

“I fought my battles,” she says. “And I survived because I was smart about it. Not because I was reckless.”

I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. “Mother, I did what needed to be done.”

Her hold on my arm tightens. “And do you think your father cares? You humiliated him. You went to war without his command. In front of the elders, this is treason.”

I shrug. “Maybe the pack needs a new Alpha.”

Her sharp intake of breath tells me I’ve gone too far. But before she can reply, guards appear behind me, grabbing my arms.

I barely have time to react before they drag me forward, toward the grand hall.

The massive double doors slam open, and suddenly, I’m thrown into the center of the hall, where the council, my father, and the entire royal family watch me in silence.

The tension is so thick it could choke a lesser man. But me? I stand tall, brushing off the guards like they’re nothing.

My father, Alpha Rhordan, sits on his high-backed throne, his jaw set in icy rage.

“Kneel.” His voice booms through the chamber.

I don’t move.

A murmur spreads through the room. I hear the whispers, but I don’t care.

“You went to war,” my father continues, eyes like steel, “without my command.”

I smirk. “And won.”

The council members shift uncomfortably. Some nod in silent approval, others scowl.

“Do you think that matters?” my father demands. “You are not Alpha yet. You do not have the right to make such decisions.”

I cross my arms. “Then maybe it’s time for a new Alpha.”

The silence that follows is explosive.

My father rises, the air around him thick with dominance. The tension coils like a snake, ready to strike.

“Do you challenge me, boy?” he asks, voice deceptively calm.

I don’t blink. “I challenge your leadership.”

Gasps fill the room. My mother looks like she might faint on the spot. The other wives smirk in the background, probably hoping my father rips me to shreds.

Lucan, standing off to the side, looks like he wants to die.

My father steps down from his throne, slowly making his way toward me. I hold my ground.

“The boy thinks he’s ready to lead,” he says to the council. “Tell me, Kai, do you think leadership is just about swinging a sword?”

I shrug. “It’s worked so far.”

He stops inches from me. “Then let’s see if you can stand without it.”

Before I can react, his fist collides with my gut, knocking the breath from my lungs.

I stagger but refuse to fall. My father doesn’t stop. His next blow sends me crashing to my knees.

The council watches in silence. No one dares intervene. This is tradition, challenge the Alpha, suffer the consequences.

I glare up at my father, blood trickling from my lip. “Is that all you’ve got, old man?”

A flicker of amusement crosses his face before he kicks me to the ground.

Laughter ripples through the room.

“Perhaps,” my father muses, wiping his hands, “you should spend some time learning discipline.”

I push myself up, but guards grab me again, this time forcing me into shackles.

My father’s gaze darkens. “Take him to the dungeons.”

And just like that, I’m dragged away.

As the doors slam shut behind me, I hear my mother’s voice, tight with anger.

“Was that really necessary?”

My father’s answer is simple.

“If he wants to act like a rebel, he’ll be treated like one.”

The last thing I hear is laughter, ringing in my ears like a goddamn curse.

The torches in the dungeon flicker, casting twisted shadows on the stone walls. My wrists ache from the rough iron shackles, and my back is already sore from being thrown onto the cold ground. The stench of damp earth and dried blood fills my nose.

The guards stand at attention, waiting for orders. I don’t have to guess what’s coming next, it’s the usual punishment for those who challenge the Alpha.

Footsteps echo down the stone hallway. I don’t bother looking up. I already know who it is.

“Prepare him,” my father’s voice commands.

Rough hands grab me, yanking me up. The chains clink loudly as they unshackle my wrists, only to bind them again, this time above my head, securing them to a wooden post in the middle of the dungeon.

I roll my shoulders, stretching out the stiffness.

“Try not to enjoy this too much,” I mutter to the guards.

No one laughs.

My father steps into view, his face a mask of cold authority. He doesn’t look at me as he hands a whip to Lucan.

I snort. “You’re making Lucan do it? What, too afraid you’ll go soft on me?”

Lucan hesitates. He doesn’t want to do this.

My father’s gaze flicks to him. “Do it.”

Lucan clenches his jaw, then raises the whip.

The first lash slices through the air before biting into my skin.

I don’t flinch. The second comes harder, the third draws blood.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making a sound.

The room is silent except for the c***k of the whip and my father’s steady breathing.

Ten lashes.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

The pain burned so damn bad.

By the time Lucan lowers his hand, my back is on fire. The air stings where the whip has torn skin.

Lucan turns to my father, silent but pleading.

“That’s enough,” my father finally says.

The guards cut me loose, and I collapsed to my knees. Blood drips down my back, soaking the waistband of my pants.

I push myself up on shaky arms, laughing breathlessly.

“Is that all?” I croak. “I was expecting something worse.”

My father’s jaw tightens. “Get him out of my sight.”

The guards drag me toward the exit, but before I leave, I hear my father mutter,

“Perhaps this time, he’ll learn.”

They throw me out just before dawn.

I land face-first in the dirt outside the dungeon.

A familiar presence kneels beside me.

“Can you stand?” My mother’s gently said.

I grunt. “I think I lost my ability to feel anything from the waist up.”

She sighs, shaking her head. “You never learn.”

I smirk, wincing as I push myself onto my knees. “And yet, they keep trying to teach me.”

She helps me up, ignoring the blood staining my shirt.

“If you weren’t so stubborn…”

I cut her off. “Then I wouldn’t be your son.”

A smile came across her face before she sighs dramatically.

“Come. Let’s get you cleaned up before you decide to do something else stupid.”

I grin. “Too late for that.”

And with that, I limp after her, already thinking about my next move.