Alpha’s Forbidden Mate

A Throne of Ashes

The Crimson Moon Pack buzzed with unrest.

Not the loud kind. No shouting in the halls, no steel meeting steel. It was a quiet kind of chaos—the kind that sank into the bones, made wolves tense without knowing why, made warriors sharpen their blades twice before they sheathed them.

Seraphina felt it in her blood.

She stood outside the war room, her fingers grazing the hilt of the dagger tucked at her waist. She wasn’t supposed to be here. Zayden had left orders: Rest. Recover. Stay out of the political storm brewing inside the mansion.

But she was done being silent.

She opened the door.

Inside, Zayden stood over the war table with four of his highest-ranking wolves. Lyra was there too, arms crossed, gaze like frost. The conversation stopped the moment Seraphina entered.

She didn't wait for permission.

"The traitors are in your house," she said, voice calm, but clear.

Lyra's eyes narrowed. "We don't need an Omega lecturing us on security."

Seraphina smiled faintly. "That why you missed the fake patrols Luka has been running behind the western border?"

Murmurs spread. Zayden's jaw clenched. "Explain."

Seraphina stepped forward, dropping a rolled parchment onto the table. "These are patrol routes your Beta approved. Only... those guards don’t exist. Not on your official roster. Luka's building a shadow force. And you're letting him."

Lyra moved fast. Snatched the paper and scanned it.

"This... this is forged."

"No," Zayden said, voice quiet but sharp. "It’s not."

Lyra paled.

"You knew?" one of the warriors asked Zayden.

He nodded slowly. "I suspected. But I didn’t know how far it went."

Seraphina met his eyes. "Now you do."

---

Later that evening, Zayden found her by the lake.

The moon danced across the surface, silver waves echoing with the wind.

"You made enemies today," he said quietly.

She didn’t look at him. "Good. They were never friends."

He stood beside her. "Why help me?"

"Because Luka is worse. Because I owe it to myself. Because my wolf wants you dead or mated. And I can’t decide which yet."

Zayden smiled darkly. "Fair."

Silence stretched.

Then she asked, "Do you believe in second mates?"

He turned to her. "No. But I believe in second chances."

She looked away. "It doesn’t feel like a chance. It feels like a trap."

Zayden stepped closer. "Then let me burn with you in it."

Their lips nearly met—nearly.

Then a horn blew across the territory.

War.

---

Chaos erupted.

Wolves shifted. Alarms sounded. Warriors ran across the mansion grounds. A breach. Western wall.

Zayden was gone in an instant, issuing orders.

Seraphina grabbed her blade and followed. No one questioned her this time.

At the wall, fires had been lit. Arrows rained from the treeline. A patrol had been slaughtered. Three wolves lay dead. One still breathed.

Seraphina knelt beside him. "Who did this?"

The wolf gasped. "Silver... their blades were dipped in silver..."

She turned to Zayden. "Luka's moved."

"Not just him," Zayden growled. "He has allies. Outside the pack. Rogues."

Seraphina’s blood ran cold. "He means to take your throne."

"No," Zayden said. "He means to kill us both."

---

By dawn, they had pushed back the attackers. Burned their dead. But the message was clear:

Luka had declared war.

And the pack was now divided.

Zayden stood in the center of the mansion’s main hall, his voice echoing.

"I won’t lie. Luka is coming. He wants to rule. But not with honor. With fear. With lies. And he is not the only threat."

He turned to Seraphina, who stepped forward.

She spoke clearly.

"I was his mate. I saw what he became. He doesn’t want power to protect you. He wants power to own you. And I will never let that happen again."

Murmurs. Growls. Confusion.

Then applause.

From the back.

Luka stood in the doorway.

Alive. Calm. Smiling.

"Beautiful speech, Seraphina," he said. "But you're mine."

Zayden growled. "You shouldn't have come here."

Luka stepped forward. "Why? Afraid she'll remember who she belongs to?"

Seraphina met Luka's eyes.

And slapped him hard across the face.

The hall went silent.

"I belong to no one," she said. "Especially not you."

Luka's expression twisted.

But he didn’t strike. Not yet.

Instead, he turned, voice venomous.

"Then watch this kingdom burn."

He vanished.

War had a new face.

And it was smiling...

---