Chapter 14: Bow to No One
488 Words
The moment his golden eyes met mine, my body betrayed me.
A sharp, involuntary shudder ran down my spine. My knees weakened, my breath hitched, and my wolf—Alera, my wild, untamed wolf—submitted.
Not by choice.
By instinct.
By force.
The power rolling off him was suffocating. It coiled around me like invisible chains, pressing against my very bones, demanding submission.
But I had spent my whole life fighting.
And I wasn’t about to bow now.
I gritted my teeth, locking my muscles as I forced myself upright. My legs felt like they were moving through wet cement, but I kept going.
One inch.
Then another.
The True Alpha still hadn’t moved. His silver eyes flickered between me and the golden-eyed stranger, something tense, unreadable, sitting heavy in his expression.
Like he knew this man.
Like he feared him.
And yet, he wasn’t bowing either.
That told me everything I needed to know.
Whoever this man was, whatever he was—he was above an Alpha.
Above a True Alpha.
Which meant there was only one thing he could be.
A King.
My breath came faster. My fingers curled into fists as I took another step, my knees screaming at me to kneel, to bow, to surrender.
I didn’t.
I wouldn’t.
And when his gaze sharpened, when his lips quirked ever so slightly, I knew—
He had expected me to fall.
To break.
To kneel.
And when I didn’t, something shifted in the air between us.
“Impressive,” he murmured, his voice low, almost curious. He took a slow step forward, his power pressing against me like a storm wind, and yet—this time—I didn’t flinch.
I lifted my chin. “I don’t bow.”
Something dark passed through his gaze. “Is that so?”
Another step.
My heart pounded.
The True Alpha beside me still hadn’t spoken. His silence was heavy, almost calculating, but I couldn’t afford to focus on him.
Not when the King took one final step, closing the space between us.
Not when he reached out.
His fingers barely grazed my chin, a featherlight touch—
And then fire tore through me.
I gasped, stumbling backward, my body jerking as a searing heat shot through my veins. It wasn’t pain. It wasn’t even pleasure. It was power—raw, unfiltered, and completely foreign.
I felt Alera lurch inside me, clawing against my ribs as if trying to get out.
“What the hell was that?” I snarled.
The King just watched me, his expression unreadable. “A test.”
I bared my teeth. “And did I pass?”
His smirk was slow, deliberate. “You’re still standing, aren’t you?”
My pulse pounded. My body still felt like it was on fire, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of showing weakness.
Because whatever this was—
It was just the beginning.
- Writer
