Bound to my enemy alpha

The Alpha’s Rules

The air in Kael’s mansion was heavy. Too heavy.

Nina stepped inside, her boots clicking against the polished stone floor that gleamed with the kind of cold perfection she instantly despised. Everything about this place screamed discipline. The hallways were wide but empty, lined with banners of his pack’s crest, the black wolf etched in silver thread that shimmered under the candlelight.

It didn’t feel like a home. It felt like a throne room that had swallowed a prison whole.

Andreina, now awake but weak, clung to her side as they followed Kael deeper into the heart of the mansion. She limped slightly, her weight leaning against Nina’s arm, but her lips still found a way to curve into a smirk.

“Lovely décor,” she whispered, voice raspy. “Screams warm and inviting, doesn’t it?”

Nina’s lips twitched despite the storm boiling in her chest. “Keep your sarcasm low. We’re surrounded.”

Dozens of wolves—Kael’s wolves—lined the corridor. Some dipped their heads respectfully to their Alpha, but their eyes slid to Nina and Andreina with open suspicion. A few let their lips curl, low growls rumbling deep in their throats.

Enemy. Intruder. Bride.

The words weren’t spoken, but Nina felt each one like claws against her skin.

Kael finally stopped in front of a tall wooden door and pushed it open without a word. Inside was a wide chamber lit by a chandelier of silver flames. The walls were lined with bookshelves, weapons, and maps pinned with red markers. A war room disguised as a study.

He gestured with a tilt of his chin. “Sit.”

Andreina glanced at Nina, wide-eyed, then flopped dramatically into the nearest chair with a sigh. “Don’t mind if I do. My legs are killing me.”

Nina stayed standing, her golden eyes narrowing. “I’m not your pack. Don’t order me.”

For the first time, his gaze cut to hers fully, sharp as blades. There was no flicker of amusement there, only the cold command of someone who had never been refused in his life. The room seemed to tighten around them.

“Sit,” he repeated, quieter this time.

Something in his tone made her chest tighten. Not fear—no, she wouldn’t give him that satisfaction—but the mate bond pulling taut, making her pulse betray her. She hated it. Hated how her wolf shifted uneasily under his stare, tail flicking low in reluctant obedience.

But Nina clenched her fists and remained standing. “If you have something to say, say it. I don’t take orders.”

Andreina coughed, half-laughing into her sleeve. “Oh, this is going to go well.”

Kael’s jaw ticked once, but instead of snapping, he turned and poured himself a glass of amber liquid from a crystal decanter. He didn’t look at her as he spoke.

“You are in my territory now. That means my rules. Break them, and you’ll find I’m far less forgiving than your Elders.”

He took a slow sip, then set the glass down with deliberate calm. “Rule one. You will not leave this mansion without my permission. Not to train, not to walk, not to breathe free air. This is for your safety—and for my pack’s.”

Nina’s nails dug crescents into her palms. “So I’m a prisoner.”

His eyes flicked to hers, dark and unreadable. “A protected bride.”

Her laugh came sharp, humorless. “Dress it up however you want, it still smells like a cage.”

Andreina raised her brows, whispering under her breath, “At least it’s a fancy cage. Better than the dungeons, right?”

Nina shot her a look, but Andreina only shrugged, too amused despite the danger.

Kael ignored her friend completely. “Rule two. You will attend all meals in the Great Hall. With me. With the pack. They must see you as their future Luna, not a hidden enemy lurking in my shadow.”

The word Luna stung like a blade pressed against fresh skin. Nina crossed her arms, holding his stare. “I’ll eat when I’m hungry. Where I want.”

The silence between them stretched, so thick Andreina nervously fiddled with her sleeve.

Kael leaned forward then, bracing his hands against the edge of the desk, voice dropping low enough to vibrate through the floor. “Try me, Nina. See how far defiance will get you here.”

Her wolf shivered, not from fear—but from recognition. The bond hummed, and for a moment she swore she could hear his heartbeat pounding in time with hers. She hated that her breath hitched.

She forced herself to look away, steadying her voice. “You can chain me in your hall, but you’ll never make me yours.”

His eyes darkened, a storm brewing there, but before he could respond, a knock rattled against the door.

“Alpha.”

A guard’s voice. Urgent.

Kael straightened, his jaw tightening. “What is it?”

The guard entered, bowing briefly. “Scouts at the northern border spotted movement. Not rogues. Organized. It could be—” His eyes flicked to Nina, hesitant. “—her people.”

Nina’s breath caught. “My pack? Here?”

Kael’s stare was unreadable as he answered. “Or your enemies. We’ll find out soon enough.”

The guard nodded and left as quickly as he’d come.

Andreina shifted uncomfortably, whispering, “This doesn’t sound like a welcome party.”

Kael moved around the desk, closing the space between himself and Nina. He stopped just close enough for the bond to flare hot in her chest. His voice was low, but each word landed like steel.

“Rule three. Do not test me, Nina. Because if what waits outside that border is a threat—your choices tonight may decide whether your pack survives or burns.”

Her throat went dry. The room felt too small, his presence too close.

She wanted to spit venom back at him, but the weight of his words sank deep. What if it was her pack? What if this fragile, unwanted bond between them was the only thing standing between survival and war?

Her chest ached with the pull of two worlds tearing her apart.

Kael leaned in, his breath ghosting against her ear, and murmured, “You think these rules are chains. But you’ll learn they are the only thing keeping you alive.”

Nina’s wolf clawed inside her, torn between fury and a hunger she refused to name.

And then—

A howl split the night, loud enough to rattle the glass windows of the chamber. Not one howl. Many. Dozens.

Andreina jumped to her feet, paling. “Uh… Nina? That doesn’t sound friendly.”

Kael’s gaze snapped to the door, already bracing for battle.

Nina’s heart pounded as the truth slammed into her.

Whoever was out there—they hadn’t come in peace.

And the walls of Kael’s mansion might not be enough to keep the bloodshed at bay.