Bound To The Alpha King

chapter 3

Aurora sat silently in the back seat of the black SUV while the city lights moved across the window like distant stars She still could not believe she had actually left Moonridge Pack For years she had imagined escaping that place but she had never imagined it would happen like this One moment she had been standing in the pack house being blamed for something she did not do and the next she was sitting inside a car belonging to the most feared Alpha in the region Keal sat in the front beside the driver His expression was unreadable as he stared ahead Aurora watched him through the reflection in the window She wanted to ask where they were going but something inside her told her to remain quiet The silence between them felt heavy Finally Keal looked at her through the mirror You have been quiet since we left Aurora looked away I do not know what I am supposed to say You can start by telling me why your pack hated you so much Aurora lowered her eyes They did not always hate me Keal raised an eyebrow Aurora gave a bitter smile They hated what they believed I was What did they believe you were A weakness The word came out quietly My mother died when I was young and after that everyone treated me differently They said I had inherited her weakness They never let me train with the other wolves They never allowed me to attend important pack meetings Even when I worked harder than everyone else they still found something wrong with what I did Keal said nothing Aurora continued staring outside Sometimes I wondered if I was even part of the pack Keal finally spoke You were Aurora looked at him He turned his eyes back toward the road Being treated badly does not change your blood Aurora did not know why those words affected her so much Nobody had ever said anything like that to her before At Moonridge she had spent years hearing that she was useless weak unwanted She had almost started believing them The SUV suddenly slowed down Aurora looked ahead and saw huge iron gates opening in the distance Beyond them stood a massive modern building surrounded by tall trees and security lights Aurora stared in confusion Where are we Keal answered without turning around My territory Aurora's eyes widened This is your home One of them She looked outside again The place looked nothing like the Moonridge pack house It looked more like a private estate belonging to a powerful businessman Glass walls dark stone expensive cars security guards and bright lights surrounded the enormous building When the car stopped several people were already waiting outside Aurora immediately became nervous Keal stepped out first The guards lowered their heads as he passed Aurora stayed inside for a moment She suddenly felt like she was entering another world Keal opened the door and looked at her Come Aurora stepped out slowly The moment her feet touched the ground she felt something strange A powerful scent filled the air It was not unfamiliar It was the same scent she had noticed around Keal since the first time she met him Her wolf reacted immediately Aurora quickly pushed the feeling away She did not understand what was happening Keal noticed her expression Are you alright Yes She answered too quickly Keal studied her for a moment but did not question her He turned toward the entrance Stay close to me Aurora followed him inside The interior was even more impressive than the outside Everything was modern and carefully designed Large windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling The walls were decorated with paintings and photographs of different Alpha families Aurora stopped when she noticed one particular picture It showed a younger Keal standing beside an older man The older man looked powerful but serious Aurora stared at the photograph Who is that Keal followed her gaze My father Aurora looked at him He died three years ago I am sorry Keal gave no response Instead he continued walking Aurora followed him until they reached a large room where several people were waiting The moment they saw Aurora their expressions changed Some looked surprised Others looked suspicious One man stepped forward Alpha Keal Keal looked at him What is it The man glanced at Aurora Is this the girl from Moonridge Keal's expression hardened Her name is Aurora The man immediately lowered his head Forgive me Alpha Aurora looked down She was used to being stared at She expected the same judgment here But Keal stepped beside her She is under my protection Nobody touches her Nobody questions her And nobody makes her feel unwelcome The room became completely silent Aurora looked at him in surprise She had never heard anyone defend her like that The man nodded Understood Alpha Keal turned toward Aurora You need rest A woman stepped forward I will show her to the guest room Keal nodded Aurora followed the woman upstairs As they walked through the long hallway Aurora noticed how quiet the place was It reminded her of the laboratory she used to hide in at Moonridge Peaceful Calm Safe But she was not sure she deserved to feel safe yet The woman opened a door This will be your room Aurora stepped inside Her eyes widened The room was larger than the entire space she had shared with her younger cousin back at Moonridge A large bed stood near the window There was a private bathroom A wardrobe A small desk and a balcony overlooking the city Aurora slowly walked toward the window She could see thousands of lights stretching across the horizon For the first time in years she felt like she could breathe The woman smiled gently If you need anything just ask Aurora nodded Thank you After the woman left Aurora sat on the edge of the bed She touched the soft blanket beneath her fingers Everything felt unreal She was waiting for someone to tell her she had to leave She was waiting for someone to accuse her of stealing the room She was waiting for someone to remind her that she did not belong But nobody came Instead there was only silence Aurora looked at her reflection in the mirror Her face looked tired Her eyes carried years of things she had never said She whispered to herself Maybe this is only temporary She had barely finished speaking when she heard a knock Aurora stood up Come in The door opened Keal stood there Aurora immediately became nervous Are you comfortable Yes Thank you Keal looked around the room You can stay here as long as you need Aurora stared at him Why are you doing this Keal was silent for a moment Because I believe something was hidden from me What do you mean Your father Aurora froze My father Keal nodded Elias Vale His name appeared in a report connected to a matter that happened years ago Aurora stepped closer What kind of matter I do not know yet That is why I brought you here Aurora's heart began beating faster My father was just a businessman That is what everyone told me Keal looked directly into her eyes Everyone can lie Aurora felt a chill run through her My father died when I was a child He could not have done anything wrong I did not say he did Keal answered calmly I said there is something about him that does not make sense Aurora sat down slowly What are you going to do Find the truth Keal placed a small black folder on the table Aurora looked at it What is that Everything I have been able to find about Elias Vale Aurora stared at the folder but did not touch it Keal walked toward the door Read it when you are ready Wait He stopped Aurora looked at him Why do you trust me Keal turned around I do not Aurora's heart sank But I do not trust the people who spent years telling you that you were worthless either He left before she could answer Aurora stared at the closed door Then she slowly walked toward the folder Her hand hovered over it for several seconds before she finally picked it up The moment she opened it the first photograph made her breath catch It was her father But he was not standing outside their old family home He was standing beside several powerful Alpha leaders And one of them was Keal's father Aurora stared at the picture in disbelief She turned the page Another photograph Another meeting Another secret Then she found a document with her father's name printed across the top Aurora read the first line and suddenly felt the room spin Her father had not simply been connected to the Alpha families He had been involved in something that could change everything Aurora believed about her own life A sound suddenly came from downstairs Aurora closed the folder quickly Her wolf stirred inside her Someone was here Someone she had never met before Then she heard a voice from the hallway Alpha Keal We have a problem Aurora opened her bedroom door slightly Keal stepped out of his office What happened The guard looked nervous Someone entered the territory without permission Keal's expression changed instantly Who The guard swallowed hard We do not know But they left a message Keal held out his hand The guard gave him a small envelope Keal opened it His eyes moved across the words For the first time since Aurora had met him she saw something dangerous flash across his face Fear Aurora stepped into the hallway Keal looked up and their eyes met Aurora knew immediately that the message was connected to her What did it say Keal slowly folded the paper It said they know where you are Aurora's blood ran cold Who knows Keal looked toward the dark windows The people who have been waiting for you to return Aurora stared at him Return from where Keal's eyes met hers That is the question we need to answer