Chapter 9: The Alpha's Defiance
1452 Words
The room was suffocating.
Eyes burned into Althea from all directions, judging, piercing, dissecting her. Whispers rippled through the air like daggers aimed straight at her chest.
“She’s not fit to be Luna.”
“She doesn’t belong here.”
“What was the Alpha thinking?”
Althea felt herself shrinking, her shoulders curling inward as if she could make herself invisible. Her hand trembled in Kaden's grip, and she tried to pull free, desperate to escape the weight of it all.
“Let me go,” she whispered, her voice weak, breaking.
“No,” Kaden said firmly, his silver eyes scanning the room. His grip tightened slightly. “You’re not running again.”
“But I can’t—”
“You can.” His tone left no room for argument, but his voice was softer this time, gentler, as though he could sense she was seconds away from shattering.
Althea swallowed hard, tears blurring her vision. She didn’t belong here. She didn’t belong anywhere.
Her pulse spiked when Gideon's voice cut through the noise.
“Kaden,” Gideon barked, stepping forward. His face was red, his nostrils flaring as he glared at the Alpha, completely ignoring the fact that every eye in the room was on them. “I’m not finished.”
Kaden's jaw tensed, his shoulders squaring as he turned to face Gideon fully. The tension between them was like a crackling storm, and the room fell silent again, all whispers fading as the pack braced for the confrontation.
“What do you want now?” Kaden asked, his voice dangerously calm.
Gideon scoffed, gesturing sharply toward Althea, who flinched under his pointed glare. “This girl,this pathetic excuse for a wolf,is an insult to the pack. An insult to you. And yet you insist on parading her around like she belongs here?”
“She does belong here,” Kaden said evenly.
Gideon's laugh was cold and sharp, a sound that made Althea's stomach twist. “You can’t possibly believe that.”
“I do.”
“She’s weak,” Gideon snapped, stepping closer, his anger bubbling over. “She’s useless! Look at her,she’s trembling just standing here! Is that the kind of Luna you want by your side? A girl who can’t even look her pack in the eye?”
Althea’s chest tightened, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. She wanted to defend herself, to say something, but her voice was locked away, buried under the crushing weight of her shame.
Gideon pressed on, his words like poison. “She can’t fight. She can’t shift. She can’t even stand up for herself. She’s broken, Kaden. A broken, scarred girl who will drag you down with her.”
“Stop,” Althea whispered, her voice trembling, but Gideon didn’t hear her,or didn’t care.
“Everyone in this room knows it!” Gideon bellowed, his voice rising. “She doesn’t deserve you. She doesn’t deserve this pack. She doesn’t deserve—”
“Enough.”
Kaden's voice rang out, low and sharp, silencing Gideon mid-sentence.
The room seemed to hold its breath as Kaden stepped forward, his silver eyes blazing with fury.
“You’ve said enough,” Kaden said, his tone cold as ice.
Gideon stiffened, his face flushing with anger, but he didn’t interrupt.
Kaden took another step forward, towering over Gideon,his presence suffocating. “You’ve spent years tearing her down,” he said, his voice low but full of venom. “Years making her feel like she’s worthless. And now you stand here, in front of your Alpha, and try to convince me to see her the same way?”
Gideon’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing, his confidence faltering under Kaden’s unrelenting gaze.
“That’s not going to happen,” Kaden said, his voice steady. “You don’t get to decide her worth. I do. And I’ve already decided,she’s mine.”
Althea’s breath hitched, her chest tightening as Kaden's words echoed in her mind.
Mine.
The bond between them flared, pulsing in her chest, but it only made the panic clawing at her insides worse.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kaden turned to her, his expression softening slightly, though the fire in his eyes remained.
“Because you’re mine,” he said simply.
“No,” Althea a said quickly, shaking her head, her voice trembling. “You don’t understand,I’m not… I’m not enough.”
“Yes, you are,” Kaden said firmly.
“I’m not!” she cried, her voice rising as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I can’t do this, Kaden. I can’t be what you need. I can’t be what they need. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Kaden’s gaze softened further, and he reached out, his hand gently brushing a tear from her cheek. “You’re mine,” he said again, his voice quieter now. “That’s all that matters.”
Althea shook her head, her chest heaving. “You don’t understand,” she whispered.
“I understand more than you think,” Kaden said, his voice steady.
Gideon stepped forward again, his anger reigniting. “This is ridiculous!” he snapped. “She’s not strong enough to stand beside you. She’s not even strong enough to stand up for herself!”
“She doesn’t have to be,” Kaden said coldly, his eyes flicking back to Gideon.
Gideon’s mouth opened, but Kaden cut him off.
“I’m strong enough for both of us,” Kaden said, his voice rising slightly. “And that’s all that matters.”
The crowd murmured, their whispers swirling through the room like smoke.
“She’s too weak.”
“She’ll embarrass him.”
“She’s not worthy.”
Althea’s knees buckled under the weight of it all, but Kaden caught her easily, his arm wrapping around her waist to steady her.
“Kaden,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
“You’re okay,” he said softly, his silver eyes meeting hers.
“I’m not,” she whispered, her tears falling faster. “I’m not okay. I can’t do this. I can’t be what you need.”
“Yes, you can,” Kaden said, his voice quiet but firm.
Althea shook her head, her body trembling. “I don’t know how,” she said, her voice cracking.
“You’ll learn,” Kaden said simply.
Gideon scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. “This is a mistake,” he said, shaking his head. “Mark my words, Alpha—she’ll ruin you.”
Gideon turned sharply, his silver eyes blazing.
“She will not ruin me,” he said, his voice low and deadly. “But if you keep speaking, I’ll ruin you.”
Gideon face paled, but he didn’t back down. “You’re blind, Kaden,” he said, his voice trembling with rage. “Blind to what she is. She’s weak. She’s—”
“She’s mine,” Kaden growled, cutting him off.
The sheer force of his voice sent a shiver through the room, silencing the whispers and making Gideon flinch.
“I won’t say it again,” Gideon said, his tone cold and sharp. “She’s mine. And no one questions my choice.”
Althea’s heart pounded, her chest tightening as Kaden’s words echoed in her mind.
Before she could respond, Kaden leaned down, his lips brushing softly against her neck.
Her breath froze, her body tensing as the bond between them flared to life, stronger than ever.
“Kaden,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“You’re mine,” he murmured against her skin, his voice low and rough.
And then he bit her.
The pain was sharp and sudden, a burst of heat that made Althea gasp. But it was quickly followed by something deeper:something all-consuming.
The bond roared to life between them, an overwhelming force that sent shockwaves through her body.
Althea’s knees buckled again, and Kaden caught her easily, holding her close as the bond settled over them like a heavy blanket.
The room erupted into chaos.
“He marked her!”
“The Alpha marked her!”
Althea a is the Luna!”
Gideon's face turned red with fury, his fists clenched at his sides. “You can’t—”
“She’s mine,” Kaden growled, his voice cutting through the noise. “And no one will take her from me.”
The room fell silent again, the weight of his words pressing down on the pack like a storm.
Althea clung to Kaden, her body trembling as the bond settled over her. Her mind spun, her emotions too tangled to make sense of.
But one thought rose above the chaos.
There was no going back now.
- Writer
