Rejected by my alpha claimed by the lycan king

Chapter 2

The air didn't just smell like pine and dirt anymore; it smelled like power. Viktor’s grip on my waist was like an iron band, but for the first time in my life, I didn't feel trapped. I felt shielded.

Damon Blackwood stood twenty feet away, his face turning a sickly shade of gray. He was the "big bad Alpha" who had spent years making me feel like a speck of dust, but standing in front of the Lycan King, he looked like a shivering puppy.

"Alina, get away from him!" Damon roared, his claws sliding out with a metallic shink sound. "That’s a Lycan! They’re monsters, they’re myths…”

"I’m the myth that’s about to rip your throat out if you take another step," Viktor interrupted. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a weight that made the trees groan.

Viktor didn't even shift. He didn't need to. He just raised his hand, and the purple fire dancing between his fingers flared bright. With a flick of his wrist, a wave of pure pressure slammed into Damon, sending the Alpha flying backward into a thick oak tree. c***k. The wood splintered, and Damon slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

"You rejected her," Viktor said, his golden eyes glowing like twin suns. "In the ancient laws, that means she is no longer of your blood or your pack. She is feral. And the King of the North always claims the wandering souls."

Viktor turned to me, his expression softening just a tiny bit. "Are you ready to leave this pathetic excuse for a home, Alina?"

I looked at Damon, who was struggling to stand, and then at the dark, terrifyingly beautiful King in front of me. I thought about the dishes I’d scrubbed, the insults I’d swallowed, and the cold attic where I’d slept.

"I never want to see this place again," I said, my voice finally sounding strong.

Viktor smirked. "Good. Closing your eyes is recommended. We move fast."

Before I could ask what "fast" meant, the world turned into a blur of shadows and light. It felt like being strapped to a rocket ship. The wind whipped my hair still sticky with Sarah’s punch back from my face. My stomach did a loop-de-loop, and then, as suddenly as it started, we stopped.

I stumbled, my legs feeling like overcooked noodles, but Viktor caught me.

"We’re here," he whispered.

I gasped. We weren't in the woods anymore. We were standing on a massive balcony made of black glass that overlooked a hidden valley. Below us was a city that looked like it was carved out of a single mountain. There were glowing crystals everywhere instead of streetlights, and huge, winged shadows Lycans in their shifted forms circled the spires of a castle that looked like it was made of frozen night.

"Welcome to Iron-Spire," Viktor said, gesturing to the kingdom. "My home. And if you’re brave enough to take it... yours."

He led me inside the palace. The floors were white marble, and the walls were lined with tapestries that told stories of wars and gods. Every guard we passed men and women twice the size of Damon immediately dropped to one knee and hit their fist against their chest.

"My King," they echoed.

But their eyes weren't on him. They were on me. I could hear their whispers.

"Is that her?"

"The wolf less omega?"

"She looks so... fragile."

Viktor ignored them and marched me straight into a massive dining hall where a table was piled high with food I’d only seen in magazines. Steaming steaks, exotic fruits, and bread that smelled like heaven.

"Eat," Viktor commanded, pulling out a chair for me. "You’ve been starving in more ways than one."

I didn't need to be told twice. I reached for a piece of bread, but as I did, the doors to the hall slammed open. A woman with hair as red as blood and eyes like emeralds stormed in. She wore leather armor and had a sword strapped to her hip.

"Viktor!" she barked. "You cannot be serious. You brought a Blood-Moon runt into the sacred heart of the Lycan realm? The Council will have your head! She’s a weak link!"

Viktor didn't even look up from his wine. "She’s my mate, Celeste. And I suggest you watch your tongue before I have it pulled out."

The woman, Celeste, laughed harshly. She walked up to me, her aura feeling like a hot oven. "A mate? She doesn't even have a scent. She’s a blank slate. A nothing."

She reached out to grab my hair, but something weird happened.

Inside my chest, that spark I’d felt in the woods the one I thought was just a hallucination suddenly exploded. It wasn't the "Mate Bond" with Damon. This was something older. Something angry.

Before Celeste’s hand could touch me, a shockwave of silver light erupted from my skin. It threw her back ten feet, crashing her into a suit of armor with a deafening CLANG.

The room went dead silent.

Viktor stood up slowly, his eyes wide with shock. He looked at my hands, which were now glowing with a faint, silvery mist.

"A blank slate, you said?" Viktor murmured, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face. He looked at me, and for the first time, there was a flash of something like respect in his eyes. "Alina, do you have any idea what you just did?"

"I... I don't know," I stammered, looking at my vibrating palms.

"That wasn't wolf magic," Viktor whispered, stepping toward me. "That was the Silver Flame. It only appears in the bloodline of the Lost Queens."

Suddenly, the ground started to shake again, but this time it wasn't Viktor. It was a roar coming from the city below an alarm.

A guard burst into the room, his face pale. "My King! The Blood-Moon Pack... they’ve arrived at the gates. And they aren't alone. Damon Blackwood has called in an Alpha-Pact. They’ve come to 'claim' the stolen girl."

Viktor’s smile turned into a predatory grin. He reached out and offered me his hand.

"Well, Alina," he said, his voice humming with excitement. "It seems your old life wants a fight. Shall we go show them why that was the last mistake they'll ever make?"

I looked at his hand, then at the silver light still dancing on my fingertips. I didn't feel like a weak Omega anymore. I felt like a storm.

I took his hand.

"Let's go."