ChapterTen:The alpha's judgement
854 Words
The Moonfang stronghold blazed with torches, the ancient stone walls echoing with the howls of warriors returning from a hunt. But tonight, their triumph was darker.
Aurora stood just beyond the courtyard gates, her cloak clutched tight, her heart slamming against her ribs. Chains rattled ahead of her, dragging across the dirt as the patrol marched in with their prisoner.
Kael.
The silver shackles burned his wrists and ankles raw, his shirt torn, his face smeared with blood and sweat. But even chained, even gagged, he stood proud, his head high, his gaze burning.
Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd. Murmurs turned to roars as the name spread like fire.
“Bloodfang heir!”
“They caught the Alpha’s son!”
“Kill him!”
Aurora’s chest tightened. They didn’t see him as a man. Or even as a wolf. Only prey.
And above them all, at the steps of the stronghold, her father rose. Alpha Magnus Moonfang. His presence silenced the courtyard instantly.
His eyes, hard and golden as a predator’s, locked on Kael with pure hatred. But then briefly they slid to Aurora.
She felt her blood run cold. He knew.
The patrol leader bowed. “Alpha. We found him trespassing, over the body of one of our own. He fought like a beast. It took six of us to bring him down.”
Magnus’s jaw tightened. His gaze swept the prisoner. Then, with deliberate slowness, he descended the steps until he stood over Kael.
The chains clinked as Kael shifted, trying to meet the Alpha’s stare without bowing. Defiance in every muscle.
Magnus’s lip curled. “So… the son of my enemy dares set foot on Moonfang land.” His voice rolled like thunder. “You’ll die here tonight.”
The crowd roared in approval. Howls filled the night.
Aurora’s knees nearly buckled. She wanted to scream that Kael was innocent that the vampire had killed the scout that this wasn’t what it looked like. But her throat was locked.
Then Magnus raised a hand. Silence fell again.
His golden eyes pinned Aurora in place.
“Daughter.”
The word cut sharper than a blade. Every eye turned. She stiffened, her cloak heavy as iron.
“Step forward.”
Aurora’s pulse skittered wildly. Her feet moved before her mind caught up, carrying her to stand between her father and Kael. The heat of the bond coiled violently in her veins as Kael’s eyes locked on her. Even gagged, even beaten, he burned for her.
Magnus’s stare was merciless. “You were there.” It wasn’t a question. “You saw him. You protected him.”
Gasps tore through the crowd.
Aurora froze, blood roaring in her ears. How much did they tell him? What did they see?
Her father’s hand shot out, gripping her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. His voice was low, venomous. “If you are truly mine, you will prove your loyalty. Tonight.”
He shoved her back. A warrior stepped forward, pressing a dagger into her palm. The weight of it nearly crushed her.
“Kill him.”
The words slammed into her chest like a hammer.
The crowd howled in approval. “Kill him!” they chanted. “Kill the Bloodfang!”
Aurora’s vision spun. Her wolf shrieked inside her, claws tearing at her insides. Mate. Mate. MATE.
Her father’s voice thundered again. “Do it, Aurora! End him before us all, or prove yourself no daughter of mine.”
Her fingers shook violently around the hilt. She could barely breathe.
Kael met her gaze, steady, burning, even through the gag. There was no fear in his eyes only something fierce. Something that broke her apart.
Tears burned hot in her throat. How could she kill him? How could she kill the only soul her wolf had ever chosen?
But her father’s stare bore into her. Around her, the pack’s howls grew louder, demanding blood. The dagger trembled in her hand as she raised it every movement slow, unbearable.
She stopped inches from his chest. Her heart screamed. Her wolf roared. The mate bond seared like fire.
Kael’s eyes flickered not pleading, not begging but daring. As if to say: Don’t break.
Aurora’s lips parted. “I…”
The dagger wavered. Her knees buckled. Her choice her life hung on the next breath.
And then
A scream split the air.
From the shadows above the courtyard, a body dropped one of the outer guards, his throat ripped wide, blood spraying the stone.
The crowd froze, stunned.
And then crimson eyes blazed across the battlements. Dozens of them.
Vampires.
The stronghold shook with chaos as the creatures lunged from the darkness, fangs bared, descending upon the pack.
Aurora’s dagger clattered to the ground.
Kael’s muffled snarl ripped free against his gag as the first vampire landed on the steps. The war her father had feared had come right in the moment she was meant to prove her loyalty.
And in the center of it all, Aurora stood, trembling, the dagger at her feet, her father’s fury behind her… and her mate in chains before her.
- Writer
