HIS: Reclaimed By The Alpha

Chapter Seven

The hospital room smelled of antiseptic and fire smoke.

Sunlight filtered weakly through the tall windows, but it did little to warm the chill in the air.

Darven lay on the bed, bandages wrapped around his chest and arms, face pale but jaw tight.

His breathing was shallow, each inhale deliberate.

Kaelen stood near the doorway, silent, arms crossed. He didn’t need to speak; the tension in the room spoke for him.

Darven’s father, Lucian, stepped in first, his presence heavy, commanding. Behind him followed Selara, his mother, eyes sharp, filled with purpose.

“Darven,” Lucian said, voice low but cutting. “Three days have passed. We have come to a decision.”

Darven’s eyes flicked to Kaelen, then back to his father. “Decision? What decision?” he said in a weak voice

Selara’s hand rested on the edge of the bed. “Moon Night will not proceed as scheduled. It has been delayed, we hear they are living forces behind it.”

Darven’s breath hitched. “Delayed? Why? What— this hasn't happened in centuries and what forces?”

Lucian held up a hand. “We cannot risk impulsive choices. You nearly lost your life for a girl who is not meant to be yours. Your duty comes first. Pack stability comes first. You will stay away from her for now.”

Darven’s fists clenched beneath the sheets. “You mean… Malekini?”

“Yes,” Selara said softly but firmly. “For two weeks, you are to remain apart. You are not to see her, speak to her, or interfere in her affairs. We will manage the situation.”

Kaelen’s lips curved faintly, almost imperceptible. He remained silent, letting the weight of the announcement press on his brother.

Darven’s voice cracked, anger and desperation mingling. “Two weeks? Till what! You can’t—”

"Till she becomes your brother's Luna"

Lucian’s gaze hardened. “It is not impossible. It is necessary.”

Selara took a step closer. “We have already arranged someone to take your focus. Someone who will stay in the mansion, already familiar with it. She will be your companion, your bride in every right that is expected.”

Darven’s eyes narrowed. “What? Who?”

“She has been making herself at home in your estate,” Lucian said, voice steady. “Her name is Lyra Nyx. Calm, intelligent, composed. Everything a future alpha should have at his side.”

Darven’s chest tightened. “And you expect me to forget Malekini just like that?”

“You will not forget her,” Selara said, eyes unwavering. “But you will obey. The pack comes before personal desires. Always.”

Kaelen’s presence was silent, but it burned.

Every glance he cast, every subtle nod, reinforced what was being said.

He did not speak, yet he was complicit. His quiet acceptance made Darven’s sense of isolation sharper, more acute.

Darven gritted his teeth. “So this… Lyra Nyx… she’s supposed to replace her?”

“Not replace,” Lucian said, voice firm. “She was never yours, but she will ensure the pack’s continuity. She will guide you through what is expected. What is required.”

Darven’s jaw clenched. He felt helpless, trapped between love and duty, between the fire in his chest for Malekini and the icy grip of authority holding him down.

Finally spoke he turned to Kaelen and said, voice low and measured. “You weren’t the one who carried her from the fire, Darven. You weren’t the one who risked everything to keep her alive. Maybe… maybe that’s why they made the choice.”

"Won't change a thing brother the decision has been made" Kaelen shrugged, expression unreadable.

“I’m saying facts. They know what you risked. They know who kept her safe. I didn’t need to intervene; I let the truth speak....Truth is she's mine”

Selara’s eyes softened fractionally. “Kaelen speaks the truth, but it is not about blame. It is about what is best for the pack. What is best for all of you.”

Darven’s fists flexed, trembling with frustration.

“Best for the pack? You’re using me. You’re telling me who I should care about, who I should love, what I should risk. And I have no say?”

Lucian’s gaze bore into him.

“You have choices, yes. But the consequences of ignoring the guidance of your elders are severe. Intervene, and you risk everything—your position, your authority, your future as alpha.”

Darven’s chest heaved. Every heartbeat was a drum of rebellion, but also of fear. He had never felt so powerless.

Selara stepped closer, her hand brushing his arm lightly, almost comforting, almost commanding.

“We understand your feelings. We do. But duty must outweigh desire. Malekini is… necessary in her role with Kaelen. The Moon Night delay allows us to ensure the pack’s stability before bonds are sealed.”

Darven shook his head violently. “Necessary? For Kaelen? And I just… step aside? I’m supposed to—”

“You will wait,” Lucian said, voice iron. “For two weeks. And during that time, you will not interfere. You will heal. You will focus. Lyra Nyx will be introduced in your household. She is… competent, ready, loyal. She will occupy your attention so that your heart can be guided toward what is proper.”

Darven’s lips parted, ready to argue, to yell, to fight. But even as fury roared, he knew his body betrayed him—injured, weak, exhausted.

Kaelen remained silent, watching, letting the words sink in. The betrayal was subtle, cruel, and undeniable.

Darven’s eyes softened briefly, a whisper of longing for Malekini piercing through the anger. “Two weeks… just two weeks. But then—”

Lucian’s gaze did not waver. “Then the Moon Night will occur, bonds will be sealed, and the pack will move forward. Your place, your duty, and your heart will align as they must.”

Darven swallowed, chest tight, fists curling beneath the sheets. Silence fell, heavy, oppressive, but charged with unspoken rebellion and restrained fury.

The hospital room was still. Kaelen’s eyes flicked toward the door, where the faint sunlight caught the edges of the bandages on Darwin’s chest. Every line of his posture radiated helplessness.

Selara’s voice softened, final. “Lyra Nyx is already present. She will be at the mansion. She will stay in the rooms prepared for you. You will meet her. You will accept her presence. And you will survive these two weeks without disobeying.”

Darven’s jaw clenched. His lips trembled, but he remained silent. The battle inside him raged silently—love, anger, betrayal, desire, and duty intertwining in a knot he could not yet unravel.

Kaelen’s quiet presence amplified it, a reminder of choices made and manipulated.

Outside, the wind shifted, carrying a chill across the grounds. In the distance, the world moved on, unaware of the personal war waging in that room.

And in the silence, the first threads of tension were woven—threads that would pull hearts, loyalties, and destinies taut across the coming days.

Two weeks. Two weeks until the Moon Night. Two weeks until Darwin would have to let go, until Kaelen would claim what he was chosen for, and until Malekini’s fate was tied to the pack in ways she could not yet understand.

Darven’s chest heaved beneath the bandages. Every inhale was sharp, but his mind burned hotter than any pain he felt. He wanted to rise, to storm out of that room, to tear down the walls that kept him from Malekini.

Kaelen leaned against the window frame, arms crossed, silent smugness radiating. “You’re looking at this like you can fight it, but you can’t.”

Darven’s jaw tightened. “I can’t just… do nothing. You don’t understand what it feels like—what it means—”

“You risked your life already,” Kaelen said quietly. “For what? A girl you barely understand. Let it go, Darwin. You have no choice.”

Darven’s eyes flashed, fists clenching the bedsheets. “I have a choice! I can still—”

Lucian’s sharp tone cut through the room. “No, you cannot. Not now. You are weak. You are recovering. And the pack cannot afford to let personal desire dictate actions.”

Darven’s mouth opened, ready to argue, but he felt the truth in the words. His body betrayed him. His strength was gone. And Kaelen’s silent presence, that quiet, irritating confidence, made every fiber of resistance feel futile.

Selara stepped closer. “You want to fight for Malekini? We understand. But desire cannot override duty. Not today. Not while lives and the pack’s future hang in balance.”

Darven swallowed hard. “So… I just watch? I just… watch Kaelen take her?”

Kaelen’s lips twitched faintly. “It’s not about taking. It’s about what’s necessary. You’ll see soon enough.”

Lucian moved to the foot of the bed, voice low, deliberate. “This is not punishment. This is strategy. The pack’s survival depends on decisions made now, not later. Malekini’s place with Kaelen is vital—though not everything can be revealed to you yet. Some things remain hidden for protection.”

Darven’s eyes narrowed. “Protection? From what?”

Selara’s gaze softened but remained firm. “The world is changing. Threats you do not see are already moving. Delaying the Moon Night allows us to stabilize alliances, ensure our forces are ready, and secure bonds that must not falter.”

Darven’s chest tightened. “So… I’m expected to step back… and wait?”

“Yes,” Lucian said, tone final. “You will heal. You will focus. You will obey. Malekini’s future with Kaelen ensures the his survival. That is all you need to know.”

Darven clenched his jaw. Every word felt like a blade, slicing him deeper. Yet the weight of authority and his own vulnerability pressed down on him. Resistance was futile.

Kaelen remained near the window, silent, letting the tension suffocate the room.

Darven’s head fell back against the pillow. Rage, frustration, longing—every emotion swirled like a storm in his chest.

His heart throbbed for Malekini, for the life he could not grasp, and for the betrayal that now felt unavoidable.

Kaelen’s eyes met his briefly, unflinching. The silent message was clear: he had won this round.

Selara’s hand rested lightly on Darven’s arm, almost comforting, almost commanding. “Two weeks. That is all. You step back, or risk losing everything. Lyra Nyx . She will occupy your time, your attention, your obligations.”

Darven’s hands shook slightly. “Two weeks… I can’t… I—”

Lucian’s gaze pierced him. “You will. You have no other choice.”

The room fell into heavy silence.

Darven’s heart was tethered to Malekini, smoldering with anger and desperation.

Lyra Nyx loomed in his mind, a shadow of what was to come.

And the Moon Night delay created a chasm—two weeks of unbearable tension, two weeks of enforced separation, two weeks where every heartbeat reminded him of what he could not have.

Kaelen remained near the window, silent, victorious.