Bound to the Lycan King

Chapter 5: The Mark of the King

The great hall of the Lycan palace had never felt so suffocating.

Hundreds of eyes followed Alina as she walked beside King Kael. The stone floor echoed beneath their steps, each sound reminding her that she did not belong here.

She was human.

A fragile creature standing in the heart of monsters.

The air smelled of smoke, iron, and wolf.

Alina kept her head high, refusing to show the fear twisting in her chest. She could feel the power radiating from the Lycans around her. Their golden eyes glowed faintly in the dim torchlight, watching her like hunters observing prey.

At the center of the hall stood the Council of Alphas.

Five powerful Lycans sat on carved thrones made from dark wood and bone.

One of them leaned forward, his scarred face twisted with disgust.

“Your Majesty,” the Alpha said coldly, “you dare bring a human into our sacred court?”

A low murmur spread through the hall.

Kael didn’t stop walking.

His presence alone commanded silence.

When they reached the center of the room, he stopped beside Alina.

His voice cut through the hall like a blade.

“She is not just a human.”

The Alpha scoffed.

“Then what is she?”

Kael turned slightly toward Alina. His golden eyes softened for a brief moment before hardening again.

“She is mine.”

The hall erupted into whispers.

Alina’s breath caught.

Mine.

The word sent a strange warmth through her chest.

But the council didn’t look convinced.

Another Alpha, older and wiser, studied Alina carefully.

“This is dangerous, Kael,” he said. “The prophecy speaks of a human tied to the Lycan throne. Such bonds bring chaos.”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“I know the prophecy.”

The first Alpha stood suddenly.

“Then you know what it means!” he growled. “A human mate could weaken the throne. The other packs will see it as a sign of weakness!”

Kael’s aura exploded through the hall.

The torches flickered violently.

Every Lycan instantly fell silent.

His voice was cold and deadly.

“No one questions my strength.”

The Alpha slowly sat down again.

Alina felt the raw power surrounding Kael.

For the first time, she truly understood why everyone feared him.

He wasn’t just a king.

He was a monster capable of destroying kingdoms.

But then something strange happened.

Kael suddenly grabbed Alina’s wrist.

Gasps filled the hall.

He pulled her closer until she stood directly beside him.

“Watch carefully,” Kael said to the council.

Alina barely had time to react before he tilted her chin upward.

His golden eyes locked with hers.

Her heart began pounding.

“W–what are you doing?” she whispered.

Kael didn’t answer.

Instead, he gently brushed her hair away from her neck.

The entire hall held its breath.

Then—

Kael’s fangs appeared.

Before Alina could react, Kael’s fangs pierced the soft skin of her neck.

A sharp pain shot through her body.

Alina gasped.

But the pain quickly changed into something else.

Heat.

A powerful energy surged through her veins like fire.

Golden light flashed briefly beneath her skin.

The council stared in shock.

When Kael finally pulled away, a small glowing symbol appeared on Alina’s neck.

The Mark of the Lycan King.

Silence fell over the hall.

The older Alpha slowly stood.

His eyes widened with realization.

“The bond…” he whispered.

“It has begun.”

Alina touched her neck, confused and frightened.

“What did you do to me?”

Kael looked at her with an expression she couldn’t read.

“Something that cannot be undone.”

The first Alpha slammed his fist against the arm of his throne.

“This is madness!”

But the older Alpha raised a hand.

“No,” he said quietly.

His gaze shifted to Alina.

“This… may change everything.”

Alina’s heart raced.

She had come here as a prisoner.

But now something far more dangerous had happened.

She was tied to the most powerful Lycan alive.

And judging by the fear in the council’s eyes…

The entire kingdom had just realized it.