DYNASTY OF THE ALPHA BLOODLINE

Chapter Four: Blood And Betrayal

The forest closes in as Kael leads Liora deeper, his boots crunching over roots, her uneven steps lagging behind. The mate link hums between them, a persistent pull that twists his chest with every glimpse at her ripped gown, her silver-blonde hair smeared with grime. Her emerald eyes flutter with curiosity, but he clenches his jaw, fighting the temptation to reach for her.

Liora is human, trespassing in his world but that scent, that blood from the cavern, it’s branded into his soul. He's going crazy because he can't get rid of it.

“Where are we going?” Liora asks, her voice shaky but insistent, catching up to his side. The building’s behind them now, the woods growing denser, the air thick with the scent of pine and something darker, danger.

“Somewhere safe,” Kael growls, not meeting her gaze. His arm throbs where she bandaged it, but it’s her touch he feels, lingering like a fire under his skin.

The bond,it’s real, undeniable, but it’s a curse right now. He’s got two days. Two days to present a mate to the pack elders, or his rival, Torin, will seize the Alpha title. The elders’ decree still echoes: “Find a mate, Kael, or step down. The Bloodline weakens without an heir.” Torin’s been waiting, his golden eyes gleaming with ambition, ready to challenge him.

Liora stumbles, grabbing his arm for balance, and the bond surges, a jolt that makes him stagger. “Sorry,” she mutters, her fingers warm against his scarred skin.

He pulls away, his breath hitching. “Don’t,” he snaps, his voice rough. She’s human, how can she be his mate? Yet the pull grows, a primal needs to claim her, to mark her with his bite and turn her into a wolf like him. It’s the only way; lay with her, bind her to him, before the elders’ deadline. But the thought twists his gut. She doesn’t know what she’s walking into.

Soon, they reached two giant standing stones. Kael stood before it and muttered something. Liora tried to listen but it was too faint for her to hear. A veil appears between the two stones. Kael turned to face her and motioned for her to come in with him.

Despite her initial reluctance, Liora was forced to follow him. And they both jumped into the veil which took them into the Draven’s Dynasty.

A rustle in the trees snaps him alert. He shoves Liora behind him, his claws extending as a figure emerges, Selene, his childhood crush, her crimson eyes glinting with something sinister. “Kael,” she purrs, her voice smooth as silk, her dark hair swaying. “Bringing a human to our lands? Bold move.”

“Stay back,” he warns, his growl low. Liora peeks around him, her breath quickening. "Who is she?" With her hand on his jacket, she whispers.

Selene's lips twist as she snaps, "None of your concern.” “Kael, the elders won’t like this. Two days, they said. No mate, no Alpha. Torin’s ready to take your place.” With a flash of jealousy tinting her eyes, she glanced at Liora.

Selene has always desired him, but he has never reciprocated, making Kael's chest clench.

Now, her smile turns cold. “I’ll handle this… problem.”

Before he can react, Selene vanishes into the trees, leaving a chill in the air. Kael’s mind races.

Selene knows about the deadline. And she’s plotting, maybe, to stop Kael from taking the human as his mate. If he marks Liora and she doesn’t transform, the elders will cast her out or worse.

Kael grabs Liora’s wrist, pulling her along. “Move,” he barks, his voice urgent. “We’re not safe here.”

They reach a clearing, a hidden cave mouth glowing with faint runes. Kael pushes her inside, the damp walls closing around them.

“Stay here,” he orders, pacing, his amber eyes wild. The mate bond pulses, her scent filling the space, and he clenches his fists. “I need to… explain something.”

Liora steps closer, her eyes searching his own. “Explain what? You’re hiding something, Kael. That woman, she’s dangerous, isn’t she?” Her voice trembles, but there’s steel in it.

The bond tugs harder, her proximity making his pulse race.

He turns his back to her, his voice low. “I’m Alpha of the Draven pack. The mountains you trespassed in, they’re sacred. Your blood opened a Lock, a signal. For over 500 years no human has ever come this close to finding out about our dynasty untill… until you appeared.”

Keal, now turn to face her. “The elders demand I find you and bring you for execution.”

“Execution?” Liora asked. “But I didn't…”

“You almost expose us, Luora.” Keal yells at her but gradually lowers his voice as he notices the fear in her eyes.”

“I am sorry but we were only doing research for…” Liora tried to explain but he cut her off.

“They also demand I have a mate in two days, or I lose my title to Torin. He would destroy everything I’ve built.” He pauses, his breath ragged. “You… I feel you. The mate bond. It’s why I saved you. But you’re human. To claim you, I have to mark you, turn you into a wolf like me. It’s the only way.”

Liora’s gasp echoes, her hands flying to her mouth. “Turn me? Into… that?” Her eyes widen, fear and fascination warring. “Kael, I—”

“No time!” he cuts her off, spinning to face her. His eyes blaze, and the bond overpowers him. He moves closer, his hands hovering at her shoulders, the need to pull her in nearly intolerable. “It’s you or nothing. But if it fails, if you don’t turn, the elders will kill you. And Selene… she’ll stop at nothing to see that you never become one of us. I know her.”

Before she can answer, a howl splits the air, long, savage. Torin.

Kael whips his head toward the cave's mouth. "Down!" he snarls, grabbing Liora and pushing her further into the shadows. His claws slap against the stone wall as he shifts halfway, fur rippling across his arms and jaws elongated. Outside, shapes flicker too quickly and too frequently. The eyes gleam in the darkness like ice shards.

“Are the pack members here to get me?” Liora breathes, heart pounding.

“Stay low,” Kael growls. "Avoid moving until I say so.”

Then he's gone, a blur of muscle and fury as he lunges at the door. He encounters the lead wolf in the midst of his assault, fangs clashing, claws slashing, and blood streaming across the stone. Liora screams and falls backward, bracing herself against the jagged wall as the heat of conflict rains down like a storm.

Kael roars, muscles tensing as he throws the lead wolf into the cave wall with a ferocious twist. Bones c***k. Blood sprays. The wolf crumples, but that's okay since there will be more. Three, then five, slipped in through the shadows like ghosts, their eyes shining with hunger. They spread out, encircling him.

Their growls rise, a low, unified sound that vibrates through the stone floor.

Kael crouches low, breath ragged, claws ready. He can sense Liora's dread behind him, sharp and metallic like lightning in the air, as his amber eyes search the cramped area with no clean escape or place to move.

"Back off," he growls, but the wolves don't even bat an eye.

Then, thunk.

A sudden sting in his shoulder.

Kael stiffens. His claws twitch. His knees buckle.

His breath catches. A dart. He knows that burning, sickly feeling. Wolfsbane. Thick in his veins now, slowing everything down. The world tilts slightly, like the ground is shifting beneath him.

And worse, he feels it. The bond. The thread that connects him to Liora. It flickers. Weakens.

No. Not now.

From behind the wolves, a figure moves, smooth, deliberate. Selene.

She steps through the shadows like a queen entering a throne room. Her silver hair catches the moonlight that filters into the cave, glinting like a blade. Her lips curl into a cruel smile.

“Well, well,” she purrs, voice like poisoned silk. She twirls another syringe between her fingers. “You never learn, do you, Kael? Always throwing yourself at fate. For her?”

Selene’s eyes flick to Liora with open contempt. “She doesn’t belong. And she never will.”

She lifts the syringe toward Liora, a step away now.

“Don’t touch her,” Kael growls, voice low and cracked.

Then, with a guttural snarl, he lunges.

It’s sloppy. Weak. But he crashes into Selene, knocking the syringe from her hand. It clatters across the stone floor, spinning.

Kael collapses beside Liora, panting, his hand, half paw grasping hers.

“Run,” he rasps, blood flecking his lips. His amber eyes lock with hers, glowing dimly. “Please.”

Liora’s hand shakes as she touches his fur. The bond between them pulses faintly, wounded, but not gone. Her heart hammers. She looks up. Torin’s wolves are watching. Waiting. Their growls deepen, vibrating through her ribs. Trapping her.

She wants to scream. To fight. But Kael’s barely breathing.

Selene rises, teeth bared, fury replacing her smugness. “This is your future?” she sneers. “A dying beast? He won’t survive the night.”

Liora glares at her. “You don’t know what we are.”

Selene lunges again but this time, Liora is ready. She grabs the fallen syringe and backs away, eyes wild.

Two days. That’s all she has. Two days to reverse the Wolfsbane. To save Kael. To fight a pack that wants her dead. To survive in a world she was never meant to enter.

But she’ll do it. Even if it kills her. Because if she doesn’t, she loses him forever.

Meanwhile, miles away in the city, power and cruelty play their own game.

Caspian leans over Lord Veyne’s desk, the sleek lines of his suit at odds with the venom in his voice. “Twenty-four hours are up,” he says coldly, slapping a contract onto the polished wood. His gray eyes gleam, unreadable. Dangerous.

Veyne flinches, his wrinkled hands trembling. “She’s missing—”

“No Liora, no company,” Caspian cuts in. “No heir. No deal.” He circles the desk like a predator. “And your precious treatments?” His laugh is sharp as a blade. “Gone. You’ll rot, old man.”

“You wouldn’t—”

“I will. Call her,” Caspian says, voice like steel. “Find her. Or I’ll bury you both once I find her.”

Veyne stares at the phone, dread rising like bile. Time is running out, for all of them. He couldn't reach, he doesn't even know if she is dead or alive.