CHAPTER004
1595 Words
The room seemed to be closing in on me. Breathing got harder and harder. I had no control over my heart's thumping. I couldn't stop it.
Why had I acted so rashly?
I shouldn't have done it.
I had heard that little girl's cry, and I had moved without thinking twice. It was instinct. Neither my cold-hearted sister nor my ruthless father had ever comforted me when I was younger. I thought the little girl deserved better, so I reached out without thinking.
Suddenly, the Alpha King stood before me. His presence was overwhelming and suffocating. The weight of his gaze made my knees weak.
His voice cut through the air. "Don't force me to repeat it."
I swallowed hard, trying to relax. His dark, piercing eyes burnt through me. I was motionless.
"I'm Selene, and I'm from..." As I started, my voice wavered.
"Silence!" he said sharply, interrupting me before I could finish.
I had expected this. Always be prepared for it. I had grown accustomed to the disdain. But that didn't make it any easier.
And that's our—" Selene My wolf, Elena, started speaking in my mind in a confused voice.
"Now isn't the time, Elena." I mumbled, hardly paying attention to my surroundings, trying to stifle the panic that was growing inside of me.
"You will go back to where you came from and never again show your face here." The Alpha King's bitter words betrayed his anger. The tension in the room stemmed from his own hatred.
It wasn't novel. Everyone had always detested me. This hatred extends to my father, my pack, and my sister. My old friend has even turned against me. The only person who liked me was Matteo, but he must now despise me because of what I did.
I couldn't stop thinking about the Alpha King's words. A cold fire blazed in his eyes as they met mine.
But before I could respond, a harsh voice cut through the atmosphere. "Do you always have to cause trouble?" Alpha Luca stepped forward, his voice full of frustration.
"I didn't—" I faltered.
It wasn't Luca that frightened me, but rather the intense heat emanating from the Alpha King's glare. A weight pressing against my chest made me feel as if I were drowning.
Before I knew it, a sharp object pricked my cheek. My ex-partner, Luca, had struck me. It was a severe blow. My eyes filled with tears, but I dared not cry. He didn't care.
He snarled, his voice brimming with resentment, "You've embarrassed me before the Alpha King."
I closed my eyes, expecting more. In anticipation of the next move, I held my breath.
But it never came to pass.
Instead, the room echoed with a deep voice that made my spine tingle.
"What is mine, you won't hit."
The words were simple, but they were enough to stop Luca's advance. Before I even opened my eyes, I knew who had said it.
It was Alessio. Alessio was the King Alpha.
Alessio was standing upright and holding Luca's hand tightly when I eventually opened my eyes. Luca took a step back, growling as his presence filled the room.
"What are you doing?" Luca laughed.
Alessio growled in a deep, authoritative voice, "I'm defending what's mine."
Mine?
What did he mean? I wasn't his.
But Elena, my wolf, spoke steadily in my mind. "You are his, Selene."
I shook my head. "He doesn't want a slave, Elena."
Elena underlined, "You are not his slave." "You represent his second opportunity, my friend."
Despite my inability to understand, her words had a powerful impact on me. I couldn't understand them.
Then, with one shove, Alessio suddenly pushed Luca back, making him stagger a few steps. The movement was natural, as if Luca were just a nuisance. The other wolves in the room stood back and stared in awe.
The moment Alessio's eyes locked with mine, my heart began to race. My senses were overwhelmed by the strong, musky scent of oud, which drew on something deep inside of me.
He smelt dangerous, and I shouldn't have been able to ignore it. My body felt like it was stuck in a storm, and my pulse was racing.
I opened my mouth, but the words froze in my throat. "Ma—"
"Don't even dare, slave!" Alessio's voice interrupted me. "I would prefer not to hear it."
I was paralysed by his gaze. It was like a silent command, asking me to disobey him. I couldn't move or breathe.
The world around us darkened abruptly. I was alone with him.
I took in every detail, even the tiny wrinkles on his face. How did this happen? How could I have been of assistance to him?
"How?" I whispered to Elena because I didn't have much time to think. "How can I have him?"
Elena's voice had grown softer, almost sad. "I don't think he'll be here for long."
Before I could ask her what she meant, my chest started to swell. I felt like something was blowing up inside of me, and then my brain gave me a sudden, intense pain. I clutched my head and screamed.
Alessio's voice sliced through my sadness like a shockwave. "At my friend's funeral? are you really doing this?" His words were filled with anger. "You expect me to greet you when you enter my pack today, of all days?"
I had trouble understanding what he was saying. How did he use the mind link to talk to me? I was not a member of his pack. I wasn't his marked mate.
"I'm your Alpha King," he screamed, his voice piercing my consciousness. "Your weak brain cannot understand... But I don't have to explain myself to you."
His strength overcame me, shattering the barriers I had erected over the years. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but I couldn't. It was too painful.
"Does the moon goddess think she can just send me another mate after taking my Viviana away?" His voice was filled with rage, anger, and grief. He exclaimed that he would attend her funeral. Are you kidding?
His speech struck a deep chord with me because of its pure rage. How could he blame me? The situation wasn't my choice. I never wanted it, and I couldn't understand why the goddess had done this to us both.
But Alessio's words cut through my confusion again. "This is my second chance, Selene of the Luna Crescente Pack, but I, Alpha King Alessio of the Royal Pack, Leader of the Southern Territory—"
The ground wobbled beneath me. I never thought I would find a new partner, but here I was, getting turned down once more. Was that something I deserved?
Knowing that rejection would break my heart, I prepared myself for its familiar sting. But it never came.
Instead, the little girl's sobbing broke the intense silence.
Alessio's voice carried a different meaning when I heard his words again. "s**t, my life!"
I could feel him pulling away as his anger severed the connection. The hall was suddenly filled with the sound of his command, "Everyone, leave."
Everyone followed the clear directive. The wolves moved through the room like shadows, and we were the only ones there. I didn't hesitate. I looked away, but what he said next paralysed me.
"Slave, not you."
I stayed put.
That was the beginning of our hate story.
The heat of his body followed closely behind him as he walked past me. Even without turning, I sensed it. His steady, harsh breath was audible to me.
Lowly, almost to himself, he uttered, "You disobeyed a royal decree." "And yet..."
Unsure of what to say, I turned to face him. "But still?"
There was an odd gleam in his eye as he gazed at me, a mix of curiosity and anger. "But I didn't kill you."
"I didn't beg for your forgiveness."
"No, but you don't realise what kind of mercy there was," he said, taking a step closer.
I remained motionless. This time, I wouldn't cower. I had already experienced abandonment too many times. I would never again be afraid.
He spoke slowly and roughly, "You look at me like I'm your enemy." "But when you called out, I was the only one who didn't turn away."
I tightened my jaw. "Not because you cared, but because I'm your second chance; you didn't turn away."
He didn't dispute it.
His words were not as loud as his silence.
He moved abruptly, bridging the gap between us in an instant. His hand extended out over my cheek, where Luca had hit me, but it did not touch me.
"This," he whispered, his eyes unreadable. "No one tampers with my property."
I said in a raspy voice, "You don't even want me."
He looked down at the mark on my collarbone. "The moon goddess's sense of humour is twisted."
I gave a sour laugh. "There are two of us."
We remained silent. The confusion, the bond, and the funeral burdened us both.
He broke the silence by admitting, "I don't know what to do with you." "But I know I can't let you go."
My heart pounded. "Why?"
"Because I feel like I'll lose something worse than Viviana the moment I let you go."
I was broken by what he said. and also performed a healing.
I had no idea what lay ahead for us, but right then, I knew—
Our war was far from over.
The process was just beginning.
- Writer
