When the Alpha Killed Me, the Lycan King Brought Me Back

Elowen's pov The smell of silver-infused lye burned my nose as I scrubbed the stone floor. The harsh, chemical stung my eyes until they began to water but it didn't stop me from scrubbing. It was sub-zero down here in the basement kitchen of the Ironwood Pack house, but my hands felt like they were on fire. The harsh soap ate through my skin, leaving my knuckles raw and dripping small drops of red onto the wet stone. Above me, the ceiling vibrated, music thrummed through the thick oak beams, accompanied by the muffled roars and cheers of fifty highborn wolves. They were throwing a massive feast to celebrate Alpha Garrison’s latest victory against the Frostclaw Syndicate. Up there, they drank warm cider and ate roasted meat. Down here, I was just the invisible servant girl cleaning up their mess. Nobody knew who I really was. To the pack, I was just Elowen Thorne, the quiet orphan girl without a wolf, allowed to stay only if I kept the floors clean. They didn't know that without me, there would be no victory feast tonight. Heavy footsteps echoed down the stone staircase. I didn't look up, I just kept my head bowed as a pair of polished leather boots stopped right in front of my bucket. "Get up, servant," a harsh voice spat. It was Beta Torin. He didn't even bother to look at my face. He stepped over my bucket, splashing the murky, freezing water onto my frayed dress. "The Alpha requires his lifeline," Torin said coldly. "Now." "Yes, Beta," I whispered in a hoarse voice. My knees cracked as I stood up, I wiped my bloody hands on my apron and followed him up the dark stairs, leaving the freezing basement behind. As we passed the main hall, the scent of roast venison hit me, making my empty stomach twist. I caught a glimpse of the highborn she-wolves laughing in their fine silk dresses. There were the very same girls who had dumped the lye into my bucket this morning. They ignored me as I slipped past like a shadow. We reached the heavy ironbound door at the very end of the top corridor. Torin knocked twice, then stepped back, refusing to stand too close to me. "Go in!" he commanded. I pushed the door open and stepped into Garrison’s private study. The room was vast and filled with the scent of pine and fresh blood. Garrison sat behind his massive desk, his head resting in his hands. His black hair was wild, and his breathing came in shallow, ragged gasps. He had removed his battle armor, revealing a horrific black wound across his chest. A silver-tipped blade from the Frostclaw Syndicate had cut him, and the dark poison was already creeping up his neck. Silver wounds did not heal on normal wolves and it was killing him. When he looked up, his bright hazel eyes were clouded with pain and exhaustion and he looked at me with a desperate, feral reliance that made my heart ache. "You took too long, Elowen," he growled in a low and raspy voice. "I came as fast as I could, Alpha," I said softly, stepping closer. I hated how much I loved him. I loved him enough to endure the cold basement. I loved him enough to let the pack treat me like trash. I loved him enough to give him everything I had, even if he never acknowledged me in the daylight. I walked up to the edge of his desk and pulled back the long sleeve of my dress, exposing my left wrist. The skin there was covered in faint, pale scars. Garrison didn't hesitate. He reached out, his long fingers wrapping around my arm like a vice. He pulled me forward, leaning his heavy head down against my wrist. "Do it," he muttered. I closed my eyes and reached deep inside myself. Inside me, there was a glowing, celestial light that had remained hidden for generations. The Moonborn core. I opened the magical floodgates, willing my rare power to rush straight into my bloodstream. Garrison opened his mouth and bit down into my skin. A sharp jolt of pain shot up my arm, but I didn't cry out. I watched as my blood, now glowing with a faint light, entered his body. The effect was instant. The black poison crawling up his neck immediately vanished. The deep, ragged wound on his chest closed up and his skin knitted together in seconds. His slumped shoulders straightened, and his dull hazel eyes suddenly flashed with golden Alpha magic. His legendary strength returned, flooding the room so intensely that the glass windows rattled in their frames. He was healed that meant he was the unstoppable Alpha once again. Garrison pulled away, wiping a drop of glowing blood from his lip with the back of his hand. The pain was gone from his face, and in its place was his usual cold, distant composure. He looked at me like I was nothing more than an empty cup he had just finished drinking from. "Clean yourself up," he said, turning back to the battle maps on his desk. "And make sure the halls are swept before dawn." "Yes, Alpha," I whispered. I pulled my sleeve down over my fresh bite mark. As I turned toward the door, a wave of violent dizziness hit me. Transferring my core energy took a massive toll on my body. My knees buckled, and I had to grab the doorframe to keep from falling. I I felt a hot surge in my throat and coughed into my elbow. When I pulled my arm away, bright red blood covered my sleeve. Garrison didn't even look up from his maps. I stumbled out into the hallway, using the cold wall to keep myself upright. My chest burned, and my vision swam with dark spots. Every feeding made me weaker, but I kept pushing forward, forcing my legs to carry me toward the basement stairs. Suddenly, a loud, piercing siren shattered the night air. *WAAAAIL! WAAAAIL!* The warning bells high in the pack towers began to clang violently. Torin and a dozen elite guards sprinted past me, drawing out their swords. "Is it an attack?" I gasped, shrinking back against the wall. "The gates!" a guard screamed, ignoring me completely. "Someone broke through the outer perimeter! It’s a miracle! She’s alive!" A miracle? Curiosity forced me to drag my weak body toward the large stained-glass window at the end of the hall. Down below, the massive iron front gates crashed open into the deep snow. Garrison burst out of the pack house doors behind me, moving faster than a shadow. He didn't even put on a coat. He vaulted over the stone steps and sprinted into the freezing courtyard. I leaned against the glass, my heart pounding against my ribs. A figure wrapped in a tattered cloak was in the center of the snowy courtyard. Garrison threw himself into the snow, dropping straight to his knees in front of her. I had never seen the great Alpha kneel for anyone. Tears streamed down his face as he reached out and threw his arms around the woman, pulling her tightly against his chest. "Mirela," Garrison sobbed aloud, his voice carrying up to the window. "You're back... you're really back." My breath hitched when I realized it was Mirela Sterling, Garrison's first love, the girl who was supposed to have died seven years ago. As Garrison held her, crying into her shoulder, the woman slowly moved her head. She pulled back her hood, revealing pale skin and dark hair. Over Garrison’s trembling shoulder, her eyes traveled up the tall stone wall of the pack house until they locked directly onto mine. Mirela didn't look weak or sick, she looked completely healthy. And as she held Garrison in her arms, she raised her chin, locked her dark eyes onto me at the window, and flashed a slow sinister smirk.