Mated To The Unforgiving Alpha

Chapter One: Marked By The Alpha(III)

The night reeked of blood and fire.Killian and Eliot stood in the middle of the chaos—Alpha and Omega, predator and prey. Except, tonight, there was no distinction. Tonight, they were just wolves fighting to survive.The Blackfang warriors clashed with the invading Nightshade pack, snarls and growls echoing through the burning fortress. The ground was slick with blood, the air filled with the metallic scent of death.Eliot’s grip tightened around his stolen sword, his breath sharp and controlled. His heart pounded with adrenaline as he caught sight of a Nightshade warrior lunging toward him.He moved on instinct.The enemy wolf slashed at him, claws aiming for his throat. Eliot dodged, his body lighter, faster than expected. The warrior stumbled forward from the force of his own swing—a mistake.Eliot didn’t hesitate.He drove his blade deep into the wolf’s ribs.A sharp yelp, then silence. The body collapsed at Eliot’s feet.Killian caught the moment out of the corner of his eye.For a second—just a second—his expression shifted. Not anger. Not irritation. But something else.But there was no time to dwell on it.More enemies.A Nightshade warrior barreled toward Eliot from behind, claws raised for a fatal strike.Killian moved before he could think.In a blur of motion, he was there, intercepting the attack. The impact sent both him and the enemy tumbling across the ground.Eliot’s eyes widened. Killian had… protected him?The Alpha snarled, slamming his fist into the warrior’s face, breaking his jaw with a sickening crunch. Then, with one fluid motion, Killian wrapped his hands around the enemy’s throat and twisted.Snap.The body crumpled.Killian rose to his feet, blood streaking his face, his silver eyes glowing with battle rage. He turned to Eliot, who was still gripping his sword, breathing heavily.They stood there for a moment—Alpha and mate.The tension was thick, but Killian’s expression was unreadable. He had just saved Eliot’s life, but his face gave nothing away.And yet, he had seen it.Eliot was not weak.He was a fighter.Before either of them could speak, a furious roar echoed across the battlefield.Alpha Soren had arrived.Killian’s grip tightened into fists. “Stay close,” he growled.Eliot scoffed, wiping blood from his brow. “I wasn’t planning on running this time.”Killian didn’t say it, but in that moment, for the first time—he didn’t doubt him.The battlefield fell into an eerie silence as Alpha Soren stepped into view.The flames from the burning fortress cast jagged shadows across his hulking frame, his black wolf eyes gleaming with amusement and bloodlust. Dressed in dark leather, his exposed arms were lined with scars—marks of past victories. His aura was suffocating, thick with power, making even seasoned warriors hesitate.Killian stood rigid beside Eliot, his posture radiating lethal intent. His silver eyes locked onto Soren, his hands clenched into fists.The two Alphas stared each other down.A storm was about to break.“You’ve grown soft, Killian,” Soren mused, stepping closer, his voice like gravel. “Letting an Omega fight beside you? Tsk, tsk. That’s not the Blackfang Alpha I remember.”Eliot felt the burn of humiliation but forced himself to hold his ground. He knew Soren was baiting them, trying to get under their skin.Killian didn’t react. His face remained unreadable, but Eliot saw the way his muscles tensed.“Leave now, Soren,” Killian said, his voice low, dangerous. “Before I make you regret coming here.”Soren grinned, sharp and predatory. “Oh, but I came for something special.” His eyes flickered to Eliot. “The Omega.”A cold shiver ran down Eliot’s spine, but he didn’t let it show.Killian shifted slightly, his body subtly positioning itself between Eliot and Soren. It was so slight that Eliot almost missed it.Soren laughed darkly. “Oh? So you do care, after all.”“I care about keeping what’s mine,” Killian growled. His wolf was just beneath the surface now, pushing for control.Eliot’s stomach twisted at the possessive words, but there was no time to process it.Soren lunged.The fight erupted like lightning.Killian met him mid-air, their bodies colliding with a thunderous crash. The ground beneath them cracked from the sheer force of their impact. Claws and fangs tore through the night, silver and black blurs locked in a vicious struggle.Soren was fast—but Killian was faster.He dodged a swipe aimed for his throat, countering with a brutal punch to Soren’s ribs. The other Alpha barely flinched before retaliating, landing a savage kick to Killian’s chest that sent him skidding across the battlefield.Eliot didn’t think—he moved.As Soren stalked toward Killian, Eliot launched himself forward.Soren didn’t expect him.Eliot slashed at the back of his leg, the blade of his stolen sword slicing deep.Soren roared in pain, stumbling forward.Killian used the opening.With a furious snarl, he grabbed Soren by the throat and slammed him into the ground. The impact was brutal, shaking the earth beneath them.Killian’s claws pressed against Soren’s throat, his fangs bared in warning. “Yield.”Soren coughed, blood staining his lips. And yet—he laughed.

“You think you’ve won?” he rasped. “You don’t even see it, do you?” His gaze flickered toward Eliot, dark amusement in his eyes. “Your Omega is changing you, Blackfang.”Killian’s grip tightened.“Get out of my sight,” he snarled. “Before I rip out your throat.”Soren grinned—then, with a sharp whistle, his remaining warriors retreated. He shoved Killian’s hand away and stood, brushing dirt from his torn clothes.“This isn’t over,” Soren said, eyes glinting. “Enjoy your pet while you can.”Then he was gone, disappearing into the darkness with his warriors.Silence fell over the battlefield.Eliot let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, his body trembling from exhaustion and adrenaline.Killian turned to him, his silver eyes unreadable.“You fought well,” he said after a long pause.Eliot blinked, caught off guard. Not an insult. Not a sneer. Acknowledgment.He opened his mouth to reply, but Killian was already turning away. “Come. We need to regroup.”Eliot stared after him, his heart pounding—not from fear, but from something far more dangerous.Because for the first time…Killian saw him as something more than a burden.The battlefield was still smoldering, the scent of blood and ash thick in the air. The surviving Blackfang warriors were tending to their wounded, while others worked to secure the perimeter in case of another attack.Eliot sat on a broken stone pillar near the ruins of the eastern wall, his body aching from the fight. His hands were still stained with blood—some his, some not.He had fought.He had survived.And for the first time, Killian had acknowledged it.His words echoed in Eliot’s head: You fought well.It wasn’t much. Hell, coming from Killian, it was barely anything at all. But Eliot felt the shift. The way the Alpha looked at him now—calculating, cautious, no longer dismissive.But Killian was avoiding him.Eliot’s eyes found him easily. The Alpha was speaking with his Beta, his broad frame tense, his jaw clenched as he issued sharp orders. He hadn’t so much as glanced at Eliot since the fight ended.Typical.Eliot scoffed to himself, stretching out his sore limbs. He wouldn’t expect Killian to admit anything. The Alpha was too stubborn, too proud.Still…Eliot’s fingers curled around the hilt of the sword he’d fought with. He traced the worn leather grip, his mind replaying every moment of the battle—the way Killian had instinctively protected him, the way they had fought side by side.They had worked together.And it had worked.The thought sent an odd, unsettling thrill through him.Movement in the corner of his eye made him turn. A wounded warrior was struggling to stand, his leg mangled from the attack. Without thinking, Eliot pushed to his feet and crossed the distance.“Here,” he said, crouching down to help. “Lean on me.”The warrior looked surprised but didn’t protest. Eliot wrapped an arm around his waist, taking some of his weight as they slowly made their way toward the healers.Across the clearing, Killian saw everything.His silver eyes flickered as Eliot helped the injured wolf, his jaw tightening. He didn’t say a word, didn’t let his expression betray anything—but something inside him twisted.This Omega…He was not what Killian had expected.And that was a problem.The night was unnaturally still.The battle was over, the dead buried, the wounded healing. Yet, something felt wrong.Killian didn’t realize how tense he was until the alarm bells shattered the silence.An ambush.His wolves barely had time to react before chaos erupted. Snarls tore through the night, shadows moving fast—too fast.Killian shifted instantly, his wolf surging forward. His claws slashed through the first attacker, but even as the body fell, his instincts screamed.Where was Eliot?His heart pounded, his gaze scanning the battlefield until he saw him.Eliot was surrounded.