Rejected By Alpha, Wanted By His Enemies

Chapter 2: Claimed By Two Alpha's

LENA

The smoke from the shattered doors rolled into the grand hall like a gray fog. The smell of burning wood and ozone choked the air, erasing the scent of fresh rain that had just been driving my wolf crazy.

Caleb did not let go of my wrist. Instead, his grip tightened until it bruised, his large body instantly moving to shield me from the doorway. His ice-blue eyes peered through the haze, his teeth bared in a snarl.

"Get back!" Victor Thornton bellowed from the stage, his voice cracking with old age and sudden fear.

Around us, the hall descended into pure panic. Warriors from five different packs drew their silver blades. The scraping of metal and the deep, growls of shifting wolves echoed off the high stone walls. Marcus stepped up to my left, his hand resting firmly on the hilt of his sword, his eyes fixed on the ruined entrance.

Through the dust, dark figures began to move.

There were six of them, all dressed in heavy black coats with deep hoods that hid their faces. But it wasn’t their clothes that made the hair on my arms stand up. It was the scent.

Shadow Collective, a voice inside my head whispered. My Eclipse wolf, usually silent was suddenly clawing at the edges of my mind. She recognized them. And she was terrified.

"Who dares breach the Sacred Grounds?" the Head of the High Council shouted, his voice trembling as he stepped to the edge of the stage. "This is neutral territory! Pack law forbids—"

The lead figure raised a hand. He didn’t use a weapon. He simply flicked his wrist, and a sudden blast of dark energy slammed into the Council Head's chest. The old wolf flew backward, crashing into the stone dais with a sickening thud.

He didn't get back up.

"We do not care about your little pack laws," a raspy voice echoed from beneath the lead hood.

The dark eyes beneath the hood scanned the room, passing over the angry Alphas, passing over the armed guards, until they locked directly onto me.

"We found it," the man whispered. "The last spark."

Before Caleb or Marcus could move, the six figures blurred. They were faster than normal wolves—faster even than most Alphas.

"Garrett! Form a perimeter!" Caleb ordered,. He finally let go of my wrist, but only to push me behind him. "Stay behind me, Lena!"

"I don't need your protection, Caleb!" I snapped, but the force of the incoming attack gave me no time to argue.

Two of the hooded men lunged straight for us. The first one swung a long, curved blade made of dark, unpolished metal. Caleb didn't hesitate. His hands shifted into massive, silver-furred claws, and he blocked the blade with his bare forearm. A loud spark flew into the air, and Caleb roared in pain as the dark metal sliced into his skin.

"It's silver-laced!" Caleb warned, his voice straining as he pushed the attacker back with a shove.

The second attacker came from the side, aiming directly for my throat. My instincts took over before my brain could even process the danger. Three years of running for my life in the rogue lands had taught me how to move. I ducked beneath the swinging blade, feeling the cold rush of air against my neck.

As I spun around, the silver rings in my eyes flared bright. A sudden, hot rush of energy flooded my veins. I didn't think; I just struck. I slammed my left palm—the one marked by the old scar directly into the attacker’s chest.

An explosive burst of silver light snapped from my skin.

The man screamed, a sound that didn't sound human at all, as the light blasted him backward across the hall. He crashed into a wooden table, splintering it into a thousand pieces.

Caleb paused for a split second, his eyes widening in shock as he watched the man fly. "What... what was that?" he breathed.

"Focus, Alpha!" Marcus shouted from a few feet away. He was currently fighting off another hooded figure, his sword clashing against a dark dagger. "They didn't come to talk!"

More warriors joined the fray. The grand hall turned into a chaotic bloodbath. Victor Thornton was shouting orders from the back, surrounded by his own personal guard, making sure no one got close to him. He wasn't trying to save anyone; he was only trying to save himself.

The lead assassin closed the distance between us in a heartbeat. He bypassed Caleb entirely, appearing right in front of me like a ghost rising from the floor. He reached out a pale, gaunt hand, his long fingers aimed at my face.

"You are coming with us,," he hissed. "The Archon has been waiting a very long time for your blood."

I tried to call on the silver light again, but my energy felt drained from the first blast. I scrambled backward, my heel catching on the hem of my long dress. I stumbled, losing my balance, falling hard onto the stone floor.

The man hovered over me, his dark blade raised high.

"Lena!" Caleb screamed.

He lunged forward, throwing his entire weight into the lead assassin. The two went crashing to the ground, rolling over the shattered glass and debris. Caleb was relentless, his silver claws tearing into the man's black coat, his teeth bared as he tried to bite down on the attacker's neck. But the man was strong. He slammed the hilt of his dagger into Caleb’s temple, forcing the Alpha off him.

Caleb fell to his side, shaking his head, blood pouring from a cut above his eye.

The lead assassin stood up, his hood falling back to reveal a pale, scarred face with entirely black eyes. He looked down at Caleb with pure disgust, then turned his attention back to me. He stepped over Caleb’s prone body, his boots clicking against the stone.

I scrambled away on my hands and knees, my heart hammering against my ribs. I could feel the fated bond pulsing violently in my chest, screaming at me because Caleb was hurt, but I forced myself to ignore it. I had to survive.

Suddenly, a loud, thunderous roar echoed from the broken doorway.

And a massive, dark gray wolf slammed through the wreckage of the entrance. His fur was gray , and his steel-gray eyes burned with fury. He didn't hesitate for a single second.

He lunged across the room, his massive jaws clamping down on the shoulder of the lead assassin.

The pale man shrieked as the dark gray wolf shook him like a rag doll, throwing him violently against the stone pillars of the hall.

The wolf landed on all fours, his massive paws cracking the floor tiles. He stood protectively right in front of me, his thick body completely blocking me from the rest of the room. He turned his head slightly, his steel-gray eyes locking onto mine for just a second.

Sebastian.

Relief flooded my chest so fast it made me dizzy. He had finally made it into the neutral grounds.

The remaining hooded figures saw their leader break against the pillar. They looked at the dark gray wolf, then at the standard warriors who were starting to overwhelm them.

"Retreat!" one of them yelled, throwing a small glass vial onto the floor.

A thick, blinding black smoke exploded from the vial, filling the hall instantly. I coughed, covering my face with my arms as the dark fog burned my eyes and throat. I heard the sound of footsteps rushing away, followed by the thud of the wind outside as the attackers fled into the northern forest.

When the smoke finally cleared, the room was a disaster. Dead bodies lay scattered across the floor. The beautiful chandeliers were gone, replaced by shattered glass that looked like ice in the dim light.

Sebastian shifted back into his human form, completely unbothered by the fact that he was bare-chested and covered in ash. He turned around and immediately dropped to his knees in front of me, his large hands grabbing my shoulders.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded, his voice rough and laced with panic. His steel-gray eyes scanned my face, my arms, looking for any sign of blood. "Did they touch you, Lena?"

"I’m fine," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly as the adrenaline began to fade. "I'm okay, Sebastian."

He breathed out a long sigh, his forehead leaning against mine for a brief second. "Thank the Goddess."

"Get your hands off her," a weak, gravelly voice snarled from the floor nearby.

Caleb was pushing himself up, using a broken table to support his weight. Blood was dripping down the side of his face, and his ice-blue eyes were fixed on Sebastian with pure, unfiltered hatred. He looked like a feral animal ready to snap. "She is my fated mate. Move away from her, Cole."

Sebastian stood up slowly. He didn't back down. He stepped over me, his towering frame casting a long shadow over Caleb.

"She was your mate until you threw her out to die," Sebastian said, his voice deadly calm, cold enough to freeze water. "You lost your right to her the moment you broke that bond three years ago. She belongs to Iron Ridge now."

"The law says otherwise!" Victor Thornton shouted, limping down from the stage with his guards close behind him. His face was twisted in a mask of rage and ambition. "The Right of Reclamation is valid! The Council must rule!"

The remaining Council elders crawled out from behind their stone benches, looking shaken and bloody. The temporary Head of the Council swallowed hard, looking at the two Alphas who looked ready to start a war right then and there.

"The... the law must be upheld," the elder stuttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "But because of the attack, and because the fated bond is clearly active... we cannot make a decision tonight. We need three days to review the ancient texts."

"Three days?" Caleb growled, taking a step forward. "She stays with me. In the Crescent Moon territory."

"No," Sebastian countered, his claws extending again. "She goes back to Iron Ridge where she is safe."

"Silence!" the Council elder ordered, trying to find his courage. "Until the ruling is made in three days, Lena Brooks will remain here, on neutral grounds. She will be confined to the guarded quarters. Neither Alpha is permitted to be alone with her. If either pack violates this, the bond will be permanently severed by the Council."

I stood up, shaking the dust from my dress. I looked at Caleb, whose eyes were pleading with me, begging me to remember what we used to have. Then I looked at Sebastian, who looked like he wanted to burn the world down just to keep me safe.

I was trapped. Trapped between the man who had destroyed my life, and the man who had helped me rebuild it. And outside, in the dark woods, a terrifying enemy was waiting for my blood.

"Take her to the quarters," the elder commanded.

Two neutral guards stepped up to my sides, their expressions grim. I didn't look back at either Alpha as they led me away from the ruined hall, but I could feel both of their stares burning holes into my back.

The night was far from over, and the real battle had just begun.