Claimed By The Alpha King

Chapter two: The Alpha King

The entire hall became silent.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Even the elders looked nervous.

I wiped my tears and looked toward the entrance.

A tall man stood there.

Dressed completely in black.

His golden eyes slowly scanned the room.

The moment he entered, the atmosphere changed.

Even Damien looked uncomfortable.

I immediately knew who he was.

Lucien Nightshade.

The Alpha King.

The strongest Alpha alive.

The man every pack feared.

What was he doing here?

Lucien walked into the hall slowly.

His expression was cold.

As if he didn't care about anyone around him.

The elders immediately bowed.

"Alpha King."

Lucien ignored them.

His gaze moved around the hall.

Then it landed on me.

For some reason, he froze.

Just for a second.

But I noticed.

His eyes narrowed.

Like he had seen a ghost.

Then the look disappeared.

Maybe I imagined it.

"What exactly is happening here?"

His deep voice echoed through the hall.

Nobody answered.

The silence became awkward.

Lucien looked at Damien.

"I asked a question."

Damien swallowed.

"It's nothing important."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing important?"

His eyes moved to me.

My face was covered in tears.

My chest still hurt from the rejection.

Then his eyes moved back to Damien.

"She seems to disagree."

Nobody spoke.

Sophia suddenly stepped forward.

A smile appeared on her face.

"Alpha King, welcome to our pack."

Lucien didn't even look at her.

The smile on Sophia's face froze.

I almost laughed.

Almost.

Sophia cleared her throat.

"I'm Sophia Rivers."

Still nothing.

Lucien completely ignored her.

For the first time in my life, I saw Sophia looking embarrassed.

Good.

Lucien looked at Damien again.

"What happened?"

Damien looked annoyed.

Probably because he was being questioned in front of everyone.

"I rejected her."

The room became silent again.

Lucien stared at him.

Then at me.

Then back at Damien.

"You rejected your mate?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Damien wrapped an arm around Sophia.

"I chose her sister instead."

Gasps filled the hall.

Lucien looked at Sophia.

Then he looked at Damien.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Lucien laughed.

A cold laugh.

The kind that sent chills down my spine.

"You rejected your mate..."

He shook his head.

"For that?"

Sophia's face immediately darkened.

I almost smiled.

Almost.

Lucien's gaze suddenly returned to me.

This time, he looked directly into my eyes.

I quickly looked away.

I didn't want anyone seeing me like this.

Broken.

Humiliated.

Rejected.

Then I heard his voice.

"What is your name?"

I looked up.

He was talking to me.

"E-Elena."

For some reason, his expression changed.

His jaw tightened.

The way he looked at me suddenly became strange.

Like he knew me.

Like he recognized me.

But that was impossible.

We had never met before.

Right?

Lucien took a step closer.

His eyes moved to my wrist.

The small birthmark I had since childhood.

For the first time since arriving, something flashed across his face.

Shock.

Real shock.

It disappeared so quickly I almost missed it.

My heart started beating faster.

Why was he looking at me like that?

Then Lucien suddenly looked away.

As if nothing happened.

Interesting.

That was all he said.

Interesting?

What was interesting?

Before anyone could ask, Lucien turned around.

"I'll be staying here for a few days."

The elders immediately nodded.

"Of course, Alpha King."

Lucien started walking toward the exit.

Then he stopped.

Without looking back, he spoke.

"Try not to do anything stupid."

Nobody knew who he was talking to.

But for some reason...

His eyes briefly met mine.

Then he left.

The moment he was gone, the entire hall released a breath.

As if everyone had been holding it.

Sophia looked furious.

Damien looked confused.

The elders looked nervous.

And me?

I couldn't stop thinking about the way Lucien looked at me.

Like he knew something.

Something I didn't.

And for some reason...

That scared me.