Under the alpha’s protection
1458 Words
EPISODE 3
Under the Alpha’s Protection
The palace hall smelled of blood and smoke.
Broken marble covered the floor while injured warriors groaned painfully nearby. Moments ago, the Sacred Mating Ceremony had been filled with music and celebration.
Now it looked like a battlefield.
Selena stood frozen in the middle of the destruction, struggling to steady her breathing.
Nothing made sense anymore.
The glowing silver mark on her wrist still burned faintly beneath her skin, and every wolf in the hall continued staring at her with fear, curiosity, or suspicion.
Especially Kael Draven.
The Alpha King stood only a few feet away, his silver eyes cold and unreadable as blood dripped from his knuckles after fighting the rogue wolves.
Dangerous.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Selena quickly looked away before he caught her staring again.
The lead rogue had already been dragged away in silver chains while guards secured the palace entrances.
But the rogue’s words still echoed inside Selena’s mind.
“The Shadow Alpha has searched years for the Lunar Wolf.”
Her chest tightened anxiously.
She didn’t even know what a Lunar Wolf truly was.
Elder Miriam slowly approached her again.
“You must remain careful now,” the old woman warned softly. “Everything has changed.”
Selena frowned.
“I still don’t understand what’s happening.”
The elder glanced nervously toward Kael before lowering her voice.
“The Lunar Crest only appears once every few generations.”
Selena looked down at the glowing mark on her wrist.
“And what exactly does it do?”
Before the elder could answer, Kael spoke coldly from behind them.
“Enough.”
The room immediately fell silent again.
Kael walked toward Selena slowly, his heavy boots crunching against broken marble.
“You’re coming with me.”
Selena blinked.
“What?”
“You’re no longer safe here.”
Her frustration immediately returned.
“Oh, now you care about my safety?”
Several nearby warriors looked horrified by her tone.
Nobody spoke to the Alpha King that way.
But Selena was too emotionally exhausted to care anymore.
Kael stopped directly in front of her.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then surprisingly—
“Yes.”
Selena stared at him.
“Yes… what?”
“I care,” he answered simply.
The words hit her harder than expected.
Before she could respond, Kael turned toward the guards.
“Prepare the northern wing.”
Gasps spread quietly through the hall.
One warrior looked stunned.
“My King… the northern wing is reserved for the future Luna.”
Kael’s expression remained completely calm.
“She’ll stay there.”
Selena nearly choked.
“Absolutely not.”
Kael looked at her.
“You prefer sleeping somewhere rogues can easily reach you?”
“That’s not the point.”
“It is exactly the point.”
His calm dominance irritated her instantly.
Selena crossed her arms stubbornly.
“You rejected me, remember? So why are you acting protective now?”
For the first time, something flickered behind Kael’s cold expression.
Regret.
Gone almost instantly.
“The mate bond still exists,” he said quietly. “Part of my wolf recognizes you as mine.”
Heat rushed unexpectedly into Selena’s face.
Mine.
Why did he keep saying things like that?
Especially after humiliating her publicly.
Selena looked away quickly.
“This is confusing.”
Kael’s gaze lingered on her face briefly before he answered—
“I know.”
The quiet honesty in his voice caught her off guard.
Before the tension between them could grow worse, a familiar voice interrupted.
“Well,” someone sighed dramatically, “this is already becoming a disaster.”
Selena turned to see a tall man walking toward them casually while adjusting the sleeves of his dark uniform.
Unlike the other warriors, he looked strangely relaxed despite the destroyed palace around them.
Sharp green eyes.
Dark hair.
Annoyingly attractive.
And judging by the way he walked directly toward Kael without fear—
Important.
“Lucas Thorn,” he introduced himself with a small smile. “Beta of the Northern Kingdom.”
Selena nodded slightly.
“I’m Selena.”
Lucas glanced at the glowing mark on her wrist.
His smile disappeared instantly.
“So the rumors are true.”
Selena frowned.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
Lucas exchanged a brief look with Kael before speaking carefully.
“The Lunar Crest hasn’t appeared in centuries.”
“And apparently it chooses chaos,” Kael muttered coldly.
Lucas ignored him.
“Legends say Lunar Wolves were blessed directly by the Moon Goddess herself.”
Selena stared blankly.
“That sounds fake.”
“Unfortunately,” Lucas replied, “the rogues attacking a royal palace tonight suggests otherwise.”
Selena sighed heavily.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Her entire life she had been ignored like she was worthless.
Now suddenly everyone treated her like some dangerous supernatural mystery.
Kael suddenly stepped closer again.
“You’ll remain inside the palace from now on.”
Selena immediately frowned.
“You’re giving me orders already?”
“I’m keeping you alive.”
“I can protect myself.”
Kael’s silver eyes slowly traveled over her smaller frame.
“Based on tonight, no. You can’t.”
Her pride suffered instantly.
Selena opened her mouth to argue again, but deep down she knew he was right.
Without Kael, those rogues would have killed her easily.
The realization frustrated her even more.
Lucas suddenly rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“There’s another problem.”
Kael looked annoyed already.
“What now?”
“The kingdom is panicking,” Lucas admitted. “News about the Lunar Crest is spreading fast.”
Selena’s stomach tightened nervously.
“How bad is it?”
Lucas gave her a look filled with sympathy.
“Some wolves think you’re blessed.”
“And others?” she asked quietly.
He hesitated.
“They think you’re dangerous.”
Wonderful.
Selena suddenly felt exhausted.
Everything in her life had changed within a single night.
Rejected.
Hunted.
Dragged into royal politics.
And somehow trapped beside the most emotionally confusing man alive.
Kael noticed the tiredness in her face immediately.
“Enough for tonight,” he said quietly.
Without warning, he removed his dark coat and draped it gently over her shoulders.
Selena froze instantly.
The coat was warm.
It smelled like him.
Wood smoke.
Snow.
Danger.
The simple gesture affected her far more than it should have.
Kael seemed to notice too because his eyes darkened slightly as he adjusted the coat around her carefully.
The mate bond pulsed painfully between them.
Selena’s heartbeat became uneven.
This was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Lucas looked between them slowly before muttering—
“I’m definitely going to develop stress because of you two.”
Kael ignored him completely.
Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Selena.
“You need rest.”
Selena swallowed softly.
“And if I refuse?”
A strange expression crossed Kael’s face.
Then he leaned slightly closer.
Close enough for his deep voice to brush against her skin.
“Selena,” he murmured, “stop testing the control I’m trying very hard to keep.”
Her breath caught instantly.
The intensity in his voice sent warmth rushing through her chest.
Lucas looked absolutely exhausted now.
“I’m leaving before this becomes inappropriate.”
Then he walked away quickly.
Selena barely noticed.
Because Kael was still staring at her like she was the only person in the room.
The tension between them became suffocating.
Selena forced herself to step backward.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
Kael’s expression remained unreadable.
“What doesn’t?”
“You rejected me,” she whispered. “So why does it feel like you regret it?”
Silence.
For several long seconds, Kael said nothing.
Then finally—
“Because my wolf does.”
Selena’s chest tightened painfully.
“And you?”
Kael looked away briefly toward the shattered palace windows.
Cold night wind moved through his dark hair while distant howls echoed far outside the kingdom walls.
When he looked back at her again, his silver eyes held something dangerously close to emotion.
“That answer,” he said quietly, “would only make things worse.”
Before Selena could respond, Kael suddenly stiffened.
His expression hardened instantly.
“What is it?” she asked nervously.
Kael’s eyes narrowed toward the dark palace entrance.
“Someone’s here.”
A second later, a guard rushed into the hall looking terrified.
“My King…”
Kael’s voice turned deadly calm.
“Speak.”
The guard swallowed hard.
“A message arrived from the Shadow Alpha.”
Silence filled the hall instantly.
Then the guard slowly lifted a black envelope sealed with blood-red wax.
And written across the front were four terrifying words.
SHE BELONGS TO ME.
- Writer
