As Belle woke up, she could hear voices coming from outside the room. She kept her eyes closed, listening carefully.
"You're telling me that her wolf is moon kissed?" It was Beta Alex speaking, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"That's what she told me," the Alpha King replied, his deep voice unmistakable. "She claims she saw the Moon Goddess herself."
Belle remained still, pretending to be asleep. Her wolf, Midnight, stirred within her.
*You need to tell them everything,* Midnight urged. *About the Ridge Pack. About what they did to us.*
*I can't,* Belle responded mentally. *The punishment would be worse than the twenty lashings or being in the dungeon with no food for a week.*
*This Alpha is different,* Midnight assured her. *He will protect you.*
Beta Alex's voice grew serious. "We need to address what happened to her. Those lashings... someone hurt her badly."
Belle's heart raced. The thought of revealing her past filled her with dread, but Midnight was persistent.
*Trust him,* her wolf whispered.
Taking a deep breath, Belle opened her eyes. Both men turned toward her, surprise evident on their faces.
"You're awake," the Alpha King said softly, moving to her side.
Belle nodded, swallowing hard. "I need to tell you something," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "About where I came from... about the Ridge Pack."
The Alpha King sat beside her, taking her hand gently. "I'm listening."
Words tumbled out as Belle revealed everything—the years of abuse, the punishments, how she was treated as less than nothing because of her perceived weakness. Tears streamed down her face as she described the dungeons, the starvation, the lashings.
"They did this because they thought I was worthless," she finished, unable to meet his eyes. "Because they did'nt know i had a wolf and im a weak omega."
The Alpha King's eyes glowed with barely contained rage, but his touch remained gentle on her hand. "No one will ever hurt you like that again," he promised. "You're under my protection now."
Despite his reassurance, Belle knew that being under the Alpha's king's protection wouldn't be enough.
"I want to train," she said firmly, surprising both men. "I want to learn how to fight, how to be strong. I need to get strong."
The Alpha King studied her face, pride gleaming in his eyes. "Then we'll train. Every day."
Over the following weeks, Belle began training with the Alpha King. He taught her to fight, to defend herself, to use her smaller size as an advantage. It was grueling work that left her muscles aching, but she never complained.
Slowly but surely, she began to see the difference. What she lacked in physical strength, she made up for in determination and intelligence. When she successfully took down one of the warrior wolves during a training session, using a technique the Alpha had taught her, she heard whispers of admiration. She was still learning and discovering her strength, but Belle was no longer the weak wolf her old pack all assumed she was.
As the days turned into weeks, Belle and Kael's bond grew stronger. Kael found himself looking forward to their quiet moments together, and Belle couldn't imagine her life without him. One evening, as they sat under a tree watching the sunset, Kael turned to her and said, "You know, Belle, you're special to me."
Belle's heart skipped a beat. "R-really?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Kael nodded, his eyes locked on hers. "Really." He wanted so badly to tell her the truth—that she was his mate, his other half. But the pack law was absolute. You couldn't reveal a mate bond until the other wolf turned eighteen. With Belle only seventeen, he had to wait, even though every fiber of his being screamed to claim her.
He settled for brushing a strand of hair from her face, his touch lingering longer than necessary. "Your birthday's coming up soon, isn't it?"
Belle nodded, leaning slightly into his touch. "Next month."
"I have something important to tell you, then," he said softly. "Something I've been waiting to share."
Belle had been living at Alpha King Kael's castle for several months now. She loved her new pack, had made wonderful friends, and was growing stronger with each training session. The castle itself was magnificent—so vast that she often found herself lost in its winding hallways and grand chambers.
As her eighteenth birthday approached, Belle couldn't help but nurture a secret hope. Perhaps on that special day, Alpha King Kael might consider her as his mate. She quickly dismissed the thought, though. An Alpha King and an Omega? It seemed impossible.
One afternoon at school, her friend Lilly nudged her during lunch. "Your birthday is coming soon! Are you having a party? I heard the Alpha King wants a big celebration for you."
Belle's cheeks flushed. "No, that can't be right," she replied softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
But as the day progressed, Belle found herself distracted in class, her mind wandering to thoughts of a party. Why would the Alpha King want to celebrate her birthday? True, they had grown close, and she considered him a friend, but he was still her king.
When she returned to the castle that evening, she overheard the maids chattering excitedly about an extravagant celebration planned for the following week. They mentioned how the Alpha had ordered special decorations and delicacies from all over the world, insisting that everything be perfect.
That evening at dinner, Beta Alex turned to Belle with a mischievous grin. "Belle, are you excited for your birthday?"
She smiled shyly, pushing her food around her plate. "Yes."
"Are you having a party?" Alex pressed, earning a warning glare from Kael that he cheerfully ignored.
"No, I think I'll just invite Lilly over for a movie night," Belle responded quietly. "Is that okay, Alpha King?"
Kael's expression softened. "I've told you to use my name. No need to be formal." Then his tone grew more authoritative. "And actually, I've been planning a party for you. You have a dress fitting tomorrow at nine."
"Oh, Alpha King—sorry, Kael—there's really no need to celebrate," Belle protested weakly.
Kael fixed her with a stern look that brooked no argument. "Dress fitting at nine. The car will be waiting."
That night, as Belle drifted off to sleep, she couldn't believe that the Alpha King was going to such trouble for her birthday. She hadn't celebrated since her parents died, and she'd certainly never had a party.