CLANKK..
Kaelith slammed open the heavy iron door to the dungeon cell as he entered. The loud, metallic clang echoed off the damp stone walls, making the group of male wolves inside flinch.
His eyes scanned the faces of the group of wolves in the cell who were on their knees — these were the ones who had dared to ogle at his mate. He could taste the scent of their fear, it was sharp and thick, hanging in the air.
Good these bastards should fear what is about to happen to them. They should've thinked twice before laying eyes on my mate.
Kaelith took a step inside when one of the wolves broke from the group and dragging himself on his knees on the filthy floor. "Your Highness, please," he begged, stammering, his voice trembling. "It was a mistake—we didn't mean any disrespect by it, we swear it wasn't as it looked like, we—"
Before he could finish Kaelith cut him off with a dark, humorless laugh. Pathetic bastards.
And then, CRACK.
Kaelith's fist connected squarely with the wolf's jaw and a sickening sound echoed of bones cracking with crunch. The force was so brutal it sent the pack member flying sideways. His body slammed into the rough stone wall with a heavy thud before he slid to the ground, knocking out cold.
"You think I'm a fool?" Kaelith's voice was a low growl, the voice of his wolf rumbling right under the surface. "I heard every thought in your heads through the pack link. Every single one of your disgusting little fantasies. Every. Single. One. So don't you dare lie to my face."
He grabbed another wolf by the throat, lifting him right off his feet. The man gasped, choking for a breath, his eyes wide with terror, his legs kicking uselessly at empty air. Kaelith's grip tightened brutally, and his claws elongated, digging deep into the flesh of the wolf's neck. His eyes flashed a dangerous, molten gold. With a growl, Kaelith threw him across the cell like a ragdoll. The wolf crashed into the far corner with a loud crunching thud and didn't move.
"Alpha."
Kaelith's head snapped toward the cell door. Xavier was standing there, his face pale, looking nervous. Behind him, Lucien was on the ground on his knees with his head bowed in submission. The Gamma didn't look up; he simply waited, accepting whatever was to come.
Xavier nervously stepped forward, his body trembling. "Alpha, he... Lucien only went to call you. He had no idea what the situation was. He didn't mean to—"
"Who gave him permission to go near her room in the first place?" Kaelith growled, the sound vibrating with raw power. "Did I? I believe I made it fuckin' clear that no unmated wolf goes near her! Didn't I?" His voice deepened, his wolf's fury now completely mingling with his own.
Xavier swallowed hard, the words dying in his throat. He slowly bowed his head and moved aside.
"I will accept my punishment, Alpha," Lucien spoke, keeping his head down. His voice was strained but clear. He didn't intend to make any excuses. "I know I was at fault for looking at the Luna. I take full responsibility for it. But I swear on my life, it was an unintentional mistake."
In a flash, Kaelith was in front of him. He grabbed Lucien by the throat as he yanked him up. He pulled the Gamma close until their faces were inches apart, his snarl a promise of violence. "No male wolf is to be ever seen around my mate. Not a single one. Or I will personally peel the skin from your bones. Do you fuckin' understand?"
Lucien trembled violently but forced himself to hold his Alpha's terrifying gaze. "Yes, Alpha Prince."
"You are only breathing because I felt no lust in your thoughts," Kaelith hissed, the words dripping with menace. "If you had harbored one nasty thought about what is mine, I would have skinned you alive and hung your pelt on my wall."
Lucien nodded, baring his head further in absolute submission. "I understand, Alpha Prince. I respect our Luna just as much as I hold respect for you. "
Kaelith released him with a shove and turned his burning gaze to Xavier. "Now, bring me the she-wolves who were on the field today. The ones who couldn't keep their eyes to themselves."
Xavier looked utterly confused. "The... the she-wolves, Alpha?"
"Did you not hear what I said, Beta? Have you gone deaf? Or are you questioning me?" Kaelith's voice dropped to a deadly, heavy,deep snarl.
"N-no, Alpha Prince!" Xavier quickly bared his neck. "I heard you."
"Then bring those she-wolves who were staring at me on the field today. Bring them down here. They get the same punishment as these bastards. Nothing less."
Xavier just nodded, looking pale. "Yes, Alpha." He turned and practically ran out, the door clanging shut behind him.
Kaelith took a deep breath as his mind reeled back to Isaldora's words from before, back in her room.
"I don't particularly care what creative punishment you have in mind for him, or any of them," she had said with a smirk, her tone icy and dismissive. "You want to kill them, torture them, amputate them, I don't give a damn." She held his stormy gaze.
"But you will keep one thing in mind. Whatever punishment you devise for the males who dared to look at me…" She took a step toward him. She was still covered only by the towel, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it anymore. "…you will dish out an exact, equal punishment to every one of your she-wolves who fantasizes over you. There won't be any exceptions, or else your little display of possessive Alpha act is nothing but bullshit hypocrisy."
A low, grudging sound rumbled in his chest. She had backed him into a corner perfectly. And she had won.
The sheer brilliance of it almost made him want to laugh, if he wasn't still so blindingly pissed off. His mate wasn't just a pain in his ass; she was dangerously smart. She didn't try to fight his dominance. No, she'd done something far smarter.
She held up a mirror to his own double standards and challenged his very sense of justice by turning the whole damn thing into a test of his character. Was he a fair leader who enforced rules for everyone? Or was he just a possessive ass who made up rules to suit himself?
If he was going to punish every guy who looked at her, then he had to punish every girl who looked at him the same way. It was only fair.
Damn, our mate's dangerous. His wolf purred with approval in his head, and he couldn't agree more. She used his own rage to make her point. His mate wasn't a weak human who could be underestimated or look down upon. She was his equal, his Luna. And she knew how to take a firm stand.
Kaelith then turned to one of the enforcers standing in the corner, "Ryker."
Ryker snapped to attention. "Alpha Prince?"
"Make sure they all get lashed by a silver whip on bare skin, twenty times in front of the whole pack for an entire week, right when the sun is high."
Ryker's eyes widened as he looked at his Alpha with a bit of shock. Public lashing for she-wolves was almost unheard of, but he knew he wasn't one to question his Alpha. He only nodded without asking any further questions.
"Understood Alpha."
"I want everyone to learn what happens when they fail to keep their eyes to themselves."