Anaelia
The doors didn't just open; they were thrown wide by the force of the High Alpha's command.
I stood paralyzed, my skin still humming from the shock of the bond. The mark on my neck felt like a living thing—a hot, throbbing pulse of Enzo's power that seemed to radiate outward in waves. My head was light, my senses sharpened to a terrifying degree. I could hear the heartbeat of every person in the hallway.
Zora stepped in first.
She looked immaculate, her silver hair pulled back in a tight, severe knot. Behind her stood Cal, a block of a man with the cold eyes of a butcher, and a third figure—a small, hunched man with a nose that seemed to twitch rhythmically. The Scent-Seeker.
"Enzo," Zora began, her voice a sharp blade of ice. "The Council is deeply concerned by your erratic behavior tonight. To take a Null to the North Tower is—"
She stopped. Her nostrils flared.
The air in the room had changed. The jasmine and cedar were gone, replaced by the overwhelming, dark, possessive scent of Enzo. But it was tangled with something else—something sweet, intoxicating, and undeniably fertile.
Zora's eyes dropped to my neck.
I saw the exact moment she saw the mark. Her face didn't just go pale; it went grey. The rage that rolled off her was so physical I felt like I'd been slapped. Through the bond, I felt Enzo's arm tighten around my waist. His wolf was baring its teeth, daring her to speak.
"You... you marked her?" Zora's voice was a strangled whisper. "A servant? A Null?"
"She is no Null, Zora," Enzo said, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that vibrated against my side. "And she is no longer a servant. She is mine. By blood and by soul."
Cal stepped forward, his hand on his sword hilt. "High Alpha, you are betrothed to the House of the West. This is a violation of the Blood Pact. The Council will not recognize this... this gutter-mating."
"The Scent-Seeker will decide what the Council recognizes," Enzo challenged, his eyes flashing gold. "Seeker. Do your job."
The hunched man scurried forward. He looked like a rodent, sniffing the air with a frantic intensity. He circled me, his eyes clouded with cataracts. I held my breath, praying that Enzo's mark was deep enough, thick enough to hide the Omega truth beneath.
The Seeker stopped inches from my neck. He inhaled so deeply his chest rattled.
I felt Enzo's heart rate spike—a flash of anxiety bled through the bond. He's worried, I realized. The great High Alpha was actually worried.
The Seeker pulled back, bowing so low his forehead touched the rug. "The girl... she is saturated, Sire. The High Alpha's scent is... absolute. It is a true bond. Deep. Permanent. There is nothing else."
Zora let out a scream of pure, unadulterated fury. She lunged forward, her hand raised to strike me, but she never reached me.
In a blur of motion, Enzo was in front of her. He didn't hit her. He simply caught her wrist in mid-air. The sound of her bones creaking under his grip echoed in the silent room.
"You are a guest in this tower, Zora," Enzo said, his voice deathly quiet. "Do not forget that guests can be evicted. To the Dead Zone."
"You would choose this?" Zora hissed, tears of rage springing to her eyes. "A girl who was scrubbing my floors yesterday? You think the packs will follow a King who mates with a peasant? They will tear you off that throne, Enzo. And I will be the one holding the torch."
"Leave," Enzo commanded.
Cal grabbed Zora's shoulder, pulling her back before Enzo actually snapped her arm. "We are leaving. But this isn't over, High Alpha. The Council will convene at dawn. You better hope your 'mate' can survive the trial that's coming."
Zora looked over Cal's shoulder at me. The fear was gone from her eyes, replaced by a cold, calculating promise of agony. I will break you, her look said. I will find out what you are, and I will peel the skin from your bones.
As they retreated and the doors slammed shut, the tension in the room snapped.
Enzo let go of my waist and staggered back, his hand flying to his head. He let out a low groan of pain.
"Enzo?" I stepped toward him, my hand hovering near his shoulder.
"Don't," he rasped, his eyes squeezed shut. "The Grip... the adrenaline from the confrontation... it's pushing the fever back. I need to be alone, Anaelia. I need to fight this before I lose control."
"But the bond," I whispered. "I can feel you. You're... you're in pain."
"Then feel it," he growled, his eyes snapping open—they were pure, molten gold now. No pupil. No human left. "Feel what it's like to be the man you've tethered yourself to. Go to bed. Lock the door. If you hear me screaming in the night... do not come to me."
He turned and vanished into the shadows of the adjoining study, slamming the door.
I stood alone in the center of the gilded suite, the mark on my neck burning like a hot coal. I wasn't a servant anymore. I was a Queen in a cage of gold, and my only protector was a man who was slowly losing his mind.