Alpha Nathan
When I arrived at the reception stand, Lawrence walked up to me and bowed, his posture precise, his movements practiced to perfection.
"Greetings, Alpha Nathan," he said calmly and politely, his voice smooth with trained courtesy, "and welcome to the seventy-ninth Alphas' Summit."
Normally, I should have asked him about the events of this year's summit, how they compared to previous years, what tensions brewed beneath the surface, and which alliances had shifted since the last gathering, judging this was the final submit before the eightieth submit when eligible Alphas would contest for The Supreme Alpha King title.
But then again, my mind wasn't stable, nor was it truly present in whatever environment I found myself in at that moment.
"Keys," I said.
The word came out calm, but my voice carried a strained, withdrawn edge that I couldn't mask. Lawrence visibly stiffened, his shoulders shrinking inward as confusion swept across his face.
"Did I offend the Alpha?" he asked cautiously.
"Nothing of the sort," I replied, taking the key from his outstretched hand without sparing him another glance.
I made my way into my manor, its towering dark doors standing like silent sentinels, the stone carvings etched deeply with the pack's ancient symbol, pride, dominance, legacy.
DARKSHADES.
It was written in bold letters at the frame.
I exhaled sharply, cutting off the thought before it could fully form, and pushed the door open.
Inside, everything remained exactly as I remembered. The same splendor. The same arrangement. Nothing had changed. The golden chandelier still hung overhead, casting a warm, regal glow. The large bed stood at the center, untouched. Three extended sections stretched into a hallway-like expansion, wide enough to accommodate more occupants, all wrapped in that same ornate, suffocating luxury.
Everything was the same.
Everything except me.
Because for some unsettling, persistent reason, I couldn't get her out of my mind. She lingered there, woven into my thoughts, refusing to fade no matter how hard I tried to suppress it.
Yes… It was true, I had been searching for her in secret ever since eight years ago.
But back then, I had been nothing more than a child. Unaware. Unburdened. I hadn't understood the weight of an oath that could bind, or a curse that could shape destiny. I hadn't known what it meant to be ruled by blood, by laws older than reason itself.
And now…
"Mate… she's in distress."
Maxwell's voice tore through my thoughts, sharp and urgent, rising with a fury that wasn't entirely my own. He surged forward, seizing control, forcing my body into motion before I could even think to resist.
I moved, really fast. Out of the manor, following the pull of her scent like a thread tightening around my chest, leading straight toward the waiting hall where it grew stronger with every step.
But it wasn't just her scent that unsettled me.
There was another.
Familiar. Unwanted.
Alpha king Benjamin.
What was he doing here?
Why was he anywhere near her?
The questions barely had time to form before instinct took over.
I pushed the door and stepped inside, and my blood ran hot.
I saw red. Maxwell roared, a violent, primal sound that seemed to ripple through the very air, thickening it with dread and raw dominance.
The two guards barely had time to react before they were struck, one brutal swipe sending them crashing to the floor, their bodies going limp instantly.
A middle-aged woman standing near the corner collapsed to her knees in terror. Beside her stood another Alpha I recognized immediately, Alpha Anthony of the Ironclan Pack. His head was lowered, not in defiance, not in challenge, but in something closer to reluctant submission.
And then there was him.
Alpha king Benjamin stood firm, his brows drawn tight, his jaw locked as his gaze clashed with mine without hesitation.
"And what do you think you are doing here?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the tension.
I didn't answer him.
I couldn't.
Because Maxwell had already taken over completely.
He moved straight to her.
Our mate.
She lay still on the bench, unmoving, too still. But she was breathing. Barely, but enough.
Relief didn't come.
Not when I saw her.
Her blue gown had been torn open, shredded by claws. A long, vicious mark ran down her back in a straight line, stopping just at her waist. The skin around it was split, raw, and angry.
And the rest…
The rest was worse.
Fresh wounds stretched across her back, striped, red, swollen, some still bleeding. Marks of repeated strikes of cane. Of cruelty. Of punishment.
Something inside me snapped.
A violent surge of fury tore through me as I howled, the sound ripping out of my chest with uncontrollable force.
The guards, the same ones who had held the whips, the same ones who had struck her with iron-laced lashes, were lifted off the ground before they could even comprehend what was happening.
I grabbed them, one in each hand, and slammed their heads together.
The impact was brutal.
Bone cracked.
Their bodies dropped instantly, lifeless, blood spilling freely onto the floor.
"Alpha Nathan… you have no right to kill my guards," Alpha Anthony's voice came, broken, strained, barely holding together.
I turned my gaze toward him, cold and unyielding.
Near him, a small girl crouched low, her knees pressed to the floor, her head bowed completely. The woman beside her clutched her tightly, both of them trembling uncontrollably.
And then my attention returned to her.
My mate.
Blood still trailed down her back in thin, relentless streams.
I didn't know what had happened.
And I didn't care.
Because nothing… absolutely nothing, justified this.
"Aren't you all aware that she is my mate?"
My voice came out low, rough, but it carried power, pressing down on every person in the room. The air itself seemed to bow under its weight.
"She… she's your mate?" Alpha Anthony stammered, disbelief filled his tone.
But I was no longer looking at him.
My focus shifted to the only one who hadn't yielded.
Alpha king Benjamin.
He stood firm, unmoving, his gaze burning into mine with equal intensity. The ground beneath us seemed to tremble under the pressure of our opposing forces.
"She might be your mate," he said slowly, each word deliberate, "but she was first my bride, sold and paid for in full."
The words hit like a blade.
Cold. Sharp. Infuriating.
"The moon bonds her to me, and that alone supersedes whatever money was paid on her behalf," I replied, my voice steady despite the storm inside me as I turned to Alpha Anthony.
"I don't care whatever bargain or whatever brought her here. I will take my mate, and if anyone is strong enough to withstand my wrath, then that person should try to stop me."
Silence answered me.
I bent and lifted her carefully from the bench.
Even in my arms, she flinched, her body reacting to pain despite her weakened state. I adjusted my hold, mindful of her injuries, making sure not to aggravate the wounds carved into her back.
I turned and began walking toward the exit.
As I passed him, Alpha Benjamin shifted slightly, as if considering action, but he stopped himself. Whether that was restraint or timely calculation, I didn't care.
"You haven't tasted my wrath yet," he said behind me.
I didn't look back.
She lay limp in my arms, her hands barely resting against my shoulders, her strength completely drained. But as soon as we stepped outside and the air touched her skin, her body relaxed slightly, a faint stir running through her.
"Be careful with her. She's wounded," Maxwell muttered.
I ignored him.
But then again, as I reached the outside hall, frustration and confusion set in. I might have rescued her because Maxwell couldn't stand seeing her in that condition.
But now, where the hell was I supposed to take her?
"Your manor," Maxwell answered immediately.
"What?"
"She is ours. And that means she stays with us. If you want her safe, you don't take her anywhere else."
"But…"
"There is no 'but.' Alpha King Benjamin will come for her. And the only place he cannot enter freely is our territory. Your manor is protected. You know this."
He wasn't wrong.
Alphas couldn't just walk into another Alpha's quarters. Those spaces were bound by rules, ancient, unbreakable, sacred.
Still…
None of this made sense.
None of it felt right.
I just didn't understand anymore, but I told myself I was only doing this because I needed her safe from that beastly Alpha who claimed she was his bride and was sold to him.
That was all.
Nothing more.
When I got into my manor, I moved straight to my bed and laid her stomach-down on it. She curled up on the bed, her body going limp as her arms gripped onto the duvet.
I stood longer than necessary, examining the wounds, which were still dripping with blood, fresh, and not looking like something that could heal against any werewolf characteristics.
"These wounds don't seem like they'll be healing anytime soon," Maxwell confirmed my fears.
"Something is definitely wrong with our mate. But right now, we need a solution…"
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
"Then what do we do?" I asked quietly, my eyes still locked on her fragile, unmoving form.
Maxwell's next response blew me off my feet.