Kael's POV
PACK HOUSE HALL
The pack house was quieter than usual that afternoon. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, touching the dark wooden floor and the carved pillars that held the ceiling high above. The air smelled faintly of pine and smoke from the hearth fires that always burned somewhere in the building.
I was walking through the hall when I noticed one of the maids standing near the wall.
She was young, small in frame, with brown skin and nervous dark eyes that kept moving around the room. Her brown hair was tied back into a tight bun, and she wore the simple uniform the pack workers always wore. A plain beige dress with a white apron tied around her waist.
Her hands were shaking.
Damon stirred inside my mind.
Something is wrong.
I stopped walking.
The maid noticed me and quickly bowed her head.
"Alpha."
Her voice trembled.
I stepped closer.
"What is wrong?"
She shook her head quickly.
"Nothing, Alpha."
Damon growled softly.
She is lying.
My eyes narrowed.
"Look at me."
She slowly raised her eyes, but the fear in them was obvious.
"You look frightened," I said.
"I am fine, Alpha."
Damon's patience ended.
Make her speak.
My voice dropped into command.
"Tell me what happened."
She stayed silent.
That was enough.
The Alpha tone left my voice before she could stop herself from reacting.
"Answer me."
Her body stiffened.
The command forced obedience.
Before she could even speak, something else struck me.
Pain.
Sadness.
A deep hurt that was not mine.
Damon reacted instantly.
Our mate.
The feeling came from Ariella.
It was sharp, heavy, and full of humiliation.
My chest tightened.
"Speak," I ordered again.
The maid nodded quickly.
"Alpha Celene threatened me earlier."
My jaw hardened.
"She forced me to take her to Luna Ariella in the garden."
My fingers slowly curled into fists.
"And?"
The maid swallowed.
"She mocked her. She said Luna Ariella was weak because she is an omega."
Damon's growl filled my head.
My anger rose like fire.
"Where is Celene?"
"In the east wing."
I turned immediately.
EAST WING
The east wing was quiet when I entered.
The room prepared for visiting nobles was wide and decorated with dark wooden furniture. Heavy gray curtains hung beside the tall windows and a silver candle holder burned softly near the wall.
Celene stood near the window.
Her long silver blonde hair rested smoothly over her shoulders. She wore a fitted black coat over a dark shirt and tight leather pants that tucked neatly into her tall boots.
She turned when she heard my footsteps.
A smile appeared on her face.
"Kael."
I did not return the smile.
"You spoke to Ariella."
Celene crossed her arms.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Her green eyes sharpened.
"I wanted to see the omega who replaced me."
Damon snarled.
My voice became colder.
"You threatened a maid to find her."
Celene shrugged slightly.
"That girl should be grateful I didn't punish her."
That was enough.
My aura exploded through the room.
The power of my Alpha dominance filled the air instantly.
Celene froze.
"Kael listen to me."
"No."
My voice echoed sharply through the room.
Damon pushed our dominance outward across the entire pack house.
Every wolf inside the territory would feel it.
"You insulted my mate."
Celene stepped back slightly.
"She is only an omega."
Rage burned inside my chest.
"From this moment," I said loudly, "everyone in this pack will follow one rule."
Celene's confident expression started to crack.
"Nobody in this pack has the right to speak to Ariella however they want."
My voice carried the full authority of an Alpha command.
"Except me."
The air felt heavier.
"Everyone will learn to respect her."
My final words left my mouth like thunder.
"RESPECT HER."
The command traveled through the entire pack house.
Celene stared at me in disbelief.
"You are choosing her over me?"
"I am choosing what belongs to me."
Tears appeared in her eyes.
"You don't understand what you are doing."
I said nothing.
Celene's pride finally broke.
She turned quickly and left the room, her shoulders shaking slightly.
Damon spoke quietly inside my mind.
She will never touch our mate again.
PACK HOUSE NIGHT
Night covered the territory like a dark blanket.
The pack house was silent except for the wind brushing softly against the walls. A small fire burned inside my room, sending shadows across the stone walls.
Eventually sleep took me.
But peace did not.
NIGHTMARE
Fire surrounded us.
The house burned around me.
The wooden beams cracked loudly while smoke filled the air.
I was six years old again.
Eric ran beside me.
My twin brother looked exactly like me except his hair was a little longer and his eyes were brighter. He wore a small brown shirt and dark trousers.
We were trying to reach the door.
"Kael hurry!" Eric shouted.
But the fire spread faster.
The ceiling collapsed behind us.
Our mother appeared through the smoke.
She grabbed me quickly.
"Run!"
Our father lifted Eric.
But the burning beam above us broke.
Flames exploded across the floor.
Eric slipped from our father's arms.
"ERIC!" I screamed.
The fire swallowed him.
Everything disappeared.
PACK HOUSE CORRIDOR
I woke suddenly.
Tears were running down my face.
My breathing was uneven.
Damon was silent.
Then I smelled something familiar.
Ariella.
She stood in the hallway outside my room.
Her silver hair rested over her shoulders and she wore a simple pale dress that reached her ankles.
She looked surprised to see me awake.
Inside her mind her wolf pushed her forward.
Sky.
She slowly stepped closer.
I did not stop her.
For the first time since that night long ago, the weight inside my chest felt too heavy to carry alone.
Without thinking, I reached for her.
My head rested against her shoulder.
The tears returned.
I cried quietly.
Ariella stayed still but she did not push me away.
Slowly my breathing calmed.
Exhaustion pulled me back into sleep.
Still leaning against her.
For the first time in years.
I did not face the darkness alone.