When Seraphine entered the office, Kael was standing at the window, his back to her.
His posture was rigid. Tense.
His aura was heavier than usual pressing against the walls like a living thing.
"Close the door," he said without turning.
She obeyed, her hands trembling slightly.
Silence stretched.
Finally, Kael spoke.
"Darius thinks I'm losing control."
Seraphine froze.
Kael turned slowly, his silver eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
"He thinks you're a distraction. That I'm compromising the pack's safety by keeping you close."
He took a step toward her.
"He suggested I send you away."
Her breath caught.
Kael's lips curved into something cold and humorless.
"I nearly ripped his throat out for it."
Another step.
"My Beta. My oldest friend. The wolf I trust more than anyone."
He stopped directly in front of her.
"And I almost killed him for suggesting I give you up."
His hand came up, gripping her chin and forcing her to look at him.
"Tell me, Seraphine," he murmured, his voice dangerously soft. "What are you doing to me?"
She couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe.
His thumb brushed her jaw.
"I should send you away," he continued, his voice almost thoughtful. "Lock you in the servants' quarters and forget you exist."
His eyes burned into hers.
"But I can't."
His grip tightened just slightly.
"Every time I try to ignore you, my wolf goes feral. Every time you're out of my sight for more than a few hours, I lose focus."
He leaned in, his lips close to her ear.
"You're in my head, omega. And I don't know why."
Seraphine's heart hammered against her ribs.
"I didn't mean I never wanted"
"I know."
He pulled back slightly, studying her face.
"That's what makes it worse."
For a long moment, they stood frozen.
Then Kael released her and stepped back, running a hand through his hair.
"Sit," he said, his voice returning to its usual command. "We have work to do."
But his hands were shaking.
Just slightly.
Seraphine had never seen him anything less than perfectly controlled.
Until now.
------
Hours later, when Kael finally dismissed her, Seraphine walked back to her room in a daze.
"What are you doing to me?"
His words echoed in her mind.
She didn't know.
She didn't want to be doing anything to him.
She just wanted to survive.
She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the figure waiting in the shadows until it was too late.
Astrid stepped into her path.
But she wasn't alone.
Two other she-wolves flanked her both beautiful, both wearing expressions of cold disdain.
Seraphine's stomach dropped.
"Going somewhere?" Astrid asked sweetly.
Too sweetly.
Seraphine took a step back. "I was just"
"Just what?" one of the other she-wolves sneered. "Returning from the Alpha King's chambers? Again?"
"Must be exhausting," the third she-wolf added, her smile cruel. "Pretending to be something you're not."
Astrid circled around behind Seraphine, cutting off her escape route.
"We've been talking," Astrid said casually. "And we've decided that you need to understand something."
She leaned in close.
"You. Don't. Belong. Here."
Before Seraphine could react, one of the she-wolves shoved her hard.
She stumbled, catching herself against the wall.
"Omegas don't sit in the Alpha King's office," the she-wolf hissed. "They scrub floors."
Another shove.
Seraphine gasped, pain blooming in her shoulder.
"They serve."
Shove.
"They submit."
This time, Seraphine hit the ground.
Her palms scraped against stone. Her knee twisted painfully.
Astrid crouched beside her, gripping her hair and yanking her head back.
"He'll get bored of you," she whispered. "And when he does, there won't be anyone to protect you."
She released Seraphine's hair and stood.
"Come on," she said to the others. "We've made our point."
They walked away, their laughter echoing down the hall.
Seraphine stayed on the ground, trembling.
Her hands were bleeding.
Her knee throbbed.
But worse than the physical pain was the humiliation burning in her chest.
She was nothing.
An omega.
A mistake.
Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet, biting back tears.
She limped the rest of the way to her room, praying she wouldn't run into anyone else.
*******
Seraphine sat on the edge of her bed, trying to clean the scrapes on her palms with a damp cloth.
Her hands were shaking.
Not from pain.
From anger.
For the first time since being dragged into this nightmare, she felt something other than fear.
She felt rage.
Rage at Astrid.
Rage at this pack.
Rage at Kael for putting her in this position.
Rage at herself for being too weak to fight back.
A sharp knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in," she said dully, assuming it was Astrid with another cutting remark.
The door opened.
But it wasn't Astrid.
It was Kael.
Seraphine shot to her feet, wincing as her injured knee protested.
Kael stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
His eyes swept over her and froze.
His nostrils flared.
"You're bleeding."
It wasn't a question.
Seraphine instinctively hid her hands behind her back. "It's nothing. I just"
Kael crossed the room in three strides.
He grabbed her wrist not gently and pulled her hand forward.
His eyes locked onto the scrapes.
Then the bruise forming on her arm.
His jaw clenched.
"Who."
One word.
Deadly quiet.
"It was an accident"
"Who."
His aura slammed into the room like a physical force.
Seraphine gasped, her knees buckling.
Kael caught her, his arm around her waist, but his eyes were glowing now bright, furious silver.
"Tell me who hurt you," he said, his voice dropping into a growl. "Right now."
Seraphine's wolf whimpered, cowering.
But something in her that same stubborn spark that had resisted his aura twice before refused to submit completely.
"Why do you care?" she whispered.
Kael's grip tightened.
"What?"
"Why do you care?" she repeated, louder this time, anger bleeding into her voice. "You kept me here like a prisoner. You summon me whenever you want. You make me sit in your office for hours like I'm some kind of of pet"
"Seraphine"
"And now you're angry that someone hurt me?" Her voice cracked. "You don't even know what I am! You said it yourself I'm just a mystery you're trying to solve!"
"Stop"
"So why does it matter if someone"
Kael kissed her.
Hard.
Desperate.
Claiming.
Seraphine froze, her mind going blank.
His hand cupped the back of her head, holding her in place. His other arm was iron around her waist.
The kiss was fierce, consuming, like he was trying to prove something to her, to himself, to the entire world.
When he finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard.
Kael's forehead rested against hers, his eyes still glowing.
"It matters," he said roughly, "because you're mine."
His hand slid to her throat not squeezing, just holding.
"And no one hurts what's mine."
Seraphine's heart was racing so fast she thought it might explode.
Kael's thumb traced her pulse.
"Now tell me," he said softly, dangerously. "Who. Hurt. You."
And this time, she couldn't lie.
"Astrid," she whispered. "And two others."
Kael's expression went cold.
Arctic cold.
He released her and turned toward the door.
"Wait" Seraphine grabbed his arm without thinking. "What are you going to do?"
Kael looked down at her hand on his arm.
Then at her face.
"What I should have done the first time someone touched you without permission."
He pulled away gently but firmly.
"Stay here."
"Kael"
He paused at the door, glancing back.
Something in his expression softened just for a moment.
"No one hurts you again," he said quietly. "I promise."
Then he was gone.
And Seraphine knew, with absolute certainty, that blood was about to be spilled.
One Hour Later – The Pack Hall
The entire pack was summoned.
Warriors. Servants. Betas. Everyone.
They gathered in the main hall, confused and uneasy.
At the front stood Kael, his aura so crushing that wolves at the back of the room were struggling to stay on their feet.
Beside him stood Darius, his expression carefully blank.
And in front of them, forced to their knees, were Astrid and the two she-wolves who'd attacked Seraphine.
Astrid's face was pale but defiant.
Kael's voice rang out, cold and absolute.
"These three," he said, "laid hands on someone under my protection."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Someone I have claimed."
The murmurs grew louder.
Astrid's mother Elder Vivienne stepped forward from the Council section.
"My king," she said carefully, "surely this is a misunderstanding. My daughter would never"
"Silence."
Kael's aura pulsed.
Vivienne stumbled back, her face going white.
Kael stepped forward, standing directly in front of Astrid.
"You touched her," he said quietly. "You hurt her."
Astrid lifted her chin. "She's just an omega. She doesn't"
Kael's hand shot out, gripping her throat.
Not squeezing.
Just holding.
"She is mine," he said, his voice deadly soft. "And you will never touch her again."
He released Astrid and stepped back.
"You're banished," he said flatly. "All three of you. You have until dawn to leave Moonwalk territory."
Gasps erupted throughout the hall.
"If you ever return," Kael continued, his eyes glowing, "I will kill you myself."
Vivienne cried out. "My king, please she's my daughter"
"Then you should have taught her not to defy me."
Kael turned his back on them.
"Remove them."
Guards moved forward immediately, hauling the three she-wolves to their feet.
Astrid's mask finally cracked.
"You'll regret this!" she screamed as they dragged her toward the exit. "She'll destroy you! She'll"
The doors slammed shut, cutting off her words.
Silence fell over the hall.
Kael's gaze swept across the gathered pack.
"Let this be clear," he said, his voice carrying to every corner. "Seraphine Vale is under my protection. She is claimed. She is mine."
His aura pulsed once powerful, undeniable.
"And anyone who harms her will face the same fate."
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Kael turned and walked out.
__________
Seraphine was pacing when she heard the footsteps.
The door opened.
Kael stood in the doorway, looking tired.
His knuckles were bruised.
She stared at him.
"What did you do?" she whispered.
"What I had to."
He stepped inside, closing the door.
"They're gone. Banished."
Seraphine's chest tightened. "You didn't have to"
"Yes," he interrupted, "I did."
He crossed to her, his hand cupping her face gently so different from his usual commanding touch.
"No one hurts you," he said again, softer this time. "No one."
Seraphine's eyes burned with unshed tears.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why do you care so much?"
Kael's expression was raw, vulnerable in a way she'd never seen.
"I don't know," he admitted.
His thumb brushed away a tear that escaped.
"But I do."
He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers.
"And that terrifies me."
They stood like that for a long moment.
Two people who didn't understand what was happening between them.
But couldn't fight it anymore.