Hours Before Dawn
They trained through the night.
Kael pushed her relentlessly his aura crushing down on her over and over, forcing her to stand, to resist, to fight her own instincts.
"You resisted for one second the day we met," he said as she collapsed for the twentieth time. "Today you managed ten seconds. Tomorrow you need sixty."
"I can't"
"You will."
He hauled her up again.
"Because if you break tomorrow, they'll take you from me. And I will burn the world down before I let that happen."
His eyes glowed brightly now, his wolf barely contained.
"So get. Up."
Seraphine's hands were shaking. Her legs were numb. Every muscle screamed in protest.
But she got up.
And she lasted twelve seconds before collapsing.
Then fifteen.
Then twenty.
By the time the first light of dawn crept through the window, she could stand against his full Alpha aura for nearly forty seconds.
She was covered in sweat, gasping for breath, her hair plastered to her face.
But she was still standing.
Kael's expression shifted from ruthless commander to something softer.
He crossed to her, pulling her against his chest.
"That's my girl," he murmured into her hair.
Seraphine sagged against him, too exhausted to even respond.
His arms tightened around her.
"Sleep," he said. "You have a few hours. I'll wake you when it's time."
"Time for what?"
"To face them."
---
Later that Aftrnoon
Seraphine woke to Garrett gently shaking her shoulder.
"Miss," he said quietly. "The Alpha King asked me to bring you to his office."
She sat up groggily, every muscle in her body protesting.
How long had she slept? A few hours? It felt like minutes.
Garrett handed her a tray of food. "Eat first. You'll need your strength."
She forced herself to eat, though her stomach was twisted into knots.
When she arrived at Kael's office, he was pacing like a caged predator.
The moment she entered, he stopped.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Terrified."
"Good. Use that."
He crossed to her, his expression intense.
"Listen carefully. Tonight, the Council will try to intimidate you. They'll ask about your parents, your past, anything they think might reveal a secret."
"But I don't know anything"
"They don't believe that." His jaw clenched. "So here's what you're going to do. You're going to answer every question with the truth. Don't lie. Don't embellish. Just facts."
He gripped her shoulders.
"And no matter what happens, no matter how much pressure they put on you you stand. You don't kneel. You don't lower your head. You look them in the eyes."
"They're elders"
"I don't care." His eyes blazed. "You are my omega. You stand with the authority I give you."
He pulled her closer.
"And if they push you too far, if you feel that power rising inside you like you did yesterday"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Let it."
Her eyes widened. "But I don't know how to control"
"You don't need to control it. You just need to survive."
He pressed his forehead to hers.
"I'll be there. Right beside you. They can't touch you while I'm breathing."
"Kael"
The door burst open.
Darius stood in the doorway, his expression grim.
"They're ready," he said. "The Council has convened early. They're demanding her presence now."
Kael's aura exploded through the room.
"They said moonrise"
"They lied." Darius's voice was tight. "Marcellus invoked emergency protocol. They've assembled in the Judgment Hall. Half the pack is already gathering."
Seraphine's blood turned to ice.
Kael's hands were shaking with barely contained rage.
"Those bastards"
"Kael." Darius's voice was urgent. "If you don't bring her now, they'll send guards to collect her. And that will look worse."
For a moment, Kael looked like he might rip the entire mansion apart.
Then he forced himself under control.
He turned to Seraphine, his expression fierce.
"Stay close to me. Don't speak unless directly questioned. And remember—"
His hand cupped her face.
"You are stronger than they know."
She nodded, even though her entire body was trembling.
Kael took her hand firm, warm, anchoring.
"Let's go."
The walk to the Judgment Hall felt like a death march.
Wolves lined the corridors, all of them staring.
Whispering.
"...the omega..."
"...finally answering for..."
"...about time..."
Seraphine's hand tightened in Kael's.
His grip was ironclad.
The massive doors to the Judgment Hall stood open.
Inside, the space was cavernous—high ceilings, stone walls, torches casting flickering shadows.
At the far end sat the seven Council elders on an elevated platform.
Marcellus in the center, his expression calm and calculating.
Vivienne to his right, her eyes burning with hatred.
Thorne to his left, his face carefully neutral.
The others spread out beside them.
And below, packed into every available space, were wolves.
Warriors. Servants. Betas. Everyone.
The entire pack had come to watch.
Kael's aura rolled out like a warning as he led Seraphine down the center aisle.
Wolves dropped their gazes immediately.
But the Council didn't flinch.
When they reached the front, Marcellus stood.
"Alpha King Kael Dreadmore," he said formally. "Thank you for bringing the omega, as requested."
"I didn't do it for you," Kael said coldly.
Marcellus's smile was thin. "Of course. Shall we begin?"
"State your purpose for this Inquiry," Kael demanded.
"Gladly." Marcellus's gaze shifted to Seraphine. "Seraphine Vale, orphan omega, currently residing in the Alpha King's private wing. The Council has received reports of... unusual occurrences surrounding your presence."
He paused for effect.
"We invoke the Right of Inquiry to determine whether you pose a threat to Moonwalk Pack."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Kael's hand squeezed Seraphine's once, then released.
She stood alone now.
Exposed.
Marcellus stepped down from the platform, circling her slowly.
"Let's begin with simple questions. Who were your parents?"
Seraphine's throat was dry. "I don't know."
"You don't know? Or you won't say?"
"I don't remember. They died when I was very young."
"How convenient." Vivienne's voice dripped venom. "No family. No history. Nothing to verify your claims."
"I'm not claiming anything"
"Silence," Marcellus snapped. "You speak only when questioned."
Kael's growl rumbled through the hall.
Marcellus ignored him.
"Where were you born?"
"I don't know."
"What pack did your parents belong to?"
"I don't know."
"Why were you orphaned?"
"I don't know."
Marcellus's expression hardened. "You seem to know very little about yourself, Miss Vale."
He leaned in closer.
"Or perhaps you're hiding something."
Seraphine's heart pounded. "I'm not"
"Then explain this." Marcellus gestured to another elder, who stepped forward holding a scroll.
"Three days ago, a training session in the east grounds. Witnesses report the air around you... shimmered. That you exerted some kind of force that froze the Alpha King himself."
Gasps erupted throughout the hall.
Kael's expression was stone.
Marcellus smiled coldly. "That doesn't sound like a normal omega to me."
Seraphine's hands were shaking. "I don't know what happened"
"More convenient ignorance."
"I'm telling the truth!"
"Are you?" Vivienne stood now, her voice rising. "Or are you a spy? A weapon planted by rival packs to destroy our king from within?"
"That's insane"
"Is it?" Marcellus's aura suddenly pressed down on her. "Then prove it. Show us you're just a harmless omega."
The pressure increased.
Seraphine's knees shook.
Other Council members added their auras to his.
The weight was crushing.
Her vision blurred.
She was going to collapse
No.
That word echoed in her mind not her voice, but something older, deeper.
Not. Yet.
Seraphine gritted her teeth and locked her knees.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
The Council members' eyes widened in shock.
"Impossible," someone whispered.
Marcellus's expression darkened. "She's resisting multiple Alpha auras. That confirms it she's not normal!"
"She's strong," Kael's voice rang out. "There's a difference."
"No omega is this strong naturally!" Vivienne shrieked. "She's wrong she's corrupted she's "
"Enough."
The word wasn't loud.
But it silenced everyone.
Kael stepped forward, his aura exploding through the hall like a supernova.
Every single wolf Council included dropped to their knees.
Every wolf except Seraphine.
She stood.
Swaying, exhausted, but standing.
Kael's eyes glowed brilliant silver as he looked at the Council.
"You want to know what she is?" His voice was deadly quiet. "She's mine. And that's the only answer you need."
He turned to Seraphine, extending his hand.
She took it.
"This Inquiry is over," Kael declared.
"You can't—" Marcellus started.
"I can."
Kael's aura pressed harder.
"I am the Alpha King. And I'm telling you all of you that Seraphine Vale is under my protection. Anyone who questions that again will answer to me personally."
Silence.
Then..
The massive doors at the back of the hall burst open.
A warrior stumbled in, covered in blood.
"My king!" he gasped. "The eastern border we're under attack!"
Everyone froze.
"Rogues?" Kael demanded.
"No." The warrior's eyes were wide with terror. "Worse. It's an organized pack. Hundreds of them. And they're asking for—"
He looked at Seraphine.
"They're asking for the Hidden Omega."
The hall exploded into chaos.
Kael's hand tightened on Seraphine's as his eyes met hers.
And in that moment, she saw the truth.
The prophecy was real.
The danger was here.
And everything was about to change.