HADES' POV
The last time I had attended the sacred mating ritual, I had just become a man, I had known everything about it and I had hoped I would meet the one the goddess had chosen for me on that day but that was just a silly boyhood dream. Now I knew better, it was just a waste of time.
When I arrived the gates of the Royal Pack with my Beta, Lucian. My wolf became restless, growling and refusing to be calm. The guards bowed as I passed, their heads low and their fear thick in the air. I was used to that. My name and presence carried fear. I had heard their whispers calling me 'Cursed alpha'. No one had dared said that to my face for fear of the consequences.
"Alpha Hades of the Iron Claw Pack" the guard bowed.
"The alpha king awaits you where the sacred mating ritual will take place" he said but my attention was elsewhere, there was something strange tonight. Something that made my wolf snarl.
'What is it?' I asked him silently but he didn't respond.
I went into the sacred room and the elders stood in respect, I rather liked the fear that hung in the air when I walked in. I walked to the front and acknowledged my uncle, Alpha King Samael. He had thought me all I need to know when my parents died.
I was the strongest warrior and he accorded me that respect. Sometimes, I feel like he fears me too.
"Hades, we were waiting for you" he said.
"Let's begin" we sat on the seat specially designed for us and I watched as the elders started the ritual. The moon was already out but it glowed lowly in the room, signifying the goddess hadn't come yet. I had planned to stay in the shadows until dawn and then leave as silently as I came.
It was expected that after this ritual, a lot of couples would be blessed with children and their mate bond stronger. The elders were chanting some words when my wolf became restless again and I was hit by the most intoxicating scent. My wolf stopped pacing and went still.
Do you feel that? I asked. His growl was low and he uttered
Mine.
I froze. The word vibrated through my entire body. Before I could question him, the chanting broke and angry voices filled the room. My gaze followed the commotion and my eyes landed on Her. A human girl. She was the one with the scent.
She was thin and looked frail, thrown to the ground trembling, her torn dressed stained with blood and dirt. The guards dragged her up and she tried to run but she stumbled at my feet, she was looking for a way to run and she looked up, her eyes meeting mine. I don't know if she could see me clearly but I could see her clearly, her eyes bulged with fear.
"Kill her" my uncle had given the command and something shifted in my chest. She pleaded for her life.
My wolf surged so fast that I almost lost control. Every instinct in me screamed to protect and to claim. I didn't even know her name. A guard tried to take to strike her and that's when I lost it.
"She's mine" my voice boomed, causing an eerie silence. Every head turned. Even I was surprised by my declaration. The words tore through me before I could think.
I stepped forward, slow and deliberate, letting the power in my voice circulate in the room. My eyes fixed on her.
"What?" My uncles shocked gasp didn't faze me either.
"Take this urchin away from here" he commanded a warrior and he grabbed her wrist.
"Release her" the guard hesitated, before letting her go. She stumbled catching herself with trembling hands, her eyes wide with fear.
Samael rose from his seat at the far end. His expression was thunderous.
"Hades. What are you doing? She is human and has interrupted a sacred ritual which is forbidden to her kind and for that she must die"
"She's my mate. Surely, you don't mean to kill my mate"
"She can't be your mate. That is impossible. A wolf and human can never be mates"
"My wolf disagrees with that, Uncle" I said with a clipped tone.
"It is unheard of for a wolf and human" the elders whispered.
"Your wolf must be mistaken. There must be a confusion somewhere"
"There's no confusion, Uncle. That human is my mate unfortunately"
"She is a slave. She is weak. How can you accept her to be your Luna. You have to reject her. We have to complete the ritual now, let the guard take care of her and we'll discuss this after"
"The ritual has come to an end, Uncle. In case you didn't notice, the moon had glowed very brightly signifying the goddess' presence"
"Don't tell me you think the goddess has chosen her for you and blessed it?" He said with loath.
"You've said it all, Uncle. And that's why nobody is going to touch her" I said with finality.
"Seize her" the guard hesitated looking between my uncle and me. No one moved. They could feel the threat rolling of me, one wrong move and someone would end up dead.
"I am your king and I command you to seize her" a brave guard, came forward and grabbed her roughly, I lost control and my wolf took over and grabbed the guard.
"That's enough, Hades. You don't have to kill my guard because of a mere human" my uncle said angrily and I let the guard go. He was gasping for breath.
"Any person that lays a hand on her again will not live to tell the story" the command radiated in the room and the elders wrung their neck in submission.
I looked at my Uncle and his eyes were blazing with fire, his elders shook in fear but it didn't affect me because I could withstand anything.
"So what do you plan to do with the slave girl? Mark her and have kids with her?" He asked sarcastically. "The girl doesn't even look like she would survive another day. You need a strong and powerful wolf beside you not some thin looking human who knows nothing about our kind"
"Yes, Alpha Hades" the elders agreed with my uncle. They wanted me to agree to her killing.
"Lucian"
"Yes, Alpha Hades"
"We are leaving get the carriage ready and tell the other warriors"
"You agree with me?" My uncle asked with a smirk. I grabbed her hand and I felt the sparks all over my body but I ignored it.
"Where do you think you're taking her nephew?" I didn't look back.
"She's leaving with me"