Alpha Marcel

Marcel:She weighed less than she should have.That was the first thing I noticed as I carried her through the gates, how light she felt in my arms, how wrong it was for someone with Alpha blood to be reduced to bone, muscle, and stubborn will. Her pulse fluttered against my wrist, fast but steady enough to tell me she wasn’t slipping away.At least, not yet.The territory lights cut through the trees as I crossed the perimeter. My men straightened the moment they caught my scent, and then hers. Confusion rippled through the ranks. I ignored it. I didn’t slow.Her wolf stirred despite the rejection. Mine answered without asking permission, wanting to claim her.I shut it down, knowing well that now was not the time.The pack house doors opened before I reached them.My mother stood at the entrance, as she always did when I returned injured or bloodied or carrying the aftermath of a fight. She had been by my side through wars, Council orders, and the day I decided I would never kneel a

Marcel:I closed the door behind my mother and didn’t move closer right away.Lia sat rigid on the edge of the bed, shoulders tight, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion clinging to her. She looked like she was ready to bolt, or attack. Either way, she was coiled for violence.“May I sit?” I asked, keeping my tone even. “I am not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.”Her head snapped up. Fury flashed across her face so fast it surprised me.“Why?” she shot back. “So you can watch me better while you decide how to kill me? Because I doubt that you are here to simply speak to me. What is it going to be? A ransom? Or are you going to torment the answers of whatever questions you might have out of me?”I frowned. That… wasn’t what I had expected.“I brought you here because you were bleeding out,” I said slowly. “You would have died in that forest. I wasn’t going to allow that to happen. Questioning or harming you… why would you even think that?”Her laugh was bitter. Sharp. Both an answer

Marcel:“Are you sure that her staying here is the right idea, Marcel?” My beta, Vladimir, asked.He had been waiting for me outside the infirmary door, and though ration told me that he was right to ask… her staying was not a good idea judging by everything. But I was not sending my mate to die.“I am not going to send her back into whatever hell she’s been through. But you are going to look into her story.” I said, and he nodded.“What am I to find?”“Anything that would lead to her. I want to know why she was cast out. Look for a Lia Volkov.” He looked at the door for a second before turning his attention to me.“An Alpha born who was cast out a rogue by her pack… pretty sure that we already have our options narrowed. But she is not from here. We would have known if she was.” He said, and I ran my fingers through my hair.The two of us kept walking, heading out, and though part of me didn’t want to leave, another knew that I had to. Plus, I needed to take care of a lot for now, and

Marcel:The decision was already made before I spoke it.That didn’t stop my mother from reacting.“She will not be moved there.”Mother’s voice cut through the hall the moment the words left my mouth. Sharp. Displeased. Protective in a way she hadn’t used on me in years.“Mother, I am not asking.” I said, and she let out a low, warning growl as she took a step forward.“The consort hall is not a place for strangers,” she continued, stepping in front of me as the attendants waited, uncertain. “Especially not for a rogue. And not without my permission.”“She’s not a stranger,” I replied calmly. “And she will be well taken care of. I want her to be here, mother.”“That is not the point,” she snapped. “You don’t make decisions like this on impulse, especially not about the harem. That is a place that I control within the estate. You have the whole territory to control, to protect, you roam around protecting the outside, come back bleeding, sometimes badly injured… I have never once comme

Elara:It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.That was all I could think as I strode down the corridor toward Luna Isobel’s chambers, fury tightening my chest with every step. Whispers followed me, consorts, guards, servants, everyone already talking about her. About the rogue Marcel had dragged into the heart of the pack and placed where she did not belong.The consort hall. And the worst part was… he took her there himself. Against all the odds, against all the rules, he chose to take her there himself!My hand clenched into a fist as I reached the door and didn’t bother knocking.“Tell me this isn’t true,” I demanded the moment I stepped inside. “Tell me that what I heard was nothing more than a lie.”Luna Isobel looked up from where she sat, her expression already tight, already restrained. Anger simmered beneath the surface, I could see it clearly, but it was controlled. Measured.“Is this the way that you are going to enter my chamber, Elara?” Luna Isobel asked, raising an eyeb