Claimed Before All

Elsa’s pov

The hall had never known silence so thick. The echoes of Dylan’s mark on my neck still burned, searing into my skin like fire, echoing in my blood with a rhythm that matched my racing heart. The crowd Alphas, elders, betas, warriors stared in stunned disbelief.

I could feel their shock pressing down on me like a physical weight. A maid, a castoff mate, a servant girl… marked by Dylan Thorne, the richest, strongest Alpha alive.

My breathing hitched. Amy, my wolf, was howling inside me, not with pain but with triumph. He chose us. He claimed us. No one can touch us now.

But the silence broke like glass when Caleb roared.

“ENOUGH!”

His voice thundered across the hall, rattling the windows and silencing even the whispers. His eyes those dark, familiar eyes were locked on me, but they burned with fury, not affection.

“You dare!” he snarled, his gaze snapping to Dylan. “She was mine!”

Dylan didn’t even flinch. Still holding me close, one arm firm around my waist, he turned his head slowly toward Caleb. His lips curved into the faintest smirk, the kind of expression that wasn’t amusement but a warning.

“She was yours,” Dylan said coolly. “But you threw her away. And now… she’s mine.”

The room erupted in gasps.

Crystal’s shriek tore through the noise. She stumbled forward, clutching her gown, her face twisted with rage.

“No! This isn’t possible! She’s nothing! A servant! A disgrace!” Her finger jabbed at me, trembling with hatred. “You’re humiliating this pack, Dylan. She doesn’t deserve to breathe in your presence, let alone…”

Dylan’s growl silenced her.

It wasn’t loud. It didn’t have to be. The sheer authority in the sound rolled through the hall like thunder, shaking the air. Crystal froze mid-breath, her lips still parted but no sound emerging.

“No one,” Dylan said, his eyes flashing with menace, “speaks about my mate that way.”

I shivered. His mate. The words sent fire and ice rushing through me all at once.

Caleb slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair, his jaw tight enough to crack. “You can’t just come into my hall, in front of my people, and steal what’s mine!”

“Steal?” Dylan raised a brow. He released me only long enough to take my hand in his, lifting it high for all to see. His grip was firm, commanding, unbreakable. “I didn’t steal anything, Caleb. You gave her up. You replaced her. And now she comes with me.”

Whispers rippled through the hall. “He’s taking her…?” “Can Caleb stop him?” “No one challenges Dylan Thorne and lives…”

Caleb’s face darkened with humiliation.

“You think you can just walk away with her?” Caleb spat. “This is my pack. I decide who stays and who goes.”

Dylan’s laughter was soft, dangerous. “Then try to stop me.”

The challenge hung in the air, sharp as a blade. Caleb’s body tensed, his aura flaring as if he might shift right there before everyone.

But the hesitation gave him away. He knew. Everyone knew. He wasn’t strong enough. Dylan’s presence alone dominated the room, pressing down on every soul inside.

Crystal grabbed Caleb’s arm, her face pale. “Don’t! He’ll destroy you.”

Caleb shook her off, but he didn’t move. His pride warred with his fear, and for the first time, I saw something in him I never expected. Not just anger. Not just betrayal. But jealousy.

“You always thought she was weak,” Dylan said, his gaze sharp on Caleb. “You broke her, humiliated her, and left her to rot in shadows. But she endured. She survived. That strength? That fire? It belongs with me now.”

My chest tightened. Strength. Fire. Words no one had ever spoken about me before.

Amy howled again, exultant. He sees us. He chooses us.

I wanted to believe it. I wanted to cling to it. But beneath the rush of adrenaline, my heart ached. Caleb’s eyes burned into me, filled with fury and something I couldn’t name. For so long, he had been everything. My first love. My mate. My Alpha.

Now he was nothing but a stranger, watching as another man claimed me before the world.

“Elsa,” Dylan said, his voice lowering, softer but no less commanding. He turned to me fully, his hand enclosing mine. “Come with me. To my pack. No one here will ever touch you again. No one will ever make you bow.”

My lips parted, my throat dry. Around us, the hall held its breath. Every face, every pair of eyes, was locked on me.

Caleb’s. Crystal’s. The elders’. The Alphas. Even the servants.

Dylan’s eyes bored into mine, steady, unwavering. “Choose me.”

Amy pressed at my soul, her voice fierce. Say yes. He’s ours. We’ll be free.

My knees weakened. My heart thundered. I wanted freedom. I wanted strength. But choosing Dylan here, before them all, would make me the enemy of my pack forever.

“You don’t have to fear them anymore,” Dylan said, pulling me a little closer. His thumb brushed against my knuckles, and sparks shot through me from the bond. “No one will defy me. No one will harm you. Not while I breathe.”

Caleb growled, stepping down from the dais. “Elsa don’t.”

His voice cracked, raw, torn between fury and desperation. For a heartbeat, I almost saw the boy I once knew, the one who whispered sweet promises under the stars. But then I remembered the beatings, the humiliation, the way he cast me aside like dirt.

That boy was gone.

“I…” My voice trembled, barely above a whisper. But Dylan leaned closer, his gaze holding me steady.

“You’re mine now,” he said. It wasn’t a plea. It was a vow.

And then he kissed me.

The world shattered. Heat, fire, sparks ignited across my skin, coursing through every nerve. Amy howled with wild joy, the bond sealing deeper, stronger. I gasped against his lips, my hands trembling as he claimed me again before everyone.

Gasps and murmurs swelled through the hall, waves of disbelief and awe. Some voices cheered. Others cursed. But no one dared move.

Because Dylan Thorne had chosen.

When he pulled back, his forehead pressed against mine, his voice a whisper only I could hear. “No more chains, Elsa. You walk with me now.”

I closed my eyes, the tears spilling hot down my cheeks. My heart screamed with fear, with relief, with something dangerously close to hope.

When I opened them again, Dylan was already turning toward the hall, his hand still gripping mine like iron. He faced Caleb, his aura crashing down like a storm.

“She leaves with me. Tonight.”

No one challenged him. Not even Caleb.