Chapter 4: The Alpha's Arrogance

The cool morning mist hovered over the glowing waters of the Whispering Pool as the first rays of golden sunlight filtered through the dense forest canopy.

I lay completely breathless against Salvatore’s massive, heavily muscled chest. His broad muscular arms were wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping my soft, full body flush against his warm skin. The terrifying, chaotic fever that had possessed him all night had finally receded, replaced by a deep, absolute calm.

A sharp, throbbing heat radiated from my left collarbone. I reached up with trembling fingers, trying to pull the torn silk of my dress over my chest to cover myself, but the fabric was shredded.

Salvatore woke up; his gaze dropped, his dark eyes locked intensely onto my skin. Right above my heart, an intricate crest of a crowned Lycan encircled by glowing crescent moons was burning softly into my flesh. The mark of the Lycan King.

A dark, slow smirk spread across his handsome face as he watched me struggle to hide.

"What is your name, my precious?" he asked, his voice low, deep, and raspy from a night of endless groans and savage passion.

"Jennifer..." I whispered, my cheeks flushing a deep red. I dropped my gaze to his chest, suddenly overwhelmed by extreme shyness as the memory of everything we had done came flooding back.

Salvatore let out a low rumble, reaching out with two long fingers to cup my chin. He tilted my face up, forcing me to meet his gaze. His stormy obsidian eyes were filled with a dark, mesmerized awe.

"Jennifer," he repeated, letting my name roll off his tongue like a dark vow. He leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss directly onto my lips before pulling back just an inch. "I thought you would die. No female has ever survived my heat. Their spirits break. Their bodies shatter. But you..." His calloused hand slid down, squeezing my full hip possessively. "You took everything I had and asked for more."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "I..."

"Come with me, Jennifer," he murmured against my mouth, his thumb gently tracing my lower lip.

Before I could answer, a loud, heavy crack echoed through the trees.

Salvatore’s head snapped toward the edge of the clearing, his eyes flaring dangerous silver for a brief second. He shifted us effortlessly, pulling me against his side as he shielded my bare body from view.

A tall man in dark blue royal armor stepped out from behind the stone archway, dropping to one knee with his head strictly fixed on the earth.

"Your Majesty," the guard stammered nervously. "Forgive the intrusion. The sanctuary guards reported your fever has cleared."

"Speak, Vance," Salvatore ordered coldly, his voice shifting instantly into the commanding tone of a sovereign ruler.

"Alpha Brandon of the Silver Moon Pack is at the outer perimeter gates," Vance reported, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. "He is accompanied by his pack elders and a detachment of warriors. He claims a rogue female from his pack fled into the royal grounds after committing treason. He is demanding immediate entry to retrieve her before she corrupts the sacred sanctuary."

A cold spike of adrenaline shot through me. Brandon. He really thought he could just drag me back in chains after his pathetic little speech last night.

Beside me, Salvatore’s body went rigid. A suffocating, terrifying aura instantly filled the clearing, making the leaves on the surrounding trees shudder.

"He demands?" Salvatore’s voice dropped to a lethal, dark register. "An Alpha of a mid-tier pack comes to my gates and makes demands?"

"He claims the female is his property by pack right, Your Majesty," Vance added quickly. "He does not know you are here."

Salvatore looked down at me, his gaze softening just enough for me to see the dangerous promise in his eyes. He reached down, grabbing his heavy black velvet royal cloak, and wrapped it securely around my full frame. He pulled the thick fabric tight, completely covering my bare bosoms and torn gown while leaving the glowing mark on my collarbone exposed for the entire world to see.

"Stand up, my Queen," he murmured, extending his broad hand.

My heart skipped a beat at that title, and right at the moment I didn't know what to feel about it.

I gripped his hand and tried to step forward, but a sharp, intense ache between my thighs made my knees buckle. My entire body was sore, completely exhausted from the relentless hours of wild passion. I gasped, limping slightly as I caught my balance against his arm.

Salvatore immediately caught me by the waist, supporting my full weight against his broad chest without an ounce of effort. A dark, satisfied glint sparkled in his eyes as he noticed how sore I was from his claim last night.

"Can you walk?" he asked softly, a wicked smirk playing on his lips.

"I can walk," I breathed out, leaning into his solid frame as a wave of cold fury washed over my soreness.

I want to see Brandon's face when he realizes who I belong to now.

"Do you know this Alpha, Jennifer?"

"He's my ex-mate who rejected me last night," I said in a small voice. Expecting him to push me away, but none of that happened.

Salvatore’s smirk widened into a lethal smile. He held me tightly against his side, guiding my limping steps as we made our way back toward the palace. "Then let us go greet your ex-mate."

Ten minutes later, we stood atop the high stone battlements of the Royal Palace grounds. Below us, surrounded by high iron pikes and dozens of heavily armed guards, stood Alpha Brandon.

He was wearing his formal Alpha regalia, looking arrogant and impatient. Clara stood right beside him, wrapped in a fur coat, her sharp face twisted in annoyance as she complained about the damp forest air.

"I demand to speak with the Commander!" Brandon yelled up at the guard towers, flexing his claws to display his weak Alpha presence. "Jennifer Sinclair is a criminal of the Silver Moon Pack! Delivering her to us is a matter of treaty!"

"Is that so, Alpha Brandon?"

Salvatore’s deep, booming voice cut through the courtyard like a heavy silver blade.

Brandon snapped his head up, his smirk instantly freezing when he saw the towering figure of King Salvatore stepping out onto the central balcony. The entire detachment of pack warriors behind Brandon immediately dropped to their knees in sheer terror, crushed under the terrifying weight of the Lycan King's aura.

Brandon staggered back a step, his face going pale, but he forced himself to stay standing. "Y-Your Majesty! I did not know you were present. I am only here for a disgraced female who ran into your woods last night-"

Brandon’s words choked in his throat.

I stepped out from behind Salvatore, leaning slightly into his side. Salvatore’s large arm slid smoothly around my waist, pulling my plush hips tightly against his frame to support me while displaying absolute ownership.

Brandon’s jaw dropped open. Clara gasped, her eyes bulging in pure shock as she stared at me.

I wasn't the weak, sobbing girl they had tried to destroy. Wrapped in Salvatore's heavy black velvet cloak, my hair wild and my body clearly marked by a night of intense passion, I held Brandon's gaze with absolute disdain. And right above my heart, the bright silver crest of the Lycan King burned brightly for everyone to see.

Yet as my eyes locked onto Brandon’s pale face, a strange, dark warmth flared deep within my chest. Beneath the scent of pine and ozone, my throat throbbed with a subtle, carnivorous ache. My gums prickled as a hidden, predatory instinct stirred within my blood, making my tongue taste the faint scent of fear carried on the morning wind. 

"You were looking for me, Brandon?" I asked softly, my voice carrying effortlessly across the silent courtyard. "Or did you come to bow to your new Queen?"