6. Her Mate

“Who are you?” the middle-aged man, who was supposed to be a pack guard, questioned.

She looked at him, her arms stretched apart, the metal chains into her wrists as they held her off the ground.

The air in the room was thick with the stench of blood, making it more unsettling than the weapons on the table.

Who was she?

'Look at me, you fools! Queen Radella! The very queen whose name once made you tremble!' How she wished she could shout those words.

Then she spoke. “Nalath Hunt."

The guard stared at her. His eyebrows drew together and he slammed his hand against the table. “Which family are you from?”

Radella frowned a little “I have told you. It's Nalath Hunt,” she said confidently, even though inwardly she started having doubts.

She wouldn't be surprised if Zaphyra had lied about that name to get her into trouble. The only thing left was to gamble that Zaphyra wouldn't let Nalath get hurt.

“Why did you start a fire?” the guard questioned.

Radella remained silent for a moment before replying, “I was angry.”

The guard studied Radella, then glanced at his fellow guard and gestured towards him. “Remind her where she is.”

The other guard nodded and immediately rushed to pick up a weapon.

Radella's expression remained unchanged, but her heart raced. She had expected some form of torture, but actually experiencing it was another matter entirely.

The guard took a thick whip and approached her. “Girl, I'd hate to see that pretty face ruined. So why don't you start talking sense?”

Radella ground her teeth. Hadn't she answered their questions?

The guard slashed the whip through the air. Its sound whooshed around the room.

“Are you sure you can bear the consequences of what you're about to do?” Radella warned. “You have no idea who you're dealing with!”

The guy froze. “How scary. Who are you, miss?”

“I'm a qu...” She halted. Right, who was she as Nalath?

The guy scoffed and raised his whip. Radella's eyes widened as she watched it descend.

“He is here.” Those were the words she heard Zaphyra say.

She couldn't think about what that meant before closing her eyes.

Nothing happened. She slowly opened them again.

A refreshing scent swept through the room, pushing away the stench of blood. Srangely alluring. What was this? Had this mediocre body finally regained its sense of smell?

She turned towards the source of the scent. A figure stood between her and the guard. She could only see his broad shoulders, his cloak, and his blonde hair. One hand was holding back the guard's whip.

“Lord Khalien,” the middle-aged man called out, immediately bowing.

“Khalien!” Zaphyra growled.

Radella wasn't even sure whether it was a pleasant or unpleasant growl directed at him. But Zaphyra's strong reaction was unmistakable.

Khalien threw the whip aside with such force that it flew into the guard holding it and struck him in the face.

He groaned, stepping back and clutching his injured face.

“Untie her,” Khalien ordered.

The middle-aged guard hesitated, his gaze shifting between Khalien and the girl.

“Lord Khalien, she claims to be Nalath Hunt, and we caught her starting a fire. We haven't established what happened yet.”

Khalien's expression hardened. "She is Nalath Hunt, the sole heir to the Alpha bloodline. Who are you to question her?"

The man's eyes widened. He hurried to unlock her chains. What had he done? He had actually threatened someone connected to the Alpha's family!

Radella watched as her hands were freed, the words repeating in her mind. Alpha's bloodline? Her?

Once her hands were free, she found her body too numb to support her properly after hanging in the chains for so long. She stumbled.

However, Khalien immediately caught her, wrapping one arm around her waist.

Radella's eyes widened.

“Are you okay?” Khalien asked, his voice gentle.

Radella raised her eyes and met his stunning dark grey ones.

What a handsome man. Perhaps even more handsome than those she had encountered before.

Radella frowned. Ridiculous! Since when had a man's appearance been enough to unsettle her? Had she really fallen so low?

Realizing that he was holding her, she straightened herself and frowned further. “Who is he?” Radella questioned Zaphyra. “Or I might ask him myself.”

Zaphyra remained silent for a moment before snarling and answering, “Mate. He's mine and Nalath's.”

Radella froze.

Mate...? What?!

“What nonsense!” she spat loudly.

Khalien looked at Radella with concern. “I will take you away from here.”

She furrowed deeply. No wonder this body reacted that way. When had she ever found a man's scent alluring? She wouldn't have been alone in her previous life!

The guard glanced between Khalien and Radella. A line of sweat formed on his forehead. Had he really threatened someone connected to the Alpha's family?

He dropped to his knees.

“Please forgive us, Lord Khalien. We failed to recognize the Alpha's heir. It was an unforgivable mistake.”

Khalien's gentle expression disappeared as he turned towards the kneeling guards. He glared down at them.

“I hope you won't make another mistake of branding her a criminal.”

The guard held Khalien's cold gaze for a moment before stiffening and replying, “We won't register her as a criminal.”

Radella watched what was happening with satisfaction. Not because those guards were facing the consequences of messing with her despite her warnings, but because it proved Nalath wasn't a nobody.

However... she studied Khalien. Why did it seem this respect was directed towards him and not her? Weren't they supposed to ask her for mercy and not him?

Then when she didn't expect, her hand was grabbed by Khalien and dragged outside.

Radella followed, staring at his back. A strange sensation spread through her body from the part of the touch. She was annoyed, yet at the same time, not as disgusted as she usually felt towards werewolves.

This body's bond affected her?

No, that wasn't important. What mattered was that she was apparently the Alpha's heir! Sole heir, at that!

She halted, pulling her hand away. If so, she had an idea where she would start.

Khalien stopped as well and glanced back at her. She seemed in deep thoughts. Was Nalath grinning?

Since it was a festival, the streets were still buzzing with activity.

Radella glanced at her plain dress and the sandals on her feet. She couldn't meet that Alpha looking like this. She needed a proper shower and a dress.

“I'm sure you have some cash on you, right, Lord Khalien?”

Khalien blinked, a little taken aback by her tone. It was as though she believed he was obligated to provide it.

He smiled. She wanted to celebrate the new year together! “Plenty of it.”

Radella nodded. “Good. Find me a shop that sells beautiful dresses. Ah, I'll need jewellery and a nice pair of shoes, too.”

If there was ever a day Khalien was surprised, today was one of them. He stared at Radella's back as she walked forward, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Still, he couldn't figure her out.