Chapter 6: The Alpha King's Rage

KAEL'S POV

My wolf howled for blood the second Vivienne Sterling crashed through my window with murder in her eyes. Not just any blood, ”her” blood, for daring to threaten what was mine.

Elara stood frozen behind me, her scent spiking with terror, and the sound of her fear snapped the last thread of my control.

"You made a mistake coming here," I growled, my voice dropping into the Alpha command that brought weaker wolves to their knees. Three of the rogues immediately collapsed, whimpering.

Vivienne just smiled, her newly-turned wolf too stupid to recognize a superior predator. "Did I? I have eight rogues, Kael. You have your beta and a human who doesn't even know what she is." She tilted her head, and I wanted to rip it off her shoulders. "Those seem like good odds."

"You're right." I let my wolf rise to the surface, felt my bones beginning to shift. "They're excellent odds. For me."

I moved.

The first rogue died before he could scream, my claws through his throat. The second tried to run—coward—and I caught him mid-leap, snapping his spine with a sickening crack. Nyx was a blur of violence beside me, taking down two more with brutal efficiency.

But Vivienne wasn't interested in fighting me. She was going for Elara.

"No!" The word tore from my chest as Vivienne lunged, claws extended

Elara moved, Impossibly fast, inhumanly fast, catching Vivienne's wrist and twisting. The crack of bone echoed through the penthouse, and Vivienne screamed.

"Touch me again," Elara said, her voice resonating with power that raised every hair on my body, "and I'll do worse than break your wrist."

She didn't know. My sweet, soft mate had no idea she'd just used an Alpha command. Had no idea her eyes were glowing the same silver-blue as the flames from the moonsilver test.

I had no idea she was magnificent.

Vivienne stumbled back, cradling her wrist, shock replacing her smug confidence. "How did you—you're human!"

"Apparently not." Elara looked at her hands like they belonged to someone else, and I could smell her panic rising. "What's happening to me?"

"Your wolf is waking up." Elder Marcus spoke from the corner where he'd wisely stayed out of the fight. "The seal is breaking faster than anticipated. In another day, maybe two, you'll shift for the first time."

"I don't want to shift!" Elara's voice cracked. "I don't want any of this!"

Her distress was a knife to my chest. I wanted to go to her, hold her and promise everything would be okay. But three rogues still stood between us, and Vivienne was already healing, her wolf's regeneration kicking in.

"Nyx," I barked. "Get Elara to the safe room. Now."

"Like hell." Elara grabbed a shard of broken glass—my brave, foolish mate—and held it like a weapon. "I'm not running while you fight my battles."

"This isn't your battle—"

"She's my sister! This is absolutely my battle!" Her eyes flashed that eerie silver-blue again. "And I'm so tired of people protecting me like I'm made of glass!"

One of the rogues laughed. "The little human has spirit. Boss will pay extra for—"

I tore his throat out before he finished the sentence.

"Anyone else want to discuss my mate?" I surveyed the remaining rogues, blood dripping from my claws. "No? Good."

They ran. Smart wolves, knowing when they were outmatched. But Vivienne held her ground, hatred radiating from every pore.

"This isn't over, Elara." She backed toward the broken window. "You think being some special Alpha bloodline makes you better than me? You're still the pathetic, fat girl nobody wanted. The only reason Kael wants you is because of some magical bond he can't control." Her smile was poison. "But bonds can be broken. And when yours is, he'll see you for what you really are worthless."

Elara flinched, and my wolf roared with the need to destroy Vivienne for putting that look on my mate's face.

"Leave," I commanded, pumping every ounce of Alpha authority into the word. "Before I forget that killing you would upset Elara. But know this, you come near her again, bond or no bond, and I will end you. Slowly."

Vivienne paled and fled through the window, shifting mid-leap into a clumsy brown wolf that barely made the leap to the next building.

The second she was gone, Elara collapsed.

I caught her before she hit the ground, my heart stopping at how cold her skin was. "Elara? Baby, stay with me—"

"The awakening is taking its toll," Elder Marcus said grimly. "Her body is trying to shift, but the seal is fighting it. She needs the pack healer. Now."

"My estate is compromised—"

"Then take her to the sacred grounds. The old magic there will help stabilize her." He met my eyes. "But Kael, you need to understand what's happening. She's not just any Alpha. She's Moonborne royalty. Her wolf won't be normal. And when she finally shifts—"

"I don't care what she is." I lifted Elara into my arms, her head lolling against my chest. "She's mine. That's all that matters."

"Is it?" Nyx appeared, covered in blood that wasn't hers. "Because the pack elders are calling an emergency council. They want to meet the Alpha Queen's daughter. And they want to know if you're strong enough to keep her."

Another leadership challenge. Of course. My pack couldn't go five minutes without questioning my authority.

"Let them question," I said coldly. "But they'll do it after Elara is safe. Nyx, get the car. Elder Marcus, you're coming with us. And someone clean up this mess before—"

My phone rang. Unknown number. I almost ignored it, but something made me answer.

"Alpha King Blackwood." The voice was female, cultured, and familiar in a way that made my blood run cold. "I believe you have something that belongs to me."

"Who is this?"

"Someone who's been searching for her daughter for twenty-six years. Someone who will burn your entire pack to ash if you don't return her." A pause. "Tell me, Kael, does Elara know yet? That her real mother is alive? That the Sterlings stole her as an infant?"

My wolf went utterly still. "Catherine Sterling?"

"Close. I'm Catherine's twin sister. The real Catherine. The Alpha Queen your pack has been searching for." Her laugh was bitter. "My sister stole my identity, my fortune, and my newborn daughter. She sealed Elara's wolf and raised her as human to keep her weak, controllable. But the seal is breaking now, isn't it? You can feel her power growing."

"What do you want?"

"I want my daughter back. And I want the people who took her from me to suffer." Her voice turned to steel. "Bring Elara to the old Sterling estate tomorrow at midnight. Alone. Or I'll assume you're complicit in her kidnapping, and I'll declare war on your pack."

"That's not—"

"Midnight, Kael. Don't be late." She hung up.

I stood there, Elara unconscious in my arms, the weight of impossible choices crushing my chest. Her real mother was alive. And she was demanding Elara back.

But Elara was my mate. My responsibility. Mine.

I looked down at her peaceful face, so different from the scared woman I'd met in that club. She'd been through hell—betrayal, divorce, disownment, and now this supernatural nightmare.

And I'd promised to protect her.

Even if it meant going to war with an Alpha Queen.

"Kael?" Nyx's voice was soft. "What did they say?"

"That everything we thought we knew about Elara's past is a lie." I headed for the door, my mate secured against my chest. "And that tomorrow night, everything changes."

"Changes how?"

I met her eyes, letting her see the wolf lurking just beneath my skin. "One way or another, I'm keeping my mate. Even if I have to fight her mother to do it."